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The Witcher 3 ‘Wandering in the Dark’ walkthrough

Follow Keira into the elven ruins

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Witcher 3 Wandering in the Dark walkthough and guide

The Witcher 3 ’s “Wandering in the Dark” quest starts shortly after you find Keira Metz in Velen . You’ll discover her during the “Hunting a Witch” quest near Midcopse .

In “Wandering in the Dark,” you’ll have to explore some elven ruins northwest of the village of Byways . In this guide, we’ll help you find your way and fight every monster inside.

Prepare for the ruins

Inside the ruins, you’ll be wandering around in the dark and fighting some tough enemies. A little preparation will help a lot.

Cat potion . This potion lets you see in the dark. You’ll be able to navigate well enough without it, but seeing in the dark makes it go much more smoothly.
Thunderbolt potion . This increases your attack power by 30% for 30 seconds. It’s great for giving you an extra edge.
Stock up on food for healing.
Make sure you’ve got the best available gear. If you haven’t yet, grab the Viper School Gear .

If you already have the potions, meditate outside the cave to replenish them. When you’re ready, head to Keira and follow her into the ruins.

Follow Keira

The Witcher 3 Wandering in the Dark map location

Head into the ruins. They’re in the far southwest of Velen , just west of Byway . Follow Keira down the stairs.

Go through Keira’s portal

When Keira opens the portal, you can either follow her through or stay put. Either way, the next step stays the same. The only difference is where and what low-level enemies you’ll be fighting.

Use your Witcher Senses to find Keira

Wherever you end up, start working your way through the caves. Loot anything that’s not nailed down.

Keep checking your Witcher Sense. Keira will show up as a red circle.

When you reach the large cave with Drowners and the yellow mist, use Igni to clear it away (just don’t stand too close or you’ll get damaged in the explosion). Igni works well on the Drowners, too.

Destroy the rat nests with Signs or bombs

You’ll find Keira besieged by rats. Stick with Igni to destroy the nests. They’ll be marked with objective icons on your minimap.

Explore the elven ruins and look for information about the mage

Follow your map to the first morphotic illusion .

Explore the ruins and follow the swallow symbols

Follow your map into another large room with the explosive and poisonous mist, as well as Wraiths . If you’ve got Specter Oil , use that to dispatch the Wraiths quickly. Keep using Igni to clear the mist.

Witcher 3 Wandering in the Dark swallow symbol

You’re looking for a swallow painted on the wall. It’s along the west side of the cave.

Follow that tunnel.

Search the chamber using your Witcher Senses

Listen to the elf’s hologram again.

Use your Witcher Senses to find something associated with Ciri’s horse Kelpie

Next, you’re looking for two horse symbols. If you examine the wrong symbols, they’ll explode. This is a great time for that Cat potion .

Witcher 3 Wandering in the Dark horse Kelpie symbol

Jump over railing and down to the water below. Find the horse symbol, and dive underwater. Follow the tunnel to the next horse symbol.

Rejoin Keira

When you return to Keira, a new passage will open.

Explore new chambers with Keira

Follow the path to the dead end room. Examine the swallow symbol.

Enter the portal

Step through the portal that opens.

Examine the next room using your Witcher Senses

As you make your way forward, make sure you’re healed up and have a Thunderbolt potion equipped.

Fight the guardian

Your presence will activate a Golem .

You probably don’t have anything the Golem is weak to yet, so this is just a brawl. Drink a Thunderbolt to boost your attacks.

The Golem is pretty slow, so focus on dodging its attacks first, and try to attack it from behind. Just get close, swing away, and then back off while it punches.

Golems aren’t vulnerable to any Signs, so choose your favorite. We had luck using Aard to stun it briefly.

Continue exploring the ruins and follow the swallow symbols

Loot the room, and then climb out at the west end. Follow the hallway until you reach a T-intersection.

Your objective is to the left. Straight ahead, there’s another fight and some loot.

Continue straight, and grab anything you see. At the end of the hall, you’ll run into a Gargoyle .

Witcher 3 Wandering in the Dark Gargoyle

Once again, you probably don’t have the oil or bombs the Gargoyle is weak to. Pull up the Quen Sign for protection.

Watch for the Gargoyle’s claws, and wait for it to be distracted by Keira. Stand behind it to attack, and then get away.

It will periodically spit poison in an arc around itself, so you need to keep some distance. Once Keira zaps it again, step in and keep swinging.

Take everything not nailed down again, and follow your map out.

Find a way to activate the portal using your Witcher senses // Enter the portal

Examine the swallow symbol, and step through the portal.

Follow the Wild Hunt’s warriors

Just follow the waypoint on your map.

Keep close to Keira and stay under her magic shield

Stay under the shield with Keira as she closes the four rifts spewing the White Frost. At each of them, Hounds of the Wild Hunt will emerge.

Kill the creatures emerging from the rift

The Hounds aren’t overly strong, but you’ll start taking cold damage as soon as you step outside of the dome. Let them come to you, and only swing once or twice at a time.

Igni works very well against them.

After the rifts are closed, Keira will be drained. Since this mission is part of romancing her, try not to be a jerk in your dialogue options.

Chase the Wild Hunt’s warriors

Follow the new passage Keira opens. At the bottom of the first set of stairs, look for a cracked wall ahead of you. Aard it open, and head through.

Witcher 3 Wandering in the Dark cracked wall gargoyle

Igni away the yellow mist, and follow the path to the end. Handle the two Foglets .

Loot the room, and then return to the stairs.

Fight the Wild Hunt warrior (Nithral)

Drink a Thunderbolt potion and pull up the Yrden Sign .

Stay behind the Nithral, and dodge to the side any time he attacks. Whenever he’s distracted by Keira, swing at his back.

Witcher 3 Wandering in the Dark Nithral Wild Hunt warrior

After enough damage, he’ll kneel under his own protective dome. Be careful not to attack him when he does this, because you’ll take a bunch of damage and get knocked back.

Instead, turn your attention to the Hounds of the Wild Hunt that spawn. If you locked on to Nithral, make sure you remove that lock so you can maneuver around the Hounds.

Repeat that process two more times to defeat the Wild Hunt warrior.

Loot everything.

Look for information about Ciri using your Witcher Senses

Head to the east end of the room. Listen to the elf’s message, and talk through a conversation with Keira.

Pick up what you can, and then turn your attention to the wall to the north — it’ll be highlighted red by your Witcher Sense.

Use the Eye of Nehaleni to dispel the illusion

Keira will give you the Eye of Nehaleni . Use it to dispel the illusion and reveal the door.

Follow Keira out of the room. After another conversation, you’ll be able to leave, or stick around to help her in “Magic Lamp.”

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Wandering in the Dark

1.1 Find Keira
1.2 Explore the Elven Ruins
1.3 Follow the Wild Hunt
1.4 Fight Nithral
1.5 Look for Information
2 Journal entry
3 Objectives
4 Experience table

Walkthrough [ ]

If you didn't head out immediately with Keira, make your way to the elven ruins, otherwise you'll arrive at them with Keira. There's a chest above the entrance that you may want to loot for random diagrams before going in. Follow her into the ruins where, just after you pass the second archway, Geralt will see members of the Wild Hunt on the other side of the cavern. Needing to catch up to them quickly, he asked Keira to open a portal to the other side, but it goes wrong and the two are separated.

Note: If Geralt ignores the portal he will remain in the main chamber and will begin his search for Keira from there. This may be preferable to going through the portal as you will otherwise be teleported to a cavern far from the main chamber and you will have to fight drowners and foglets to get back to it to find Keira.

Find Keira [ ]

If you did go through the portal, take out the drowners then make your way through the underwater tunnel (a chest here has a random diagram). The path will eventually split: the left will take you out to the main chamber where some drowners are and the right will as well, but you'll have to fight a foglet prior to the main chamber.

Explore the Elven Ruins [ ]

Continue the search to find a morphotic projection from the elf. Geralt's knowledge of Ciri's sword name, Zireael (elven for "Swallow") allows him to figure out they need to follow images of a swallow. Continue onwards to enter a cavern that appears to have once been a port, where you'll have to fight 4 wraiths among poisonous clouds.

Note: You can disperse the toxic clouds made by the mushrooms native to this cave using either Aard or Igni, the latter causing a large explosion of fire. However, before the wraiths are dead, it is safer to stay near the stairs and let Keira attract them there.

If you're looking for diagrams, go into the underwater tunnel to the left of where you entered (marked with an octopus/ kayran ). There are 2 separate chests in the tunnel that each spawn a random diagram, and the chest on the other side of the tunnel spawns 2 more (just beware 4 wraiths will spawn once you interact with this one). There is also a chest in the dead end tunnel across from where you entered the cavern with a random diagram.

Rejoin the sorceress and head through the new passage to find an inactive portal that was the reason Keira's portal didn't work. Activate the swallow painting and head through the portal to a new area where a golem awaits.

Keira does a decent job of stunning the golem, keeping him at bay if Geralt needs time to heal or regenerate stamina. Elementa oil or dimeritium bombs are most effective against the beast. Once the golem is defeated, continue up the stairs and the down the passage. Once done, be sure to loot the chest to the left of where you entered and the chest right after you climb up the scaffolding.

Eventually the path will split: the first doorway on the left will lead to another portal which will teleport Geralt and Keira to the other side of the bridge, while the right will eventually lead to a cavern with a gargoyle . Note that just before this room is a chest that will have an oil recipe, that is often for elementa oil and up to 2 other random diagrams. If Geralt goes here, the door will close behind him and a gargoyle will appear that must be defeated to escape the room. There is some loot in this room, so it might be worth fighting it, even though it is optional.

Note: The gargoyle is weak to the same things as other elementa , like elementa oil and dimeritium bombs, as well as Quen sign.

Follow the Wild Hunt [ ]

Help close the portals to the White Frost

Rush to catch up to the Wild Hunt to find the cave guardians frozen by the riders. The duo catch up to the Wild Hunt, only to have their navigator open three portals to the White Frost , causing a blizzard.

Just don't faint on me - will increase Keira's romance level with Geralt
If you can't go on - will not increase Keira's romance level with Geralt

The way ahead is blocked, but Keira will open the way into the next room. Head through, where you can find a partially blocked side passage ahead. Use Aard , then go inside to find a couple of loot chests and a foglet (the second chest tends to have a random diagram). Now go back to the main tunnel where ahead waits a single Wild Hunt warrior, Nithral .

Note: You may wish to meditate and prepare potions and oils before jumping down on the platform with the enemy warrior. Swallow and Thunderbolt (+30 % attack) potions may come particularly handy. Once this battle is joined there is no escaping until Nithral is defeated.

Fight Nithral [ ]

Nithral is a rather slow attacker, using a two handed weapon, so attack him quickly and as often as possible before ducking out of the way of his much more damaging swings.

He appears to be relatively resistant to staggering from attacks and he parries frequently, plus he is highly resistant to Axii , Aard, and Yrden . Quen is your best Sign option against him; turn it on, let rip through his first attack then roll away when he starts winding up a follow-up. An effective strategy is, when his first Freeze Bubble expires, quickly use Thunderbolt potion (+30 % attack), and then pummel him only with strong attacks, using Swallow potion when his (or your) health reaches one third. With bit of a luck he will go down before your health gets entirely depleted, and before he can deploy 2nd wave of hounds.

At around three-quarters and half Nithral will summon a rift that brings hounds to his aid and will attempt to heal inside of a magic bubble, do not attack him directly, instead kill his summoned minions as fast as you can. When all of his minions are gone he will stop healing and again be susceptible to damage. If attacked while healing, Geralt will be dealt a large amount of damage. Nithral heals about 3% every two seconds while in his magic bubble so be quick about defeating his summoned creatures. Attacks that pierce his armor are most effective.

Look for Information [ ]

After Nithral is defeated, Geralt will find yet another projection for Ciri, saying that the place isn't safe and that she should avoid the witches of Crookback Bog . Keira tells Geralt of the legend of the witches, and Geralt realizes if he is to find Ciri's path, he will need to find these powerful witches. Searching this area will find the following clues about the mysterious elven mage:

Herbs - Mysterious mage herbalist
Empty Potion Bottle - Potion that Keira gave him, must have drank it
Half burned notes - Must have burned these notes himself, must have known the Hunt was looking for him
After the White Frost - Book of interest to the Hunt

Geralt notices a wall blocking a doorway that makes his amulet vibrate and Keira remarks it's an illusion before giving Geralt an item called The Eye of Nehaleni , which can be used to dispel illusions.

Note: At the end of the chamber where you fight Nithral, opposite the side where the elven laboratory is set up, is a chest containing a random diagram, and to the left, a blocked up doorway which can be cleared with Aard. Inside is an illusion that can be dispersed with The Eye of Nehaleni. Beyond the illusion is a flooded area with loot and a chest with Maugrim guarded by a foglet appearing after you open it.

Journal entry [ ]

Objectives [ ].

Meet Keira at the entrance to the mage's hideout.
Follow Keira.
Go through Keira's portal.
Use your Witcher Senses to find Keira.
Destroy the rat nests with Signs or bombs. 0/2
Explore the elven ruins and look for information about the mage.
Search the chamber using your Witcher Senses.
Use your Witcher Senses to find something associated with Ciri's horse Kelpie.
Rejoin Keira.
Explore new chambers with Keira.
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.
Follow the Wild Hunt's warriors.
Kill the creatures emerging from the rift.
Chase the Wild Hunt's warriors.
Look for information about Ciri using your Witcher Senses.
Use the Eye of Nehaleni to dispel the illusion.

Experience table [ ]

If Keira dies to the Wild Hunt's hounds while casting Demetia Crest's Surge spell, the frost effect will continue after she is dead and the spell depleted, even if you manage to close the three portals with Yrden before dying. However, occasionally the frost effect will disapate and Keira will be revived, moving to her place of death and being stuck in an infinite bugged animation. The only known fix is to reload a previous save before her death.
There is an ignitable torch in the room where Geralt and Keira fight to close the three frost portals. This can be lit without regard to the portals spewing the White Frost into the cavern, against common sense.
For a player just starting out and trying to collect as many oil, potion, decoction, and bomb diagrams as possible early on, this location can spawn around 17 different ones, not counting the diagram found on Nithral's body.

