The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a critically acclaimed role-playing game that offers a rich and immersive story with multiple choices and consequences. One of the most memorable and emotional quests in the game is Family Matters, where you help the Bloody Baron, a troubled warlord, find his missing wife and daughter. Depending on your actions, this quest can have different endings, some more tragic than others. In this article, we will guide you through the steps to get the best ending in Family Matters, where the Baron and his family are reunited and healed.
What is Family Matters?
Family Matters is a main quest that starts after you meet the Bloody Baron, Phillip Strenger, in his fortress of Crow’s Perch in Velen. He tells you that he knows something about Ciri, the young woman you are looking for, but he will only share his information if you help him find his wife, Anna, and his daughter, Tamara, who have run away from him. He leads you to their bedrooms, where you can investigate the clues and learn more about their troubled past.
The Baron admits that he was abusive and violent towards his wife, and that he had a drinking problem. He also reveals that his wife was pregnant, but she miscarried after a fight with him. He buried the fetus under a tree, where it turned into a botchling, a cursed creature that feeds on the blood of pregnant women. He asks you to help him lift the curse and find out what happened to his family.
How to Lift the Curse of the Botchling
To lift the curse of the botchling, you have two options: you can either kill it or turn it into a lubberkin, a benevolent spirit that can help you locate the Baron’s family. The latter option is more difficult, but it is also more rewarding and leads to the best ending. To turn the botchling into a lubberkin, you need to do the following:
- Go to the graveyard where the Baron buried the botchling and dig it up. You can name it Dea, which means “goddess” in the Elder Speech, to calm it down.
- Carry the botchling to the family crypt, where you can perform a ritual to lift the curse. You need to protect the botchling from wraiths that will attack you along the way. You also need to use the Axii sign to soothe the botchling when it starts to squirm and cry. If you fail to do so, the botchling will turn hostile and you will have to kill it.
- Once you reach the crypt, place the botchling on the altar and light the candles. The pellar, a local mystic, will perform the ritual and turn the botchling into a lubberkin. The lubberkin will then lead you to a fisherman’s hut, where you can find a doll that belonged to Anna.
How to Find Anna and Tamara
After you lift the curse of the botchling, you can follow the lubberkin to find out where Anna and Tamara went. You will learn that they were captured by a group of bandits and taken to a swamp called Crookback Bog. There, they encountered the Crones, three ancient and powerful witches that rule the swamp. The Crones promised to help Anna and Tamara, but they had ulterior motives.
Tamara managed to escape from the swamp and joined a group of witch hunters in Oxenfurt. You can find her there and talk to her. She will tell you that she hates her father and blames him for everything that happened to her mother. She will also tell you that she saw Ciri in the swamp, and that the Crones wanted to capture her. She will give you an amulet that can protect you from the Crones’ influence.
Anna, however, was not so lucky. She stayed in the swamp and became the servant of the Crones. She also became pregnant with another child, but the Crones cursed her and turned her into a water hag. She was then taken by the Crones’ enemy, a mysterious being called the Whispering Hillock.
How to Save Anna from the Whispering Hillock
To save Anna from the Whispering Hillock, you need to do another quest called The Ladies of the Wood. In this quest, you will meet the Crones and learn more about their plans. They will ask you to kill the Whispering Hillock, a dark spirit that lives in a giant tree in the heart of the swamp. The Whispering Hillock will also try to communicate with you and ask you to free it instead. You have two options: you can either kill the Whispering Hillock or free it. The choice you make will have a major impact on the ending of Family Matters.
If you kill the Whispering Hillock, you will please the Crones and they will release Anna from their curse. However, they will also kill all the children in the swamp, who were under their protection. Anna will be reunited with the Baron, but she will be mentally broken and unable to speak. The Baron will take her to a healer in the Blue Mountains, hoping to restore her health. You will never see them again.
If you free the Whispering Hillock, you will anger the Crones and they will keep Anna under their curse. However, you will also save all the children in the swamp, who will escape with the help of the Whispering Hillock. Anna will be taken by the Baron to his fortress, where you can try to lift the curse with the help of the pellar. This is the option that leads to the best ending.
How to Lift the Curse of Anna
To lift the curse of Anna, you need to do one final quest called Return to Crookback Bog. In this quest, you will go back to the swamp with the Baron and the pellar, and confront the Crones. You will need to fight your way through the swamp and reach the Crones’ lair. There, you will find Anna, still in her water hag form, tied to a stake. The Crones will try to stop you, but you can defeat them with the help of the amulet that Tamara gave you.
Once you reach Anna, you can use the pellar’s ritual to lift the curse. You will need to place the doll that you found earlier on the stake, and light it on fire. The doll will act as a substitute for Anna, and the curse will be transferred to it. Anna will then return to her human form, but she will be weak and wounded. The Baron will embrace her and thank you for your help.
Witcher 3 Family Matters Best Ending
The best ending of Family Matters is the one where you save both Anna and the children in the swamp. To get this ending, you need to do the following:
- Turn the botchling into a lubberkin
- Free the Whispering Hillock
- Lift the curse of Anna
If you do all these steps, you will see a happy and heartwarming scene where the Baron and Anna are reunited and healed. They will also reconcile with Tamara, who will come to visit them with the witch hunters. The Baron will apologize to his wife and daughter, and they will forgive him. They will then decide to leave Velen and start a new life together. You will also learn that the children in the swamp are safe and sound, and that they have found a new home with a kind woman named Gran.
This is the best ending of Family Matters, and the one that we recommend you to pursue. It is not easy to achieve, but it is worth it. It shows that even in a dark and cruel world like The Witcher 3, there is still hope and redemption for those who seek it.
Conclusion
Family Matters is one of the most complex and emotional quests in The Witcher 3. It offers a compelling story with multiple endings, depending on your choices and actions. In this article, we have shown you how to get the best ending in Family Matters, where you save both the Baron and his family, and the children in the swamp. We hope that this guide has been helpful and informative for you. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. Thank you for reading, and happy gaming!
FAQ
Q: Is there any way to save the Baron and his family without freeing the Whispering Hillock?
A: No, there is not. If you kill the Whispering Hillock, the Crones will kill the children in the swamp, and Anna will be mentally broken. If you free the Whispering Hillock, the Crones will keep Anna under their curse, but you can lift it later. There is no middle ground.
Q: What happens if I kill the botchling instead of turning it into a lubberkin?
A: If you kill the botchling, you will still be able to find Anna and Tamara, but you will miss some dialogue and scenes with the Baron. You will also lose the chance to name the botchling, which is a nice touch.
Q: What happens if I don’t talk to Tamara in Oxenfurt?
A: If you don’t talk to Tamara in Oxenfurt, you will miss some information about Ciri and the Crones. You will also miss the opportunity to get the amulet that can protect you from the Crones’ influence. This will make the final fight with the Crones more difficult.
Q: What happens if I don’t lift the curse of Anna?
A: If you don’t lift the curse of Anna, she will remain in her water hag form and die. The Baron will be devastated and blame himself for everything. He will then hang himself from a tree in his fortress. This is the worst ending of Family Matters, and the one that you should avoid at all costs.