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The Blood and Wine expansion forThe Witcher 3is one of the most truly expansive extras in the game. It offers an entirelynew unique and magical region, the likes of which few other games have provided.That includes new foes and creatures to encounter as well.Mutual of Beauclair’s Wild Kingdomputs you and Geralt face-to-face with one of these new creatures. It’s that familiar fantasy staple, the basilisk.
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This quest will challenge you morally and strategically, and you get to decide which approach to take and whether the payoff is worth it. Here’s how to begin the quest, the challenges you will face, and the rewards you can receive.
How to Begin the Quest
To take on the Mutual of Beauclair’s Wild Kingdom quest while in Toussaint,take Geralt to the Cockatrice Inn, located between the Corvo Bianco Vineyard and Dun Tynne Castle.At the noticeboard there, you can find a contract from the Beauclair’s Coopers' Guild, who arelooking for a witcher to escort merchants through an area threatened by the “Great White Terror.” You can also head immediately to theTrading Post to the northeast of the Coronata Vineyard signpostand survey the carnage. Either decision will kickstart the quest.
The trading post is in complete disarray when you arrive. Use Geralt’s witcher sensesto search the area.
You will find:
Investigate these details and Geralt will note that the paw prints look a little different from any Draconid or basilisk he’s ever seen.
Meeting Count Borhis
Once you investigate, a cut scene will activate and a man named Count Borhis will ride up the path. After a little background on the situation, he claims thathe’s the owner of the basilisk, which is apparently named Locaste, and he urges Geralt not to kill it.You are then free to search for more clues in order to find the basilisk’s nest.
Then, use your witcher senses to follow the scent of tannin and acid, heading northwest.There will be a bloodstain near a tree, which will lead to a path of blood leading to another corpse. Investigate the second victim,and Geralt will mention that the body is relatively unscathed. He notes that the basilisk must have been taking the victim back to its nest, but dropped him for some reason.
After the investigation,continue to follow the scent west.You’ll come across a group of reavers looking to hunt the basilisk. As you talk with the reavers, Count Borhis joins the party and urges you all to spare the basilisk. He claims he will pay the reavers double what the guild is paying them if they leave the creature alone.
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Making a Tough Decision
You’ll then have a timed decision to make:kill the basilisk, or let it live.
Killing the Basilisk
If you decide to kill the basilisk, Count Borhis will claim that he knows people who will not be happy to know you killed the last surviving basilisk of this subspecies. He threatens to tell herbalists and healers that Geralt doesn’t care for the balance of nature and that you will pay “arms and legs for their wares.” The reavers will interrupt and ask Geralt how to go about killing the basilisk.You then get the decision to have them either use crossbows in a ranged attack or charge the beast by your side.
Make your decision, and then the reavers will suggest usingtannin to lure the basilisk to the area. One of the reavers gives you some, and then Geralt will pour it all over the empty nest. Time passes. That night, the basilisk comes back to its lair.Like many formidable gaming monsters, it’s huge and gruesome,with an imposing wingspan. One of the reavers will shoot it down, and then the fight begins.
Dodging and rolling are crucial moves when fighting the basilisk, as it will take to the sky and then dive bomb you on the ground. It will also spit poison at you, which is best avoided unless you have made a lot of Golden Oriole potions (more details on this invaluable item in the next section).
The Basilisk’s Weaknesses
If choosing to kill the basilisk, it’s best to prepare for the fight. Here are the creature’s weaknesses, as well as an item that will boost Geralt’s effectiveness.
Once the basilisk is dead, Count Borhis will return, brokenhearted. He merely falls to his knees and weeps (so you have to deal withthatguilt now). Additionally,killing the basilisk counts as Proof of Valor in the There Can Only Be One quest.
Sparing the Basilisk
On the other hand, if you choose to spare the basilisk, Count Borhis will pay the reavers, who will give Geralt his share of the coin. Count Borhis then promises that the basilisk will not “dine on any other souls,” and Geralt instructs him to come up with a better way to keep people out of the area.
You can then choose to accept another reward or not. In addition, sparing the basilisk counts asProof of Compassion in There Can Only Be One, while declining the extra coin counts as Proof of Generosity.
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Whichever you choose, you’ll be rewarded. A little more handsomely when killing, it’s true (especially including the loot from the carcass), but there’s also the moral dilemma of slaughtering a man’s beloved family symbol. There’s no right or wrong answer here, just one more tricky choice to make in thisdeep and involving title.
