Overview
King’s Gambit is a secondary quest in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and the turning point in the race for the throne of the Skellige Isles. It starts automatically after Possession and The Lord of Undvik, and fails if not completed before The Isle of Mists. Starting it locks out Stranger in a Strange Land and The Cave of Dreams.
The feast
At Kaer Trolde, Hjalmar and Cerys are arguing in the feast hall. Before talking to Crach, Geralt can take part in fistfights: beat a vildkaarl to win Hjalmar’s steel sword, then take on three more brawlers.
Outside Crach’s room, Birna Bran, the late king’s widow, complains that the throne should pass by birthright to her son Svanrige. Crach an Craite then gives Geralt the silver sword Fate for helping his children. Moments later screams come from the hall. Three bears are tearing the guests apart. They are actually berserkers.
Siding with Cerys
Cerys investigates carefully. The bears were humans, and the mead smells odd. The druid Hjort identifies the mushroom as mardroeme, which, according to legend, can turn people into animals. In the wine cellar someone sets spilled Mahakaman spirit alight to kill them. Aard clears the barrels from a hidden exit, which is also the only way to a Quen place of power.
A trail of mead and a thread point to the steward Arnvald, who flees on horseback. Catch him, or find his body and search his room, and a letter reveals the mastermind: Birna Bran. When the jarls hesitate, Svanrige himself asks his mother why she sent him away before the attack. Birna confesses and is sentenced to be chained to a rock by the sea.
Siding with Hjalmar
Hjalmar goes straight for Fornhala, home of the vildkaarl, whom he saw turn into bears. Clues point to worship of Svalblod, a forbidden god who demands human sacrifice. Below a hidden hatch, Geralt fights Halgrim in bear form, then the druid Artis and another berserker. A letter shows Artis was promised a place as the next king’s advisor. The true mastermind stays hidden, but the an Craite name is cleared.
Consequences
Whoever Geralt helps will be crowned in Coronation. Staying out of it ends the quest early.