The Witcher 3 Doppelganger Wraith (Hard Mode)

Gallery [ ]

The Witcher
2 Geralt of Rivia
3 Yennefer of Vengerberg

Wandering in the Dark Walkthrough and how to defeat Nithral in the Witcher 3

This guide will cover the exploration part of the quest and how to defeat Nithral, the boss of the “Wandering in the Dark” quest in The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt: Preparation tips, fight mechanics, and rewards for defeating the first member of The Wild Hunt!

This guide is up-to-date for The Witcher 3 Next-Gen version ( Update 4.04 )

Wandering in the Dark Quest Walkthrough

The Wandering in the Dark is a main quest, part of the narrative of The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt. In the Next-Gen update it has not changed, except that the cave and all of its inhabitants are more detailed, the lighting is a lot better and creates much more intense atmosphere.

How to start the quest

To start Wandering in the Dark, you have to complete the previous main quests and meet Keira Metz. With her help you will investigate a cave in Velen, where Ciri had visited to meet a strange mysterious mage.

The recommended level for this quest is 6, but you can do it earlier. You usually get out of White Orchard around level 3 or 4, depending how many of the optional activities you did. You an easily go into Wandering in the Dark at level 4, even on Blood and Broken Bones. This guide will prepare you for the fights inside.

After the first cutscene plays, you realize you are not only looking for clues about Ciri in this cave, you are now chasing the While Hunt!

After the cinematic, you can explore the large open area below now or later. Your quest will continue when you pass through the portal that Keira had just opened. Beware of the poison clouds down. You can use Igni or Aard (a better choice) to temporarily disperse the poisonous clouds.

How to find Keira after Jumping through the Portal

After you jump through the portal and hear Geralt’s favorite line “Damn portals!”, you will have to fight off a few Drowners level 4. Most of the enemies in the cave are that level. Drowners are weak to Igni. Also, use Necrophage oil on your sword.

After a short trip following the one-way tunnel, including a dive underwater for a bit, you will surface back into the large open area where you first saw the Wild Hunt.

In the northern part, there is a broken stair you can climb up and explore some more. There’s wealthy loot and a fight with a Foglet waiting for you in this tunnel. Later you will get back to the big open area but on its west side.

Your quest progress is on the eastern end of the large open area. Using the entrance to the cave as a starting reference point, turn right. Geralt will start calling Keira.

You will find Keira surrounded by Mice. She hates mice. Help her clear them off by burning the “nests” in the room where Keira is. Use Igni.

Follow the Swallow Symbol

The mysterious (for now) elven mage has left a few puzzles for Ciri to solve. You should be able to solve them too. When you first see the projection of the elf, you will get instructions to follow the swallow symbols.

In this next relatively large underground area there’s the expected poisonous clouds and a few level 5 Wraiths. Wraiths are Specters ( Specter oil ) and are also weak against Yrden. Use it to force them to take a physical form, so you can hit them. Moon Dust bombs also work great on them. You can use Quen to protect yourself.

At this early level, you are likely to struggle to use all of these things. Prioritize Yrden. Dodging is also very helpful. Try not to roll away. Rolling consumes Stamina.

The right path to progress the quest is to the west, as shown on the image below. As you enter this large open underground area, turn right.

I recommend that you explore the two other areas on the east and south. There’s loot down there.

Solving the Keplie Puzzle

After another short one-way tunnel trip, you will end up in a room with a projection of the elven mage. This is a puzzle.

Watch the cinematic. This is where you could end up fighting a lot and you can avoid it all. You need to find a symbol of Ciri’s horse, Kelpie. Don’t interact with the symbols on the surface. Dive into the well.

After you get out of the water, look for the Kelpie symbol at the end of the staircase on your left side.

This will solve the puzzle and allow you to pass through.

The secret Swallow Portal

The next room features a hidden teleport. To activate it, examine the Swallow symbol on the left side, using your Witcher senses.

Fighting the Golem

The Portal will take you to a room with a Golem mini-boss in it. Golems are easy to fight with the right tools and signs are your disposal. Use Elementa Oil on your sword to deal more damage. Golems belong to the Elementa group of monsters. They are also weak against Dimeritium Bombs .

Dodge back when the Golem swings with its hands. It’s a large creature and has quite a range.

When the Golem covers its head, like on the image below, you’ve got a few seconds to land some hits on it safely.

When the Golem starts running towards you, dodge to the side. When it stops, you will have a couple of precious seconds to land some hits. You can use the pillars in the room to guard you from some of the Golem’s attacks.

When the Golem lifts his hand high up, expect the AoE attack. The monster will smash the ground, creating a ripple effect that will hurt you if you are in its vicinity. Dodge back or Roll back when you see this happening.

After this fight, further down the path, there is a side entrance to a room with a Gargoyle level 6. This guy is stronger than the Golem, but you can take it. There’s cool loot for you if you defeat this optional mini-boss.

Fighting the Creatures from the Rift

The next step is the first direct meeting with Nithral. This is not the boss fight, however. Nithral will open up thee cracks through which monsters will start spawning. Keira will cast a protective shield. Stay inside. If you go out of the shield, you will quickly start to lose HP.

You will be fighting the ice cracks one by one. Keira will stand in front of a rift and while she is working on closing it, enemies will spawn out of it. Your job is to protect Keira and defeat all the monsters. The creatures are just level 4 alghoul-type Hounds of the Wild Hunt.

If you are using the Viper witcher swords from White Orchard (or anything above the common tier), these monsters should not stand more than 2-3 hits.

Even on higher difficulties, this fight is not too complicated. Keira is quite sturdy and her HP pool is large enough so you should not have trouble passing this challenge. You have to close all three rifts, one by one.

After a short cinematic and trip through another one-way tunnel, you will arrive to the boss fight area. The next portion of the guide will help you understand the Nithral boss fight mechanics, how to prepare and how to beat this member of the Wild Hunt.

How to beat Nithral

Fighting Nithral can be tricky and even confusing if you’re playing The Witcher 3 for the first time, but after reading this guide you’ll have no problems.

Preparations

Doing sidequests is very important in The Witcher 3, if you avoid doing them you’ll be severely under-leveled. I would recommend you to be between levels five and seven before starting the “Wandering in the Dark” quest, there are many quests and places to discover in Velen so you won’t struggle with this.

As with the Royal Griffin boss fight , some items can prove useful against Nithral. You can use the Thunderbolt potion to increase your Attack Power.

Use Swallow when your health bar is low. As long as this potion is active it will increase your regeneration rate. Swallow is a starting recipe so when you get to the fight you’ll already have it.

Quen and Igni are the only two signs that you’re gonna need in the fight against Nithral.

Fight Mechanics and Recommendations

This fight is divided into two parts: fighting Nithral and the Summoned Hounds .

You can let Keira attack him with lighting, this will catch his attention and allow you to get close enough to strike him. Use Quen right before attacking .

Nithral has heavy armor, use strong attacks to inflict more damage. You can attack him up to three times, he’ll counterattack when you hit the second time but Quen is going to absorb the hit, allowing you to hit one more time or retreat.

He can also hit you between two and three times, retreat if you can’t land the third hit immediately after the second one. Always end your combo rolling away from his position.

Sometimes he’ll come at you and swing his axe, luckily for you the heavy armor and even heavier weapon make him a very slow opponent. You shouldn’t have any problems dodging it. You can roll away as well if you want to be on the safe side. But being aggressive often pays out in a boss fight.

Do not attempt to block or parry his strong attacks . You’ll end up getting stunned and there’s nothing you can do to protect yourself if this happens.

After taking a certain amount of damage, Nithral will create a protective ice shield around him and summon three Hounds from a portal. Use Igni against the Hounds and strike them down.

Do not attack Nithral while he’s in the shield, it’s impossible to hurt him and you’ll take damage.

You might notice that his health bar is restored, don’t worry. There’s nothing you can do to prevent it, just finish off the Hounds as fast as you can and he’ll come out of it.

Once he’s out of it you must repeat the same process two more times. Remember; use Quen before attacking him, do not attempt to hit more than three times in a row, cast Igni on the hounds, and defeat them as fast as possible.

Rewards for defeating Nithral

After killing the first member of The Wild Hunt you’re getting some nice rewards.

Beating Nithral grants you the following rewards:

This is a quick step-by-step resume and walkthrough of the entire guide to the Wandering in the Dark main quest in The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt. It's up-to-date for the next-gen update of the game. If you need a more detailed explanation of any events or steps, read the full guide!

Instructions

Complete the main quests in White Orchard and Velen until you are tasked to meet Keira Metz in Velen.
Go with Keira to the cave and start exploring it.
After the first cinematic where you see the Wild Hunt, jump through the portal with Keira.
Follow the narrow tunnel section, featuring a little bit of underwater swimming, until you get back to the large open space where you started from.
Head through the door in the southeastern end. This is two right turns if you stay at the entrance.
Keira will start calling you for help. You will find her defending herself from... rats. Take out the two "nests".
When you see the first projection of the elven mage, follow the swallow symbol.
In the next large open area in the cave, there will be wraiths and poisonous clouds. Clear the clouds with Aard or Igni to pass through. The path you should take to progress is to the west or right turn as you enter this area.
When you arrive at the second projection of the mage, the riddle will tell you to follow the Kelpie. Jump in the well and find the Kelpie symbol.
The next room features a secret Portal. Examine the Swallow symbol on the wall next to the portal to activate it.
Defeat the Golem mini-boss. Use Elementa Oil and Dimeritium Bombs if you have any of them.
You will finally catch up with the Wild Hunt. Nithral will escape but will open up 3 rifts surrounded by an ice storm. Protect Keira as she works to close the rifts one by one.
After a short cinematic and trip through another one-way tunnel, you will arrive at the boss fight area.
Defeat Nithral, the main boss of this quest. Don't parry his attacks, dodge them. When he activates his shield, focus on the adds that he will start spawning.
Investigate the area at the back of the boss arena. Watch the cinematic and exit the cave to complete the quest Wandering in the Dark.

A side quest becomes available at the end of Wandering in the Dark. Keira will ask you to help retrieve something – a Magic Lamp. This item plays a role in multiple other quests later on. I strongly suggest that you complete the Magic Lamp quest now. Also, you can pick up one of the six Places of Power in Velen , while doing Magic Lamp.

Want to know more about the Wild Hunt?

The Wild Hunt are a group of Aen Elle elves from Tir ná Lia. Their purpose is to find and capture slaves from other worlds.

During the Conjunction of the Spheres, some of them left their people and arrived at a new world, this place was inhabited by Unicorns and Humans. The elves waged war against both species and the humans were eradicated.

After some time they realized that they wanted slaves so their king created a force designated to capture humans or humanoids from other worlds to serve them as slaves. That is until they found out about Ciri.

They use skeletal armor as a form of intimidation and are capable of casting very powerful magic. The Wild Hunt has been given many names: Wraiths of Mörhogg, Phantom Riders, Red Horsemen, and Dearg Ruadhri.

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Wandering in the Dark Walkthrough

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Wandering in the Dark Rewards and Basic Information

Wandering in the dark main objectives, wandering in the dark riddle solutions, wandering in the dark tips and strategies, the witcher 3 related links, basic information, where to find the kelpie.

You will need to jump into the pool located in the middle of the chamber. The Kelpie is located on the south wall of the pool.

Igni the Yellow Vapour to Create Explosions

Fighting the Golem

When it swings its arms, it's about hit you, so dodge out of the way. When it jumps, its about to do a ground slam, so roll away from it. And when it holds out its arm in front of itself, it will try to charge you, so roll out of the way.

Use heavy attacks to get solid damage in between dodges. Quen is useful to block any damage you do not dodge successfully.

Fighting Nithral

All Act 1 Quests

See The List of All Quests

I can't get the eye of nehaleni from kriera how do i retrieve after we left the cave already

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The Witcher 3: Wandering in the Dark quest guide

Here's how to complete Wandering in the Dark quest in The Witcher 3.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt brings us face to face with a member of the Wild Hunt in Wandering in the Dark . As you might expect, you'll have your work cut out for you in this quest, which you get to fortunately complete with the help of Keira Metz.

If you need a helping hand navigating the elven ruins you're about to be exploring, here's how to complete the Wandering in the Dark quest in The Witcher 3 .

Wandering in the Dark presents some real challenges if you're under-levelled in The Witcher 3, and you can't exit once you've moved a little way in. Make a back up save file outside the cave before you commit to continuing, so you don't lose much progress if you need to back up and do some side questing.

When you're sure you're ready, follow Keira into the ruin until you trigger a cutscene. You’ll then be asked to enter a portal, and end up alone. Take down the three Drowners in front of you before entering the water.

Dive and pass into the next area. As you move on, look for a fork with an obvious path to the left and a breakable wall to the right. Take the path on the left and walk back into the main room, then make an immediate u-turn to your left and look behind the wall for a chest.

Go back to the fork in the path I mentioned before and and knock down the crumbling wall with Aard or your sword. A little further on you’ll meet a Foglet; cast Quen for best results, as you’re likely to be hit a few times thanks to its sneak attacks.

Continue onwards and break another wall. Your goal is the raised platform ahead of you, but there are a couple of hazards. First, you may be attacked by some Drowners, depending on where their wandering has led them. Second, the yellow gas is toxic. Either skirt the wall to the right to bypass it, or cast Igni from a save distance and then trot through before it comes back.

Once you're up on the central platform, there are three paths. The first doorway on your right leads to treasure, as does the one directly ahead on you. Ignore Keira's screams and explore these dead ends thoroughly before taking the second of the two paths to find your friend in some distress.

You need to take out two rat nests here. Cast Igni while standing by and facing the Waypoints; depending on your level you may need to do it a few times. Igni works well to clear out the rats, too.

Chat with Keira and then pass into the next room to view a short cutscene. Move on a little further to face some Wraiths. Keira is a big help here, but they’re not too hard; cast Yrden on them for a nice boost to your damage, and use Igni on the gas to damage the Wraiths from a distance.

When they’re down, pick a path through the gas to the large statue; loot it for a silver sword. The path you want is to the right, as you face into this area from the direction of approach. Keira will mention a swallow if you’re going the right way; you should see it glowing red on the wall if you have Witcher Senses engaged.

