The 'Wild at Heart' quest in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt presents players with a significant moral quandary involving a hunter named Niellen, his missing wife Hanna, and a suspicious sister-in-law, Margrit. This guide details how to initiate the quest, make critical choices, and achieve each of its distinct endings.
Starting 'Wild at Heart'
This secondary quest is located in the Velen region and is recommended for characters at level 7, though it can be started after the game's prologue. To begin, find and read the 'Missing Wife' notice on a notice board. Afterward, speak with Niellen, the hunter who posted the contract, who can be found in front of his hut in Blackbough.
Following initial dialogue, players may optionally speak with the butcher and his wife before heading into the nearby forest. There, Geralt will be attacked by wolves. After the fight, Margrit, Hanna's sister, will intervene and attempt to persuade Geralt to lie to Niellen about Hanna's fate.
Key Choices and Investigations
The quest's branching paths hinge on Geralt's decision regarding Margrit's proposition. Players can either accept her bribe of 55 crowns and agree to tell Niellen that Hanna was killed by wild animals, or refuse and insist on finding Hanna.
If Geralt agrees to Margrit's plan, the objective shifts to informing Niellen of Hanna's supposed death, though further investigation is still possible. However, accepting the bribe creates a point of no return for the option to spare Niellen; once the werewolf is encountered, Niellen can no longer be saved if Geralt initially agreed to lie.
Regardless of the initial choice, Geralt must use his Witcher senses in the glade where the wolves attacked to find Hanna's body. A trail of clues will lead to the Isolated Shack northwest of Blackbough. Inside the shack, players will find a note, but the true discovery lies beneath: a secret cellar accessible by blasting the door with the Aard sign. Entering this cellar invalidates the option to lie to Niellen if that choice was previously made.
Upon confronting the werewolf in the cellar—revealed to be Niellen himself—Margrit intervenes. Geralt is then faced with a critical decision: either refuse Margrit's plea to spare the werewolf and kill Niellen, or allow Niellen to kill Margrit and subsequently be asked by Niellen to end his own life.
Quest Endings and Consequences
'Wild at Heart' features three primary outcomes:
- Niellen and Margrit Survive (Initially): This ending occurs if Geralt lies to Niellen without discovering the werewolf's identity. Margrit appears to escape consequences, but she is eventually killed by the werewolf, and Niellen leaves the village, his fate uncertain but with him surviving.
- Only Margrit Survives: Achieved by fighting the werewolf and refusing to let Niellen kill Margrit. Niellen dies, and Margrit leaves the village later, still distraught.
- Niellen and Margrit Die: This outcome results from allowing Niellen to kill Margrit and then killing Niellen yourself. Both are dead, and the villagers remain unaware of Niellen's lycanthropy, believing him to have been killed by wolves.
Returning to Blackbough after the quest concludes and speaking with a specific villager will provide gossip on the aftermath. The most lucrative outcome, financially, involves sparing Niellen, yielding 55 crowns from Margrit and 10 from Niellen. However, the 'kindest' outcome is often considered to be sparing Niellen, despite the potential for a werewolf to remain at large.
