The Witcher 3 Wandering In The Dark Walkthrough
Looking for a walkthrough for The Witcher 3 Wandering in the Dark? Check out how to complete this main story quest that sees you exploring ancient ruins.
You may want a walkthrough for The Witcher 3 Wandering in the Dark quest, as it can be a difficult early-game story quest for many people due to the combat sections and the boss fight. The Witcher 3 has become an iconic role-playing game since its release back in 2015, with many players connecting with Geralt and his search for Ciri. So, if you're still early in the game and want to know how to get through The Witcher 3 Wandering in the Dark, we've got you covered below.
- We also cover the best The Witcher 3 Death March build, so you can make the hardest difficulty a breeze.
The Witcher 3 Wandering In The Dark Walkthrough
Wandering in the Dark is a main quest found quite early in the game, and tasks you with tracking down an elven mage in some ruins to find more information on Ciri. It's recommended that you are level 6 when beginning the quest.
After you've spoken to Keira Metz in Velen after the Hunting a Witch quest, accept the quest and follow her to the elven ruins. Before entering, it's worth stocking up on as much healing as possible due to some of the checkpoints of the quest which prohibit you from healing any other way. The Cat potion is also very useful for the darker sections, allowing you to explore with more ease.
Follow Keira into the ruins until a cutscene plays where Geralt asks her to create a portal. It doesn't matter if you choose to enter the portal or not, the outcome is the same but you will just have to fight slightly different enemies. Regardless, turn on your Witcher senses and follow the red circle to locate Keira. There will be some enemies along the way.
Once you reach Keira, she will be in a battle with some rats, and you will need to use your Igni spell to destroy their nests, which are marked on the minimap. After this, speak to Keira again, and she'll ask to leave, but you can select dialogue options to continue your pursuit.
Continue onwards until you come to a morphotic projection that serves as a puzzle of sorts. You will need to follow the images of the swallow here until you come to another morphotic projection. In this next one there are two images nearby, but ignore both of these and instead dive into the pool below. Interact with the symbol below, and continue on until you get to a second symbol which opens the door to the previous room with Keira.
Rejoin Keira and carry on through a new passage until you find an inactive portal. Active a swallow painting here and enter the portal to a new area with a golem enemy. Defeat the golem (letting Keira distract it is a good strategy) and head up some stairs to go down another passage.
Eventually, you'll come to a split pathway, with the left leading to a portal that takes you across a bridge, and the right leading to a gargoyle fight. This fight is optional, but the loot is good, so defeat it and then head back to the split pathway and take the portal on the left.
After the portal, you will catch up with the Wild Hunt, but they will open some portals causing a blizzard in the chamber you are in. Keira will cast a shield around the both of you, and you will need to protect her as she moves through the room and attempts to close the portals. Wild Hunt hounds will spawn from the portals and try to attack Keira, so you need to defeat them. Area of effect attacks work well against them, especially Igni or fire bombs. As you get close to the portals, you can use Yrden to close them and stop hounds from spawning in too.
After you've cleared the hounds and Keira closes the portals, she will lower the shield and faint, causing you to catch her. If you are attempting to romance Keira, make sure to select the dialogue option, "Just don't faint on me". Once Keira is back up and moving, she will clear open a route and you can follow a tunnel which leads to a boss fight with a Wild Hunt warrior called Nithral.
Nithral is a slow boss, so prioritise your fast attacks and deal as much damage as you can between his strikes. If you deal enough damage to him, he will open a portal to summon some hounds, while he begins healing in a protective bubble. Kill the hounds first, as you cannot damage him while he is healing, and once they are dead, he will begin fighting you again. Keep repeating this until he is dead.
Once you have defeated Nithral, Geralt and Keira will come across another projection, and you will need to search a small area for some clues. Look around and inspect the herbs, empty potion bottle, half-burned notes, and a book called After the White Frost. After this is done, you should notice a wall blocking a door, causing Keira to give you the Eye of Nehaleni, which can be used to dispel illusions.
After going past the illusion, you can choose to leave or go further with Keira to start a side quest called Magic Lamp. Wandering in the Dark will now be complete, and you will earn 350 XP.
That's all for our breakdown of The Witcher 3 Wandering in the Dark quest, and now you know what to do to complete the quest.
Wondering how to start The Witcher 3 new quest which was introduced with the next-gen update? Check out to start In The Eternal Fire's Shadow.
About The Author
Tarran Stockton
Tarran is a Senior Guides Writer at GGRecon. He previously wrote reviews for his college newspaper before studying Media and Communication at university. His favourite genres include role-playing games, strategy games, and boomer shooters - along with anything indie. You can also find him in the pit at local hardcore shows.