Climb up a couple of ledges and check out the glowing messenger on the other side of the room ahead. If you use Witcher Senses you can see signs around the room, but don’t investigate them! One blows up, doing a whack of damage, and another spawns very dangerous wraith versions of Geralt and Keira. Instead, leap down into the water in the middle of the room, and use Witcher Senses to find a horse sign on the wall. Dive to follow a tunnel underneath this sign. Climb and around the find another horse, which you should activate to open the next path.

Return to the room with the circular pool by way of the rocky tunnel, then pass into the next chamber. Use Witcher Senses to find a swallow sign by the portal at the end of the tunnel; activate it and pass through.

The Witcher 3: Wandering in the Dark boss fight - Golem

In the next room you’ll have to fight a Golem. Thankfully, Keira is a great help here; let the beast aggro on her, then get behind it for critical strikes, using your best melee attack if you’ve upgraded one or the other. When it turns, roll away. Rinse and repeat.

When the Golem’s health is halved it becomes more dangerous, with a charging, flailing attack. Just keep away until Keira’s magic draw its attention again. If you are careful, you’ll only take hits when it does a jumping attack with area of effect damage.

Loot the nearby container once you’ve beaten the Golem – and its corpse, too, of course. Climb up onto the wooden platform flanked by two braziers, and then take the corridor.

When you come to a T-junction and the GPS suggests going left, optionally continue on to the dead end to fight a Gargoyle; you can loot its corpse and a nearby container, but there’s no other reward.

Back on the main path, use Witcher Senses at the waypoint to find the swallow sign, and then take the portal. Pass around the frozen Gargoyles, climbing the broken stairs, and move into the room with the waypoint for a cutscene.

Here, you need to stay inside Keira’s shield and kill any hounds that try to attack her. Do not go beyond the borders of the shield; the cold is deadly, and will sap your vitality really quickly.

Your best bet if you’re struggling is to stand right by Keira and parry, then counter – once! – after each attack, returning back to starting position. Use Igni if two or more Hounds approach at once. It’s boring and annoying but Keira is more survivable than you if you haven’t been levelling up. There are three waves of half a dozen hounds each; you need to kill them all. Loot the corpses when the battle is over.

In the next corridor, check out the breakable wall to your right. Use Aard to knock it down, stand a few paces back, and cast Igni to clear the poisonous gas beyond. Move forward quickly, clearing the gas as you do and moving on before it comes back. There’s a lootable container tucked behind a low wall, but you can also climb a ledge to find another room. There’s a chest here with some great stuff, but as soon as you open it you’ll be attacked by a Foglet – be prepared.

The Witcher 3: Wandering in the Dark boss fight - Nithral

Return to the main path and save your game before you proceed, as we're about to have a boss fight with a Huntsman named Nithral. If you die and have to reload, try Hanged Man's Venom and Thunderbolt to up your damage.

The game doesn’t give you many clues about this fight, so here’s one from me: Ygren. Slowing this guy’s movements makes it much easier to dodge his attacks. Try to circle him, darting in to smack him in the back when Keira stuns him.

If he kneels, immediately back right off to avoid the area of effect attack that follows. He'll teleport to the centre of the room and open portals, bringing in Hounds. You need to kill these quickly, so he can't regenerate all his health. Run towards the rift and cast Igni on groups to take them down as quickly as possible. If you find this impossible, you need to go and level up or buy new equipment - have you upgraded your silver sword?

After a few rounds of this you should take him down. The battle is much harder if you don't stay on the offensive, as Keira's attacks and Nithral's circling can lead him to have his back against the wall, where it's very hard for you to hit him.

When Nithral dies, be sure to loot him and all the goodies around the room before climbing up to the mage’s laboratory.

When you’ve finished chatting with Keira (hope you weren’t counting on that little flirtation going anywhere), loot all the things and look at whatever you please before examining the back wall. Keira will give you a device for bypassing illusions. Before you use it on the exit, climb back down into the room where you fought Nithral and visit the passage at the far end, on the other side to the entrance. You can use the Eye here to reveal a hidden bonus...

Back at the laboratory, use the Eye on that dodgy wall to open a passage out. Pass through the doorway and walk a little to end the Wandering in the Dark quest, and optionally begin the secondary quest Magic Lamp . Whether you complete this quest or not (you may as well; it's right here, pretty easy, and sets up further side quests and rewards) our next stop is Ladies of the Wood .

Onwards to our next quest, Ladies of the Wood .

For more help on your journey, here's our The Witcher 3 guide and walkthrough , as well as our Hearts of Stone walkthrough , and Blood and Wine walkthrough . These pages contain tips and guides to help you throughout your adventure as Geralt of Rivia.

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Back to Act I – In Ciri’s Footsteps

Once you find Keira in the Hunting a Witch quest you can go directly with her to meet the mage. If not you’ll need to use the map tracker to meet her at the Elven ruins.

Meeting the Wild Hunt

Enter a little way into the ruins and you’ll see a few warriors from the Wild Hunt on the far side of the cavern. Keira makes a portal so you can quickly traverse to the other side. Unfortunately while going through the portal the two of you get split up.

Lost in the Caverns

You’ll be in a smaller cavern away from the main chamber. Take out the Drowners and swim through the underwater tunnels. There are are a couple of ways back to the main chamber. You’ll need to find Drowners and possibly a Foglet on your way back.

Once you get back to the portal where you started head to the right and right again. Keira will be calling for help as she fights off rats. Use Bombs or the Igni sign to destroy the nests. Keira will be so upset that she wants to leave but convince her to stay using any of the dialogue options.

Searching for the Mage

Search the ruins until you find some kind of projection from the Elven mage. The mage mentions Ciri’s sword Zireael, which is elven for Swallow. Geralt figures out that they should follow the swallow symbols.

Continue to the next cavern but be wary of the tocix gas. You can disperse it with Igni or Aard although casting Igni on the gas will cause a large explosion.

It’s worth exploring all the side tunnels for random Diagrams. Just be careful of the Wraiths wandering around the area.

Once you’re done looting follow the path to the right for another Swallow symbol. Continue on to find a second projection. This time the mage references Kelpie, a sea monster but also the name of Ciri’s horse.

The two symbols up here are traps. The dog symbol will cause an explosion and the Kayran symbol will summon Wraiths. Instead dive into the pool to find the Horse symbol. Swim through a flooded passageway to another symbol. This one opens a door in the chamber above. Make your way back to Keira and head through the door.

You’ll come across an inactive portal which was apparently the reason Keira’s portal didn’t work as expected. Use the Swallow painting to activate the portal and go through.

You’ll come face to face with a Golem. Keira doesn’t appear to damage the Golem but she can stun it for a short while. If you need help defeating the Golem make sure you’re prepared with Elementa Oil or Dimeritium Bombs.

Head up the stairs to another split in the path. You can take the first door to the left or the second. The first door takes you directly back to where you need to go, the other side of the main chamber. The second door is optional and takes you to a tough fight with a Gargoyle.

The Wild Hunt

Now that you’ve caught up with the Wild Hunt they’ll open portals to the White Frost which causes a blizzard. Keira will cast a shield as you walk through the room but you’ll need to protect her from the Wild Hunt Hounds as she attempts to close each portal. Using a Demeterium Bomb on the portals will stop the Wild Hunt Hounds from coming through.

Once the portals have been closed Keira will almost faint. You have two dialogue options. “Just don’t faint on me” will increase your romance level with her while “If you can’t go on” will not.

Keira will open the way to the next area and then you’ll need to use Aard to open a blocked side passage for some chests and a fight with a Foglet. Head back to the main passage and continue forwards for a fight with one of the Wild Hunt Warriors called Nithral.

Nithral Boss Fight

Nithral is resistant to staggering, Axii, Aard and Yrden. It’s best to use Quen to protect you from his first heavy attack. When Nithral is getting low on health he’ll summon a shield around him to heal back up. While he’s doing this Hounds will spawn in and attack.

You can’t attack Nithral’s shield directly without taking a lot of damage. Instead kill the Hounds as quickly as possible. Once they’ve been killed Nithral will come out of his shield. The quicker you kill the Hounds the less health Nithral will have when he attacks again. He heals about 3% of his health every two seconds while shielded.

Elven Laboratory

Once Nithral has been defeated look for another projection from the mage. He mentions something about avoiding the Witches of Crookback Bog. Keira will give you more information about them.

Have a look around the area for clues. You’ll find some Herbs, Empty Potion Bottle, Half Burned Notes and a book called After the White Frost.

You’ll also notice a wall that doesn’t seem quite right. Geralts amulet also vibrates when he gets close. Keira will tell you it’s an illusion and give you The Eye of Nehaleni . You can use this to dispel illusions. Geralt will do it automatically when you notice an illusion.

The Way Out

To continue onwards you’ll need to go to the opposite side of the chamber from the laboratory and clear a passage with Aard. Inside is another illusion that needs to be cleared with The Eye of Nehaleni. Beyond this is a flooded area and a Foglet guarding a chest.

Finally you’ll make it to a junction. Keira wants to stay and look for the Magic Lamp. You can leave her to it or help her find it in the Magic Lamp side quest.

Back: Hunting a Witch Next: Ladies of the Wood

The Witcher 3 Wandering in the Dark quest and how to escape from the Elven Ruins

Navigate through the Wandering in the Dark mission Elven Ruins and what symbols to look for

The Witcher 3 Wandering in the Dark quest sees you visiting Elven Ruins with Keira after completing the Hunting a Witch mission. There are portals, rats, boss fight and a lot to deal with so use out guide to streamline this lengthy mission.

The Hunting a Witch quest forms part of your initial search for Ciri in The Witcher 3 and acquaint you with sorceress Keira Metz. Meet her and she'll talk about being visited by an Elven mage asking after an ‘ashen-haired woman’, meaning Ciri. Seeing as finding her is basically the whole point of the game Geralt, understandably, wants to track down the elf to find out more which lead you in to opening up the Witcher 3 Wandering in the Dark quest.

1. Go to the Elven Ruins with Keira

You can either travel with Keira to the elven ruins, or meet her the later after speaking to her. Whatever you decide we recommend stocking up with as much useful stuff as possible before you teleport to the ruins.

If you don’t go with Keira straight away to the ruins, here’s where you can find the location on the map.

2. Follow Keira inside the ruins

Head on inside with Keira. The ruin is full of lots of different loot and herbs, so loot to your heart’s content! If you haven’t already, we recommend brewing plenty of Cat potion to see in the dark, instead of having to carry a torch everywhere like we did. It sucks. Don’t do it.

As you head inside you’ll see a cutscene showing that the Wild Hunt are here and they don’t seem keen to play by the same rules.

Watch as they open up a portal and step through, leaving you and Keira to plan your next move. Which is to open up a portal of your own!

3. Follow / Do Not Follow Keira

Keira will open up a portal giving you a choice to either follow her through or wait. If you wait you’ll see Keira go through the portal, disappear and then hear her scream. The portal will then close, leaving you alone.

If you do follow Keira through through the portal you’ll be dropped into a different room from her and must fight through drowners and foglets to get back to where you were. It’s only there that you can hear Keira call for help. However, you will get extra loot and experience for your efforts.

4. Find Keira

You’ll have to use your Witcher senses to find Keira. It'll show you a pulsing red circle you can follow. You’ll come across enemies as you progress so clear the way as you encounter them and keep follow your senses.

Eventually you'll start to hear Keira cry for help. She's in a room on the right of where the portal was originally cast, surrounded by some problems you'll have to solve.

5. Kill the Rats and Destroy their Nests

Keira is surrounded by rats and you'll need to clear the rat nests to get rid of them all. To do that we advise using a bomb or the Igni sign. If you're using bombs, make sure you have the right ones. You can find this out by going to your inventory. Bombs that can destroy nests will say so in their description.

Once that’s done, Keira will explain why the portal didn’t work and demand that the both of you leave, as quick as possible, but Geralt refuses. Keira will be convinced no matter what dialogue you pick, but if you want to romance her later on, maybe don’t be a total arse.

6. Explore the Elven Ruins Further

After the conversation with Keira, head into the next room and you’ll discover what looks to be an illusion of some sort, or as Keira puts it, a morphotic projection - a fancy way of saying magical projector. Keira will say the projection shows the elf they are looking for. After a brief warning, the elf will mention the name Zirael aka the elven word for Swallow.

To Keira this will mean nothing, but Geralt, knowing Ciri so well, will know that this means the name of Ciri’s sword. Once Geralt adds two and two together, you’ll discover that you’ll need to follow the symbols of swallows in order to make your way throughout the ruins.

7. Look for the Swallow Symbols

You’ll reach a huge cavern where you can see toxic gas and wraiths hovering everywhere. Unfortunately you’ll need to cut through the wraiths, as well as get past the gas, in order to find the first swallow symbol.

If you have a torch, unequip it as stepping into the gas clouds with a torch is a fast way to you getting blown up to smithereens. Instead, dispel the gas by using Igni. It’ll return, but at least you’ll have control over when to use the gas to your advantage.

After fighting the first few wraiths, don’t venture any further. Instead turn east and walk until you come across a stalagmite with a symbol of a swallow on it. If you’re lost, equip the torch (away from the gas) and it should be easy. Keira will even comment if you’re near it, so just be equally patient and careful.

8. Head North and keep Exploring the Ruins

Once you find that first swallow, head directly north from it and you’ll eventually come across an area where you’ll need to climb to get to higher ground. Do so, and Keira will follow you.

You’ll eventually end up moving into a small corridor, keep going forwards until you can break off to the left. Once you enter the octangular room at the end of that corridor, you’ll find another projection of the elven mage.

9. Find Kelpie

With this projection, the elven mage will give another clue that’s much more blunt than the last one: Find Kelpie. Kelpie is Ciri’s horse, so like the swallow symbols, you’ll need to find a symbol in the shape of a horse.

There are other symbols in this room, such as a dog. Do not examine these symbols , as doing so will trigger an explosion that’ll send you flying or wraiths will appear that’ll resemble Geralt and Keira.

Ignore the symbols that are around you. Instead, turn your attention towards the octagonal hole in the middle of the room. Jump down into the water and right in front of you, you’ll see Kelpie.

This is a good indication that you’ll have to head underwater. Do so, and follow the map until you hit a wall, then swim up to the surface. If you don’t have the Cat potion, you’ll be doing the underground sequence in almost complete darkness. Use the map to make your way through the underwater tunnel as best as you can.

