10 Witcher 3 Quests That Feel More Emotional Than Entire Stories in Other RPGs

The Witcher 3 is one of the most beloved fantasy RPGs of all time and for good reason. It's not just the gameplay mechanics and expansive game world that make this title so popular, but the incredible storytelling, characterization, and attention to detail. While Geralt is undoubtedly one of the most badass protagonists in gaming history, that doesn't mean the game is short of emotional moments.

The unique setting and extensive written lore already make for a deeper fantasy experience than most, but few could argue that this game sits near the very top of the genre. Combining its trademark organic soundtrack and a cast of characters you come to know like your own family, The Witcher 3 certainly delivers its fair share of heartbreaking and heartwarming quests in equal measure.

10 Empty Coop

It's Not All Wine and Castles, You Know?

What starts out as a seemingly innocuous minor contract, Investigate the Missing Chickens, quickly turns into something far deeper, and shines a light on how life truly is for the citizens of Novigrad. Initially, you'll respond to the complaints of an old lady on the outskirts of the city, who mentions that several of her chickens have been stolen. After using your Witcher senses to track down the perpetrator, you'll find a group of orphans living out in the forest.

What makes this quest particularly sad is not just how the children describe their parents' deaths, but also their hopelessness for the future. The children have no concept of a future without thievery, and it's easy to see how they could end up just like the hundreds of other bandit gangs Geralt hacks down on a daily basis. Fortunately, there can be a positive resolution if you convince the old lady to take the orphans in, though just how successful this arrangement ends up being is unknown.

9 Little Red

A Twist On an Old Folk Classic

After heading to the town of Yantra in the Novigrad province, you'll come across a band of angry peasants who warn that a demonic bandit known as 'Little Red' is going to attack soon. At nightfall, when Little Red's gang stroll into town looking for a man named Bertram, it soon transpires that there is more to the story than meets the eye.

The girl herself is pretty innocuous and looks little older than a teenager. When confronted, she will give Geralt the choice of either letting them single out Bertram, presumably to be murdered, or to stop them and come to Bertam's defence. Either way, there is no fully peaceful ending, and if you choose to stop Little Red, she will reveal herself to be a werewolf. The quest does a good job showing just how terrifying life can be for the average villager, as well as how the many cursed souls wandering the land are forced into lives of degeneracy and criminality due to their circumstances.

8 A Matter of Life and Death

Geralt and Triss, Sitting in a Tree...

Every good fantasy game needs a masked ball quest, and "A Matter of Life and Death" is the Witcher 3's version. Rather than the more dark and shocking events of other quests, this one offers quite a nice break from the turmoils of the war-torn, monster-ridden Continent, and allows Geralt to enjoy a few moments of respite. That is, of course, until a case of mistaken identity leads the Vegelbud guards to capture Geralt instead of a killer on the loose.

Before then, Geralt and Triss spend plenty of time together at the party, and there is even a mini Gwent tournament you can play. The main emotional moment of the quest comes when Triss, slightly tipsy from the mead, tries to walk along the rim of a fountain and falls directly into Geralt's arms. Geralt then has the option to kiss her, and the organic moment proves that there is certainly a natural bond between the two, even if it might not be as 'fated' as his romance with Yennefer.

7 The Final Trial

Giving Life To the Trolls

Following the already traumatic events of the quest "Ugly Baby", Geralt's return to Kaer Mohren sees him embark on a long walk with his old friend, Lambert. As you trace your way through the lands, Lambert and Geralt reminisce about old stories and friends they both know. However, the quest takes a slight turn when approaching the Circle of Elements.

The area is guarded by some small and seemingly harmless trolls, leaving you with the choice to either negotiate with them or just kill them outright. These trolls, in particular, are quite charming and make a good case for why they should be left alone. Humans rarely visit the area, but for them, it is their home. It gives a new perspective on the many monsters living in the game world and how they, too, have their own lives and troubles just like everyone else. If that wasn't enough, Lambert then trauma-dumps all of his brutal family history on Geralt, which includes domestic abuse and alcoholism.

6 Carnal Sins

A Brutal and Heartbreaking Murder Mystery Case

Carnal Sins definitely stands out, even among the incredible variety of quests in The Witcher 3. This particular mission is styled as a murder-mystery with the killer on the loose. You'll have to track the killer down from victim to victim, leading to some grizzly autopsy scenes and heartbreaking moments — particularly when Ingrid Vegelbud finds the body of her dead mother who has been used in a dark ritual.

