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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Death By Fire

By
Nathan Garvin

In the eyes of a peasant caught between warring armies, there’s little distinction between a bandit and a soldier, and the difference between “requisitions” and “pillaging’ is vanishingly small. Add to this mix the appetite for racially-motivated pogroms growing in the Redanian camp and the prospect of being an elf in No Man’s Land is grim, indeed. This page will cover the secondary quest Death by Fire in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, including how to find the victim’s stash of coins.

Quest Objectives

Starting Death by Fire

One of many quests you can start just by stumbling across it as you explore Velen, unusual only in that it’s actually listed in your journal like a proper quest! To start it, you’ll need to find several bandits standing outside of a burning house along a road - follow the road north from the Hanged Man’s Tree signpost and at a fork keep right until the road veers east towards Codger’s Quarry. If you stay on this road you can’t miss it, and approaching the arsonists is sufficient to start the quest.

(1 of 2) Travel down a road along the northern end of Velen to find a burning house (see marked location),

Travel down a road along the northern end of Velen to find a burning house (see marked location), (left), outside of which are several arsonists shamelessly reveling in their handiwork. (right)

Save the Elf from the Bandits

As you approach the Bandits you should hear somebody crying out for help from inside the house, and once you get close enough the Bandits will warn you off. They’re not only shameless about the evil they’re perpetrating, but they’re stupid enough to threaten Geralt should he intervene, making this one of the easier moral choices in the game. If you pick the option “This is not my concern.” you can walk away and leave the elf trapped inside the burning house to her fate. Come back later and the house will be burned to the ground. No reward, no condemnation, just one of many atrocities in No Man’s Land.

Respond to the Bandits with “There’s a third option.” however, and they’ll get the meaning real quick - make good on your own threat and dispatch them (Lv9 and Lv10), then use "Aard" iconAard on the hut’s door to clear the obstruction and allow the elf to flee. Once she’s out of the house, talk to the victim and she’ll tell you about some coin she has hidden in a log behind the house before leaving. You’ll get a small amount of EXP and the quest will complete, but there are more rewards to be had here.

(1 of 4) Approach the Bandits and pick a fight,

Find the Elf’s Hidden Stash

First, loot the dead Bandits, as one of them will always yield a pair of Alder Folk Boots, which are likely better than anything a low-level Geralt has access to by now (including the Temerian Boots, if you bought them in White Orchard). After looting the Bandits, plunder some parcels and crates next to the house for random goodies. Next head behind the house and use your Witcher senses to highlight a conspicuous log lying by the corner of the hut, inside of which are the 20 "Crowns" iconCrowns the elf had stashed away. Clever girl. Finally enter the house itself and loot a shelf in the back for minor foodstuffs - you’ll choke while inside the house, but Geralt has more than enough lung capacity to wander inside, clear the shelf, take a quick nap, then stagger back out.

(1 of 2) Before you leave, loot the Bandits, as one will always yield some Alder Folk Boots,

Before you leave, loot the Bandits, as one will always yield some Alder Folk Boots, (left), then use your Witcher senses to find a log behind the house, wherein you’ll find some hidden Crowns. (right)

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Guide Information
  • Publisher
    CD Projekt
  • Platforms,
    PC, PS4, Switch, XB One
  • Genre
    RPG
  • Guide Release
    24 June 2015
  • Last Updated
    22 August 2024
    Version History
  • Guide Author
    Nathan Garvin (Haeravon)

Share this free guide:

You are Geralt of Rivia, a professional monster-hunter known as a Witcher. You’ve fully regained your memories since your miraculous revival and escape from the Wild Hunt, and have cleared your name of the false accusations of regicide. In the wake of the assassination of Foltest, king of Temeria, the north have been rent by warfare as Nilfgaard launches its third major invasion, and the northlands have been united under the insane king Radovid. Overshadowing these petty politics is the mysterious return of Ciri - Geralt’s adopted daughter, who is now being pursued by the Wild Hunt.

The guide offers the following:

  • A full walkthrough that’s more than just a listing of quests-it’s an “ideal chronological order” that will get you through the whole game and allow you to see and do everything the game has to offer.

  • Side quests, including monster contracts and treasure hunts for obtaining powerful Witcher sets.

  • Descriptions of decisions, quests, and events that influence the various endings of the game.

  • Crafting and Alchemy information.

  • General strategies on how to take down foes large and small, monstrous and humanoid, boss or mundane.

  • Information on how to complete all the Gwent quests and obtain all the Gwent cards, including detailed Gwent strategies.

  • Trophy/Achievement information.

MASSIVE UPDATE: 7th September 2016 ongoing

  • Added DLC quests “Fool’s Gold” and “Scavenger Hunt: Wolf School Gear”.
  • Organisational changes in the Velen section of the walkthrough to reflect the increased level of Griffin School Gear.
  • Organisational changes throughout the walkthrough to provide a “no skulls” path through the game.
  • Added Death March difficulty tips and commentary throughout the guide.
  • More XP reward numbers included.
  • Walkthrough now includes additional information based on patch changes.
  • Various typo and grammar fixes.
  • Added DLC pages for Blood & Wine, Heart of Stone
  • Lots more quality of life improvements

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