The “Family Matters” quest in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is widely considered one of the game’s most compelling and morally complex storylines. Right from the start in Velen, players are thrust into a world of brutal realities and ambiguous choices, perfectly exemplified by the plight of the Bloody Baron and his family. This quest line, a cornerstone of the early game, masterfully sets the stage for the mature and impactful narrative that defines The Witcher 3.
Initially, the Baron presents himself as anything but virtuous. His introduction involves his men terrorizing villagers, and his personal demeanor is that of a hardened, often drunk warlord. He tasks Geralt with a seemingly simple missing persons case – finding his wife and daughter – while strategically holding back crucial information about Ciri, using it as leverage. This sets up the intricate web of “Family Matters,” a quest that goes far beyond a simple search, delving into the dark heart of a broken family and forcing Geralt, and the player, to confront uncomfortable truths.
Related: The Witcher 3: Death By Fire Side Quest Walkthrough
“Family Matters” is more than just a quest; it’s an exploration of domestic violence, loss, and the long shadows cast by past actions. It compels Geralt to unravel the mystery of Anna and Tamara’s disappearance, revealing the intricate and often disturbing dynamics within the Baron’s family.
A Deal’s a Deal: Starting Family Matters
Geralt, arms crossed, gives a skeptical look to the Bloody Baron just outside the frame in a dimly lit manor.
The “Family Matters” questline officially begins after your initial, tense meeting with the Bloody Baron. He reveals that Ciri was indeed at Crow’s Perch not long ago, as recounted in Ciri’s Story: The King Of Wolves. However, in classic Baron fashion, he withholds the juiciest details, creating suspense and ensuring Geralt’s cooperation.
To learn the rest of Ciri’s story, Geralt must agree to find the Baron’s missing wife, Anna, and daughter, Tamara. It’s a classic Witcher contract – information for assistance. Geralt, ever pragmatic, understands the necessity of this bargain if he wants to piece together Ciri’s movements.
To begin his investigation, Geralt requests to examine the family’s living quarters. The Baron, though reluctant, allows Geralt access to his bedroom, the first crime scene in this domestic drama.
Investigating the Baron’s Bedroom: Uncovering the First Clues
Initially, the Baron’s bedroom appears deceptively orderly. However, Geralt’s Witcher senses are far sharper than the average eye. Activate your Witcher Senses to meticulously scan the room and uncover three crucial clues that hint at the turmoil beneath the surface.
| Clue | Description | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Broken Candlestick | Found on a table, it is clearly damaged and missing a piece. | Suggests a struggle or violent event occurred in the room. |
| Vase of Flowers | A vase filled with fresh flowers, prepared by the Baron. | Indicates the Baron’s hope for Anna’s return, a softer side to him. |
| Discolored Wall Section | A rectangular area on the wall is lighter than the surrounding paint. | Suggests something, likely a painting, was recently removed. |
Focus your attention on the discolored wall section. Interact with it, and Geralt will observe a nearby painting, also highlighted by Witcher Senses. Notice that the painting’s dimensions perfectly match the discolored area. By moving the painting, Geralt discovers a hidden hole in the wall, leading to a secret cupboard.
Walk around the wall and interact with the cupboard. Inside, you’ll find the missing piece of the candlestick. Examine the candlestick piece again. Geralt’s keen senses pick up the distinct scent of expensive wine emanating from it, creating an olfactory trail to follow.
Screenshot depicting the end of an alcohol scent trail, leading to another clue in the investigation.
Following the wine scent trail, you’ll discover a wooden talisman. Take the talisman back to the Baron. Recognizing it, he suggests seeking out the Pellar, a wise man known to the family, especially Anna, hinting at a possible connection to her disappearance. This provides Geralt with the next crucial lead in the “Family Matters” quest.
Before moving on, consider completing the Ciri’s Room quest. It’s also located in Crow’s Perch and introduces you to Gretka, a young girl Ciri rescued, further enriching the narrative tapestry of the area.