Once you’ve pulled yourself up from the water, keep going forward until you see another Kelpie symbol.

With that found, examine it and you’ll hear Keira exclaim from further up the cavern that a passage has just opened back in the room you were originally in. Rejoin her and enter the new room.

10. Activate the Portal

As you go through the new passage and into a new room, you’ll find a huge symbol of a swallow, a door outlined in chalk and another symbol of a swallow next to it.

Examine the smaller swallow and it will activate the portal. Step through with Keira and you’ll be transported into another room. However, this time something is waiting for you.

11. Fight the Golem

The moment you step into the new room, a Golem will activate as a defence mechanism, leaving you and Keira to fight it. Golems are weak to Elemental oil and dimeritium bombs. Use those accordingly and you should be fine. For signs, we recommend using Quen rather than Axii, as Keira will often do most of the stunning for you.

Once the golem is vanquished, look for the scaffolding and climb up it.

13. Chase after the Wild Hunt

As you continue down the passageway you’ll eventually reach a part where the pathway splits off into left and right. Go left, as the right will lead you into a trap where you’ll have to fight a gargoyle.

Going left will take you to yet another swallow portal. Examine it and you’ll be taken to the location where the Wild Hunt was before the portal mishap.

Keep going forward and you’ll notice that a number of the elven mage’s sentries have been frozen solid by the Wild Hunt’s magic.

Keep going forward until you get to a room on the left. There, a cutscene will trigger. It will show Keira and Geralt arriving in a chamber, just in time to see that the Wild Hunt are opening up another portal.

They’ll eventually leave, but not before one of them opens up a portal to The White Frost, a catastrophic winter that freezes everything it comes into contact with.

It’s up to you and Keira to close those portals and catch up to The Wild Hunt.

14. Protect Keira

Keira puts up a protective shield for the both of you to stay under as you make your way to each opened portal. The only issue is this: Wild Hunt dogs keep appearing out of the portal, and are eager to put you both down. No matter what you do, stay inside Keira’s shield. Going outside of it can mean certain death depending on your health. Use Quen to give you more of a chance against the dogs. The portal will eventually close, and you’ll have to do the same for the last two portals.

15. Follow the Wild Hunt

Once you’ve finished closing the portals and reassuring Keira, leave the chamber and have Keira open up a blocked passage. Make your way through the passageway, turn left and you’ll enter yet another chamber where a lone Wild Hunt warrior awaits you.

16. Fight Nithral

Nithral is a powerful enemy, but his attacks are incredibly slow due to him having a two-handed weapon. For this fight, we recommend ducking and weaving around him as best as you’re able to. The best sign for this battle is Quen, as using Axii will only stun him for a second or two before Keira knocks him straight out of it.

As for potions, we used Thunderbolt, which increases your attack power enough that when you dodge behind Nithral and attack you can take a huge chunk of his health away.

But don’t get too comfy, because halfway through the fight, Nithral will summon a protective bubble to heal himself. Even worse, he’ll call out more hounds of The Wild Hunt to keep you busy.

Get rid of the hounds quick, as Nithral can heal himself up to full health depending on how long you take to dispatch the dogs. Do not attack Nithral’s bubble. Doing so will cause Geralt to be thrown back and you’ll lose a chunk of health.

Once the dogs are dealt with, keep attacking Nithral until he’s finally deader than a doornail. Loot his corpse and look for more information in the chamber.

17. Listen to the Projection

As you explore the chamber, you’ll come across another projection. He’ll tell Ciri to meet where they were last together, which leads to what Geralt believes to be a dead end.

But that’s not all he mentions: the witches of Crookback Bog are to be avoided, but considering that Ciri 'quarreled’ with a witch, they might be your best lead.

18. Look for a way out

You’ll have to find a way out of the chamber by looking for clues. You’ll find them through using your Witcher senses, but neither of them are truly important apart from the wall at the end of the chamber.

It turns out that the wall is an illusion, one that only the Eye of Nehaleni can dispel. Luckily, Keira just carries that charm around with her and gives you hers.

Use it on the door and follow through the chamber. At this point you can either say goodbye to Keira, or go with her to get her magic lamp. No, that’s not a euphemism.

Either way, Wandering in the Dark concludes and your next quest is just around the corner.

Witcher 3 Master of the Arena | Witcher 3 Ladies of the Wood | Witcher 3 Following the Thread | Witcher 3 Family Matters

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Wandering in the Dark Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Quest

Suggested level: 6

Group: Main Quests

Location: Velen

You will receive this quest automatically after meeting Keira Metz and completing the Hunting a Witch quest.

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.

Related points of interest

Prior quests

To begin Wandering in the Dark you must first complete Hunting a Witch .

Quest stages of Wandering in the Dark

1. meet keira at the entrance to the mage's hideout..

Go to the Elf's Hideout . Keira will be waiting for you outside the entrance.

2. Follow Keira.

Enter the cave with Keira. After a while, you'll realize you're not alone here. There are Wild Hunt warriors here, too. Keira will set up a portal for you to get to the other side of the cave.

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.

3. Go through Keira's portal. / Use your Witcher Senses to find Keira.

You can enter the portal but you don't have to. If you don't do it, the portal will disappear after a while.

When you enter the portal you will find that it does not work as it should and you will be teleported to a place other than Keira. You'll have to kill a few drowners, and swim through an underwater tunnel to return to the main cave. The advantage of this solution is that in the sunken tunnel you will find a chest with some diagrams. In the main cave you'll have to kill a few more drowners and a water hag.

You'll find Keira in one of the side corridors. Your senses can help you locate her.

It looks like Keira is panicky scared of rats.

4. Destroy the rat nests with Signs or bombs. 0/2

Destroy two rat nests. The easiest way to do this is to use the Igni sign.

You can use any dialog option to convince Keira to stay and continue exploring the cave.

5. Explore the elven ruins and look for information about the mage.

Continue the search with Keira. After a while, you will come across a magical projection left by the elf. The clue he left for Ciri will tell you what to look for.

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 "Zireael" - 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.

6. Explore the ruins and follow the swallow symbols. / Search the chamber using your Witcher Senses.

In the next biger cave you'll come across several wraiths. In the corridor on the right you will see a swallow symbol on the wall indicating the further way.

Note : It is worth checking other corridors as well, because you can find several chests of diagrams and more there.

Go along the corridor until you get to the room where the next magician projection is located. Walk up to it and you'll get another clue.

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.

7. Use your Witcher Senses to find something associated with Ciri's horse Kelpie.

This time you have to look for the symbols of the Ciri horse, Kelpie. Jump into the water tank in the middle and examine the horse symbol painted on the rock.

Then dive, swim through the underwater corridor and examine the next symbol you find in the corridor on the other side.

8. Rejoin Keira. / Explore new chambers with Keira. / Enter the portal.

Go back to Keira. Next to the place where the magician's projection was located, the door will open and you will be able to move on. In the next room, you will reach the portal. Press the swallow symbol on the wall. The portal will become active and you will be able to use it.

9. Examine the next room using your Witcher Senses. / Fight the guardian.

In the next room, you'll come across a guardian left by the mage. You'll have to defeat him to move on.

10. Continue exploring the ruins and follow the swallow symbols. / Find a way to activate the portal using your Witcher Senses. / Enter the portal.

Keep walking along the corridors until you reach the next portal. Activate it by pressing the swallow symbol and walk through it and you will finally reach the place on the other side of the bridge where you have seen the Wild Hunt warriors.

Note : You can also explore a side tunnel where you will find a chest with diagrams and a gargoyle. Be careful, because when you enter this tunnel, the door will close behind you and only open when you kill the gargoyle.

Continue exploring the ruins and follow the swallow symbols. / Find a way to activate the portal using your Witcher Senses. / Enter the portal.

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

11. Follow the Wild Hunt's warriors.

Go ahead until you get to the room where you see the Wild Hunt warrior. When he sees you, to stop you, he will open three cracks from which the white snow will start coming out. Keira will summon the protection barrier under which you will take cover.

12. Keep close to Keira and stay under her magic shield. / Kill the creatures emerging from the rift.

Follow Keira and try to stay under the protective barrier at all times. When the sorceress is busy closing the cracks, you must take care of removing the monsters that will come out of the cracks and attack you.

13. Follow Keira. / Chase the Wild Hunt's warriors.

Keira will remove the blockade and you will be able to go on. Go ahead until you reach the chamber where you see the Wild Hunt warrior Nithral waiting for you.

Note : It is worth visiting the side tunnel here, because you will find a chest with valuable items there. Destroy the wall blocking the passage with the Aard sign, watch out for the poisonous and explosive gas on the other side and get ready to kill foglet, which will appear when you try to open the chest.

14. Fight the Wild Hunt warrior.

Nithral is relatively slow, but also resistant. During combat, when his life drops below a certain level, he will summon the rift from which the hounds of the Wild Hunt will begin to emerge. He will hide himself under a protective barrier and begin to heal. When this happens, don't attack him, just kill the monsters coming out of the rift as soon as possible, because when you do that, he will stop healing himself and you will be able to fight him again.

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.

15. Look for information about Ciri using your Witcher Senses.

Find another projection left by the mage and you'll receive another clue, this time about the witches of Crookback Bog. Keira will tell you how to reach them and give you The Ladies of the Wood book. A new quest, Ladies of the Wood , will appear in your journal.

Examine one of the walls in the lab. Keira will tell you that it's an illusion and give you an item, The Eye of Nehaleni , which you can use to dispel this illusion.

16. Use the Eye of Nehaleni to dispel the illusion.

Use the Eye of Nehaleni and the illusion disappears and you will be able to move on.

Note : If you go back to the place where you fought with Nithral and destroy a cracked wall, then in the small room on the other side you will find another illusion. When you dispel it, you will gain access to the underwater tunnel. Dive and you'll find some chests there.

17. Follow Keira.

On the way out, Keira will ask you to help her find the magic lamp that the mage promised her. Agree to help her and you will receive a new quest - Magic Lamp .

Whether you decide to help her or not, this quest will end here.

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 three 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.

After completing Wandering in the Dark you will get or will be able to get Ladies of the Wood and An Invitation from Keira Metz .

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The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Wandering in the Dark Main Quest Walkthrough

The video above is the The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Wandering in the Dark Main Quest Walkthrough and shows how to complete Wandering in the Dark , the quest featured in The Witcher III: Wild Hunt .

The video walkthrough covers the following objectives:

Follow Keira.

Go through Keira’s portal.

Use your Witcher Senses to find Keira.

Destroy the rat nests with Signs or bombs (2).

Explore the elven ruins and look for information about the mage.

Explore the ruins and follow the Swallow symbols.

Search the chamber using your Witcher Senses.

Find something associated with Ciri’s horse, Kelpie.

Rejoin Keira.

Explore new chambers with Keira.

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.

Follow the Wild Hunt’s warriors.

Keep close to Keira and stay under her magic shield.

Kill the creatures emerging from the rift.

Chase the Wild Hunt’s warriors.

Fight the Wild Hunt warrior.

Look for information about Ciri using your Witcher Senses.

Use the Eye of Nehaleni to dispel the illusion.

About The Author

The Witcher 3 - Wandering in the Dark quest: How deal with the Golem, Gargoyle, Eye of Nehaleni, White Frost

How to kill the Foglets, Drowners, Gargoyles and Guardians in Wandering in the Dark. We'll also help you find and kill the Wild Hunt Warrior.

Wandering in the Dark is a mission in The Witcher 3.

When your chat with Keira the witch in Hunting a Witch is over, you find yourself back outside, near a small cave opening - the last known whereabouts of Keira's elf friend.

Before entering the tunnel, look for the broken stone steps a little off to the right. Climb up to locate a chest containing the Vicovaro blade, a weapon repair kit and a few other items.

With your pockets a little heavier, return to Keira and follow her down into the darkness. Once the cut-scene ends, pass through the portal at the bottom of the steps.

Wandering in the Dark

Use your Witcher Senses to find Keira

Sadly, things don't go quite as planned and you materialise in an unknown location. Before heading further into the cave, turn around and swipe the Axeman's boots from the chest behind you. When you're ready, hack your way through the three hostile Drowners that scurry about near the water's edge, deeper into the cavern. Your mobility is limited while submerged, so it's best to lure then out onto dry land before taking them on - although you can use your crossbow underwater if you're really in a pinch.

When the Drowners are dead, wade into the water and dive beneath the surface. Swim forwards and loot the chest to the left where the path momentarily divides. Continue onward and resurface at the end of the passage. Back on dry land, the path stretches away to the south-east and south-west. The route to the south-east leads to a broken platform and a perilous walk through Drowner-infested waters. The latter route is safer but blocked a little way on. To clear the obstruction, fire a telekinetic blast of your Aard spell at the cracked wall.

Kill the Foglets, Drowners and rats

Once you pass through the newly-created opening, keep your eyes peeled for the Foglet hiding in the tunnels. This creature can conceal itself in the mist it creates, sneaking up behind you to attack. Thankfully it's not too tough to defeat when it's revealed, so lure it out of the fog and land a few blows to finish it off. When it's dead, continue along the tunnels beyond the shattered wall, winding around until you reach another blocked passage further ahead. Note that you can light the small, knee-high braziers to illuminate your path if you're struggling to see.

Exit through the newly-opened doorway and move into the large chamber. You should recognise it as the room in which Keira cast the portal spell a little earlier on. Run through the poison clouds directly ahead, then clamber up the steps to reach the portal and platform once more. Deal with any Drowners that run in to attack.

Next, make your way down the steps directly opposite the ones you just climbed, following the objective marker to the south-east. At the bottom you can either continue directly ahead, climb the steps to the right or drop into the Drowner-infested waters to your left. The route ahead and to the right both lead toward Keira, but you'll need to take down two Foglets if you choose the former. On the plus side, you'll also find a couple of juicy gathering spots in that direction too. Follow the path of your choice until you rejoin your companion.

Destroy the rats nest with Signs or bombs

With Keira located, look around the chamber until you spot the two smoking mounds lying either side of the pit. As instructed, use either bombs or one of your destructive spells to obliterate them. Rats continuously attempt to hinder your progress, so treat them to a few swipes of your sword if they get too close. With the nests destroyed, tell Keira that you're curious to know what the Wild Hunt is doing here, then get ready to proceed with your friend still in tow.