However, it's not just the graphic horror of the victims that gives this quest its intensity. Some of Geralt's close personal friends, Dandelion and Priscilla, are also affected. Priscilla, who stars as a performer and sings the beautiful song "The Wolven Storm" when Geralt first meets her, ends up as a victim and has acid poured in her throat to destroy her singing voice. Thankfully, when all is said and done, the doctors say that she should make a recovery from her injuries. However, we never hear her sing or talking again thereafter.

5 Family Matters

A Dark and Tragic Affair

The Bloody Baron is one of the most memorable characters in the game, but rather than his oafish authoritarianism, this quest shows us a more personal side to him. With his wife and child missing, the Baron enrolls Geralt to help. The first theme you'll come across here is one of domestic abuse. The room in which the family were last seen is chaotic and indicates a fight, and it transpires that the child was miscarried due to the abuse endured by the mother.

As if that wasn't enough, the baby has morphed into a hideous, partly-aborted fetus-demon known as a "Botchling". Geralt will get a choice of how to deal with the creature, whether to kill it outright or to lift the curse. Either way, the mission is extremely dark and emotional, bringing some of the game's most memorable themes to the forefront.

4 Possession

One of the Most Disturbing Quests in the Witcher Franchise

I have to admit that, even after hundreds of hours in The Witcher 3, this mission shocked me more than most. What starts out as another relatively innocuous although slightly creepy contract quickly develops into one of the most horrifying scenes you'll ever come across in gaming. After agreeing to help Cerys in her quest to help recover her family sword, Geralt finds himself being tricked and tormented by a Hym which has attached itself to Jarl Uldarik of Spikeroog.

If you agree to do things her way, Cerys soon returns in the middle of the night carrying the Jarl's baby. Without any warning or explanation, she throws the baby to Geralt and asks him to throw it into a furnace as an angry mob descends on them. You're left to make a split-second decision: trust Cerys and commit a brutal infanticide or abandon the mission and hand the baby back to its possessed father. Thankfully, even throwing the baby in the fire ends up not killing it as the house is filled with illusions. The end result is an emotional roller coaster that will have you questioning your own sanity and decision-making.

3 Now or Never

A Difficult Decision Awaits

Now or Never is one of the most heartbreaking quests for Geralt. As the name of the quest might suggest, you'll have a pretty big decision to make in this one. Having helped Triss at the Vegelbud Residence masquerade party, she will state her intention to flee Novigrad along with all the other mages in the city who are being hunted.

While the quest is fairly straightforward, you will simply have to clear the sewers in order for the refugee mages to escape, the ending will leave you with an impossible decision. As Triss prepares to depart, this is your one and only chance to pick her over Yennefer as your primary romance. The real sting is the fact that, if you don't choose her, or even hesitate slightly at the wrong moment, Triss will leave on the boat and lock you out of the romance for good. Although it may not be as fated as Geralt and Yennefer's romance, having to part ways with Triss is clearly a very painful experience for the Witcher.

2 The Last Wish

A Bitter-Sweet Romance Between Two Main Protagonists

The Last Wish is arguably one of the deepest quests in The Witcher 3's main story. Geralt had previously invoked a Djinn and asked it to bound himself and Yennefer together romantically for all of time. In this quest, Yen decides that she wants to summon a Djinn in order for the 'bond' to be lifted, but it doesn't necessarily have to turn out badly.

Having been teleported to the top of Kaer Trolde mountain, where half a ship lies in ruin overlooking the whole of Skellige, Geralt and Yennefer defeat the Djinn in order for the sorceress to make her request. The touching moment comes when, having completed the quest, both characters agree that their feelings remain unchanged, and that they were in fact genuine rather than purely a trick of a Djinn's magic.

1 The Isle of Mists

The Culmination of Geralt's Massive Search Effort

The Isle of Mists is the location where Geralt eventually tracks Ciri to. This mystical island is perhaps the most supernatural in the whole game, full of strange monsters and hallucinations which constantly keep you unsettled. Having encountered a group of shipwrecked Dwarves, Geralt then has to find three of their missing companions, though two of them die in the process. Upon returning the sole survivor, Geralt then questions them about Ciri.

"She's cold. Spirit's left her. Nothing we could do," is the reply, after which Geralt slowly peers through the doorway to see Ciri's lifeless body lying on the bed. It is arguably the most emotion Geralt shows throughout the entire game when he finally brings himself to roll her over, and proceeds to cry and hug her. Thankfully, the mission does have a positive twist when she is revived, but it is arguably one of the most emotional moments in gaming history.