The Witcher 4 Wiki: Side Quests Walkthrough — Major Quests, Rewards, and Hidden Content

Side quests in The Witcher games are not filler. That's the first thing any guide should say. CDPR builds side content that rivals most games' main storylines. The Bloody Baron questline in TW3 was technically optional. Most players never realized it. The Witcher 4 continues that tradition. The side quests in TW4 are structured differently from TW3 because of the protagonist shift. Geralt was a known quantity. He had decades of history with every region on the Continent. People knew him. Ciri is new. She's earning her reputation from scratch. Side quests reflect that. You're not Geralt walking into a village where the alderman already knows your name. You're a stranger who has to prove herself. Some NPCs won't hire you until you've done something to earn their trust. The Kovir setting also changes the quest structure. Kovir is rich. The contracts pay better. But the monsters are different. The frozen northern climate means creatures from the Dragon Mountains and the Gulf of Praxeda that you wouldn't see in Velen or Skellige. Plus, Kovir's stability means there are fewer war-orphan quests and more politics-and-money quests.

Major Side Quest Chains The game structures side content into chains that unfold as you progress. Based on previews and developer interviews, these are the major chains you'll encounter. | Quest Chain | Location | Quest Count | Notable Rewards | Type | |-------------|----------|-------------|-----------------|------| | Lynx School Founders | Lan Exeter outskirts | 5-7 quests | Lynx School gear diagrams, character unlocks | Character / Gear | | The Cat's Grudge | Pont Vanis | 3 quests | Unique silver sword, Gaetan's fate resolution | Story / Combat | | Kovir Beast Contracts | Region-wide | 8-10 quests | Mutagen unlocks, rare alchemy formulas | Monster Hunt | | Mage Underground | Pont Vanis | 4 quests | Keira Metz ally upgrade, sorceress gear | Political / Stealth | | Skellige Exiles | Dragon Mountains | 3 quests | Hjalmar appearance, unique armor set | Story / Lore | | The Last Wish (Ciri's Path) | Various shrines | 5 quests | Elder Blood upgrades, chain weapon abilities | Character Power | The Lynx School quest chain is the most important side content in the game. It's how you upgrade your home base and unlock witcher crafting. Don't skip it. The quests involve recruiting allies, clearing monster infestations from potential school locations, and making decisions about what kind of school the Lynx becomes. Your choices here affect which characters survive to the endgame.

Monster Contracts Worth Prioritizing Not all contracts are created equal. Some give unique mutagens you can't get anywhere else. These are the ones to hunt down early. The Frozen Kjir contract in the Dragon Mountains. Kjir are ice-based insectoids new to the series. Their mutagen unlocks frost resistance for potion toxicity, which is borderline essential for the later northern regions. Take the contract as soon as you can handle level 15+ combat. The Praxeda Wyvern contract off the Gulf of Praxeda coast. Rewards include a wyvern scale that upgrades Ciri's chain weapon with a bleed effect. The chain weapon is Ciri's signature tool. You want every upgrade for it. The Pont Vanis Striga contract. A callback to TW1's famous striga quest. This one's a political setup disguised as a monster hunt. The reward is a choice between money and information that unlocks the Mage Underground chain. Take the information.

Hidden Side Quests CDPR hides quests behind actions most players won't take. These three are easy to miss and absolutely worth finding. Enter the Pont Vanis library without drawing your weapon and talk to the old librarian before doing anything else. Triggers a quest about lost Witcher School manuscripts. Rewards include alchemy recipes from the Manticore School. After any contract, return to the contract-giver the next day. Most players grab the reward and leave. Wait 24 in-game hours and come back. Several contracts have follow-up scenes. The alderman's daughter in Lan Exeter has an entire secondary quest chain that only triggers if you come back the morning after killing the noonwraith near her farm. Meditate at the shrine outside Pont Vanis between midnight and 2 AM. On certain moon phases, a spirit appears and starts a quest chain about Ciri's Elder Blood connection. CDPR has confirmed this exists but won't say exactly which moon phase. Try every one.

Rewards Worth Chasing The best gear in the game comes from exploration, not vendors. Focus on these reward categories. Lynx School Gear Diagrams require completing the Founder chain and exploring all five school locations. Full set is five armor pieces and two swords. Best medium armor in the game for a hybrid signs-and-swords build. Unique Mutagens drop from named monsters in the Beast Contracts chain. Each one unlocks a new ability slot. There are twelve total. The Kjir mutagen, Ice Troll mutagen, and Praxeda Wyvern mutagen are the three that actually change how you play rather than just giving stat boosts. Chain Weapon Upgrades are scattered across side content. There are five upgrades total. Two from monster contracts, one from the Mage Underground chain, one from a hidden cave in the Dragon Mountains, and one from a story choice in the Lynx School chain. Miss any of them and you're stuck with an incomplete moveset.

FAQ **How many side quests are in The Witcher 4?** CDPR hasn't confirmed the total count. Early estimates based on previews suggest 50-70 side quests including contracts, comparable to TW3's base game. **Can side quests fail if I progress the main story too far?** Yes. CDPR uses point-of-no-return flags. Key cutoff points happen at the end of each major story act. The game warns you before these moments. **Do side quests affect the main ending?** Several side quests feed directly into ending variants. The Lynx School chain, the Gaetan resolution, and the Elder Blood shrine quests all have ending implications. **What's the best side quest for early game money?** The Pont Vanis sewer contract. Five drowners and a water hag. Pays 300 crowns and unlocks the merchant district with better gear prices. **Are there Gwent side quests?** CDPR hasn't confirmed Gwent's return in TW4. If it returns, expect tournament quests and unique card rewards. If not, a similar minigame with its own quest structure is likely.