In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, the secondary quest “Missing in Action” offers a poignant exploration of war, brotherhood, and difficult moral choices. This quest takes place in White Orchard and serves as one of the many side stories that enrich the game’s narrative. To begin this quest, players can either pick up a notice from the White Orchard notice board or directly encounter Dune Vildenvert in the Ransacked Village. Here, we delve into a detailed walkthrough for handling Bastien and Rhosyn, highlighting what steps to take, decisions to make, and the potential consequences of those choices.
Walkthrough
If Geralt finds the notice on the board in White Orchard, he will need to locate Dune Vildenvert. Dune is found by a dog named Hussar outside a razed hut in the Ransacked Village. Engaging with Dune, Geralt learns that Dune is searching for his brother Bastien, who went missing after a recent battle between Temerian and Nilfgaardian forces. Dune offers a modest reward for Geralt’s help.
- Step 1: Find Dune Vildenvert in the Ransacked Village.
- Step 2: Agree to help Dune find his brother.
- Step 3: Meet Dune at the battlefield.
After agreeing to assist, Geralt is asked to meet Dune at a battlefield nearby. The battlefield is littered with corpses and prowling ghouls, thus requiring Geralt to fend off these creatures before proceeding with the search.
Searching the Battlefield
On reaching the battlefield, Dune instructs Geralt to look for Temerian shields with small white flowers painted on them, distinctive markers for soldiers from White Orchard. The easiest way to find these shields is by using Geralt’s Witcher Senses, which highlight objects of interest in red.
- Use Witcher Senses to locate Temerian shields.
- Defeat the ghouls infesting the battlefield.
- Identify and examine the shield near a burned corpse close to the woods.
The critical shield Geralt needs is located near the woods and beside a burned corpse; however, it does not belong to Bastien. Nonetheless, once Geralt inspects the shield, the dog Hussar picks up Bastien’s scent and rushes towards an abandoned cabin. Players need to follow Hussar’s trail using Witcher Senses.
Discovering Bastien and Rhosyn
The trail leads to an abandoned cabin where Geralt finds a severely injured Bastien along with a wounded Nilfgaardian soldier named Rhosyn. Bastien reveals that they supported each other in escaping the battlefield and reaching the shelter. He implores Dune to help both him and Rhosyn, despite Dune’s reservations about harboring a Nilfgaardian deserter.
- Approach the abandoned cabin with Hussar.
- Participate in a cutscene where Geralt discovers Bastien and Rhosyn.
- Decide the fate of Rhosyn after listening to Bastien’s plea.
Choice and Consequences
At this point, the player must make a critical decision regarding Rhosyn’s fate. Each choice carries its own set of repercussions, both immediate and long-term.
| Choices | Consequences |
|---|---|
| Take Rhosyn in. |
|
| Refuse to help Rhosyn. |
|
Completing the Quest
Regardless of the decision, completing the quest rewards players with a modest amount of coins and experience points. If Geralt persuades Dune to help Rhosyn, later visits to Dune’s farm reveal Rhosyn living there, indicating a somewhat positive outcome. If Geralt chooses otherwise, the moral weight of the decision reminds players of the often grim nature of war-torn lands in The Witcher 3.
Additional Notes
- If the quest is not completed before finishing the main quest “Lilac and Gooseberries,” it will fail.
- Returning to Dune’s farm post-quest will show Rhosyn if he was saved or his absence if he was not.
- If the quest is initiated by finding Bastien and Rhosyn before talking to Dune, the dialogue slightly differs, and players must convince Dune from a different perspective.
- If Emhyr Var Emreis wins the war, visiting the farm later will reveal Nilfgaardian soldiers surrounding it, with Rhosyn and the others missing save for a crying Liesje, hinting at a darker conclusion.
In “Missing in Action,” The Witcher 3 once again underscores its commitment to delivering nuanced storytelling and demanding moral choices that reflect the complexities of its in-game world. The journey to find Bastien and decide the fate of Rhosyn is a testament to the game’s ability to intertwine personal narratives within the broader, tumultuous context of war and survival.
