There are quests in the Witcher 3 that really leave you feeling kind of awful afterward, either because they require something difficult of you or because they have an impossible moral choice to make. Without a Trace is one of these quests. You’ll find it if you have access to the Hearts of Stone expansion, but you’ll only be able to complete it by making a horrible choice between two not-so-great options.
This quest revolves around a missing person, and a contract posting for someone who’d be willing to try and find him. However, what lies in store for the contract-taker — in this case, you — is much darker. Here’s everything you need to know to complete the contract quest Without a Trace.
How to Activate
To activate this quest, you’ll need to find a notice on a noticeboard looking for someone to take on a contract. You’ll find the noticeboard in Brunwich. It’ll be titled “Apprentice Gone Missing!”
After reading the notice, you’ll need to head out to the herbalist’s hut near Oxenfurt. Here, you’ll find the herbalist himself, named Otto Bamber. He’ll tell you about his apprentice, Folkert. Apparently, Folkert went missing near the Deadwight Wood, and Otto wants to know where he is. You won’t be able to haggle during this contract, unlike many others, so accept the terms and head out.
Investigate
Follow the map to the marker visible nearby. You can use your Witcher Senses to investigate, eventually finding the apprentice’s cart and a blood trail. If you follow that blood trail, it’ll bring you to a village with only one couple residing in it.
You can speak with the couple at this point. They’ll tell you that the bloodstains you found are from them butchering their meat. After asking about Folkert, they’ll suggest he was killed by wolves in the area.
From here, you can return to the herbalist and tell him that his apprentice is probably dead. Or, you can investigate further. If you head back to the herbalist and turn in the news, you’ll receive all of the money, but only half of the experience points you could earn for this quest (50, in this case).
Investigate Further
If you investigate further, walk around to behind their house. You’ll be able to locate a mystery scent with your Witcher Senses. Use Aard to break away the junk in the way, and you can find a seemingly butchered body. Examine it to learn that it’s Folkert’s body, but the cause of death is not clear.
You can return to the couple and accuse them of cannibalism. They’ll claim that they found Folkert after he was killed by wolves and they have to feed themselves somehow. You’ll have two choices here.
Make a Choice
You can choose to let the couple live, and they’ll swear to you that they won’t eat any other humans. However, you can also opt for a more violent option and kill them. If you kill them, you can loot their bodies for some strange meat and a key to the hut for some loot.
If you killed them, you can return later and alghouls will be prowling the area. If you tell Otto the truth, but don’t kill the couple, you can return later to find alghouls again. If you let them live and don’t tell Otto what happened, you can return to find that the wife died from hunger and the husband is grieving his loss.
Report Back
Whichever option you decide is best, you’ll need to return to the herbalist. Otto will reward you for your efforts, whether you decide to tell him the truth or lie. However, if you investigated further, you’ll receive 200 Crowns and 100 experience points.
From here, this grisly quest will complete and you can walk away with whatever feelings it causes for you.
NEXT: The Witcher 3: A Guide To A Deadly Plot
