Changes: Open Sesame! (Hearts of Stone)

Revision as of 17:01, 25 March 2018

Open Sesame! is a main quest in the Hearts of Stone expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. As part of his three difficult tasks, Olgierd von Everec asks Geralt to bring him Maximilian Borsodi's house.

Walkthrough

Upon reaching the Borsodi Brothers' Auction House, you'll be confronted by two guards Vatslav and Kleiner who inform you no one is admitted without an invitation. Thankfully, before the situation can get too ugly, Vimme Vivaldi (an old acquaintance of Geralt's whom you may recognize from the Vivaldi Bank in Novigrad) steps in and adds you as his +1. Once inside, you'll converse for a moment about life, the universe, and nothing in particular until Vimme decides to head upstairs. Upon reaching the auction floor, he offers to introduce you to some of his fellow business associates.

The Art dealer

If you say you know a bit about art, Yaromir will challenge your knowledge as he'll assume you're as cultured as your vertically-challenged associate. Prove him wrong by choosing the correct painting - the Portrait of a Merchant.

For pointing out the correct piece, the dealer will give you a tip: bid on the painting by the unpopular artist, van Rogh, and earn a profit by selling it to an avid admirer and collector in Novigrad. Be cautious, though - if you share this information with Vimme, he'll attempt to outbid you for the painting, and you'll end up paying three times the original asking price for it.

The Countess

Countess Mignole, an aging widow, is a collector of rare and valuable witcher gear after meeting a witcher in her youth.

Exclusive Witcher Gear

Don't miss this opportunity to acquire some rare witcher gear only available during this one interaction in Hearts of Stone. Purchase the diagrams for the Viper School gear from the Countess when the "Merchant" icon appears during the conversation.

If you're interested in learning more about the widow's past, offer to help find her earring on the balcony.

The Gwent Player

This interaction is fairly straightforward, though you'll want to have a solid gwent deck assembled if you want to stand a chance at defeating Hilbert. He may use a Monster deck, and is effective at utilizing its ability for his close combat units, or may select a different deck depending on what you gave as your preferred faction. Decide whether or not to give Vimme a fraction of your winnings before you play (he won't take any offense if you don't), then lay your cards on the table. If you beat him, he will give you the unique gwent card, Gaunter O'Dimm.

Auction

The auction will start after meeting Vimme's acquaintances or by choosing to go sit and wait. There are three items up for auction:

"Starry Night Over the Pontar", by the artist van Rogh - 20 crowns (60 crowns if you have to outbid Vivaldi)
A rare statuette of an eagle, potentially containing rare witcher gear. It will unlock a treasure hunt if you do a little extra work - 300 crowns
A pair of spectacles that once belonged to the hired assassin known as The Professor - 350 crowns

Once bidding on these items has ended, the auctioneer will announce an intermission and Vivaldi will attempt to introduce you to the establishment's proprietor, Horst Borsodi. Be as charming or as indignant as you like as there's no version of this conversation that ends well and Geralt is "escorted" out by the guards.

Once outside, defeat the two would-be tough guys to trigger a cutscene introducing The Stranger, who instructs Geralt to meet him at the herbalist's hut outside of town. Upon arrival, you will notice three Fallen Knights pounding on the hut's door, who will turn their attention towards you as you get closer; dispose of them, and the herbalist will let you in. Give him the password, and he will open a trap door leading to the Stranger.

Time to discuss the details of his plan: he intends to break and enter Borsodi's vault with your help; however, there's a catch: given how protected the auction house is, you will need to recruit someone that can inflitrate it and open a way in for the rest of the team, as well as someone that can open the vault doors, in addition to lowering the amount of guards patrolling the premises. As of this moment, the quests Open Sesame: Witcher Seasonings, Open Sesame: The Safecracker and Open Sesame: Breaking and Entering will become avalaible, and must be completed (in any order), to proceed.

Journal entry

Olgierd's wishes were unusual, to say the least. One demand was for Geralt to bring him the house of Maximillian Borsodi. He didn't supplement this request with such key details as where this house was located or just how the witcher was to transport said real estate. Geralt only knew his first stop should be Oxenfurt, the city to which the Borsodi family had moved their world-famous auction house...

Horst Borsodi did not demonstrate a flare for hospitality. He greeted Geralt with unmasked disdain, then, upon hearing the witcher had come for Maximilian Borsodi's House, had him summarily tossed into the gutter. Geralt was still picking himself up when he discovered a stranger awaiting him there... a man who could help him fulfill Olgierd's wish.

The mysterious stranger revealed that he was planning to rob the Borsodis' Auction House. He swore Geralt would find Maximilian's House within it, as impossible as that sounded. First, however, the witcher would have to help him put together a full break-in crew of daring professionals and find a way to weaken the Redanian garrison. Though Geralt usually tried to live within the bounds of the law, this time he had no choice but to agree to help in this criminal enterprise.

Not everything went according to plan... to say the least. Geralt successfully broke into the vault, though at the cost of some nerve-wracking moments and a good deal of bloodshed. Once in the bowels of the auction house, he found out that his partner-in-crime was none other than Horst Borsodi's long-missing brother, Ewald. Cheated by his brother out of his inheritance, Ewald had planned his revenge during his long years of exile.

