What happens if you kill the tree in Witcher 3?

This page contains information on the various choices that players can make during their playthrough of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and the consequences of those choices within the game.

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Wild Hunt is a massive open world adventure, with hundreds of quests and activities to take part in. Some of these missions may be more important than you think, and can drastically change the state of the game world by the time you reach the story's end. Depending on how you choose to interact with certain characters, as well as what decisions you make during various missions, Velen, Novigrad and Skellige may be a very different place than it would be had Geralt made different choices.

SPOILER WARNING
The following information contains minor story and side quest spoilers.

Velen Choices

After completing the main story quests Family Matters and Ladies of the Wood, wherein Geralt finds out that the Baron's wife has been forced into the service of the Crones in the bog, the Baron mounts a rescue mission to Return to Crookback Bog and rescue his wife. Depending on how Geralt dealt with The Whispering Hillock, the outcome of this mission will change.

Slay the monster

If during the Ladies of the Wood, when Geralt is tasked with killing, he decides to slay the spirit in the heart of the tree, then the orphans in the bog will be sacrificed to the Crones.

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Upon arriving at the village, the Baron and his daughter will find Anna in a state of shock after learning of the children's fate at the hands of the crones. Unable to cure her himself, Geralt watches as the Baron takes his wife in search of a healer far off in the Blue Mountains.

Free the spirit

If instead of slaying the beast, Geralt frees the spirit beneath the tree, the Hillock will help the orphans in the bog escape. Enraged that she allowed this to happen, the Crones promise Anna that she will be punished.

True to their word, the Baron and his party discover that Anna has been transformed into some sort of Water Hag. With some help from the Godling Johnny, Geralt is able to undo the hex that had transformed Anna - but sadly this is not enough to save her.

Anna explains that the Crones had cursed her for life, and when they undid the transformation the curse became a death sentence. Anna perishes in front of her daughter and husband, who tells Geralt he can collect his reward back at Crow's Perch. Upon arriving at the fort the Witcher finds the Baron hung from a tree, dead by his own hand.

Novigrad Choices

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After completing the story quest Count Reuven's Treasure, Triss Merigold asks Geralt for help escorting mages out of the city to avoid persecution. These events take place during the quests A Matter of Life and Death and Now or Never. If Geralt decides to aid Triss in her cause, the Novigrad's mages wil escape - but the persecution does not end. It appears that bullies will always need someone to beat on, and in the absence of mages the Witch Hunters and Order of the Eternal Fire decide to unleash their wrath on non-humans instead.

For The Advancement of Learning Choices

The mission comes just after having a night with Keira Metz. You find out that she tricked you so that she could go to the Tower and get Alexander's notes for the treatment of Catriona. She wants to use the notes to negotiate her Clemency fron Radovid, as she is afraid of running and living a poor life. During the dialogue, you have three options:

1: You could force her to hand over the notes, which leads to her fighting you so that she could keep them. You kill her, and manage to get the notes and burn them. You get 200 XP points if you take this route.

2: You could let her do what she desires, that is attempt to negotiate with Radovid. However later in the game, you find out that she was killed. You get 100 XP points for this.

3: You could try to convince her that her plan is suicide. It leads to you suggesting that she goes to Kaer Mohen, to which she agrees. After she agrees, you have the option to ask her for the notes, which she gives willingly. You get 100 XP Points for this.

Note that if you let her go through with the Radovid plan or you fight her for the notes, she won't be available later on to assist in fighting the Wild Hunt and protecting Ciri

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