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White Orchard

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition guide · The first open-world region ✓ Checked against sources
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Geralt arrives alongside Vesemir in war-torn Temerian territory to track down Yennefer of Vengerberg. To extract information on her location from the local Nilfgaardian commander, players must take on the contract to slay a monstrous griffin terrorizing the countryside. The area serves as the open-world prologue where players learn Witcher contracts, discover treasure hunts, and explore points of interest.

Region
White Orchard
Levels
1–4
Getting there
Geralt enters the region immediately after the Kaer Morhen tutorial dream sequence at the start of the game.
Connects to
Royal Palace in Vizima, Velen
Related quests
Lilac and Gooseberries · The Beast of White Orchard · Twisted Firestarter · On Death's Bed · Precious Cargo · Missing in Action · A Frying Pan, Spick and Span

Services and people

Merchants 5

  • Bram · General merchant selling goodsRoadside stall outside White Orchard Inn near Woesong Bridge
  • Elsa · Innkeeper vendor selling Gwent cardsInside White Orchard Tavern near Woesong Bridge entrance
  • Tomira · Herbalist vendorHerbalist hut northeast of Woesong Bridge and south of the sawmill
  • Unnamed herbalist · Herbalist vendorRoadside shrine just south of Woesong Bridge
  • Unnamed merchant · Merchant vendorSawmill settlement

Quest NPCs 7

  • Vesemir · Witcher companion fighting ghouls and brawling at the tavernRoadside campsite and White Orchard Tavern
  • Aldert Geert · Teaches how to play Gwent and plays an introductory matchInside White Orchard Tavern at a table
  • Yennefer · Intercepts Geralt alongside Nilfgaardian soldiersWhite Orchard
  • Lena · Bedridden NPCInside Tomira's herbalist hut
  • Mislav · HunterHunter's hut south of the village in the woods
  • Dune Vildenvert · Resident NPCVildenvert's farm in the eastern farmlands
  • Bastien Vildenvert · Resident NPC sheltering in ruinsRuined cottage on the battlefield near Vildenvert's farm

Invaders and enemies 3

  • Royal Griffin · Boss beast attacking Bram and fought in open farm fieldsOpen farm fields west of Woesong Bridge
  • Noonwraith (Devil by the Well) · Contract specter bossAbandoned well in the Abandoned Village
  • Bovine Defense Force Chort · Punitive monster spawning if cows are farmedPastures of White Orchard village

Services 3

  • Willis · Amateur armorer and blacksmith servicesForge in the center of White Orchard village
  • Green signposts · Fast travel pointsWoesong Bridge, Mill, and Nilfgaardian Garrison
  • Places of Power · Award ability pointsWhite Orchard Cemetery, Northern Woods, Western Forest, Royal Griffin's nest area, Cackler Bridge / Battlefield, and Abandoned Site

The short version

What matters

  • •Search the edge of the opening campsite immediately to collect Yennefer’s Crystal Bird Skull before it despawns.
  • •Visit all six Places of Power scattered across the region to gain six free ability points.
  • •Retrieve the Viper Steel Sword Diagram from Amavet Fortress Ruins and the Viper Silver Sword Diagram from the cemetery crypt.

Common mistakes

  • •Leaving White Orchard before finishing local side quests, which permanently locks you out of "On Death's Bed", "Missing in Action", "Twisted Firestarter", and "Precious Cargo".
  • •Postponing the search for Yennefer’s Crystal Bird Skull, as finishing "The Beast of White Orchard" makes it despawn permanently.
  • •Farming the cows in the village pastures, which summons the deadly Bovine Defense Force Chort into the pen.

Walkthrough May be incomplete

The area in the order you play it. Tick things off as you go: they tick off in the checklists below too.

  1. 1

    Roadside Campsite

    After waking beside Vesemir following your dream of Kaer Morhen, draw your sword to eliminate a pack of attacking Ghouls. Before riding off, activate your Witcher Senses to examine the grass right beside your camp to grab Yennefer's Crystal Bird Skull. Continue down the road where you and Vesemir will interrupt a Royal Griffin mauling Bram and his horse.

    Tip: Use Witcher Senses at the edge of camp immediately to spot the glow of the skull in the brush.

    Watch out: Missing the Crystal Bird Skull before finishing "The Beast of White Orchard" causes it to despawn forever.

  2. 2

    White Orchard Village

    Cross Woesong Bridge to enter the village, where you can meet Willis at his forge and find Bram running his merchant stall near the bridge signpost. Head inside the White Orchard Tavern to ask around about Yennefer, buy Elsa's Gwent Cards, and play a round of Gwent against Aldert Geert at his table to win the Zoltan Chivay Card. Do not continuously slaughter the cows in the village pastures unless you are prepared to confront the Bovine Defense Force Chort.

