King's Gambit
| King's Gambit | |
|---|---|
| Type | Secondary Quest |
| Region | Skellige |
| Quest Giver | Crach an Craite |
| Suggested Level | 18 |
| Reward | Fate; Hjalmar's Steel Sword for beating the Vildkaarl; Death from Above for helping Cerys or Hjalmar |
| Previous Quest | Possession; The Lord of Undvik |
King's Gambit is a secondary quest in Skellige. It begins at Kaer Trolde after Possession and The Lord of Undvik. Crach an Craite throws a great feast to win support for his children, Cerys and Hjalmar, in the race for the throne. During the feast, some guests turn into enraged bears and slaughter the hall. The other jarls blame Crach, and Geralt must help one of his children clear the family name.
King's Gambit Map Location and Quest Guide
King's Gambit map location:
- Go to Kaer Trolde and follow Arnvald to the feast hall.
- Talk to Hjalmar during the feast and accept his challenge to fistfight a Vildkaarl.
- Beat the Vildkaarl to win Hjalmar's Steel Sword, and take on the other Vildkaarls if desired.
- Report to Crach an Craite to collect Fate, his reward.
- Defeat the bears that attack the feast hall.
- Choose to help Cerys or Hjalmar with the investigation.
- For Cerys: examine the crime scene and the traces of mead with Witcher Senses.
- Find the source of the scent, then ask Hjort to look at the mead sample.
- Follow Cerys to the cellar and examine the mead in the open barrels.
- Flee the burning cellar and follow Cerys through the tunnel.
- Follow the footprints from the cellar door and look around for a clue.
- Chase and catch Arnvald, or follow his horse's tracks and search his body and his room.
- For Hjalmar: explore the Vildkaarls' village with Witcher Senses.
- Examine the place Hjalmar points out and the place where fights are held.
- Follow the scent and the footprints to a hidden passage, then explore the cave.
- Defeat Halgrim and go deeper into the cave.
- Interrogate the druid, then defeat him and the berserkers.
- Return to Crach an Craite to collect Death from Above.
Map credit by Map Genie.
Choices
The big choice comes after the massacre. Cerys wants a calm, careful investigation. Hjalmar wants to act at once, while the trail is fresh. Geralt can help one of them, or neither. Whoever he helps later becomes the ruler of Skellige. If he helps neither, Svanrige Tuirseach takes the throne.
With Cerys, Geralt finds that Arnvald, the family's trusted servant, spiked the mead. Arnvald then tries to kill them both in the cellar. If Arnvald is caught alive, Cerys gets him to name his patron. If he dies at the hands of traitors, clues in his room lead to the same name. The mastermind is Birna Bran, King Bran's widow and Svanrige's mother. Her own son exposes her lie before the jarls, and she is sentenced.
With Hjalmar, Geralt rides to the Vildkaarls' village in the highlands. Hidden in a cave, they watch a ritual where a man lets a bear devour him to join the Vildkaarls. Hjalmar kills the druid before he can name his patron. The an Craite name is cleared, but the traitor stays free.
Characters
The characters who take part in the quest.
| Character | Image |
|---|---|
| Crach an Craite | 
|
| Cerys an Craite | 
|
| Hjalmar an Craite | 
|
| Arnvald | 
|
| Birna Bran | - |
| Svanrige Tuirseach | 
|
| Hjort | 
|
| Halgrim | - |
| Artis | - |
Monsters
The monsters fought during the quest.
| Monster | Image | Species |
|---|---|---|
| Berserker | 
|
Cursed Ones |
Notes
- Hjalmar's fistfight challenge must be done before collecting the reward from Crach.
- Crach gives Death from Above only after Geralt helps Cerys or Hjalmar.
- The choice in this quest decides who rules Skellige later in the story.
All Secondary Quests