The Witcher decision checklist

This page covers the decisions you have to make during the game and how they impact on the further story.

Triss or Vesemir
Decision: Fight the Frightener or Save the Laboratory

Impact: If you fight the frightener with Vesemir, in Act I at the bridge, you will face some Salamandra with a mutant dog, and Vesemir will give you a red meteorite while talking with him later. But if you choose to save the lab with Triss and fight Savolla, you will face the Salamandra only, no mutant dog. You can also get a sapphire from Savolla's corpse, and Triss will teach you the recipe for the Cat potion after testing the "strongest bed in Kaer Morhen".

Reference: Defending Kaer Morhen

The Escort
Decision: Escort Vesna or not

Impact: If you escort her, you get the mill meeting option. If you don't help her, the bandits kill her.

Reference: She's No Early Bird

Racist encounter
Decision: Help Zoltan

Impact: If you don't help, Zoltan kills them all anyway, but doesn't seem mad at you. It seems you just lose some xp for not helping him.

Reference: Racists

Nonhumans
Decision: Give Arms to Scoia'tael (during Haren Brogg's quest)

Impact: If you give the arms to the Scoia'tael, they will use those weapons to kill Coleman in Act II. This happens as soon as you go to the Hairy Bear Inn after speaking with the detective (So if you intend to complete The Rat Quest, do it before speaking with Raymond). If you don't give the arms to the Scoia'tael, Golan Vivaldi will be sent to jail when you go to see him about the two books. However, you can bail him out for 200 orens, then visit him at his home to obtain the books.

Killing the Scoia'tael allows you to ask Haren Brogg about Hoog, Zoltan's Scoia'tael friend whom the dwarf had mentioned he was supposed to meet in the Outskirts. One of the Scoia'tael also has four Beggartick blossoms on him.

Reference: Strangers in the Night

Destiny
Decision: Fight Leo

Impact: If you fight Leo, you can get a red meteorite off him. Two out of the three conversation paths lead to Leo's ghost appearing.

Reference: Dead Hand of the Past

Lesser Evil
Decision: Save Abigail or Side with Reverend, Odo or Haren

Impact: If you save Abigail, she fights with you against the Beast. If she lives, you will meet her again in Act IV and she will also help you fight in the Epilogue.

If you don't save her, she dies and you face the Beast with a bunch of villagers. but having sided with them, you will not have to fight them after the Beast encounter. Also, a generic healer will be in the healer's hut in Act IV and you will have to fight Abigail in the Epilogue.

Your choice in this decision alters the way in which The Heat of the Day quest in Act IV plays out as well because this decision impacts whether you are someone who stays out of other people's business or tries to help others by getting involved.

References: Of Monsters and Men, The Heat of the Day, Frozen Reflections

Loner or not
Decision: Fight with Siegfried or alone in the sewers

Impact: Choosing to join forces with Siegfried will allow you into the Dike with the minimum of trouble and the Order Armorer will be willing to deal with you. There will be a generic guard at St. Lebioda's Hospital, and he will let you enter only if you have the City Guard Signet Ring or with a bribe of 30 orens.

Choosing to kill the cockatrice alone will let you walk into the St. Lebioda's Hospital with the minimum of trouble. However, the Order Armorer will not deal with you but the Dwarven blacksmith will if you helped the Scoia'taels. The guards at the gate to Dike will let you enter only if you have the City Guard Signet Ring or with a bribe of 60 orens.

References: The Beast of the Sewers, Prison Break

Coleman
Decision: Visit the detective right away or start the inquiry on your own.

Impact: (This is only if you let the Scoia'tael take the supplies in Strangers in the Night) Coleman dies immediately after Geralt visits Raymond, which can prevent the player from getting The Rat quest since it is Coleman who gives it (it's a minor side quest with zero plot impact). Putting off talking to Raymond for too long messes up quite a few more important quests ... not necessarily catastrophically, but inconveniently.

References: The Rat, A Gravedigger's Gratitude, Anatomy of a Crime, Suspect: Kalkstein, Suspect: Leuvaarden, Suspect: Ramsmeat, Suspect: Thaler, Suspect: Vincent Meis, Suspect: Vivaldi, Vizima Confidential, What Lies Beneath

Path
Decision: Side with the Scoia'tael or the Order, or refuse both

Impact: Before Force Recon your actions regarding Haren Brogg's crates in Act I may cause the dwarves not to deal with you. After Force Recon, whomever you choose, the other side isn't too friendly with you back in town. If you choose the Scoia'tael, the order merchant/armorer won't interact with you. This is also the case if you remain neutral - the Scoia'tael blacksmith will still deal with you though. Siegfried seems unaffected either way. Prostitutes will no longer be available if you help Yaevinn.

References: Force Recon, Strangers in the Night, Working Girls

Guardian
Decision: Shani or Triss

Impact: Seems to affect your romance subplot and the type of ending you may get. Whomever you don't choose, that person's second sex card will not be available to you. Whomever you don't choose will still be angry with you in Act V, but they'll still help you/talk to you. Also, if you leave Alvin with Triss, in Act IV, Alvin will go to the ruins and you meet the Gambling Ghost. If you leave him with Shani, he goes to the riverbank and gets a dog. Whomever you choose will fight with you in the epilogue.