Meeting the Pellar: Magic and Missing Goats
To find the Pellar, Geralt must journey north of Blackbough. Upon arriving at the Pellar’s humble hut, you’ll find it besieged by a gang of the Baron’s men. They are attempting to force their way inside. Geralt intervenes, seeking to question the Pellar before the situation escalates. This puts Geralt in a precarious position, forcing him to choose how to handle the Baron’s aggressive men. You have several options to resolve this encounter:
| Option | Description | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Use Axii Sign | If you have the Delusion skill at level two, you can use the Axii sign to influence their minds. | This will peacefully defuse the situation, allowing Geralt to speak with the Pellar without further conflict. |
| Offer Help | Geralt can attempt to de-escalate by inquiring about their anger. This opens a dialogue path where Geralt can offer advice to help their friend. | Can defuse the situation. However, if you previously killed the Baron’s men at the Inn at the Crossroads during The Nilfgaardian Connection quest, this option will immediately escalate the conflict. |
| Attempt to Bribe Them | Geralt can try to bribe the men to stand down. | This attempt will fail, and the situation will remain tense. |
| Kill Them | As a Witcher, Geralt is more than capable of handling a group of thugs. | You can choose to eliminate them directly, removing the immediate obstacle and allowing you to proceed to the Pellar. |
The Pellar, seemingly anticipating Geralt’s arrival, is already aware of the Witcher and his purpose. He recognizes the talisman Geralt found, explaining that he crafted it to protect Anna. He agrees to use his magic to locate Anna, but with a condition: Geralt must help him find his missing goat, Princess. He claims the ritual is impossible without her.
This initiates the side quest A Princess in Distress, a brief but whimsical detour from the heavier narrative of “Family Matters.”
With Princess safely returned, the Pellar proceeds with the ritual. His magic reveals a tragic event: Anna suffered a miscarriage, and the stillborn fetus transformed into a botchling. He believes this creature holds the key to locating Anna and Tamara. Geralt must now return to Crow’s Perch and confront the Baron with this disturbing revelation and find the botchling.
Crow’s Perch Ablaze: Chaos and Confrontation
Upon returning to Crow’s Perch, Geralt is met with a scene of chaos: the stronghold is engulfed in flames. The residents, paralyzed by fear of the Baron, are doing nothing to extinguish the fire or help. You are immediately presented with a choice: rescue a stablehand trapped in the burning stable or ignore his plight and focus on the quest.
This decision is largely superficial and does not significantly impact the “Family Matters” questline. Choosing to save the stablehand will earn you a small reward and the satisfaction of a good deed. You can also loot a chest to the left of the ladder used to access the burning stable.
With the immediate crisis of the fire addressed (or ignored), Geralt turns his attention to the Baron. Fueled by anger and the grim news from the Pellar, Geralt confronts the Baron in a brutal manner, initiating the conversation by physically assaulting him. This confrontation leads to a mandatory fistfight with the Baron.
Be prepared for a challenging brawl. If Geralt loses the fight, it’s game over. You must defeat the Baron to proceed with the quest.
The Botchling Dilemma: A Choice with Grave Consequences
With the truth about the botchling out in the open and the Baron humbled (at least momentarily), Geralt and the Baron discuss their next steps. They agree that the botchling is their only lead to finding Anna and Tamara. Geralt outlines two drastically different approaches to dealing with the creature before they venture out at midnight to find the abandoned fetus. You must choose between two paths:
| Choice | Description | Consequences |
|---|---|---|
| Lift the Curse | Geralt believes a ritual performed by the Baron can lift the curse on the botchling, transforming it. | The Baron favors this option. Leads to a ritualistic defense sequence and the botchling becoming a Lubberkin, a benign spirit that helps Geralt find Anna and Tamara. |
| Kill the Botchling | Geralt can choose to kill the botchling and use its blood in a ritual performed by the Pellar to locate the missing women. | Results in a challenging monster fight. Requires taking the botchling’s blood to the Pellar for a ritual that provides visions leading to Anna and Tamara’s location. |
This decision is pivotal and significantly alters the immediate events and tone of the quest.
Path of Transformation: Lifting the Curse
If you choose to lift the curse, the Baron will cradle the botchling in his arms and carry it back to the stables. Your task is to protect him from attacking wraiths while also using the Axii sign on the Baron at intervals. The wraiths, though individually weak, will attack in large numbers, attempting to overwhelm you.
Wraiths are formidable due to their ability to become intangible, evading attacks and striking unexpectedly. To counter this, lure them into the Yrden sign to make them vulnerable and use Moon Dust bombs. Specter Oil on your silver sword is also highly effective.
