The Battle of Kaer Morhen is the climax of the middle act of The Witcher 3. With Ciri safe at last, the witchers and every ally Geralt could gather make their stand at Kaer Morhen against the Wild Hunt. Everything you did in the Brothers in Arms quests pays off here, and the battle ends with one of the most painful moments in the series.
How to start The Battle of Kaer Morhen
The quest starts right after The Isle of Mists, when Geralt and Ciri arrive at the keep. It is a level 24 quest worth 2,700 XP, plus 1,000 XP if you recruited every possible ally. Fast travel and calling Roach are disabled, so you can only move around the valley on foot.
Before the council
Walk through the keep and talk to everyone who came. Depending on your choices, that can include Hjalmar with Folan and Vigi, Zoltan (who works as an armorer), Ermion, Lambert, Eskel, Roche and Ves, Letho and Keira Metz, who also sells alchemy supplies. Try the Eye of Nehaleni on Keira’s dresser for a laugh.
The council: two choices
- The laboratory: brew potions (you get Superior Swallow, Thunderbolt and a lesser Perun runestone) or set witcher traps in the courtyard.
- The workshop: patch up the walls (fewer enemies come through Savolla’s breach) or clear the armory (you get the silver sword Rose of Shaerrawed, at a random level).
This is your last chance to prepare for a long chain of quests. Take repair kits and gear from your stash, buff your weapons and armor, and grab the White Gull from the barrels.
The battle
It begins in the woods with Lambert. Close three Wild Hunt portals with Yrden or dimeritium bombs. Walking into a portal and casting Yrden while still unseen is the easiest way. Then the battle shifts to the walls: as Ciri, help Triss on the battlements, using an amulet to guide her fireballs and Ciri’s new Charge attack. Back as Geralt, gallop to the keep, close the main gate, save Lambert if Keira is not there to do it, retreat from the White Frost, help Ciri and Eskel against Caranthir, and close the last portals in the courtyard.
The ending (spoilers)
The Hunt breaks through and freezes almost everyone. Eredin tries to talk Ciri into giving up, and Vesemir gives his life attacking Imlerith to protect her. Ciri’s grief unleashes her power in a scream that tears through the Hunt and forces them to retreat, until Avallac’h calms her. The quest ends with Vesemir’s funeral pyre, where Ciri takes his wolf medallion and decides to stop running. The story continues in Blood on the Battlefield.
Tips
- Lambert can die in the battle if Keira is not there and you do not reach him in time.
- None of the enemies give XP, so there is no point farming them.
- Berengar’s Blade fails once the council begins.
- Patching the walls permanently closes Lambert’s favorite shortcut out of the fortress.
- Talk to Ciri before using the grindstone and armorer’s table. Talking to her afterwards can remove the buff.
