Bloody Baron

Bloody Baron is the main quest that takes Geralt to Crow’s Perch and introduces one of the most memorable characters in The Witcher 3: Phillip Strenger, the self-styled ruler of Velen. Hendrik’s notes say Ciri passed through the Baron’s keep, and Geralt wants to know what happened to her there.

How to start Bloody Baron

The quest opens at the end of The Nilfgaardian Connection, alongside Hunting a Witch. You can do the two in either order. Bloody Baron is a level 6 quest worth 100 XP, but it is really the opening act of the much longer Family Matters.

Getting into Crow’s Perch

How Geralt gets in depends on what he did at the Inn at the Crossroads:

You kept the peace with the Baron’s men: the guards let you in, and a sergeant escorts you to the Baron in his garden.
You killed them: the guards refuse to open the gate. An old man in the village below knows another way in, for 15 crowns. A boy once drowned in the moat, and his hat later turned up by the well inside the walls. Behind the shrine for the boy, a flooded cave leads up into the castle well, guarded by a water hag.
You skipped the inn: the guards do not trust you, so pay 15 crowns or use the cave.

The cave is dark, so a Cat potion helps. It is worth exploring properly: there is good loot, some of it underwater, and one of the chests belongs to the Wolf School gear scavenger hunt.

The Baron’s story

Whichever way you get in, the Baron greets Geralt warmly and invites him to his chambers. He is talkative, funny and easy to like, and he did meet Ciri: exhausted, wounded and soaking wet. The first part of his tale plays out as Ciri’s Story: The King of the Wolves, where you take control of Ciri herself. But the rest of the story has a price. Before he says more, the Baron wants Geralt to find his missing wife Anna and daughter Tamara, which leads straight into Family Matters.

Tips

If you try the cave before finishing The Nilfgaardian Connection, the entrance is blocked by debris.
Look at the gate in the village at the crossroads: there is a missing poster for Tamara Strenger, a small hint of what is coming.

Walkthrough

Ride to Crow’s Perch.
If the guards let you in, follow the sergeant to the Baron in the garden.
If they turn you away, go to the village below the castle and talk to the old man. Pay him 15 crowns for directions, or search on your own.
Find the shrine for the drowned boy on the northwest side of the castle and the hidden cave entrance across the moat.
Dive into the cave, explore it (use a Cat potion and check underwater for loot) and kill the water hag.
Climb up through the old well into the castle.
Talk to the Baron in his chambers and ask about Ciri. His story continues as Ciri’s Story: The King of the Wolves.

Quest Consequences & Choices

Your behaviour in The Nilfgaardian Connection decides whether you walk in through the gate or sneak in through the cave, but the outcome is the same: the Baron tells the first part of Ciri’s story and asks for help finding his wife and daughter. The quest leads straight into Ciri’s Story: The King of the Wolves and Family Matters.