Despite the difficulty, the Baron succeeds in the ritual, naming the transformed creature “Dea” and granting it peace with Geralt’s aid. The botchling is now a Lubberkin, a helpful and harmless spirit. Geralt asks Dea to guide him to Anna and Tamara. Dea obliges, floating away and leading Geralt towards their location.
Dea guides Geralt to a fisherman’s hut, where both quest paths converge. Details of this are provided below.
Path of Combat: Killing the Botchling
Choosing to kill the botchling leads to a direct and challenging monster fight. The botchling is surprisingly resilient and will transform into a larger, more dangerous form early in the encounter. It has several key attacks:
| Attack Type | Description | Counter-Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| Melee Attacks | The botchling uses its claws to inflict rapid, damaging strikes. | Dodge and roll to avoid its claw attacks. Use fast attacks to whittle down its health. |
| Summoning Wraiths | The botchling unintentionally summons wraiths during the fight, adding to the chaos. | Prioritize dealing with the botchling, but be aware of the wraiths. Use Yrden and Specter Oil as needed to manage both threats. |
| Spiked Form | After taking sufficient damage, the botchling will grow spikes, similar to an Alghoul. In this state, it regenerates health. | Immediately use the Axii sign on the botchling to temporarily lower the spikes and stop its health regeneration. Focus your attacks while the spikes are down. |
Upon defeating the botchling, Geralt collects a sample of its blood. This blood must be taken to the Pellar. He will then perform a ritual to gain a vision of Anna and Tamara’s whereabouts using supernatural means.
The Pellar’s ritual takes place in a circular arena with three fires around the perimeter. You must ensure that all three fires remain lit throughout the ritual for the Pellar to receive clear visions. Naturally, wraiths will attack during the ritual to make things more complicated.
The wraiths will relentlessly attack, consuming your stamina and making it difficult to use the Igni sign to relight the fires. Instead of using Igni, you can interact with the fires directly to relight them without expending stamina.
Through a series of visions, the Pellar reveals that Anna and Tamara sought refuge at a fisherman’s hut, converging with the path where the botchling was transformed.
Following the Trail: Investigating the Remaining Clues
At the fisherman’s hut, Geralt learns that only Tamara escaped successfully. She fled to Oxenfurt with a relative of the fisherman. Anna, however, was abducted by a monster and her current whereabouts are unknown.
After speaking with the fisherman, Geralt can return to the Baron. He will share another tale of Ciri’s time at Crow’s Perch in Ciri’s Story: The Race. However, he will again withhold the conclusion until he has definitive news about Anna and Tamara.
Depending on your progress in other main questlines, you might be able to immediately advance the quest.
To uncover Anna’s fate, you must delve into a separate, significant storyline involving the quests Hunting a Witch, Wandering in the Dark, Ladies of the Wood, and The Whispering Hillock. These quests are crucial to understanding the broader context of Anna’s disappearance and the dark forces at play in Velen.
Reuniting with Tamara: A Daughter’s Resolve
As Geralt points out, his initial task was simply to locate Anna and Tamara, not to bring them back to the Baron. Meeting Tamara in Oxenfurt is technically optional. You can choose to conclude the “Family Matters” quest without interacting with her if you’ve grown weary of the Baron’s family drama. However, doing so means missing out on a significant part of one of the game’s most emotionally resonant quests.
Informing the Baron that you intend to meet Tamara adds depth to this part of the quest. He asks Geralt to deliver a doll to Tamara, which influences their conversation, and provides a letter to facilitate crossing the Pontar river, offering a solution to the quest Thou Shalt Not Pass.
Concluding Family Matters: A Family’s Fate
The “Family Matters” saga nears its conclusion once the Baron is informed of his family’s whereabouts and Anna’s grim fate. He will have a final, poignant conversation with Geralt, offering what might be the most honest and vulnerable account of his troubled family life since their first encounter.
He will also finally reveal the full story of Ciri’s departure from Crow’s Perch and her next destination in Ciri’s Story: Out Of The Shadows. The “Family Matters” quest officially ends here, although its narrative threads continue in the optional quest Return to Crookback Bog, offering further closure to this impactful storyline.
Next: The Witcher 3: Complete Guide And Walkthrough