References: The Source, Alvin

Thaler
Decision: Thaler, live or die?

Impact: I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary. Essentially the last time Thaler is useful plot-wise is just before this choice. In fact, if you decide to let him live, he hangs out at the inn and you can talk to him, but there appears to be a translation error: he opens by saying "That a problem?" and one of the possible responses it "They're all safe." In original Polish this makes sense as a throw-away dialogue. It doesn't seem to make a difference what you say to him.

References: All the King's Men, A Posh Reception

Werewolf
Decision: Werewolf (kill, save/cure, save/not cure)

Impact: if you save the werewolf and cure him, when you enter the New Narakort Inn to meet with Triss and Leuvaarden, Vincent will enter with a group of guards to fight the Salamandra with you. If you save the werewolf but don't cure him, Vincent will fight with you as a werewolf along with some guards. If you kill the werewolf, when you enter the inn, you are arrested for Vincent's murder and have to fight a bunch of City Guards and a single Salamandra informer. Killing Vincent is the ONLY way to get werewolf hair for the Predator talent.

Killing Vincent will also replace him with another guard captain at the dike in Act V who will detain Dandelion, though this does not actually have an effect on anything. If you help Vincent, the novice nun will know about it in the Epilogue and praise you. If you kill him, Carmen will be at the safe house as well and not very happy about the turn of events.

References: Beauty and the Beast, Lock and Key, The Unforgiven

Bank Robbery
Decision: Side with the Scoia'tael or Order at the Bank?

Impact: If you side with Yaevinn, the Scoia'tael will fight with you during the battle with Azar Javed and the Professor. If you side with the Siegfried, the Order will fight with you during the battle. In Act IV, the side you don't fight with will not be available as a choice in which side you will ally with (e.g. if you side with the Order, in Act IV you can either choose the Order or neutral).

References: Gold Rush, Lock and Key, The Unforgiven

Conflict
Decision: Side with Village, Vodyanoi or Compromise?

Impact: If you side with the village, you get a large diamond from Julian as a reward. If you side with the Vodyanoi, the Friendly vodyan priest will reward you with a Ceremonial Sword of Deithwen (which you can get from Scoia`tael remains just as easily in Act V, even if you're allied with them, as there's plenty of fighting in the streets). If you achieve a compromise, you receive the sword, Aerondight from the Lady of the Lake.

Reference: Ripples

Forgiveness
Decision: Kill Berengar or not?

Impact: If you kill him, you get his medallion which weakens Azar Javed in Act V showdown (some % of his Vitality (I've played at medium difficulty and he lost 25% of vitality due to the medallion), but apparently none of his powers). If you do not kill him, he shows up to help fight Azar Javed (although he is a very weak fighter).

References: Berengar's Secret, Sweet Revenge

Path (major choice)
Decision: Side with the Order, the Scoia'tael or remain neutral

Impact
 * Order path: the Scoia'tael will be enemies in Act V, you will be asked to kill more Scoia'tael than White Rayla, to make the armor, you will need to see the Order Armorer and get Saint Gregory's litany. Siegfried will fight with you through Vizima in the epilogue. You will have to fight the ghost of Yaevinn in the epilogue. Sex card available is White Rayla's.
 * Scoia'tael path: the Order will be the enemies in Act V, you will be asked to escort some refugees to the hospital and to make the armor, you will need to see the Dwarven Armorer and get the Bifunctional fiber and alloy recirculator. Yaevinn will fight with you through Vizima in the epilogue. You will have to fight the ghost of Siegfried in the epilogue. Sex card available is Toruviel's.
 * Witcher / neutral path: both the Order and the Scoia'tael will be the enemies in Act V, you will be asked to escort some nurses to the hospital and to make the armor, you will need to see Kalkstein and get Agnes of Glanville's Magic Formula. Triss will fight with you through Vizima in the epilogue. You will face both Siegfried and Yaevinn and depending on your answers you will fight them or part in relative peace; in the Ice Plains, you have to fight their ghosts. Sex card available is for two nurses.

References: Free Elves, Hope Burns Bright, The Flame That Cleanses, Under a Fiery Sky, Armor, Sweet Revenge, The Ashes of Vizima, Frozen Reflections

Striga
Decision: Kill or save Princess Adda

Impact: If you save her, you will get a steel sword out of it and she will fight with you in the epilogue as the striga. If you kill her, you'll be able to make a potion from her heart, giving one bronze and one silver talent. Instead of the striga helping you in the epilogue, it's Vincent Meis as a werewolf. Unless you killed him, too. Then it's Count de Wett.

References: Her Highness the Striga, Frozen Reflections

King of the Wild Hunt
Decision: let the King of the Wild Hunt have Jacques de Aldersberg's soul or not.

Impact: If you refuse ("This is between him and me"), you must defeat the King of the Wild Hunt who summons some wraiths for backup. If you accept, he doesn't fight you and you get less experience. He also tells you that you knew Jacques under another name, but not what name.

Reference: Frozen Reflections