Guides / The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition
Crow's Perch
Geralt arrives at this fortified settlement to find Phillip Strenger, the Bloody Baron, chasing leads on Ciri's whereabouts. Depending on how previous encounters played out, you must gain entry through the gate or navigate an underground cavern into the inner courtyard. Once inside, you meet with the Baron to uncover details about his missing family and his dealings with Ciri.
- Region
- Central Velen (No Man's Land)
- Levels
- 5 – 10 (crafting side quest scales up to 24+ later)
- Getting there
- Follow the main road through central Velen across a wooden drawbridge over the moat after being directed from Hendrik's hut via the quest Bloody Baron following The Nilfgaardian Connection.
- Connects to
- Blackbough, Lindenvale, Crossroads Inn, Voytek the Fisherman’s Hut
- Related quests
- Bloody Baron · Family Matters · Ciri’s Story: The King of the Wolves · Ciri's Story: The Race · Ugly Baby · Ciri’s Room · Master Armorers · Races: Crow’s Perch
Services and people
Merchants 4
- General Merchant · Operates a goods and Gwent trading stallIn the lower village square near the main wooden entrance gate
- The Quartermaster · Vendor selling crafting materials, diagrams, saddlebags, and the Nilfgaardian Armor setUnder an awning in the upper courtyard directly opposite the forge
- Anselm · General merchant setting up a market stallNear the lower village gate
- The Local Trader / Merchant · Operates a shopIn the lower village square before reaching the inner gates
Quest NPCs 2
- Phillip Strenger (the Bloody Baron) · Audience during Family Matters and Gwent opponentIn the upper keep inside his manor house and study
- Uma · Roaming creatureIn the Baron's stables and courtyard
Invaders and enemies 3
- Ronvid of the Small Marsh · Challenges travelers to a duelOn the wooden bridge approach to the outer gate
- The Baron's henchmen · Hostile guards fighting Geralt at the gatesAt the fortress gates
- Botchling · Boss fight enemy during Family MattersJust outside the castle walls
Services 2
- Fergus Graem · Armorer vendor providing journeyman armor crafting, repair, and dismantling servicesAt the forge in the upper courtyard of the fortress
- Yoana · Master armorer vendor providing mastercraft armor crafting, repairs, and crafting suppliesAt the upper fortress forge alongside Fergus
The short version
What matters
- •Defeating Stuttering Matko in "Races: Crow's Perch" outside the settlement yields 20 Crowns.
- •Winning a match of Gwent against the Bloody Baron awards the Sigismund Dijkstra Gwent Card.
- •Slaying the Botchling outside the walls drops Botchling blood and mutagens.
Common mistakes
- •Missing the Letter to Tamara by progressing through "Family Matters" without checking the dresser in Tamara's bedroom.
- •Postponing the side quest "Ciri's Room" or the competition "Races: Crow's Perch" past the point of no return in "The Isle of Mists."
What you can skip
- •Slaying the Baron's gate guards can be bypassed if you avoided killing their comrades at the Inn at the Crossroads.
Walkthrough
The area in the order you play it. Tick things off as you go: they tick off in the checklists below too.
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1
Approach the Outer Wooden Bridge
Approach the outer gates across the wooden bridge, where you will find Ronvid of the Small Marsh waiting to challenge travelers to a duel. If you slew his men previously at the Inn at the Crossroads, the Baron's gate guards will attack you here, leaving behind basic human weapons, armor, and minor coins once defeated. Otherwise, proceed through the outer gate into the lower village.
Watch out: Slaying the men at the Inn at the Crossroads triggers an immediate battle with the gate henchmen.
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2
The Lower Village
Inside the lower village square before reaching the inner gates, trade goods and Gwent cards with the local Merchant. If you previously rescued Anselm from bandit captors during the "Caravan Attack" encounter, you can also browse the market stall he sets up near the lower village gate. Once you are finished trading, head up toward the inner gates.
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3
Upper Courtyard Workshops
Pass into the upper courtyard, where you will spot Uma wandering around the courtyard and the Baron's stables. Visit the forge to use Fergus Graem for journeyman armor crafting, repair, and dismantling services, while Yoana assists him until completing "Master Armorers" unlocks her mastercraft services. Directly opposite the forge under an awning, speak with the Quartermaster to browse his crafting materials, diagrams, saddlebags, and the Nilfgaardian Armor set.
Tip: Purchase the Nilfgaardian Armor set from the Quartermaster if you need early-game gear.
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4
Audience with the Bloody Baron
Enter the manor house and head into the study to have an audience with Phillip Strenger, the Bloody Baron, regarding "Family Matters." You can play him in Gwent during "Gwent: Velen Players" to win the Sigismund Dijkstra Gwent Card; if he leaves or dies later, you can retrieve it from his office desk alongside his notes. Check the Baron's private study to find a locked chest holding the Letter to Imperator.
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5
Investigating the Manor
Activate your Witcher Senses to thoroughly investigate the Baron's quarters and Anna's room, where you find an object later identified as a talisman by visiting the Pellar at his hut. Head into Tamara Strenger's bedroom to grab the Voodoo Doll from the floor and the Letter to Tamara from the dresser. Make sure to complete the quest "Ciri's Room" before embarking on "The Isle of Mists," and note that Tamara herself flees Crow's Perch for Oxenfurt.
Watch out: Advancing "Family Matters" without checking Tamara's room permanently misses the Letter to Tamara, and leaving "Ciri's Room" unfinished before "The Isle of Mists" permanently fails it.
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6
The Castle Walls and Horse Races
Travel just outside the castle walls during "Family Matters," where you can choose to slay the Botchling in a boss fight for Botchling blood and items like lesser red mutagens instead of pacifying it. Head just outside Crow's Perch to the starting line east of Blackbough to compete in "Races: Crow's Perch," where defeating Stuttering Matko awards 20 Crowns. Ensure you complete these horse races prior to "The Isle of Mists" so you do not lock yourself out of the races or the "Fast and Furious" achievement.
Watch out: "Races: Crow's Perch" will be permanently missed if you do not complete it before the cutoff in "The Isle of Mists."
Choices here
What you decide here and what it leads to.
Fate of the Botchling
During "Family Matters" just outside the castle walls
- Attack and slay the botchling→ Triggers a boss fight against the creature, dropping botchling blood and alchemical loot such as lesser red mutagens
- Name and pacify the botchling→ Geralt calms the creature without killing it
Checklists
Achievements here
Items May be incomplete
0/5
Shops and people
- Fergus Graem: Armor crafting, repairs, armor diagrams, and blacksmithing components
- Quartermaster: Weapons, armor, repair kits, crafting ingredients, and Gwent cards
- Crow's Perch Merchant: Basic provisions, crafting diagrams, horse equipment, and Gwent matches
Tips
- If you previously slew the Baron's soldiers at the Inn at the Crossroads, the main gate locks and forces you to take the watery passage from the northwestern shrine.
Not listed for this area: secrets, enemies.
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