Capture the Castle is a main quest in the Blood and Wine expansion.
Cut off point: This quest is a cutoff point for the secondary quest The Warble of a Smitten Knight.
Important: This is The Isle of Mists equivalent of the Blood and Wine expansion and once you begin this quest, you won't be able to go off and do other quests until the main storyline is finished. In addition, you are dropped immediately into combat and have no opportunity to swap selected skills. Make sure you're prepared for that.
Note: As the player will be cut off from any blacksmith support for much of the rest of the main storyline, stocking up on repair kits and preparing several swords as backups are advisable before beginning this quest.
Walkthrough[]
Meet Damien at Count de la Croix's Mill and let him know when you're ready. Note: between this and until you get to the first part of the next quest, you won't be able to do a manual save, so make sure you have a recent one.
After the cutscene, you are dropped into battle. Take out the guards here, then make your way further into the courtyard, taking out more guards as necessary. (500
) Eventually you'll find Roderick with more backup. Cut them all down and talk to Roderick to learn something isn't right in regards to the hostage and Syanna. (500) You have the option to help him afterwards.
Important: Helping Roderick here will count as "Proof of Compassion" for There Can Be Only One.
Carry on through the wooden gate, taking out enemies as you go. A notably strong enemy is Iron Borg on the left side, but you can just run past to the narrow balcony ahead and never trigger him. After you take out a group of archers there, head up the stairs for a cutscene and where you're now joined by Dettlaff and Regis. (500) As long as you move at a slow enough pace, they'll do all the heavy lifting, taking out almost everyone that gets in your way so you may only get a few swipes in.
Approach the manor and another cutscene starts where you see the truth for yourself: Rhena and Syanna are one and the same person. You may say whatever you wish during the dialogues, though the more concrete options result in better insight from Geralt. Dettlaff then orders Syanna to meet him in 3 days to explain herself or else he'll attack Beauclair, before flying off. Despite Syanna stating she'd meet him though, on exiting the building Anna Henrietta, grateful to see her sister, orders her held in a safe location and demands Geralt to find and kill Dettlaff before he makes good on his word and attacks the city. This will then end the quest (1,500) and immediately jump into the next quest, 3 days later.
Journal entry[]
- Ducal guardsmen commanded by Captain Damien de la Tour were to aid Geralt in storming Dun Tynne - this was the duchess' wish and command. The briefing before the assault would be held at the mill where Dettlaff had recently dispatched Count de la Croix in cold blood.
- Within Dun Tynne's walls, the witcher came upon Roderick. The old knight had erred many times in his life, yet never as gravely as he had when opening his castle to a group of bandits, a vandaguild. He had been persuaded to do so by none other than Syanna, Duchess Anna Henrietta's sister. The young woman had clearly captured the lord of Dun Tynne's affections, or perhaps merely aroused his passions. This achieved, she had quickly wrapped him round her finger. Interestingly, Roderick seemed to know Syanna well, yet he had heard nothing of her abduction. Having questioned the wounded knight as much as he wished, Geralt set off for the castle's keep, in a room of which he expected to find Anna Henrietta's dear sibling.
- While storming Dun Tynne, Geralt was surprised to find he had two allies - Regis and Dettlaff. Naturally, the witcher assisted by two higher vampires plowed through the castle's defenders about like the Nilfgaardian conflagration had plowed through Cintra. At long last they reached the room where Geralt expected to find Syanna... And he was not disappointed. Yet it turned out Syanna was not just the young lady banished from court those many years ago. No, she was also Rhena, the missing, presumed-to-be-kidnapped young woman who was Dettlaff's beloved. The witcher and company learned she had controlled the Cintrian, bidding him to steal Sangreal wine as well as the ducal jewel. She had also sent Dettlaff the names of the intended victims. The vampire needed all his strength to quell his desire to tear her to shreds then and there. He seemed a shard of ice as he set a meeting time and place - Syanna was to appear at Tesham Mutna three days hence to explain herself. The witcher found himself between a rock and a hard place. One the one hand, a vampire consumed by fury demanded he deliver Syanna to him in three days' time. On the other hand, Anna Henrietta awaited, expecting Dettlaff's head on a silver platter.
Objectives[]
- Meet Damien at Count de la Croix's mill after midnight.
- Search Dun Tynne for Syanna and Rhena.
- Defeat Roderick and his men. (500
) - Defeat the guards and reach Dun Tynne's keep.
Notes[]
- In addition to the explicitly listed variety of enemies, there is also a variation between "Nazari Bandits" and "Bandits" for no apparent reason, as well as many named enemies that are presumably more important members of Syanna's gang: Cael, Peeps, Ox (on the balcony), Gueulle, Scar, Count, Galvin, Catfish and Mug.
- Roderick is the only enemy who yields regular kill (ironic, since he's actually alive afterwards), and most enemies after him don't even drop anything, so there's no point in trying to farm kills.
Bugs[]
- A bug may occur where the scene for reaching the tower doesn't trigger. It can be confusing, but eventually it just "times out" and fixes itself; you just wait and walk around until it does. This glitch most likely happens because one of the enemies will "die" as in Geralt can no longer attack him but the game still thinks he's alive.
- Once at the castle, witcher senses aren't usable and Geralt is almost constantly in combat mode even if all nearby enemies are already dead.
- After the meeting at the mill, Geralt's face shows no sign of toxicity during the entire quest.