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Return to Crookback Bog is a Side Quest located in Velen. This is the final quest with theBloody Baron and is affected by one of the main quests in The Witcher 3.
Return to Crookback Bog Walkthrough
Choices made in the main quest “The Whispering Hillock” will determine his and his family’s fate. It depends on what you do with the tree spirit in “The Whispering Hillock”. If you freed the spirit, it comes down to if you do itbefore or after starting the main quest "Ladies of the Wood".
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Head to the village of Downwarren to meet the baron. He and some men have gathered there to prepare rescue mission into the bog to save the baron’s wife. If you freed the tree spirit in “The Whispering Hillock” (regardless of when), Downwarren will be destroyed. When you all are together, head to the village. Take care of any Drowners you spot along the way.
Killed the Whispering Hillock OR FREED IT BEFORE STARTING LADIES OF THE WOOD
When you arrive at the village, the Baron and his men will meet Tamara and her band of Witch Hunters. After searching the village, they will find Anna in a state of shock over the loss of the orphans.
Before any real decisions can be made about what to do with Anna, fog creeps on the village. Monsters will spawn. Kill the Drowners and prepare to fight a Fiend. Use the Quen sign to keep your health going during the fight. Fiends are weak against Relict Oil, Samum Bombs, and Devil’s Puffball Bombs. When the beast falls, a decision about Anna is made with the family.
After defeating the Fiend and the other monsters, the Baron will decide to take Anna to a healer in the far-off Blue Mountains.
Freed the WHISPERING HILLOCK AFTER STARTING LADIES OF THE WOOD
Upon arriving at the swampy village, the Baron will reuinte with his daugter Tamara and several Witch Hunters. After searching the village, they will find Anna under a powerful curse, transformed into a hideous Water Hag.
As the party is attempting to decide how to help Anna, a pack of drowners and a Fiend attacks. Use the Quen sign to keep your health going during the fight, and use Relict Oils, Samum Bombs, and Devil’s Puffball Bombs to defeat the Fiend.
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Once the beasts have been defeated, Tamara will ask Geralt to help lift the curse. To do so, seek Johnny from the mission “Ladies of the Wood” for help. Use your Witcher Senses to find him out in the swamp. The Godling's cave will be under attack by several Drowners and Water Hags - defeat them to rescue Johnny.
Once the Godling tells you what he saw, return to the hut and find a secret cellar with your Witcher Senses. In the cellar are dolls, but only one of them will lift the curse. To find the right one, Geralt must decide which dolls is most representative of Anna. While the pearls may be the obvious choice, the real answer is the doll with the Hollyhock blossom - her favorite flower.
Remove the doll and return to the yard. Anna will have regained her human form, but the curse is more powerful than the group originally thought. Anna was supposed to serve the crones as a beast forever, and undoing the transformation causes the curse to sap what little life force she had left.
Bereft, the Baron tells Geralt to collect his reward back at Crow's Perch. Upon returning to the Strengar's fortress, the Witcher finds the Baron hung from a tree, dead by his own hand.
Ending similarities
Regardless of how the mission played out, when Geralt returns to Crow's Perch the Baron will be gone. Taking charge in his stead is his Sergeant, who allows - and encourages - his men to plunder and pillage the lands.
Hopefully, if the Baron's wife lived, Strengar will return to Velen at some point and undo what damage the Sergeant and his men had done.
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Summary of Choices and Consequences
Killed the Whispering Hillock- The Whispering Hillock died, Baron and Anna will live, the orphans will die, and Downwarren will be safe.
Freed the Whispering Hillock before starting Ladies of the Wood-The Whispering Hillock is free,Baron and Anna will live, the orphans will die, and Downwarren will be destroyed.This is due to the fact that when freeing the Whispering Hillock before starting Ladies of the Wood, the event taking place in Ladies of the Wood will not be known yet. Geralt won't have any knowledge of the orphans in Crookback Bog and thus the Whispering Hillock won't promise Geralt to rescue the orphans. This result in the death of the orphans, but both Anna and the Baron will be alive instead.
Freed the Whispering Hillock after starting Ladies of the Wood-The Whispering Hillock will be free and live,Baron and Anna will die, the orphans will live, and Downwarren will be destroyed. Freeing the Whispering Hillock after starting Ladies of the Wood will prompt Geralt to request for the orphans in Croockbag Bog to be saved. The Whispering Hillock will hold its end of the bargain and save them which will prompt the Crones to curse Anna into a water hag. Anna will be dead once the curse is lifted and the Baron will end up hanging himself.
Up Next: Scavenger Hunt: Griffin School Gear
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