Geralt stands with Ewald...

Ewald had planned his revenge during long years of exile - and the witcher helped him bring this plan to fruition.

...but also demands the papers:

Yet when Geralt realized the remaining Borsodi brother was using him as well, he made sure he joined his recently murdered sibling in the afterlife. With no one left to lay a competing claim on it, Geralt took the golden casket known as Maximilian Borsodi's House and the will hidden inside it. Now he was set to fulfill Olgierd's request.

...but does not take the papers:

Ewald killed his older brother, avenging years of poverty and humiliation in one furious moment. The blood still on his hands, he gave Geralt the golden casket known as Maximillian Borsodi's House in compensation for his help, though not before taking for himself the will hidden inside it. With this is his possession, Geralt was set to fulfill Olgierd's request.

Geralt stands with Horst...

Yet now, on the cusp of his plan's completion, the White Wolf stood in his way. Geralt hadn't trusted Ewald from the very start and decided to hold his nose and support the disagreeable Horst rather than help Ewald commit fratricide.

...but also demands the papers:

Yet when Geralt realized the remaining Borsodi brother was using him as well, he made sure he joined his recently murdered sibling in the afterlife. With no one left to lay a competing claim on it, Geralt took the golden casket known as Maximilian Borsodi's House and the will hidden inside it. Now he was set to fulfill Olgierd's request.

...but does not take the papers:

Yet fratricide occured nonetheless -- for Horst killed his younger brother. The blood still on his hands, he gave Geralt the golden casket known as Maximillian Borsodi's House in compensation for his help, though not before taking for himself the will hidden inside it. With this is his possession, Geralt was set to fulfill Olgierd's request.

Objectives

Go to the Borsodi auction house in Oxenfurt and ask for the owner.
Go to the upper floor of the auction house.
(Optional) Meet Vivaldi's friends (3).
Find Countess Mignole's earring using your Witcher Senses.
Wait for the auction to start.
Defeat the guards.
Go to the herbalist's hut near Oxenfurt and give the password.
Talk to the Stranger.
Return to the Stranger to discuss the details of the robbery.
Recruit the rest of the crew and prepare for the robbery (3).
Go to the herbalist's hut to prepare for the robbery.
Be at the gateway to the Borsodi Auction House around midnight.
Defeat Horst Borsodi's men.
Fight off the Redanian soldiers' attack.
Go down into the vault.
Defeat the monsters.
Search the vault for Maximilian's House.
Defeat Horst/Ewald Borsodi. (which brother is based on your choice)
Take Maximilian's House.
Defeat Horst/Ewald Borsodi. (only appears if you insist on taking the House)
Find the secret way out of the vault using your Witcher Senses.
Get out of the auction house.
Take Maximilian Borsodi's House to Olgierd.

Notes

You can opt not to use hostages if you so choose, but know that if you do, no harm will come to them.
Depending on who your safecracker is and who you decide to stand with during this segment, you may have an additional ally or opponent in the fight ahead. Casimir will choose to remain loyal to Ewald, while Quinto accepts Horst's offer and betrays him.
There is a full set of New Moon armor in the Herbalist's secret basement, on the shelf next to the paintings.
If both Borsodi brothers die in the heist, the auction house will be acquired by Vivaldi and will become an (inaccessible) branch of his bank.

Trivia

One of the paintings on the top floor that can be examined, 'The Battle of Anghiari' - 1206 by V. Da Linci, is clearly a tribute to the well known painter Leonardo da Vinci.
One object in a display case on the first floor of the auction house is a "Goblet of Fire." This is a clear reference to the Harry Potter book/film of the same name.
The falcon statuette from the collection of Count Romilly is a nod to "The Maltese Falcon" a noir film about a treasure hidden inside a falcon statue and those trying to acquire it.
In the fistfight with the guards, one of the guards say "And your mum smells like gooseberries!", a reference to Monty Pythons' movie "The Holy Grail" where a pseudo-french soldier with a red hat says the line "Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelt of elderberry!"
Near the door, on the inside of the second room of the vault is an armored gauntlet with circles on the knuckels and in the center of the hand. This is a reference to the Infinity Gauntlet from Marvel Comics.

@@ Line 32: / Line 32: @@
 The auction will start after meeting Vimme's acquaintances or by choosing to go sit and wait. There are three items up for auction:
 * [["Starry Night Over the Pontar"]], by the artist van Rogh - 20 crowns (60 crowns if you have to outbid Vivaldi)
-* A rare statuette of an eagle, potentially containing rare witcher gear - 300 crowns
+* A rare statuette of an eagle, potentially containing rare witcher gear.  It will unlock a treasure hunt if you do a little extra work - 300 crowns
 * A [[The Professor's spectacles|pair of spectacles]] that once belonged to the hired assassin known as [[The Professor]] - 350 crowns
 Once bidding on these items has ended, the auctioneer will announce an intermission and Vivaldi will attempt to introduce you to the establishment's proprietor, [[Horst Borsodi]]. Be as charming or as indignant as you like as there's no version of this conversation that ends well and Geralt is "escorted" out by the guards.