Is it better to save the orphans or Anna?

There's no way to save both. Anna is punished specifically because the children got away. Saving her means leaving them where they are, most likely to have been eaten by the time Geralt returns with the Baron for Anna. Personally, causing her punishment and the Baron's fatal depression doesn't seem too big a price to pay for getting the kids out of that place, so I was satisfied with that result. It's a harsh world, people die all the time and those two weren't saints to begin with. Geralt has more important things to worry about, so it's better to just move on.

One thing I really like about the Witcher games is that they don't prize life too highly. There are always casualties, often long before Geralt even comes along. Men, women and children are starving and getting sick and killing each other and sometimes just being plain stupid, and if you play it like a typical fantasy RPG by trying to make good changes in the world and saving everybody possible, well, then you're just going to be disappointed and drive yourself nuts with what-ifs, because that isn't how the world works. Best to focus on the things immediately important to Geralt - his friends and loved ones - and not be too surprised or feel too guilty when a roof caves in over some poor schmuck. Because it happens every day.

I recently made a summary of the three possible outcomes for another thread, it might also be useful for you:

You encounter the Whispering Hillock on your own, before the Crones mention it. You free the Spirit, and it then ravages Downwarren. The children get killed in this scenario, because Geralt still has not met them and the Spirit does not try to use them as leverage to be freed. Since the Crones could eat the children, they have no reason to curse Anna, so she survives but becomes mad. The Baron leaves, taking her to a healer.

You encounter the Whispering Hillock after the Crones mention it. You free the Spirit after it agrees to save the children in Crookback Bog, and it then ravages Downwarren. Since the Crones could not eat the children, they blame Anna and curse her into a water hag, eventually leading to her death. The Baron then commits suicide.

No matter if you encounter the Whispering Hillock before or after hearing about it from the Crones, you kill the Spirit. The children get eaten by the Crones, and Anna survives but becomes mad. The Baron leaves, taking her to a healer.

Hello, first of all... sorry for me bad english. I hope to write well who i wanna say.

Also... I think there are some SPOILER. So if someone is new don't read.

Let's start from... I bought the game on launch day. But having never played the first two game, I decided it was better, playing the first two first and then starting this one.
Now the first two witcher never come out on ps4. So I was forced to play them on PC. With so many problems, that only a few week ego... i finish the witcher 2. Anyway... i am not there to write about that problem XD

I try to use the search function. But all the topic related to Anna and the orphan are all to old. Really to old. like 3/4 year ego. So with the new update to the game... i need to understad all the new change to the game.

As i say... i use the search function and i find at last 3 path for finish this damn main story quest.

1) Free the tree spirit, so she can save the orphan, but at the same time she destroys a nearby village.
2) Kill the spirit, the orphan are eat... but the Baron's wife/family is safe, and the nearby village is safe to.

Now... surelly as a good human the first thing who run in my mind is... ofc you wanna save innocent children! Right? But i learn that not all the time in this game... what seems to be the right choice is really the right one to choice. An evil thing is always an evil thing. I can save the children, but that thing in long-term do much more bad thing. Is an evil force, so soon or later other bad thing happen in the world. Then i find out also who happen to the Baron's family and... i really do not like it.
So, before i continue with the game, because i can load an old save and make a different choice, i search on internet to see if there was a way to save the orphan and anna.

And i find out this:

So the only way to save the children AND Anna is to begin The Ladies of the Wood quest as normal up until the point where you get Johnny's voice back for him but when he wants you to follow him back to the orphanage to meet the Crones, leave and go do the Whispering Hillock thing and free the Tree Spirit. Then continue following Johnny and proceed as usuall with everything else. When speaking to the Crones, tell them that you freed the Tree Spirit, and then they won't blame Anna and curse her.

But.... i try it and nothing work!
I mean... i load a save where i meet and help Johnny. I give Johnny's voice back and after before doing anything else, i go to the spirit tree and... the spirit never tell me about the child. If i relase her, she never help the child. So look like that perhpas the developer have fix it?

Can someone help me understand if the 3° path was fixed? Or i have miss something?
But also... this 3° path really exist? I mean... i read many ppl say that in the end the children always eat for the Crones. So any advice is always welcome.
For now I have chosen the path where i killing the spirit in the tree. Because for me... an evil thing is always an evil thing and and save only those 5 children, at the expense of the whole land or perhaps the intere world, I didn't feel right. Yes is painfull, but... i think is the lesser evil thing to do.

Just do not understand why i can't choice a neutral choice in this quest.
Anyway... as i say, any advice is always welcome.
Thank you and sorry for me bad english^^'

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