Explore the elven ruins and look for information about the mage

Head up the incline to the south-west and pass through the archway into the next chamber. Your elven friend makes a surprise appearance as you near the end of the room, so finish talking to Keira, then push onward into the next chamber, following the objective marker.

Explore the ruins and follow the swallow symbols

As you move down the steps in the next room, look out for the poisonous yellow fog spewing from the ground. Unsurprisingly, you should avoid it where possible. You also need to keep an eye out for the Wraiths patrolling the area. These feisty creatures are able to de-materialise midway through battle, re-appearing behind you to land a devastating blow. Stay vigilant and deal with them swiftly.

Once you reach the water, a number of paths are available to you. Directly ahead to the south lies a long passage with a goodie-stuffed chest at the end. A second chest (containing a manuscript, among other things) lies at the end of a long tunnel to the south-east, but you'll need to navigate an underwater passage to reach it.

Once you've had your fill of treasure-hunting, take the third and final passage from the water's edge, leading north-west. Continue along it, heading towards the objective marker, and clamber up the stone ledges once you reach them. Soon you'll arrive at a chamber with a large pit in the ground and another projection illuminating the far wall.

Search the chamber using your Witcher Senses

Approach the projection at the end of the room to learn a little about Ciri's favourite horse, then prepare to explore the chamber more thoroughly.

Locate the horse symbol

Use your Witcher Senses to find something associated with Ciri's horse Kelpie

Activate your Witcher Senses and you'll spot various animal shapes carved into stone around the room. There's a bird etched into rock close to your current position, for instance - but you're looking for something more horse-like.

Be careful here: if you examine the wrong animal symbol, it will explode, causing damage. Locate Keira (she's crouched down by the central pit) then head on over. Activate your senses again and look down into the pit - you should spot another animal symbol beneath one of the arches below.

Hop over the low wall into the water and examine the shape of the bucking horse. To leave this area, dive beneath the surface and locate the submerged passage to the west. Swim along it, then resurface at the end, climbing the steps ahead. There's another bucking horse symbol on the wall at the top of the steps - examine it to progress the quest.

Rejoin Keira

When Keira calls, head along the nearby passage and drop off the ledge at the end, landing back in the chamber with the large central pit. As you touch down, the door near Keira slides open - so make your way over and move on through.

Explore new chambers with Keira

Continue along the corridor until you reach the chalk archway etched on the wall. To activate this portal, use your Witcher Senses and examine the small bird symbol on the wall next to it. Once the portal bursts to life, step on in.

Examine the next room using your Witcher Sense

When you emerge on the other side, you need to do some more hunting for clues. Pass through the archway ahead and scale the stone steps. As you emerge in the next large room, a large golem makes its presence known. You'll need to bring it down in order to proceed.

How to kill the Golem and the Gargoyle

Fight the Guardian

Before engaging the creature, make sure that you've equipped your strongest armour and have plenty of restorative items to hand. You should call up your Quen shield spell too.

Thankfully, although the golem can pack a punch, its moves are limited. While in close quarters, it will either lash out with its hand or do a devastating ground pound. If you maintain your distance, however, it will attempt to charge at you, running forwards until it crashes into a wall.

The creature's ground-pound move can easily catch you off-guard, so stay vigilant and cast Quen repeatedly for added protection. It's easiest to inflict damage on the golem from the rear; either dodge around to its back and take a few swings at it or, preferably, let Keira distract your opponent and go in for the kill while its attention is elsewhere. Once the golem is dead, loot its body and prepare to push deeper into the mysterious dungeon.

Continue exploring the ruins and follow the swallow symbols

Look for the wooden platform to the west of the chamber and clamber on up to proceed. Head through the nearby archway and continue along the passage beyond. Once you reach the next room you've a choice of two exits - to the left and directly ahead. Make a note of the room, then push forwards, looting the part-buried chest at the very end of the passage to receive the Elementa oil manuscript page, the Hunter's boots diagram and a few more assorted goodies. There's another archway immediately to the left, so pass into the next chamber.

Once through the archway, the door behind you slams shut, sealing you in with a new enemy - the powerful gargoyle. Like the golem, this creature can pack quite a punch, so cast your Quen sign for some added protection during the encounter and stay on your toes.

The gargoyle's arm swipes and ground-pound-like foot stomp can do some serious damage when you're fighting in close quarters, and can be tricky to avoid in the tight confines of the room. Your best tactic here is to keep your distance (dodging the gargoyle's intermittent vomit spew and rock toss projectile attacks), then run into strike from behind while his attention is on Keira.

Once the gargoyle is defeated, loot his body and pilfer the chest in the southern part of the chamber. Finally, return to the room you noted earlier and follow the path to the east. When you reach the dead end, look for the chalk archway on the wall and examine the bird symbol next to it. This activates the portal, enabling you to step on through.

Follow the Wild Hunt's warriors

Now safely deposited on the other side of the bridge, proceed up the nearby steps and look for the small chest to your left at the top. You can also loot the large stone statue flanked by frozen creatures for more magical armour. Continue forwards and climb the next set of steps, heading in the direction of the objective marker. There's another chest, just to the left this time, containing more useful items.

When you're ready, climb the third set of steps and pass along the corridor. Once you close in on the Wild Hunt, the party's mage casts a spell summoning the deadly White Frost - which you'll need to counter in order to proceed.

Keep close to Keira and stay under her magical shield

As soon as Keira casts her protective shield spell, she begins moving forward across the room. Stick close to her, remaining in the centre of her magical dome, to avoid the devastating effects of the White Frost outside.

Kill the creatures emerging from the rift

Keira pauses once she nears the spherical rifts dotted around the chamber. When this happens, you need to take out the enemy hounds that home in on your position, ensuring that you remain within the confines of Keira's protective spell. This can be tricky as the attacking hounds will attempt to knock you backward, while your dramatic sword combos have a tendency to send you flying forwards. The White Frost outside the sphere can take its toll quickly, so keep your sword combos short and under control to avoid exposing yourself to its ravages.You can also use Quen for some added protection against the enemy hordes.

Once the first wave of enemies is defeated, Keira closes the rift and begins walking again, moving toward the second rift. Stick close to Keira then take down the next wave of hounds as you reach your destination. Repeat the process one more time to close the third rift and, finally, victory will be yours. When Keira collapses in your arms, suggest that fainting might be a bad idea and ready yourself for the next leg of your journey.

Follow Keira

As soon as Keira is back on her feet, she climbs the nearby steps and heads to the far end of the room. Explore the area to locate a number of loot-filled chests then rejoin her position.

Chase the Wild Hunt's warriors

When you're ready to proceed, head through the hole in the wall and pass up the stairs on the other side. Continue along the passageway until you reach the first burning torch, then look for the cracked wall to the right of the next flight of steps. Use Aard to clear the way forwards, then pass through the newly-created opening.

On the other side, dash through the poison clouds (or temporarily clear then with a couple of blasts of Igni) and loot the chest behind the knee-high wall. Next, clamber up the ledge to the west and, in the next room, loot the chest and take down the Foglet that attacks. With that done, backtrack to the torchlit area and continue down the steps to the south-east, heading toward the objective marker.

Before you drop off the ledge to begin your next confrontation, make sure that all your restorative items and Thunderbolt potion are close to hand and ensure that you're wearing your best armour - you might have picked up a few juicy pieces without realising it during your time in the dungeon. Once you're ready, hop off the ledge and prepare to take on a Wild Hunt Warrior.

How to finish the fight with the Wild Hunt Warrior

Fight the Wild Hunt Warrior

The first stage of your battle against the Wild Hunt warrior is relatively straightforward. Your opponent's primary attack is its sword swing which, while powerful, is pretty easy to avoid if you're careful. Simply wait until Keira lands a magical attack, causing the creature to stumble, then run in to take a few swings at its rear before it regains its composure. Cast Quen for some added protection in close quarters (and Thunderbolt to increase the power of your attacks), and step out of the scrum to recast the spell whenever your shield is shattered.

Once you've decimated the first part of the warrior's health bar, it crouches down and forms a protective shield around itself - keep away from this during the next stage of the battle as it will cause significant damage if you stray too close. Next, a rift opens in the room and hostile hounds begin to pour out. Immediately take care of them, then turn your attention back to the warrior.

Unfortunately, the warrior's health bar is now fully restored, so you'll need to lay into it all over again. Follow the same tactics as before and keep landing Thunderbolt-charged quick and heavy attacks while the creature is momentarily stunned by Keira's spells. As you near the end of the warrior's health bar, it conjures another shield and rift, summoning more hounds into the world.

Deal with the hounds quickly to prevent the warrior's health from restoring too much. When they're dead, turn your attention back to your primary target and finish it off once and for all.

Look for information about Ciri using your Witcher Senses

Loot the warrior's body, then begin exploring your immediate surroundings. There's a goodie-filled chest (containing armour and a handful of crafting recipes, among other things) up the small flight of broken steps near the warrior's corpse and a cracked wall to the south-west of your current location. Make note of it, then head east in the direction of the objective marker, looting the chests near the stone ledge.

Our Witcher 3 walkthrough and guide can help you with the main story, including the Wandering in the Dark and Family Matters missions, and eventually, one of several Witcher 3 endings . There's plenty of side content, too, including Witcher 3 Contracts , White Orchard quests , Velen quests , Novigrad quests and Skellige Isles quests . Elsewhere, learn about the best Witcher 3 builds , the best Witcher 3 mods , how to make money in Witcher 3 , find Places of Power locations , and learn how to do Witcher 3 crafting and Witcher 3 Alchemy And when you're done with all those - we can help you through expansions with our Hearts of Stone walkthrough and Blood and Wine walkthrough .

Receiving the Eye of Nehaleni from Keira

When you're ready to continue, climb the ledge and investigate the next projection. Speak to Keira then, when the conversation is over, loot the bookshelves and chests nearby. Next, look for the shimmering archway to the east (it will appear outlined in red when your senses are activated) and examine it to receive the Eye of Nehaleni from Keira.

Use the Eye of Nehaleni to dispel the illusion

Although you're free to dispel the illusion beneath the archway immediately to continue, there's another secret in the room that's well worth investigating. Head south-west to the cracked wall that you noted earlier and break it using your Aard Sign. Head inside and move down the steps. Examine the large, shimmering rock wall that blocks your path and dispel the illusion. Once the route ahead is clear, drop into the water.

Swim forwards and dive beneath the surface to begin exploring the waterlogged corridor. Loot the chests beneath the archway immediately ahead to the west then follow the main passage as it turns south. Once you resurface, pass through the archway into the next room and loot the chest for a handful of goodies, including the impressive Maugrim silver sword. Take down the Foglet that attacks, then return to the chamber where you fought the warrior.

Next, follow the objective marker to the east of the room and use the Eye to dispel the illusion blocking the archway from earlier. Once the path is clear, head forwards and agree to help Keira retrieve the elf's magic lamp when you're presented with the dialogue option. Note that you can leave the dungeon by following the passage to the south if you prefer.

- The next part of our walkthrough explains how to complete The Witcher 3 - Magic Lamp quest.

- Head back to the first page for the rest of our Witcher 3 walkthrough .

The Witcher 3: Wandering In The Dark Main Quest Walkthrough

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A Shadow Of The Erdtree Player Has Found One Of Dragonlord Placidusax's Missing Heads

Elden ring: shadow of the erdtree map fits in the middle of the lands between, elden ring: 13 ways to level up quickly, quick links, entering the portal, finding keira, following the swallow, locating horse imagery, opening portals and fighting a golem, destroying rifts with keira, boss battle with nithral, finishing the quest.

During The Witcher 3 , Geralt spends plenty of time with Yennefer and Triss. But in the Velen section of the game, he builds a bond with another sorceress in Keira Metz. The duo goes on multiple quests together, including "Wandering in the Dark." Even though their relationship isn't guaranteed to end well , they're on the same page during this adventure.

RELATED: The Witcher 3: Best Characters From The Main Questline, Ranked

The pair's objective is to track down the Mysterious Elf who's somehow connected to Ciri. And it makes for an enjoyable adventure. However, some moments can be confusing, either due to some difficult puzzles or because it's not clear which direction to go. This guide can help you get past any obstacle in front of you.

Updated on December 17, 2022 by Quinton O'Connor: 'Wandering in the Dark' is a formative quest in Geralt's adventure, a critical piece of story and even character development during the Witcher's continued search for Ciri. We've done another pass at this guide to shore up consistency, adding a table of contents for easier browsing.

The quest will begin one of two ways. If you decided to travel with Keira when prompted, you will be teleported straight to the desired area. Otherwise, you'll need to travel there, and the objective marker shows exactly where.

Regardless of how you get to the cave, you need to follow Keira inside. It won't be long until a cutscene triggers that shows that the Wild Hunt is also at the location. The sorceress then opens a portal for you both to go through.

Geralt's mistrust in portals is well-placed as you and Keira get separated. So, of course, you need to find her to re-group. First, though, you have to deal with the nearby drowners. These things are like your Final Fantasy goblins; even at this early point in The Witcher 3, they'll go down swiftly.

Once the monsters are down, dive underneath the water behind them. At this point, there may be more drowners, which are easily killed with the crossbow. Keep swimming forward until you get to a place to come up for air. When you're out, you have two paths to choose from; the easiest option is the left one.

The left path will lead you to an area with more drowners and some poisonous gas. Kill the beasts, and head the opposite way to the clouds of poison. After walking a little, you'll see a small set of stairs to your right. Head up them and walk right across the platform to get to the other side. Through the archway in front of you are Keira and several rats. Destroy the rodents' nests to save the sorceress.

With Keira, you can leave through the archway in the back corner of the room. This will lead you to a projection of the elf mage, which will trigger another cutscene. The scene reveals that you need to be looking for images of swallows.

RELATED: The Witcher 3: Little Red Side Quest Walkthrough

The following room contains plenty of gas and a bunch of wraiths. To temporarily remove the poison clouds, you can use Aard or Igni. Watch out, though, as the latter creates explosions that hurt both you and your enemies. To slay the wraiths, it's best to use Yrden to make them easier to hit targets.

