Missing in Action is a secondary quest in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt which occurs during the prologue of the game. It can be started from the notice board in White Orchard, by speaking with Dune Vildenvert in the Ransacked Village, or finding the missing brother before talking to Dune.
- Bastien, my brother, went off to fight the Black Ones. I've reason to think he stood in the great battle nearby. He's not returned to this day. Like many others, you'll say, and you'll be in the right. But if he fell, and I know it's like he did, I'd give him up to the ground the least, like our fathers have done always. I'd bury him 'neath the barrow where our parents lie, not leave his corpse to be ate by the corpsers prowling the battleground.
- So I seek a man brave, able with a sword, and willing to venture out with me to find Bastien. I won't pay much, for I've not much to give, but I'm not stingy with gratitude and sure to show it aplenty.
- Any man willing to help - look for a razed hut along the road to White Orchard, just near the bridge. I've made camp there.
- Dune Vildenvert
Note: this quest will fail if not completed before finishing Lilac and Gooseberries. It is also not accessible until meeting the Griffin of White Orchard for the first time during this main quest.
Walkthrough[]
If Geralt discovered this quest via the notice on the notice board in White Orchard he will first have to find Dune. Dune Vildenvert can be found muttering to a dog sitting outside a destroyed hut in the ransacked village. When Geralt speaks to him, Dune explains the search he's undertaken to find his lost brother Bastien and offers a reward if you aid him.
After agreeing to help Dune find his brother, he'll ask Geralt to meet him at the battlefield. Follow him there or meet him whenever is convenient. Once Geralt speaks to Dune at the battlefield he will advise searching the site for Temerian shields with flowers drawn on them, which indicate White Orchard recruits.
Geralt will have to defeat a few ghouls that are prowling the battlefield. Use Witcher Senses to locate the Temerian shields if necessary, although they are rather easy to spot and their blue color makes them stand out. After inspecting the burned corpse of a fallen soldier (near the woods) Hussar will pick up the scent of Bastien.
Follow the dog or use Witcher Senses to follow the dog's trail of prints to an abandoned cabin. As Geralt approaches the cabin a cutscene occurs. Geralt finds a badly wounded Bastien sitting and talking with a wounded Nilfgaardian soldier, Rhosyn. Bastien explains how they helped each other reach this cabin after they were both wounded and demands that Dune help both him and Rhosyn return home. Dune is skeptical about taking in a Nilfgaardian deserter which leaves the decision of Rhosyn's fate to Geralt.
If Geralt says it's too risky for Dune and his family to harbor a deserter, Rhosyn will die in the cabin. If you convince Dune to help the Nilfgaardian because Rhosyn helped save Bastien, then he can be found later living with Dune and his family. Either decision ends the quest and you are rewarded with a bit of coin and XP.
If, however, you found the men at the cabin before speaking to Dune, they'll instead ask you to find Dune. When you do, he will rescue Bastien, but leave Rhosyn to die (as Geralt isn't there to convince Dune otherwise). Even if you should follow Dune all the way to the cabin, he'll simply say thanks, cutting out any option to try and speak up for Rhosyn.
Journal entry[]
- If Geralt found the notice first:
- As it turned out, Geralt was not alone in searching White Orchard for a lost loved one. The witcher also found the notice of a peasant who was seeking his brother. The brother had left home to take up arms against Nilfgaard. The forces of the North and the Black Ones had then clashed in great battle near the brothers' home village, and the peasant had not heard from his brother since. Geralt was far from the only person in White Orchard looking for a lost loved one. War had divided many families, including that of a certain villager whose brother went missing after the last big battle. Geralt was short on time but still agreed to help. You're surprised, dear reader - but you shouldn't be. The witcher might seem grumpy at times and downright cynical at others, but he rarely passes by another man's misfortune without seeing what he can do to help.
- Though pressed for time, Geralt decided to find Dune Vildenvert and then agreed to help the man. Be not puzzled, dear reader, for though the witcher oft appeared a surly scoffer, deep inside he was a sensitive soul, unwilling to look upon human grief and dismiss it.
- If Geralt found Dune first:
- Geralt was far from the only person in White Orchard looking for a lost loved one. War had divided many families, including that of a certain villager whose brother went missing after the last big battle. Geralt was short on time but still agreed to help. You're surprised, dear reader - but you shouldn't be. The witcher might seem grumpy at times and downright cynical at others, but he rarely passes by another man's misfortune without seeing what he can do to help.
- Geralt and Dune began their search where the missing man had last been seen: the battlefield. Yet while the witcher started the investigation, a mutt named Hussar who[sic] finished it for him. When the dog caught its owner's scent, it raced off, following the trail while barking its brains out and not caring one whit if Dune or Geralt were following after.
- It turned out the missing brother had been heavily wounded but had survived the battle nonetheless... saved by a Nilfgaardian deserter.
- If Geralt convinced Dune to save the Nilfgaardian:
- Though reluctant, Dune agreed to return the Nilfgaardian's favor. He took the foreigner in under his roof, thus saving him from certain death.
- If Geralt convinced them not to save the Nilfgaardian:
- Sadly Dune did not return the Nilfgaardian's favor. Afraid for his own life, he decided to leave the man to a certain death.
- If Geralt found the notice first:
- If Geralt finds the missing brother before talking to Dune:
- Geralt went about finding Yennefer methodically. He searched every inch of every field and dale near White Orchard. Though in the end it was not this searching that led to his reunion with the sorceress, it did lead another interesting discovery. He came across two wounded soldiers in a hut near the battlefield - one from Nilfgaard, the other Temerian. It turned out they had fled the field of battle together. Though they lived their[sic] in enviable harmony and confraternity, they[sic] warriors could not remain in the hideout permanently -- they needed food and a medic's help. The Temerian thus asked Geralt to put them in contact with his brother, Dune, who might be able to help.
- Sadly Dune did not return the Nilfgaardian's favor. Afraid for his own life, he decided to leave the man to a certain death.
- Geralt found the wounded soldier's brother and conveyed the good news. This deed saved a man's life - and earned Geralt a few coppers.
Objectives[]
- Find Dune Vildenvert.
- Meet Dune near the battlefield.
- Using your Witcher Senses, search for Temerian shields with small white flowers painted on them.
- Follow the dog's trail.
Notes[]
- If you leave for Vizima before completing this quest you can find the bodies of Bastien and Rhosyn later.
- If you convinced Dune to take Rhosyn in, everyone (including the woman Dune mentioned and the dog) can be found later at their farm to the east of White Orchard village. The woman, Liesje, can actually be found at the farm at any time.
- If Emhyr wins the war, visiting their farm will show Nilfgaardian soldiers surrounding it and all except a crying Liesje are gone. It's unclear though what happened to them.
- When first passing Dune's camp during Lilac and Gooseberries with Vesemir, cut voice lines involved them asking each other why he would talk to his dog, and Vesemir suggesting Geralt get involved as he did not want to. Talking to Dune at this point would add an extra line of dialogue asking if he had seen Yennefer of Vengerberg and describing her, before he switches over to explaining his situation with Bastien, starting the quest.