Few immersive role-playing games have captivated players quite like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. From its sprawling open world to its rich narrative tapestry, the game stands as a testament to the heights that the RPG genre can achieve.
The sheer fact that most players have yet to find the many hidden treasures and secrets in this game despite countless hours spent exploring every nook and cranny is a testament to the amazing level of detail. To this day, players continue to stumble upon Witcher 3 secrets and details. Here are 14 hidden mysteries you probably missed.
Table of Contents
- 14: ‘Crime And Punishment’, A Hidden Quest
- 13: Hidden Rock Formations In Skellige
- 12: Leo’s Grave, a Character Who Died in the First Game
- 11: Killing Wolves Shifts the Ecosystem
- 10: A Way to Enter the Nilfgaardian Officers’ Club
- 9: The Trial Of The Grasses Cave In Kaer Morhen
- 8: The Flying Redanian, A Ghost Ship
- 7: A Cheeky Reference To Game of Thrones
- 6: A Reference To Walt And Jesse’s Shenanigans
- 5: A Group Picture Of The Developers In Touissant
- 4: Monty Python’s Infamous Killer Rabbit
- 3: The Three Farting Trolls Named After YouTubers
- 2: The Eerie Weeping Angels From Doctor Who
- 1: The Aftermath Of Birna Bran’s Grim Sentence
14: ‘Crime And Punishment’, A Hidden Quest
Location: Northern edge of Ard Skellig, east of the Ancient Crypt, found by hugging the coast.
If players sail around the northern end of Ard Skellig, they’ll stumble upon one of the most hidden quests in Witcher 3. There, a man named Yorg is besieged by harpies. After saving the man, he asks for Geralt’s help to be freed, but if the witcher decides to investigate the issue, there’s more than meets the eye.
Heading to the village of Rogne in Ard Skellig will let players witness the funeral of a victim called Gretter. There, they’ll find Yorg’s sister, who revealed that she lied to Yorg that Gretter — who just so happened to be her uncle — abused her, when he did nothing of the sort.
The immature lass just lied about it because she didn’t like her uncle’s smell, sending her brother Yorg into a rage that got an innocent man killed.
13: Hidden Rock Formations In Skellige
Location: On the hill south of the Kaer Trolde Village and other places in Skellige.
If players head to Ard Skellig, they can find some enigmatic rock formations that are pretty interesting if players take some time to inspect them from a distance (or use a free cam to view them from above). They’re reminiscent of real-world wonders like Britain’s Hill Figures or Peru’s Nazca Lines.
Cool fact: a Witcher 3 dev who worked on these “Skellige figures” explained on Reddit that they added them to show the close connection between Skelligers and nature.
The figures lack any associated quests or narrative significance, existing solely as a neat touch to an already detailed world.
12: Leo’s Grave, a Character Who Died in the First Game
Location: Directly south of the Kaer Morhen signpost, close to a bridge to the Iron Mine signpost.
Leo was an orphan of war discovered by Vesemir around 1264. During the events of the first game, he was in the middle of his witcher training and was showing a ton of promise despite lacking any mutations. Unfortunately, days after Geralt’s return, the Salamandra assaulted Kaer Morhen.
One of its members, the Professor, shot Leo after taunting Geralt about a witcher’s reputed ability to parry crossbow bolts. The budding witcher died, passing away in Geralt’s embrace.
In The Witcher 3, players can find a nod to Leo if they discover a grave to the south of Kaer Morhen. It’s a monument to Leo’s honor, and Geralt comments on it, reflecting on this somber moment before moving on.
11: Killing Wolves Shifts the Ecosystem
During their adventures in the game, players will frequently encounter the relentless menace of wolves prowling the wilderness. While the threat of these enemies becomes more muted the more Geralt levels up, that doesn’t take away anything from their annoying nature in the slightest.
However, a fascinating detail that most people aren’t aware of is that if Geralt kills a lot of wolves in an area, more deer populate it in turn. It’s a simple yet notable change that breathes more life into the truly living world of The Witcher 3.
10: A Way to Enter the Nilfgaardian Officers’ Club
Location: Southeastern corner of Velen, to the north of the Nilfgaardian Army camp.
The Nilfgaardians pose a formidable threat across The Continent. They’ve established a massive, heavily guarded war camp in Velen. While you’re free to explore the camp, there’s one area you normally can’t enter: the House of Respite, a club for Nilfgaardian officers.
But there is a neat workaround. All Geralt has to do is acquire and wear a set of Nilfgaardian armor, granting him full access to the House. While there’s little to do in the House after Geralt infiltrates it, this still makes for an entertaining secret that few people are familiar with.
9: The Trial Of The Grasses Cave In Kaer Morhen
Location: Follow the road northwest of Kaer Morhen. The cave is at the end of the road.
The Trial of the Grasses is a grueling and often deadly rite for witcher apprentices that Geralt is familiar with. Young boys who have no family to speak of are given basic combat training and thrust into this grueling exercise to filter out the ones most capable of enduring the witcher experiments, which have a high casualty rate of their own.
Successful candidates endure agonizing mutations to become full-fledged witchers, with only three out of ten making it through.
If players want Geralt to take an unwanted trip down memory lane, they need only head northwest of Kaer Morhen. Entering the cave will trigger the secondary quest Trail of Echoes, which will have Geralt recollecting his experience of the Trial.
8: The Flying Redanian, A Ghost Ship
Location: In the seas between Hindarsfjall and Ard Skellig between 1 and 3 AM.
