Wandering in the Dark

"Wandering in the Dark"

Details
Type	Main quest
Suggested level	6
Location(s)	Elven ruins northwest of Byways
Region(s)	Velen
Source	Keira Metz
Reward	1200 / 0
Related	Hunting a Witch Magic Lamp

Wandering in the Dark is one of the main quests in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Journal entry[]

Finding Ciri in Velen had proven harder than tracking a swallow on a rainy day. According to Keira, an elven mage had been tracking this particular swallow as well. Had he found her? Did he know more about her fate? Geralt knew he had to find out, and Keira, well, she had unfinished business of her own with the mage. And so the witcher and sorceress set out together on a journey into the darkness to find the mysterious elf's underground hideout.

Barely had our heroes entered the underground chambers when they encountered the enemy. The Wild Hunt had reached the spot before them - and they, too, were searching for Ciri.

The Hunt had in its ranks a navigator, a powerful mage able to teleport its warriors from place to place in the blink of an eye. Geralt and Keira, on the other hand, made their way slowly on foot, encountering obstacle after obstacle. All might have been lost had our heroes not happened across a morphotic projection the elven mage had left for Ciri. The mage's illusion guided her towards his lair and called her "Zireal" - meaning "swallow" in Elder Speech. Hearing this, Geralt gained two vital clues: the mage clearly knew Ciri well, and he must have painted the swallows on the walls to direct her.

The road through the underground was not an easy one to travel. The mage had set a great many traps that Ciri could easily evade but which would trip up any who chased after her.

In the end Geralt and Keira eliminated the Wild Hunt's lead and began nipping at its heels.

Ciri's pursuers did not find what they were looking for. They departed empty handed, leaving one warrior behind to tend to Geralt and Keira. He proved a weak match for the witcher and the sorceress, but their victory was bittersweet, as in the underground passageways Geralt found neither Ciri nor the elven mage. All he could now do was to follow the hints provided by yet another morphotic projection the mage had left behind.

Geralt finally learned the truth about Ciri and the witch from the mouth of an illusion. The mage's projection corrected and supplemented the information left behind by Hendrik - Ciri's opponent had not been one ordinary witch but the Crones, mysterious and powerful beings dwelling in Crookback Bog. Who they truly were and what had happened to Ciri at their swampy home - that, dear reader, you will learn in the pages that follow.

Walkthrough[]

Follow Keira (100 for meeting Keira)
Go through Keira's portal
Use your Witcher Sense to find Keira
Destroy the rat nests with Signs or bombs (2 nests, 100 for each)
Explore the elven ruins and look for information about the mage
Explore the ruins and follow the swallow symbols
Enter the portal (100 )
Search the chamber using your Witcher Senses
Use your Witcher Senses to find something associated with Ciri's horse Kelpie. Examining incorrect symbols which are left as decoys, triggers various traps, including unusual encounter with two wraiths in the shape of Geralt and Keira which you are forced to fight.
Rejoin Keira and explore the new chambers
Enter the portal
Examine the next room using your Witcher senses
Fight the guardian
Continue exploring the ruins and follow the swallow symbols
Find a way to activate the portal using your Witcher senses
Enter the portal
Follow the Wild Hunt's warriors
Keep close to Keira and stay under her magic shield, and defeat three waves of creatures emerging from the rifts (100 )
Follow Keira
Chase after and fight the Wild Hunt warrior Nithral, including spawns of Hound of the Wild Hunt (250 )
Look for information about Ciri using your Witcher senses
Use The Eye of Nehaleni to dispel the illusion, and leave the caves (350 )
You may want to explore nearby chambers and locate the Magic lamp before leaving (100 )