It can be tricky to find the correct way to leave this room as there are paths everywhere. You want to be searching for the image of a swallow, which glows red with witcher senses. The correct exit is on the right side of where you entered the area. To be more specific, it's located in the northwest area of the minimap. The swallow will be on a stone that's right of the entrance.

After you've found the right exit, you can just keep following the path until you get to a room with another projection. Watch this one to learn that the next clue is Ciri's horse, Kelpie . This means instead of looking for images of swallows: you need to find horses.

For the first one, you must jump into the pool that's in the middle of the room. Once down there, you can examine the horse image on the wall. Then dive underwater and find the secret pathway - it's shown on the minimap. Keep swimming until you're able to come up on the other side.

Then climb up the stairs and find another horse image at the top. Examining it will open a door near Keira. Keep following the stairs upwards to find a place to drop down near the sorceress.

Alongside Keira, enter the door that just opened, and after a short stroll, you'll end up at an inactive portal. To get it working again, examine the swallow next to it.

On the other side of the portal, though, is danger in the form of a Golem. Take it down easily by using Elemental Oil and Dimeritium bombs , along with executing some well-timed dodges.

Once it's down, climb up to the area that it was defending to progress. Continue down the path until you get the option to go left or forwards. To head towards the objective, turn left as the other way sends you to an optional fight with a gargoyle.

By going the right way, you'll find another inactive portal. Examine the swallow to open it up.

This portal actually leads to a safe area as all the guardians are incapacitated, so you're free to walk straight through the place. In the next room, however, you're not as lucky as there are Wild Hunt rifts that need to be destroyed.

RELATED: The Witcher 3: Reasons Sorceresses And Witchers Are Powerful

This process requires you to stay close to Keira and her shield while she exterminates the portals. Meanwhile, you'll need to protect her from all the Wild Hunt hounds that attack. You need to be careful while fighting, as being out of the sorceress's shield is painful. There are three rifts in total that need to be removed.

Afterward, she'll fall into your arms, and you can say either " Just Don't Faint On Me " (select if you want to pursue a romance with Keira ) or " If You Can't Go On ." When she recovers, she'll lead you to the way out.

Follow the path down to the next area to find one of the many bosses in the game , Nithral . The Wild Hunt rider is a powerful yet sluggish fighter. It's best to hit him with quick attacks before rolling or dodging away. Quen can also help you survive some of his strong strikes.

At some points during the battle, he goes into a bubble and starts to heal. Don't attack him during this time, as it'll only hurt you. Instead, wipe out the minions he sends out as fast as possible because once they're finished, he stops healing.

With the big guy down, you can climb up to the area at the back of the room. Up there is another projection, which reveals more about Ciri's potential whereabouts and prompts a conversation about the Ladies of the Wood .

There are multiple things around that you can examine to find out a bit more information about the Mysterious Elf. Yet, the one that advances the quest is the red archway on the back wall. Reveal it using witcher senses and then examine it. It turns out it's a secret exit, and Keira will give you the means to open it up.

This allows you to leave the place, but after a few steps, the sorceress stops you. She asks for your help finding a lamp, and agreeing to assist will trigger a side quest. However, for "Wandering in the Dark." your response doesn't matter as it's the end anyway.

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Wandering in the Dark is a M ain Quest in The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt . Main Quests are the main storyline of the game that can have a major effect towards the endings . Some of these quests may have dialogue choices that will alter the ending of the game.

Keira Metz tells Geralt about an elven mage who paid her a visit while they were looking for Ciri . The sorceress learned that Ciri was staying in some elven ruins from the magician, who had information about his whereabouts. The Wild Hunt is on the same track as the ruins as Geralt and Keira Metz start their exploration.

Finding Ciri in Velen had proven harder than tracking a swallow on a rainy day. According to Keira Metz, 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 buisness of her own with the mage. And so the witcher and sorceress set out together on a journey into darkness to find the mysterious elf's underground hideout.

The Witcher 3 Wandering in the Dark Objectives

Destroy the Rat Nests
Fight the Guardia
Fight the Wild Hunt Warrior

Rewards for Wandering in the Dark in The Witcher 3

Walkthrough for the witcher 3 wandering in the dark.

This quest begins immediately following the Hunting A Witch quest. After some discussion between Keira Metz and Geralt , you'll enter the ruins in search of the Elf who was looking for Ciri. When you get down the first set of stairs you'll see a cutscene of the Wild Hunt heading through a portal. Keira will generate a portal in an attempt to follow them, however when you walk through it you'll end up down in the bottom of the area with a load of drowners. Fight your way back to Keira, who is trapped in a room off to the side being hounded by two rat's nests. Use Igni to destroy these nests and you can then progress.

Work your way through the fairly linear path through the dungeon until you come out at an area containing some wraiths. Kill the wraiths and follow the suggested path (the game insinuates you should follow the sparrow signs, but there's only one path out of this area). You'll come to a dead end and be prepared for a fight. This is a strange battle as two wraiths take on the appearance of Geralt and Keira, meaning you have a mirror match. Fighting the Geralt is very difficult unless you make full use of your runes and the parry ability.

Once you've dealt with the wraiths, you'll need to find evidence of Ciri's horse (as the phantom message had referenced her horse). Peer into the pit in the middle of the room and use your Witcher sense, you'll see the image of a horse outlined in red. Jump into the water and interact with it, then swim under and follow the only route through. When you come out of the water, use your Witcher vision again and you'll find another horse symbol. Interact with it and you'll open the blocked door back where Keira Metz was.

When the door opens you'll see the outline of the first boss this area has, a rather nasty Golem . Before you head into the room make sure you meditate to refill your potions as you'll find Thunderbolt especially useful here. When you engage the Golem be careful. He hits hard and has a few attacks to be wary of. Fortunately he is slow and telegraphs well, but still, be careful. Be particularly aware of his charge attack which does a devastating combo if he catches you. Make use of Quen to avoid taking too much damage. Aard is very useful in this fight as when the Golem is not in a charge attack you can stagger him for a couple of strong hits.

Once the Golem is downed, climb up and follow the path out of the room. Follow the marker on the mini map and you'll come up to a wall, which is actually a portal. Use your Witcher vision to find the symbol to interact with and the portal will open. Walk through and you'll get a bit of story, with the dungeon guards frozen mid attack. Carry on up the stairs (making sure to loot everything you can) and you'll find yourself at another cutscene, where you are given your first showing of Nithral. Prepare for a protection mission though, as Nithral freezes the room and opens three portals. Keira Metz will put a magical shield up and instruct you to stay close to her. While you're in the shield you'll be fine but if you stray from it, then you'll take damage fast. As Keira starts to close each portal they'll spawn six enemies which you need to kill. Keira can take damage here so be on your toes and kill the enemies before they do too much damage to Keira. Once all three portals are closed the ice effect will dissipate, giving you another cutscene.

Once the cutscene is done, follow the path out of the room. Ahead you'll see a broken wall, so use Aard to break the wall down and loot the area beyond. Be warned, when you open the chest a fogger enemy will appear and ambush you.

Carry on back to the path, following Keira and you'll come into a room where you'll fight Nithral. This fight has three phases. The first phase is a straight fight with Nithral. When you get him down to the bottom of his health, he'll protect himself and open a portal. When the portal is open enemies from the previous room will come in. You can't hit Nithral like this, so kill the enemies and wait for him to be ready to fight. When he gets back up he'll be at full health for the second phase. Fight him till he's nearly dead and he'll heal again and summon more enemies. When the third phase starts he wont be at full health but he will be healed. In this last phase, attack him as you've been doing, making use of Igni and combo attacks and you'll have him down.

When he's down, walk to the end of the room, watch the last phantom message and you'll have completed the quest.

The Witcher 3 Wandering in the Dark Notes & Trivia

Notes, Tips, Other Trivia for Wandering in the Dark.

You can blast throu a door in the beginning of the boss room directly to the right after you drop down. But then you have a room with the roof caved in. And the rubble is yellow in witcher view but i dont know how to clear it. Tried with Aard,Dragons dream, Grapeshot ,Igni. So far no luck. I dont have the dancing star yet so maybe that will work

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Starfield's shattered space dlc may have already atoned for the base game's biggest sin, star wars: battlefront classic collection gets new update, quick links, the hunt begins, in elven footsteps, besting nithral.

"Wandering in the Dark" is an early main quest in The Witcher 3 . Geralt learns that Ciri quarreled with a witch in Velen, and while he finds the wrong witch at first, he also finds valuable clues in the process.

The "witch" in question is the sorceress Keira Metz. While Keira is an important character in the book series, The Witcher 3 marks her first appearance in the video games. Keira is in Velen to hide from Redania's witch hunters, and while she doesn't know where Ciri is she does know of a masked elven mage who might. She asks Geralt to help her investigate the mage's hidden lair, and that's where the "Wandering in the Dark" quest begins.

RELATED: The Witcher 3: Full Guide and Walkthrough

Soon after entering the ruin, Geralt spots a group of Wild Hunt soldiers with a navigator . He asks Keira to teleport them closer, but the spell goes wrong and Geralt finds himself alone in a partly flooded tunnel full of drowners. Fortunately, the only path out leads back to the large chamber Geralt started in, and players can find Keira by using Witcher Senses to locate her voice.

Keira is surrounded by hostile rats, and she won't go anywhere until Geralt destroys the two rat nests in the chamber. Geralt can drop a bomb into them like normal monster nests, but Igni also works. Rats will constantly pour into the room until the nests are gone, but luckily they're normal rats and mostly harmless.

Just past the rat room is a projection left by the masked elf. He speaks in riddles based on Ciri's past , and Geralt realizes that he's telling them to find swallow markings. The next chamber is full of toxic, flammable gas and wraiths, and sure enough the correct exit is just to the right and marked with a swallow. The swallow symbol might be hard to spot, but Keira will mention it when Geralt gets close.

Players may also want to check out the room's other exits. There's a short corridor right across from the entrance with a good loot chest at the end, and there's a flooded passage marked with a squid. The flooded area contains two large chests, and on the far side is a room with more gas, more wraiths , and a third chest.

The next room has a second projection that provides more cryptic clues. Geralt will explain that they should now look for a horse symbol. This symbol is near the water in the well at the center of the room, and so players need to dive in to find an underwater passage. Past the water is a tunnel with some stairs, and at the top is another horse symbol. When Geralt interacts with this symbol (use Witcher Senses to highlight it), it will open the way forward. The tunnel will curve around and drop Geralt where he started, and the newly opened door will lead to a portal . Simply interact with the swallow on the wall next to it to get it working.

The far side of the portal is guarded by a golem. Golems are elementals , so elementa oil will harm it. Golems are also slow, so strong attacks work best. Past the golem players can go left or straight, and while the left door has a swallow painted over it the straight path leads to two chests and a gargoyle. The same tactics that work against golems work against gargoyles, so feel free to take it out. The left path leads to another portal, and once again touching the swallow will get it working.

At this point, Geralt and Keira finally catch up to the Wild Hunt . Their navigator summons the White Frost into a room to slow them down, and Geralt needs to protect Keira as she closes the portals the frost is coming through. Hounds of the Wild Hunt will leap out of the portals throughout this sequence, but players should only attack once they enter Keira's protective bubble. Geralt will lose health quickly if he steps outside of it, and so players who want to loot the hounds' bodies should wait until all three portals are closed. Conveniently, the hounds also count as elementals.

Once the White Frost is gone, Keira will clear the way forward. The next chamber is where Geralt fights the Wild Hunt elf Nithral, but before then there's a blocked passageway that Geralt can use Aard on. The hallway beyond it is full of gas ( use Igni to clear it out ) and up some stairs players will find a good loot chest guarded by a foglet.

The fight against Nithral isn't much harder than a fight against a normal enemy with a two-handed weapon, but players effectively have to fight him three times. When Nithral's health first goes down to one-half and then to one-tenth, he creates a protective shield and summons in several hounds to distract Geralt as he heals himself. Once the hounds are dead, Nithral will continue the fight, and if Geralt is fast the elven warrior won't have all his health back.

Once Nithral is down, Keira and Geralt will search the masked elf's laboratory. They don't find much, but what they do discover will lead Geralt to his next main quest, " Ladies of the Wood ." They also find some clues about who the masked elf could be, and Keira will give Geralt the Eye of Nehaleni, an item that dispels illusions. This item will be useful in a variety of future quests. Finally, Keira will ask Geralt to help her find a magic lamp the elf promised to give her. Players can start this side quest, "Magic Lamp," right away or leave it for later, but either way the quest "Wandering in the Dark" ends here.

The Witcher 3 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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Very interesting article! Just one small comment: Joséphine Baker became famous much earlier than the 1970s, she was a singer in the roaring Thirties, and died in 1975.She was born in 1906.

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On the Hunt: The Effort to Track the Illegal Cheetah Trade

Scientists are testing new tools to spot the origin of cheetahs poached from the wild and smuggled for the pet trade..

Top: Cheetah cubs rescued from the illegal wildlife pet trade and brought to Cheetah Conservation Fund’s Rescue and Conservation Center. Visual: Courtesy of the Cheetah Conservation Fund

P atricia Tricorache, an independent wildlife trade investigator based in Mexico City, spends hours each day lit by the glow of her computer screen, trawling social media sites for people buying and selling wild cheetahs. Between 2010 and 2019, she found 2,298 live cheetahs illegally advertised online by 528 sellers, with most advertisements appearing on social media.

“It was like a rabbit hole. I would go to one site and look at one seller, and then on the comments I would find another one,” then another one, she said. “It was a nightmare.”

Such trade in protected wildlife, a violation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES, is considered among the most lucrative illicit commerce in the world. And Tricorache, who is also a research associate at Colorado State University, has collected data that shows the cheetah market has intensified in recent years.

Most cubs are taken from areas in the Horn of Africa — Ethiopia, Somalia, and Somaliland — and sold to wealthy exotic pet collectors and private zoos across the Arabian Peninsula. The cubs can ultimately sell for as much as $50,000 apiece, according to Tricorache, and are usually mixed in with other contraband trafficked on small boats across the Gulf of Aden to Yemen. Dealers there stash the cubs near animal markets and in private homes until they can be transferred to buyers. The majority of cubs don’t survive the arduous journey, due to malnutrition and poor handling, Tricorache said. “The few that survive to be sold will not live very long.”

