The Nilfgaardian Connection

The Nilfgaardian Connection is the first main quest of Act I in The Witcher 3, and Geralt’s introduction to Velen, the war-torn no man’s land between Nilfgaard and Redania. Yennefer has told him to look for Hendrik, a Nilfgaardian agent who may know where Ciri was seen. Finding him turns out to be the easy part.

How to start The Nilfgaardian Connection

The quest starts right after Imperial Audience. Walk out of the palace in Vizima and fast travel to Velen, where you arrive at the Hanged Man’s Tree. It is a level 5 quest worth 100 XP.

Trouble at the Inn at the Crossroads

The innkeeper at the Inn at the Crossroads is not keen to talk about Hendrik, and as soon as Geralt sits down, the locals clear out and a group of the Baron’s thugs walks in. This is the first real choice of Act I:

Back off or die: the thugs attack, more wait outside, and the innkeeper is not happy, though he still tells you what he knows.
I’m a witcher: the thugs decide Geralt is not worth the trouble and leave him to his drink.
Care for a drink?: leads to a second choice, where you can still either calm things down or start the fight.

The choice matters later. Keep the peace and you can walk straight into Crow’s Perch in Bloody Baron. Kill the thugs and the guards there turn you away, forcing you to sneak in through a cave.

Hendrik’s hut in Heatherton

The trail leads to Heatherton, a nearby village that has just been raided. After Geralt drives off a pack of rabid dogs, a survivor explains what happened: the Wild Hunt came, singled out Hendrik, tortured him and killed him. In Hendrik’s hut, search his body for the cellar key (check the boots), blow away the rug with Aard to find the trapdoor and light the candlestick in the cellar to reveal a hidden chest. Hendrik’s notes give two leads on Ciri: the Bloody Baron at Crow’s Perch and a witch near Midcopse.

Tips

On the road from the Hanged Man’s Tree you pass the start of two short side quests, Funeral Pyres and At the Mercy of Strangers. Both are quick to finish.
The nobleman in the palace gardens in Vizima plays gwent, but he is tougher than your first opponents.
The two leads lead to Bloody Baron and Hunting a Witch. You can do them in either order.
See every signpost and merchant in the region on our Velen & Novigrad map.

Walkthrough

Leave the palace in Vizima and fast travel to Velen. You arrive at the Hanged Man’s Tree.
Ride to the Inn at the Crossroads (optional side quests on the way: Funeral Pyres and At the Mercy of Strangers).
Ask the innkeeper about Hendrik.
Deal with the Baron’s men: fight them (“Back off or die”), scare them off (“I’m a witcher”) or buy them a drink and decide from there.
Finish talking to the innkeeper, who sends you to Heatherton.
In Heatherton, kill the rabid dogs and talk to the survivor.
Enter Hendrik’s hut, search his body with your witcher senses and take the cellar key from his boots.
Use Aard (or examine it) to move the animal-skin rug and open the cellar.
In the cellar, pull the candlestick on the wall to reveal a hidden chest. Read Hendrik’s notes.

Quest Consequences & Choices

How you deal with the Baron’s men decides how you get into Crow’s Perch in Bloody Baron. Peaceful: the guards let you in. Fighting: they refuse, and you need to sneak in through a cave with a water hag. Skipping the inn entirely: the guards are wary and want 15 crowns or you use the cave. Revealing yourself as a witcher can also complicate things with the soldiers at the pellar’s hut in Family Matters. The quest ends with two leads: Bloody Baron and Hunting a Witch.