The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is long. CD Projekt RED claims it takes 100 hours to complete every quest in the game, and at least 50 hours if you stick to the main quests. While the speed at which someone progresses will vary from player to player, there’s no question it will take many hours to get through this epic adventure.
Not everyone has 50 hours or more to spend on The Witcher 3, and some people want to get through it as quickly as possible so they can move on to the next big thing or play through it a second time. Perhaps you already beat it once and now you want to do a speed run over the weekend to pass the time. Whatever the reason, it’s always nice to have a reference on how to quickly beat the game.
There are a large number of secondary quests in The Witcher 3. Some come in the form of standard fetch quests, while others are contracts to kill a specific enemy, scavenger hunts for treasure or other various tasks. You can skip any and all secondary quests if you want, but you have to play through the main quest line. There’s no way around that.
When it comes to the secondary quests, you must complete at least some of them because you’ll need to level up enough to get through the main quests. There are also a few key secondary quests that make some of the main quests easier as you get further into the game. We’re not here to give you a shortcut to the end credits, but we can help you determine which secondary quests you need to get through the game as quickly as possible.
Quest Level
Some secondary quests will help you earn money so you can buy or craft better equipment, or simply keep your gear in good shape; read this feature on how to make lots of money in The Witcher 3. It’s important to save your progress before starting a quest and after every major incident during a quest. If a quest is too difficult for you to complete, you can load your last save file and then do a few secondary quests to level up.
When looking at secondary quests, there’s a recommended player level listed in the quest information. Don’t bother with any quests that are more than five levels below your current level. This will drastically reduce the amount of experience points you earn for the quest and it will end up being a waste of time more than anything else.
This also goes for monster levels. If a monster is more than five levels above your current level, you’ll receive an experience bonus if you defeat it. Likewise, if a monster is more than five levels below your current level, the experience you receive will be severely cut. In some cases you can’t avoid monsters, but before you engage a random enemy that could easily be skipped, take a look at the level number above its head.
Kaer Morhen
Late in the game there’s a big battle that takes place. There are a few side quests that allow you to send help to Kaer Morhen to make this battle easier. The secondary quest, For the Advancement of Learning, allows you to send Keira Metz to Kaer Morhen. Complete the main quest, Wandering in the Dark, to begin the secondary quest Magic Lamp, which eventually leads into the quest, For the Advancement of Learning. It can take some time to complete this series of quests, but you’ll earn experience points in the process, which will save you time and make battles easier later on.
The secondary quest, Ghosts of the Past allows you to send your old friend Letho to Kaer Morhen to help out. You need to have kept Letho alive in your Witcher 2 save file, or stated that Letho was alive during the interrogation in the main quest, Imperial Audience. As long as you do this, start the secondary quest, The Fall of the House of Reardon to get Letho to join you.
For more information on both of these quests, read Prima’s free walkthrough and strategy guide! In addition to helping you beat The Witcher 3, we’ll tell you how to romance the ladies and build the ultimate Gwent deck with the most powerful cards in the game.