According to a description in the standalone Gwent game, a Redanian crew unearthed a treasure of immense value generations ago. This led to perpetual disputes over its division, which assumedly ended in blood and betrayal for the shipmates.
As a result, the ghost of the ship—the Flying Redanian—roams the Skellige seas at night. Players can find it by sailing their boat at that time. The ship is a reference to the Flying Dutchman, a popular real-world ghost ship tale.
7: A Cheeky Reference To Game of Thrones
Location: Fortress of Kaer Almhult, on an island between Ard Skellig and Spikeroog.
In the Skellige archipelago lies an intriguing easter egg — a prison cell built into a cliffside, with one side fully exposed to the elements. Fans of Game of Thrones will instantly recognize this location to be eerily reminiscent of Game of Thrones’ infamous sky cells.
To hammer in the reference, players can also find the body of a dwarf in the cell that resembles Tyrion Lannister, hinting at a failed escape attempt. While it’s a shame that most people don’t really put too much stock into Game of Thrones nowadays (courtesy of an absolute horror show of an ending), this reference is still pretty cool.
6: A Reference To Walt And Jesse’s Shenanigans
Location: Northeast of Novigrad, past the Cavern signpost. Go inside the cave, defeat the Golem, and keep exploring.
Located north of Novigrad, just east of the boat icon on the map, lies a cavern harboring an interesting reference to one of the greatest TV shows of all time. Before they can uncover this secret, players must enter the cave and defeat the Golem guarding its domain. After venturing deeper into the cavern and dispelling a hidden wall, Geralt will stumble upon a poignant scene — the dead bodies of two alchemists.
Among them, players can find a note that narrates a story, with said alchemist deriding his assistant’s incompetency, who just so happened to be a man named Jester. This is a subtle yet unmistakable nod to the complex relationship between Walter White and Jesse Pinkman from Breaking Bad. A lot of people aren’t aware of this secret, making it even more rewarding to find during their adventures.
5: A Group Picture Of The Developers In Touissant
Location: Mount Gorgon, the tallest peak in Toussaint. You can only get here with console commands or mods.
Known for its lush vineyards, vibrant landscapes, and idyllic vistas, Toussaint captivates players with its unparalleled beauty. Amidst its splendor lies one of Witcher 3’s most intriguing secrets.
Atop the highest mountain in Toussaint you can find a hidden photo of the Witcher 3 development team. However, accessing this area requires the use of console commands or mods, which is why it has eluded most players. While Toussaint may dazzle with its charm, only a select few are privy to this hidden gem nestled within its peaks.
4: Monty Python’s Infamous Killer Rabbit
Location: A cave southeast of the village of Benek, in eastern Velen. You’ll find it during the quest the truth is in the stars.
Players who explore the area near the village of Benek will come upon a rather interesting sight. They’ll stumble upon the entrance of a cave that’s adorned with bones and bloodstains. Most people assume that this grisly scene will be accompanied by a fearsome monster, but no such luck. Instead, they’ll find a harmless white rabbit.
Fans of Monthy Python will understand this to be a reference to the killer rabbit from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Thankfully, this iteration of the rabbit isn’t nearly as disturbing as its movie counterpart.
3: The Three Farting Trolls Named After YouTubers
Location: Southern Ard Skellig, near the road between Arinbjorn and Kaer Muire, there’s a cave. It’s west of the place of the power.
When you enter this cave, you can overhear three trolls talking about their recent meal, divulging its rotten nature. What makes this situation truly bizarre is that the trolls start farting incessantly.
Interestingly, the trolls are named Joe, Jesse, and Dodger. People familiar with the gaming YouTube community know this is a clear reference to the YouTubers Angry Joe, Jesse Cox, and Brooke Lawson, more commonly known as Dodger. The trolls are also voiced by the very same YouTubers, further cementing the homage.
2: The Eerie Weeping Angels From Doctor Who
Location: East of the village of Lindenvale in central Velen, in front of the cemetery building. You may need to complete the Witcher Wannabe quest before they show up.
Fans of Doctor Who will find a familiar and chilling sight in the graveyard near Lindenvale in The Witcher 3. Players usually visit this location during the Witcher Wannabe side quest. In this graveyard, there are two angel statues that seem innocuous at first glance.
However, most players don’t realize that these statues will turn to face them when you turn your back on them, a reference to how they act in Doctor Who.
1: The Aftermath Of Birna Bran’s Grim Sentence
Location: Chained to a rock, north of the village of Sund in Ard Skellig.
Birna Bran is a widow who spat in the face of Skellige tradition. She schemed to secure the Skellige throne for her son and poisoned the feast’s drinks with a deadly mixture. However, if players help Cerys, they uncover Birna’s role in the conspiracy and manage to take her down after her son, unaware of these plans, questions his mother after she’d sent him out of the hall moments before the attack.
This prompts an inadvertent confession from Birna before the jarls, resulting in a resounding death sentence. Chained to a rock, Birna met her end. Players venturing to the site can discover her body with the same wounds as the one prescribed by the jarls, showing off just how much importance CD Projekt Red put on detailing each and every aspect of this vast, glorious open world.
I’m a passionate gamer with a soft spot for RPGs who has been writing about all things gaming for seven years and counting. The Witcher is one of my favorite franchises that I can’t get enough of, with Geralt’s adventures embedded in my brain ever since the first Witcher game blew my mind!