All the cubs were likely poached from the wild, Tricorache said, because cheetahs don’t breed well in captivity. Most often, poachers wait until the mother goes hunting and then snatch the babies before she returns.

The trade has had a dire effect on cheetah populations. Estimates show that in the early 20th century, there were as many as 100,000 cheetahs in Africa and Asia. Today, the cats are believed to have been wiped out in nearly 90 percent of their former range. Scientists estimate somewhere between 6,500 and 10,000 of the animals remain, in fragmented pockets of savanna habitat and rural farmlands.

“It was like a rabbit hole. I would go to one site and look at one seller, and then on the comments I would find another one.”

For years, conservationists have worked in collaboration with local partners in the Horn of Africa to protect cheetahs. Yet cheetah distribution and the precise origins of trafficked cubs have long been mysterious. Now, several new scientific efforts aim to unveil the source of the cubs, providing a better understanding of where the cheetah supply chain begins.

One study, led by Geoff Koehler, a geochemist with the federal agency Environment and Climate Change Canada, tested a technique called stable isotope analysis to determine the origin of confiscated cheetah cubs. The researcher’s goal is to create a tool using hydrogen and oxygen isotopes that will one day help law enforcement investigations identify and shut down animal trafficking rings.

Another effort is a three-year project, spearheaded by ecologist Paul Evangelista at Colorado State University, that aims to identify where wild cheetahs still exist and better understand local attitudes toward wildlife and trade. A wide swath of the Horn of Africa hasn’t been adequately surveyed for cheetahs due to a decades-long armed conflict and sheer remoteness, according to Evangelista. He wanted to explore if the volume of trafficked animals indicates a significant population that has gone undetected.

“We can fix this,” said Evangelista, of the significant number of wild cheetahs shuttled through the illicit pet trade. “I think this is a very solvable problem.”

D espite their exotic good looks — tan coats with solid black spots, teardrop patterns trailing from their eyes, a narrow waist, and deep chest — cheetahs don’t make good pets. The animals require a lot more work than a standard tabby. They need ample space, a specialized diet, as well as expert care to deal with common health issues that trafficked cheetahs face, said Tricorache. “Furthermore, while they are gentle in nature and easy to habituate, they are still wild and have the potential of hurting a human.”

For centuries, cheetahs have served as status symbols and stealthy hunting companions. Giuliano de’ Medici, who ruled Florence with his brother Lorenzo the Magnificent, appears in a Renaissance painting riding horseback with a cheetah seated behind him. Akbar the Great, who ruled Mughal India in the 16th century, used trained cheetahs to hunt deer. The Jazz Age burlesque star Josephine Baker performed with her pet cheetah, Chiquita , who “sometimes terrorized the orchestra pit,” according to the New York Times.

Cheetahs have served as status symbols and stealthy hunting companions. In the Jazz Age, burlesque star Josephine Baker performed with her pet cheetah, Chiquita.

Visual: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

A few decades later, cheetahs came into vogue for zoo collections. In the 1960s, thousands of cheetahs were captured by farmers who’d been trained by animal dealers to catch the cats in cage traps. Facing pressures from habitat loss and conflicts with humans, the number of cheetahs in the wild declined from an estimated 40,000 in 1960 to fewer than 20,000 by 1975.

One challenge: The cats’ home ranges are large — about 800 square kilometers, roughly 310 square miles — and so they often roam outside conservation reserves, especially since there can be competition there with lions and other predators, said zoologist Laurie Marker, executive director of the Cheetah Conservation Fund, a nonprofit organization based in Namibia. “The reserves are not large enough.”

Meanwhile, they have to share space with people, too, which may be problematic for the big cats. The cheetahs sometimes eat livestock, and people often retaliate by killing the offending cat. Orphaned cubs are usually sold into the illegal pet trade.

In 1975, in response to concerns about biodiversity loss, CITES banned the international trade of wild-caught cheetahs, except for limited quotas for live specimens and hunting trophies from Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. But even after the ban, cheetah numbers continued to plummet. Research and tracking data showed “farmers were killing cheetahs like flies,” said Marker. Her early research examined the farmer-cheetah conflict in Namibia in the late 1970s. She founded the Cheetah Conservation Fund in 1990 in an effort to save wild cheetahs by establishing a research and education center in Namibia, and collaborating with other countries where cheetahs are declining.

Tricorache began working with the Cheetah Conservation Fund in the early 2000s, after quitting what she calls “one of the best jobs in the corporate world,” working in public relations for the tobacco giant Philip Morris International. She became the Cheetah Conservation Fund’s assistant director for strategic communications to dedicate herself toward wildlife conservation efforts.

One day in 2005, Tricorache received a phone call from a veterinarian working to rescue two cheetah cubs tied up outside a restaurant in Gode, nearly 400 miles from the country’s capital of Addis Ababa. One of the cats was blind in one eye, suggesting that it had likely been kicked in the face, Tricorache said.

Rumor was the restaurant owner had been forcing the cubs to fight to amuse patrons, but he was offering to sell them for $1,000 each. The veterinarian was considering buying the cubs to donate them to a sanctuary where they could be cared for. “That’s when I went into panther mode,” she said, recounting the conversation. “I said no, don’t do it. If you buy them, then they’ll go get more cubs because they know they can make money.”

Tricorache helped organize a rescue operation . The cubs were seized by Ethiopian authorities and flown by U.S. military plane to Addis Ababa, where they were to live on the grounds of the National Palace.

Both soon died from their injuries. But widespread media coverage of their rescue led to more reports of trafficked cheetahs, and more rescues. “The calls and emails were just pouring in,” Tricorache said. “We never knew that the trade was so abundant.”

That’s when Tricorache began forming networks of informants on the ground. In 2012, she started cyberstalking cheetah traffickers who use social media. She currently works as a volunteer investigator for the nonprofit Alliance to Counter Crime Online, a group of academic researchers and investigators advocating for Big Tech to crack down on trafficking everything from guns and drugs to wildlife and human body parts on their platforms. She’s also assisting Colorado State’s Paul Evangelista’s international effort to find the origin of hundreds of confiscated cheetah cubs taken from the wild.

T ricorache’s recent unpublished data suggest that the illegal cheetah trade from the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula has increased by more than 50 percent between 2020 and 2023, compared to the annual average of trafficked cubs during the previous decade.

In December 2023, researchers published a report making a scientific case for stronger protection status for the Northeast African cheetah subspecies, Acinonyx jubatus soemmeringii . Genetic analysis had shown all 55 cheetahs confiscated in Somaliland from 2016 to 2019 represented this subspecies. They urged the International Union for Conservation of Nature, or IUCN, to reclassify the Northeast African cheetah as endangered and called for more research to investigate whether it warrants critically endangered status.

“Somaliland has been a closed geographic region for so long — and much of it still is,” Evangelista said. “We really have no idea what’s been going on there with the wildlife.” With a $1 million dollar grant provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2022, Evangelista has spearheaded an effort to conduct wildlife surveys across certain areas of six African countries: Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somaliland, Somalia, Kenya, and South Sudan. The ongoing three-year project aims to locate where undocumented cheetah populations still persist and learn more about local attitudes toward wildlife and trade. With that information, the researchers hope to help government wildlife departments develop cheetah management and conservation strategies, and raise regional public awareness about the imperiled cheetah’s plight. They want to know: Is there intense human-wildlife conflict? Or is there a level of tolerance suggesting that the humans and big cats can coexist?

“The calls and emails were just pouring in. We never knew that the trade was so abundant.”

The project’s surveyors have been asking pastoralists working on the landscape to examine a series of photographs representing more than 50 animal species, including antelope and other animals that are cheetah prey. They ask, one photo at a time, does this species occur within one day’s walk of here? Early data indicate there are a significant number of undocumented cheetahs and other animal species persisting in remote areas of East Africa, Evangelista said. Even in the face of human conflict, habitat loss, and other environmental threats, he said, nature is resilient.

Muhyadin Abdi Hussein, the bureau head of the Environment Protection Rural Land Administration in Ethiopia, is one of Evangelista’s colleagues working with him on the cheetah trade in his region. He said raising awareness that cheetahs are endangered and that the trade is illegal, combined with better law enforcement, is crucial to protect the species.

In early 2023, Colorado State University co-hosted a five-day workshop in Ethiopia for 23 wildlife officials from Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, Somalia, Somaliland, Puntland State of Somalia, and the Somali Regional State of Ethiopia. It was the first of three planned workshops geared toward learning more about wild cheetah populations, helping countries with cheetahs develop conservation management plans, and halt cheetah trafficking to the Middle East. “These people are coming from different countries that don’t always get along,” Evangelista said, yet they’re uniting to help save cheetahs.

Though he feels confident that it will be possible to reduce the pressure on cheetah populations supplying the trade, addressing the demand from the Arabian Peninsula remains a major challenge. Those countries do not have consistent laws against keeping wildlife as pets, and even when they do, there’s little enforcement. The United Arab Emirates, for example, banned private ownership of dangerous animals, including cheetahs, in 2016. Some owners surrendered their pets. However, plenty of citizens with illegal cheetahs continue to openly display them on Instagram and Facebook, said Tricorache. In some cases, the owners’ estates masquerade as licensed private zoos. “They use their licenses to launder illegal wildlife,” she said.

Most of the cheetahs going to the Arabian Peninsula travel through Somaliland, where it has been illegal to take cheetahs from the wild since 1969. But with a porous border and a 460-mile coastline that offers a direct route to wealthy cheetah buyers in countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Somaliland is a central hub for the illicit cheetah trade. And because it is a breakaway state that hasn’t yet been recognized by the international community as an official country, Somaliland lacks resources and support to effectively combat illicit trade.

Only about 10 percent of trafficked cheetah cubs are intercepted by law enforcement, according to Tricorache’s data. Corruption hampers enforcement, too: “Police and customs and army, and even the wildlife departments, they get paid very little,” she said. “It’s very easy to tell an army guy, listen I’ll give you $2,000 and you let me get through with these eight cheetahs.”

Plenty of citizens with illegal cheetahs continue to openly display them on Instagram and Facebook.

A National Geographic feature in 2021 revealed how coast guard officers based in a ramshackle station on Somaliland’s central coast patrol the beaches with only boats, but no cars or radios. Still, those officers once managed to snag Somaliland’s most notorious cheetah trafficker, a man known as Cabdi Xayawaan (pronounced AB-dee HI-wahn). Traveling on foot, the officers concealed themselves on both sides of the road and emerged with their guns drawn when they spotted the red Toyota SUV Xayawaan was driving. They’d prevented him from reaching the beach, where he planned to hand six cheetah cubs to a Yemeni man traveling by boat.

Even though he was caught with the cubs in his car, Xayawaan escaped a conviction for cheetah trafficking that time. On other occasions when he has been convicted, he didn’t stay in jail long. “In the last eight years, he’s been arrested and convicted four times, I think,” said Tricorache. She believes Xayawaan will continue to be a major player in the illegal cheetah trade.

W henever cheetah cubs get confiscated from a trafficker like Xayawaan, Marker, at the Cheetah Conservation Fund, receives a call asking for help.

Until recently, Marker’s group was caring for cubs confiscated in Somaliland in five safe houses. She said cubs were “coming out my ears.” Then in 2021, the government provided them with 3,000 hectares — roughly 7,400 acres. The Cheetah Rescue and Conservation Center, in Geed-Deeble, Somaliland, is now home to 97 cheetahs. Those are the lucky ones. “Over these five years, we probably had at least 50 more that have come to us dead, basically,” Marker said. “Our research had actually shown that for every cub that made it into the trade, four or five of them died.” She said they’re now able to save more cubs — 80 percent compared to 20 percent before — because they’re getting them earlier.

Her group is trying to raise awareness of the threat to wild cheetahs from the illegal pet trade. Research at the group’s genetic laboratory in Namibia, based on blood samples collected from confiscated cubs, recently helped support the case to raise the IUCN conservation status of the Northeast African cheetah from threatened to endangered.

Samples of fur collected from the cubs have also aided research in faraway Canada, where Koehler, the geochemist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, is attempting to use stable isotope analysis as a “forensic tracer of origin” to find out where the trafficked wild animals are being taken from and to determine if declared wildlife is legitimately sourced legally.

The tool, said Koehler, rests on a familiar principle: “You are what you eat.” Each place in the world has a unique mix of different forms of hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon in the local food and water. As animals eat and drink, ratios of these different isotopes come to be reflected in the molecules that make up an animal’s blood, feathers, or fur, providing a kind of geographic fingerprint hidden in an animal’s flesh.

Stable isotope analysis lets scientists read that stamp, linking organisms to their environments. The technique has been used to map the migrations of birds and butterflies. Now, scientists are hoping it will help solve the cheetah trafficking problem, too.

Koehler first heard about the cheetah issue in the Horn of Africa from a colleague working with the nonprofit group Veterinarians Without Borders. He said, “‘these cubs are being rescued, but we don’t know exactly where they’re coming from,’” Koehler recounts. He thought perhaps stable isotope analysis could help solve the mystery.

As animals eat and drink, ratios of these different isotopes come to be reflected in the molecules that make up an animal’s blood, feathers, or fur, providing a kind of geographic fingerprint hidden in an animal’s flesh.

Very few isotopic studies had been done before with cats, he said. There was one from the early 2000s, after a cougar wandered into the city of Saskatoon, where Koehler lives. The police shot the cat to protect the public. Koehler’s lab examined the stable isotope ratios in the cougar’s whiskers and claws. “As hair grows, it gives you a time series,” he explained. “Like tree rings.” By evaluating the isotopic ratios in the rings, they showed the hydrogen isotopes were consistent with the route that the radio-collared cougar traveled from Montana.

Another previous study at Koehler’s lab collected feline and canine hair samples from animal shelters across the country. When the scientists analyzed the hair, they found that they could match the stable isotope ratios with the locations where the shelters were located. Based on those two studies, Koehler believed it might be possible to do the same origin tracing with rescued cheetah cubs.

From 2015 to 2021, the Cheetah Conservation Fund collected patches of fur from incoming confiscated cubs, ranging in age from three to seven months old. The hair samples were shipped to Saskatoon, where they were cleaned with a solvent and analyzed. The isotopic ratios were then compared to a map, revealing the cubs were likely sourced primarily from northern Ethiopia, western Kenya, and possibly along the Somali border with Kenya.

