Lilac and Gooseberries is the first real main quest in The Witcher 3, the one that kicks off the prologue in White Orchard right after the dream at Kaer Morhen. Geralt and Vesemir are following the trail of Yennefer, who sent Geralt a letter smelling of lilac and gooseberries and then vanished. The only man who knows where she went is a Nilfgaardian captain, and he wants a griffin dead before he says a word.
How to start Lilac and Gooseberries
You do not have to do anything. The quest starts automatically when Geralt wakes from his dream at the campsite east of White Orchard, and it is the backbone of the whole prologue. It is a level 1 to 2 quest and gives around 750 XP in total, spread over its steps.
Ghouls, a griffin and a tavern full of gossip
The witchers barely have time to break camp before a pack of ghouls attacks, which doubles as a quick combat tutorial. Before you ride off, look for a glittering spot near the path: it is the crystal skull from the opening cinematic. On the road to the village a griffin swoops down on a merchant’s cart, wounds Vesemir and carries off a dead horse, a neat preview of what this region has in store.
At the White Orchard Inn nobody seems to have seen a raven-haired sorceress, until Geralt talks to a quiet vagrant in the corner. That vagrant is Gaunter O’Dimm, and he is a lot more important than he looks. He sends Geralt to the Nilfgaardian Garrison, where Captain Peter Saar Gwynleve trades information for a monster contract. That contract is The Beast of White Orchard, and you have to finish it before this quest can go on.
Leaving White Orchard
Once the griffin is dead, Geralt meets Vesemir back at the inn, which is now full of bandits looking for trouble. That sparks the short quest The Incident at White Orchard. Outside, a Nilfgaardian patrol is waiting, led by Yennefer herself. The emperor wants to see Geralt, so it is off to Vizima, while Vesemir heads home. On the way the Wild Hunt attacks, and the story continues in Imperial Audience.
Tips and things you can miss
- Talking to Vesemir at the inn after the griffin hunt starts the chain of events that takes you away from White Orchard. Finish the region’s side quests first, because several of them fail once you leave.
- The innkeeper Elsa disappears after the prologue. If you want her gwent cards, buy them now (the merchant Bram sells them too).
- Talk to Aldert Geert in the tavern to learn gwent and start the side quest Collect ’Em All.
- Pick up the crystal skull at the campsite. It unlocks a little extra dialogue with Yennefer much later, in The Last Wish.
- White Orchard is packed with Places of Power and loot. Our interactive White Orchard map shows them all.
