The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine - The Man from Cintra
It's time to go to a party. Geralt likes parties.
The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine - The Man from Cintra
As you wander the streets of Beauclair from the end of the last quest, be wary of attack by a pack of mercenaries. Nearby guards will help you and you won’t get in trouble for fighting your would-be assassins. Loot their bodies to find a contract on Geralt.
Before you head to the main objective of this quest you can optionally visit the northern waypoint (selected by default) to put on some fancy clothes, which the duchess will appreciate. You can pick up some minor loot at the tailor, but your goal is to purchase the Elegant Beauclair Doublet, Boots and Trousers. Pierre plays Gwent, by the way; a spy and decoy Nilfgaard deck, rather nasty if you only have a DLC save set.
Make your way to the other objective and chat with the door man after the cut scene. Once inside you can go look for your mark immediately or have a bit of fun with optional diversions.
- Throw 15 paint balls at a canvas. (You can draw a dick, if you like.)
- Drink some absinthe.
- Pull the mimes’ “rope”.
- Ignite a lantern along the back balcony.
There’s also plenty of food and wine on offer as well as some minor loot and a scrap of a play. Steal everything.
When you’ve finished having fun, search the alcoves at the north end of the complex; when you enter the correct one a cutscene will begin. Afterwards, head to the opposite side and search around the refreshment tables with Witcher Senses for the empty heart-shaped box.
Follow the scent with your Witcher Senses to a guarded door in the southeast corner. After a chat with the guard you can go upstairs; the far door is the one you want.
Loot the room and examine the body and a handprint on the balcony doorframe. Vault onto the balcony railing to the south and walk around the corner to an ivy-covered ladder. You’ll come to an unlocked door on the upper balcony. Collect some minor loot and examine all the evidence of a fight.
Some of the clues are easy to miss. There’s a bent sconce on the door near the blood-stained window, and a cut on a painting near the door. There are multiple items on the tables near the desk. When you’ve looked at everything Geralt will put the pieces together in true CSI: Witcher style.
Orianna and the duchess turn up to talk things over and in the ensuing conversation the whole tale does one of those wonderful Witcher flourishes where the whole story suddenly changes scale. Hooray!
There’s a timed conversation prompt after some more faces join the party. You can take a sympathetic or aggressive stance.
(Shortly after this, Geralt does something that makes absolutely no sense and for which Damien would give him a well-deserved smacking.)
When all the talking is done and you have control of Geralt again, the quest ends and Capture the Castle begins.