    Tip: Beat Aldert Geert in your introductory Gwent match to immediately add the Zoltan Chivay Card to your deck.

    Watch out: Farming the village cattle will spawn a lethal Bovine Defense Force Chort right in the pasture.

  3. 3

    Local Residents and Contracts

    Venture out to Tomira the Herbalist’s hut to discover the bedridden Lena, and locate Mislav at his isolated hunter's cottage south of the village. Head into the Abandoned Village to fight the Noonwraith lurking around the well during the contract "Devil by the Well". In the eastern farmlands, meet Dune Vildenvert at his farm, then locate Bastien Vildenvert taking shelter in a ruined cottage on the battlefield.

    Tip: Loot the defeated Noonwraith to gather specter dust, an emerald, mutagen, and its contract trophy.

    Watch out: Leaving the region for the main quest "Imperial Audience" permanently locks you out of the side quests "On Death's Bed" and "Missing in Action".

  4. 4

    Regional Exploration and Places of Power

    Explore landmarks across the territory like the Nilfgaardian Garrison, Cackler Bridge, the Mill, the cleared Sawmill, and the Battlefield, traveling swiftly between green signposts. Draw ability points from the region's six Places of Power: an Abandoned Site (Yrden), the Western Forest (Axii), the Northern Woods (Aard), the Royal Griffin’s nest (Quen), the Cackler Bridge / Battlefield area (Quen), and White Orchard Cemetery (Igni). Along the way, visit the burned-down hut to retrieve Thaler's Monocle from the floor, browse the roadside shrine vendor south of Woesong Bridge, and trade with the merchant at the Sawmill.

    Tip: Visiting all six Places of Power secures early ability points to bolster Geralt's combat skills.

    Watch out: Completing the prologue locks out side quests like "Twisted Firestarter" and "Precious Cargo".

  5. 5

    Amavet Fortress Ruins and Cemetery Crypt

    March to the Amavet Fortress Ruins, clear out the deserter camp occupying the area, and open the chest in the ruined watchtower to obtain the Viper Steel Sword Diagram. Next, travel to the White Orchard Cemetery to inspect the enclosed subterranean crypt, where you must defeat an aggressive Wraith. Blast through the cellar door using the Aard sign to access the remains of Kolgrim and claim the Viper Silver Sword Diagram.

    Tip: Blast the cracked crypt door with Aard after defeating the Wraith to reach Kolgrim's skeleton.

  6. 6

    Slaying the Beast and Departing

    Craft a crossbow along with bait, lure the Royal Griffin into an open field west of Woesong Bridge, and butcher the beast to collect its mutagen and trophy. Cut down the attackers inside the inn, flee the scene with Vesemir, and meet your Nilfgaardian escort along with Yennefer to conclude the prologue.

    Tip: Equip your newly crafted crossbow to effectively bring down the flying Royal Griffin in the field.

    Watch out: Triggering the tavern brawl and departing with Yennefer abruptly ends the prologue and fails any unresolved local quests.

Checklists

Don't miss 0/1

Achievements here
Lilac and GooseberriesComplete the prologue quest "Lilac and Gooseberries" by finding Yennefer in White Orchard.
Power OverwhelmingDraw power from all five distinct Place of Power shrine types (Aard, Igni, Yrden, Quen, and Axii) so all their buffs remain active simultaneously.

Achievement guide and roadmap →

Items May be incomplete

0/5

Enemies
Royal Griffin
Weak to Grapeshot, Hybrid Oil, AardSteal / drop Griffin trophy, Griffin mutagen

Boss encounter during the main questline that attacks from both the ground and the air.

Noonwraith
Weak to Moon Dust, Specter Oil, YrdenSteal / drop Noonwraith trophy, Noonwraith mutagen

Must be drawn into a magical sign circle to be forced into corporeal form where sword strikes can deal damage.

Shops and people
  • Bram: Sells food, crafting materials, and early equipment, including Temerian Armor sets
  • Tomira: Sells alchemical ingredients, potions, and herb formulas
  • Willis: Offers armorer services and sells crafting materials

Tips
  • Seek out all six Places of Power scattered across the province to gain free ability points before traveling to Vizima and Velen.

Not listed for this area: secrets.

← Previous
Kaer Morhen
Next →
Nilfgaardian Garrison

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Sources checked: fandom.com, allthings.how, sportskeeda.com, ign.com, fextralife.com, gamestegy.com, gamerant.com, cdprojektred.com

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