Going forward, Koehler hopes to see the technique further developed into a tool that can be used by law enforcement and conservation agencies to combat the illegal trade of all sorts of species, from pangolins and parrots to tigers.

So far, the technique seemingly has not been used to capture any cheetah traffickers. But stable isotope analysis did recently aid an illegal wildlife investigation in Canada. Back in 2018, Environment and Climate Change Canada wildlife agents found suspicious information about a polar bear mount and two hides in export permits filed by an Ontario taxidermist sending the bear to China. Stable isotope analysis, DNA, and microchips used to track polar bear parts combined to provide compelling evidence that helped yield his conviction.

In September 2023, the taxidermist pled guilty to violating Canadian wildlife trade law and was sentenced to pay a $60,000 fine and forfeit the polar bear mount and rugs. “That was, for us, a very successful story, Koehler said.

A s new tools to help crack down on wildlife trafficking develop, Tricorache hasn’t given up on combing through social media sites for posters illegally selling cheetahs. Currently, she spends about four or five hours a day keeping an eye on dozens of accounts, in addition to her other work with Colorado State and ACCO. “This is me trying to retire, because I am 68,” she said, laughing.

Gretchen Peters, founder and executive director of the Alliance to Counter Crime Online, described Tricorache as a “force of nature” in an email to Undark. But while Tricorache has had some successes, Peters said, “she’s up against a rich and powerful industry that spends more time working to cover up and deflect attention from the problem it creates, rather than fix them.”

Peters believes social media platforms have greatly amplified the capacity of illicit actors to sell all sorts of illegal products. “Other than in the EU and the UK, tech companies still carry no liability for most user-generated content and criminal conduct they host,” Peters said.

She said Meta should block search results when users combine endangered species terms with sale terms (such as “rhino horn for sale” or “buy cheetah cub”). Furthermore, she said the company should “monitor and remove Closed and Secret Groups on Facebook that are widely known to be the epicenter of illegal activity, including the illegal wildlife trade,” and should work closely with authorities, rather than — as she sees it — cover criminals’ tracks. “When Meta moderators identify pages and groups where there is credible evidence that endangered animals are being trafficked, or animals are being abused, they should turn the evidence over to law enforcement,” she said, “not simply delete it.”

Meta’s policy prohibits attempting to buy, trade, or sell, endangered species or their parts, as well as gifts, donations, or “asks.” In statements to media outlets the company has said that content violating its policies is removed. Meta did not respond to requests for comment from Undark.

“Other than in the EU and the UK, tech companies still carry no liability for most user-generated content and criminal conduct they host.”

Tricorache does not alert tech companies when she finds criminals selling wildlife on their platforms. “If you report it, they either ignore you or they remove everything,” she said. “It’s like they’re disposing the gun that was used to kill somebody.”

Afterward, the trafficker, she said, “just opens another account with a different username.”

Lately, the cheetah traffickers are getting wiser about advertising out in the open on Instagram and Facebook. They’re moving to Snapchat or using Instagram stories that disappear, she said, which is more difficult to monitor. Rarely do the traffickers now say they have animals “for sale,” she said. These days, they just post pictures. Currently, one of the accounts she’s trying to keep tabs on is a guy on Instagram whom she believes to be the biggest cheetah trafficker in Yemen.

The volume and variety of animals illegally for sale online is dizzying, Tricorache said. “It’s nonstop.”

UPDATE : Due to an error in the source caption, a previous photo caption on this story mistakenly said that Josephine Baker performed with her pet cheetah in the 1970s. The photo was likely taken when she performed in the 1930s.

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Rene Ebersole is a National Magazine Award-winning journalist writing for a wide variety of outlets, including National Geographic, The Washington Post, The Marshall Project, Mother Jones, and Audubon. She is a senior contributor at Undark.

Election latest: Starmer's children 'worried' about possible move into No 10 - as Tories drop candidates over betting scandal

The Conservatives have dropped support for two candidates embroiled in the betting scandal engulfing their party. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer had admitted his children are "worried" about potentially moving to Downing Street. The Labour leader has also rubbed shoulders with a Hollywood star.

Tuesday 25 June 2024 13:24, UK

General Election 2024

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Bulletin: What you need to know this lunchtime
Tories drop support for candidates over betting scandal
The controversy explained | Will candidates still be on ballots?
Analysis: PM was under a hell of a lot of pressure to act
Idris Elba joins Labour event on knife crime
Starmer says children 'worried' about possible move into No 10
Sunak takes break from campaigning for Japanese emperor's visit
Live reporting by Tim Baker

Election essentials

Manifesto pledges: Alliance Party | Conservatives | DUP | Greens | Labour | Lib Dems | Plaid Cymru | Reform | SNP | Sinn Fein | Workers Party
Trackers: Who's leading polls? | Is PM keeping promises?
Campaign Heritage: Memorable moments from elections gone by
Follow Sky's politics podcasts: Electoral Dysfunction | Politics At Jack And Sam's
Read more: Who is standing down? | Key seats to watch | What counts as voter ID? | Check if your constituency is changing | Guide to election lingo | Sky's election night plans

It's lunchtime, and we have a new bulletin to get you up to speed.

Whether you're mid-bite of your sandwich or just polishing it off, here's a rapid rundown of what you need to know:

The Conservatives have announced they will no longer be supporting the two candidates being investigated over placing bets on the election date;
Laura Saunders and Craig Williams will still appear in on the ballots - but won't be supported by the party;
The action came following pressure from both within and outside the Conservative Party, and Sir Keir Starmer said the move should have come last week when the allegations emerged.
Labour, meanwhile, has announced plans to tackle knife crime ;
Sir Keir appeared at an event with actor Idris Elba as they discussed introducing a long-term strategy to tackle the issue;
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper has taken part in an hour-long debate with Conservative Home Secretary James Cleverly , taking in both legal and illegal migration;
The minister said he does not "envisage" a Tory government leaving the European Court of Human Rights, despite the PM's threats to do so;
And Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has opened up about looking after his disabled son in an interview with Beth Rigby .

You might also be interested in one of the key talking points from today's Electoral Dysfunction podcast , all about that photo of Sir Keir and his wife enjoying a Taylor Swift concert at Wembley over the weekend.

We've also got a fresh episode of Politics At Jack And Sam's , including chat about an unlikely dinner date...

Away from the campaign, we've brought you pictures today of the Japanese emperor and empress enjoying a state visit to the UK.

It's day one of a three-day trip - and its timing is indeed unusual.

During the entire 70-year reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II, the country never hosted state visits during election campaigns.

As recently as 2017, a planned trip by Spain's King Felipe VI was quickly rescheduled after then prime minister Theresa May called a snap poll.

This one has still gone ahead, with Rishi Sunak and some of his top ministers taking part in the pomp and ceremony.

But Buckingham Palace did say the trip had been "slightly adapted".

Missing elements appear to be the usual Downing Street talks with the prime minister, the visitor's speech to the Palace of Westminster, and meetings with opposition leaders.

However, Labour's Sir Keir Starmer is expected to join Mr Sunak at a state banquet this evening.

A Japanese foreign ministry official said the emperor and empress's visit would not be a political one, and it was hoped it would forge "friendly relations across generations" between Japan's imperial family and the British royal family.

Pat McFadden, Labour's national campaign coordinator, has been speaking to broadcasters about Conservative candidates having their support from the party pulled while they are investigated in connection with the betting scandal.

He said: "It's taken Rishi Sunak the best part of two weeks to act on this.

"That is just weak leadership - and what the whole thing shows is that if the Conservative Party won again on 4 July, they would think they could get away with anything."

Asked if he was worried about Labour candidates placing bets on the date of the election, Mr McFadden pointed out his party did not have advanced knowledge of the date.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has been on This Morning on ITV.

At one point, the discussion turned to the Labour leader's children.

Sir Keir has a daughter aged 13 and a son aged 15.

Asked if the pair are worried about a potential move into Downing Street, Sir Keir said "they are".

As children, they "don't want things to change" and have "things set up at home exactly as you would want them".

This includes their friends and "first little bits of independence".

Sir Keir says he and his wife Victoria will "fiercely protect" the privacy of the children should they end up in 10 Downing Street.

This means things like photoshoots are off the cards - with the Labour leader admitting this means the public does "lose" the chance to see him with his family, which "gives you a sense of what person you are".

The names of the Starmer children are not publicly known, with Sir Keir saying he wants them to be able to walk to school "as their own people".

He says the situation would be different if they were older.

"We're trying to make sure that they can have the lives of an ordinary teenage boy and girl," he added.

He confirmed the whole family would move in if he becomes PM.

Rishi Sunak and two of his cabinet are taking a break from the campaign for today's state visit of the emperor and empress of Japan.

The prime minister has been seen all dressed up with Lord Cameron, the foreign secretary, and James Cleverly, the home secretary, at a ceremonial welcome at Horse Guards Parade.

The King and Queen are also present.

While the monarch is not expected to visit Downing Street or give a speech in parliament due to the election, he will be heading to a state banquet this evening at Buckingham Palace.

Both Mr Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer are expected to be in attendance at the dinner - a nice break from all the TV debates, we're sure…

Reacting to the news the Tory candidates involved in the betting scandal were having their support withdrawn, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: "Why didn't it happen a week ago?"

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said the suspensions should have happened "immediately" - and said Mr Sunak needed to confirm the two candidates would not sit with the Conservative Party if they won their seats.

Sky News understands the candidates will not have the Tory whip if they win their respective seats, meaning they will sit as independents (see previous post).

The Conservative Party has today announced it will no longer support its candidates Laura Sanders and Craig Williams.

But they will still appear on the ballot papers.

We are too far through the election cycle for the Conservatives to select new candidates.

Instead, they will just no longer enjoy the support of the Conservative Party.

This means they will not get any help with campaigning or visits from famous faces to back them.

It is similar to what happened to Labour in Rochdale ahead of the by-election there earlier this year.

Despite the fact that they will be listed as Conservative candidates on ballot papers as it is too late to change them, they cannot call themselves Conservative candidates.

It is understood that they will not have the Conservative whip if they win their respective seats, meaning they will sit as Independents.

However, if the Gambling Commission clears them of wrongdoing, the Conservative whip could be given back at a later date.

Laura Saunders is a candidate in Bristol North West, and Craig Williams is a candidate in Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr.

The other candidates in Bristol North West are:

Caroline Gooch, Lib Dems
Darren Jones, Labour
Scarlett O'Connor, Reform UK
Mary Page, Green Party
Ben Smith, SDP

The other candidates in Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr are:

Jeremy Brignell-Thorp, Green Party
Oliver Lewis, Reform UK
Glyn Preston, Lib Dems
Elwyn Vaughan, Plaid Cymru
Steve Witherden, Labour

Sky political correspondent Darren McCaffrey is explaining the latest developments in the Conservative betting scandal.

He says it is interesting it has taken "this long" to make the decision.

Craig Williams, one of the candidates, admitted having a "flutter" almost a fortnight ago.

Darren notes Rishi Sunak has been under "a hell of a lot of pressure" from political opponents to make suspensions.

He adds that the Tory position - saying they could not take action due to the Gambling Commission investigation - "didn't seem like a credible line" given Mr Williams said he placed a wager.

"So it was kind of unclear why the Conservative Party had not already suspended him," Darren notes.

Laura Saunders, Darren points out, has not been willing to comment on developments.

"But clearly, the Conservative Party - carrying out those internal inquiries, which the prime minister talked about being launched over the weekend - have found enough evidence that they feel that as of this morning, they should no longer be parliamentary candidates that are supported," he says.

These cases are separate to the two Tory officials who have taken leaves of absence while they are investigated.

What is the scandal?

In short, there are allegations people who had inside knowledge of the election date may have placed bets before Rishi Sunak announced it.

So far, four people have been identified as potentially being involved, with a fifth unnamed person also allegedly implicated.

What is happening now?

The Conservative Party has announced it is no longer supporting Laura Saunders and Craig Williams as candidates.

Mr Williams has admitted to having a "flutter" on the date of the election.

Ms Saunders most recent statement says she is co-operating with the Gambling Commission and did not say anything further.

The political hopeful also indicated she wanted to take legal action against the BBC for their reporting.

Are more people involved?

It is unclear if there may be more people involved with the scandal - with the Gambling Commission remaining tight-lipped about its investigation.

Sky News understands there are considerations over whether more police officers will be investigated, after one of the prime minister's protection officers was suspended due to the matter.

In the latest twist in the Conservative betting scandal, the party has withdrawn support from the two candidates who have been implicated.

A Conservative Party spokesperson said: "As a result of ongoing internal enquiries, we have concluded that we can no longer support Craig Williams or Laura Saunders as parliamentary candidates at the forthcoming general election.

"We have checked with the Gambling Commission that this decision does not compromise the investigation that they are conducting, which is rightly independent and ongoing."

Sky News has contacted Mr Williams and Ms Saunders for comment.

The prime minister had come under pressure to take action following the revelations over the past couple of weeks.

He had previously stated he could not do so without interfering with the Gambling Commission's probe.

This position now appears to have changed.

Among those calling for Mr Sunak to take action were other Conservatives Sir Robert Buckland, a former justice secretary; Tobias Ellwood, a former defence minister; Steve Baker, a current Northern Ireland minister; and Baroness Ruth Davidson, a former leader of the Scottish Conservatives.

The party has also launched its own investigation.

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COMMENTS

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The Witcher 3 ‘Wandering in the Dark’ walkthrough

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Prepare for the ruins

Follow Keira

Go through Keira’s portal

Use your Witcher Senses to find Keira

Destroy the rat nests with Signs or bombs

Explore the elven ruins and look for information about the mage

Explore the ruins and follow the swallow symbols

Search the chamber using your Witcher Senses

Use your Witcher Senses to find something associated with Ciri’s horse Kelpie

Rejoin Keira

Explore new chambers with Keira

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

Kill the creatures emerging from the rift

Chase the Wild Hunt’s warriors

Fight the Wild Hunt warrior (Nithral)

Look for information about Ciri using your Witcher Senses

Use the Eye of Nehaleni to dispel the illusion

The next level of puzzles.

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Wandering in the Dark

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Wandering in the Dark Walkthrough and how to defeat Nithral in the Witcher 3

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