Overview
Contract: Shrieker is a level 8 witcher contract at Crow’s Perch in Velen. The villagers there already have the Bloody Baron and his men to worry about, and on top of that something they call “the shrieker” has been killing people. Its latest victim was Borzoy, the old lord’s hunter, who leaves behind an orphaned son. The beast turns out to be a cockatrice, the one locals call the Shrieker.
Getting the contract
Pick up the notice from the Crow’s Perch notice board, then find Chet, who waits near the entrance to the village. You can also start the contract by running into the monster’s tracks or its cave while exploring. In that case Geralt investigates first, and you check the notice board later to find out who’s paying.
The investigation
Chet tells you about Borzoy’s death and points you to Symko, the hunter’s son, who now lives with him. You’ll find the boy behind the hut with the goats. He shares a little about the monster before grief gets the better of him. You can use Axii on him for an extra 25 XP, though either dialogue choice ends the talk. A tip: if you have some grudge against goats, settle it after the conversation, or Symko may refuse to speak to you.
Head to the field east of the village. A dead dog and some tracks mark the spot of the attack. Follow them to a patch of monster blood, then follow the blood trail down to the water, across it, up a small hill and around the Burned Ruins. The last clue is a set of tracks leading into a cave, and that’s where Geralt works out he’s dealing with a cockatrice (25 XP).
Fighting the Shrieker
Deep in the cave you’ll hear the beast perched somewhere you can’t reach. Use Witcher Senses to pinpoint the nook and throw a Samum, Grapeshot or Dancing Star bomb at it. It flees out a back exit, so run out of the cave and go right after it. No need to whistle for Roach; it turns to fight soon enough. The quest doesn’t fail if it gets away, so you can come back and finish it later.
The cockatrice can’t attack behind itself, so getting to its back is the whole fight. Its frontal pecks come fast, so roll past it when it charges instead of standing in front.
- Draconid oil on the silver sword.
- Aard to knock it down, and the crossbow to ground it when it flies.
- Grapeshot, useful both for smoking it out and in the fight.
- Swallow to recover from its bleeding strikes.
Full tactics on our Shrieker page.
Choices and outcomes
Take the cockatrice trophy and stomach, then return to Chet. He offers the bounty, and you can either take it or tell him to keep the coin for Symko. If you started from the notice, you can afterwards tell Symko his father has been avenged. He thanks Geralt and runs off.
Rewards
- Take the coin: 235 XP and 176 crowns
- Let Chet keep it for Symko: 250 XP, no crowns
- Loot: cockatrice trophy, cockatrice stomach and a dwarven axe
If you killed the shrieker before finding the notice, you get the coin payout automatically. While at Crow’s Perch, the horse races in Races: Crow’s Perch and the fist fights in Fists of Fury: Velen are close by.
