The 14 Worst Choices You Can Make In The Witcher 3 (2024)

The Witcher 3’s choices are well-written and make players think twice before settling on a course of action. More importantly, the decisions you make can have very big consequences, especially for the fate of Ciri, Geralt’s love interest, and the future of the North.

Having said that, the right decision isn’t always clear-cut and it’s easy to mess up. Here are the worst decisions in Witcher 3 you should avoid if you don’t want to have a bad time.

Warning: Spoilers ahead!

Say “I Love You” to Both Triss & Yennefer

Choosing between Triss and Yennefer as Geralt’s love interest is easier said than done, with both characters bringing their strengths and weaknesses to the table.

However, it’s a binary choice that players must make instead of settling on a half-baked compromise, such as if they decided to say ‘I love you’ to both partners without thinking twice.

This leads to a situation where the two sorceresses teach Geralt a lesson and he can’t romance either of them.

Let Dijkstra Take Control of the North

Reason of State is one of the most intriguing questlines in the game, with Geralt participating in a conspiracy to assassinate Radovid. Collaborating with Dijkstra seems like the best course of action until he swerves into a betrayal where the lives of Thaler, Roche, and Ves are expendable in his plans to take over the North. Players should stop him in his tracks so that Geralt’s friends are saved, even if it comes at the cost of Dijkstra’s life.

Release the Whispering Hillock Spirit

One of the most difficult decisions in Witcher 3 is whether to free or kill the Whispering Hillock spirit. In this case, killing the spirit is truly the lesser of the two evils. Yes, the orphans will die, but if the spirit is freed, it kills an entire village (children included) and potentially causes more damage down the line.

Releasing the spirit also means the Baron’s wife Anna is turned into a water hag, leading to the Baron taking his own life.

Bring Anabelle’s Remains to Graham

A Towerful of Mice is an amazing side quest where players battle against a plague maiden, only to find out that this is the restless spirit of Annabelle. She was eaten alive by mice, the pain causing her to transform into a malicious spirit. Annabelle requests Geralt to bring her remains to her lover, Graham. However, agreeing to this demand leads to his death and the spread of the plague all across the countryside.

Let Keira Go to Radovid

Keira Metz is a complicated character. But at the very least, we can agree that having her on your side during the Battle of Kaer Morhen is pretty nice. This can be tricky when Geralt finds out that Keira manipulated him to get her hands on sensitive documents, planning to get on the mad king Radovid’s side by feeding him information. Players must be cordial and convince her to see reason, otherwise, she’ll face a brutal fate where Radovid instructs his deranged witch hunters to impale her on a stake.

Let O’Dimm Take Olgierd’s Soul

Ok, Olgierd isn’t exactly a nice guy, and there’s a good argument to let him perish. But he’s still a flawed human being just like all of us, and giving him a second chance is certainly the more humane decision. Especially since you’ll otherwise side with Gaunter O’Dimm, the literal incarnation of the devil.

Ignore the Flint Girl in the Land Of a Thousand Fables

Syanna is a character who has been through her fair share of strife. While this doesn’t excuse the heinous crimes she commits, dying at Dettlaff’s hands is not the fate she deserves. To prevent this death, players should help out the Little Flint Girl in The Land of a Thousand Fables and get the ribbon that belongs to Syanna. This ensures that Syanna will be teleported in the nick of time, preventing her from dying a wasteful death and allowing her to make things right with her sister.

Forget the Fifth Victim in Toussaint

Throughout Blood & Wine’s main questline, it’s revealed that Syanna was manipulating Dettlaff to kill the people who did her wrong. Players who think that the murder plot is resolved after the vampire’s demise should go back to the bootblack they interacted with early on and figure out the identity of the fifth target, who is none other than the duch*ess Anna Henrietta herself. Failing to uncover this crucial information leads to the death of both sisters, which is a scenario most people would prefer to avoid.

Treat Syanna Harshly During Pomp and Strange Circ*mstance

Figuring out the identity of the fifth victim isn’t the only thing players must accomplish to prevent Anna Henrietta’s death. Geralt and Regis must go to Syanna and talk her down. This can only be done with a gentle touch, and being too harsh with Syanna won’t convince her. Instead, the sisters will embrace, only for Syanna to stab Henrietta before being killed by the duch*ess’ guards, ending the colorful adventure of Blood & Wine on a tragic note.

Stop Ciri From Destroying Avallac’h’s Lab

Players must make a string of correct decisions if they want to unlock one of two possible good endings at the end of The Witcher 3. All of these are related to Ciri, and Geralt must show that he trusts and supports her.

There are five such instances in the game (4 if players don’t go to Emhyr) and players must get at least half of these decisions right to make sure Ciri doesn’t perish against the White Frost. One such moment comes when Ciri gets frustrated after she uncovers Avallac’h’s lab, causing her to start trashing the place. Instead of scolding her, Geralt must support her.

Prevent Ciri From Going to Skjall’s Grave

Skjall helped Ciri out when she landed in Skellige while trying to escape the Wild Hunt. He’s a noble Skelliger who helps Ciri escape when the Wild Hunt attacks his village, only to be labeled as Craven since everyone believes that he ran away instead of protecting his brethren. In a bid to regain his honor, he dies a horrible death at the hands of a cursed werewolf. Ciri asks to visit the grave of her savior, and Geralt should let her pay her respects if he doesn’t want her to doubt herself.

Tell Ciri To Relax When She’s Worked up After Vesemir’s Funeral

Vesemir’s death takes a huge mental toll on the warriors of Kaer Morhen. Ciri herself is worked up and has a tantrum shortly after the funeral. While Geralt can scold her for being immature, the better course of action to take is to engage in a snowball fight that alleviates Ciri’s mood and helps her see the bigger picture instead of dwelling on the past. Again, this is one of the good choices you should make to prevent a bad Ciri ending.

Accept Emhyr’s Reward for Finding Ciri in Front of Her

After finding Ciri, players can either report to Emhyr or keep her father in the dark. This choice governs whether Ciri becomes a witcher or an empress, but there’s another decision that players can make here that affects the ending. When Emhyr offers Geralt the monetary reward promised for finding Ciri, players must refuse the payment at all costs. Accepting this offer right in front of Ciri insults her greatly and brings players one step closer to the bad ending.

Accompany Ciri During the Meeting of Sorceresses

When Yennefer brings Ciri to talk to Philippa and the other sorceresses, Geralt’s ward requests him to let her handle this on her own. Having Geralt by her side would diminish her authority in front of the sorceresses, and the best thing to do here is to trust Ciri. If players refuse and accompany Ciri to the meeting, they sow a seed of doubt in Ciri’s mind that can lead to an unfavorable conclusion where she fails to stop the White Frost and succumbs in the process.

Gleb Oleinik

Gleb has played PC games since the late 1990s and has always enjoyed RPGs the most. He had tons of fun playing Witcher 3 and learning about the greater Witcher universe, so he made this website for news, guides, and other info related to the Witcher games, books, and cinematic universe. He travels the world as a digital nomad while working on website projects, kickboxing, and telling people how awesome intermittent fasting is.