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Official open-world travel screenshot used for the Witcher 3 quest order guide

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Wiki guide · Remastered

The Witcher 3 main quest order and region progression

Follow the main quest through White Orchard, Velen, Novigrad and Skellige, complete level-appropriate side content before the final act, and save Hearts of Stone or Blood and Wine for a prepared Geralt.

Reviewed by The Witcher 3 Wiki editorial team8 min readUpdated 2026-09-30Version Remastered

01 / Prerequisites

Prepare before leaving

  • ✓Understand the recommended level shown in the quest log.
  • ✓Keep manual saves before major story transitions.
  • ✓Decide whether you want a completionist or story-focused route.

02 / Route

Follow the path in order

  1. 01

    Finish White Orchard first

    Clear the opening contracts, Places of Power and Viper diagrams before leaving. It is the cleanest point to establish equipment and skill direction.

  2. 02

    Follow the Velen main route

    Use the Bloody Baron and Crookback Bog storyline to anchor the region, then branch into contracts when recommended levels are appropriate.

  3. 03

    Group Novigrad quests by district

    Complete city quests before moving far into Skellige. Activate signposts early and finish character routes before their story windows close.

  4. 04

    Use Skellige as the mid-game hub

    Complete the main island routes, ally quests and level-appropriate contracts before the final act. Sailing across the map without a plan wastes time.

  5. 05

    Enter Kaer Morhen prepared

    Finish missable ally content before the Battle of Kaer Morhen. The final act changes the pace and makes backtracking less natural.

  6. 06

    Place expansions deliberately

    Hearts of Stone can be played during or after the main story. Blood and Wine is designed as a high-level late-game or post-game route.

03 / Common mistakes

Avoid the expensive reset

Do not treat the quest log as a strict level requirement for every side activity; enemy scaling and preparation still matter.

Some quests close when a region’s main story reaches its next checkpoint.

Starting Blood and Wine far below its intended level creates a resource drain without the story context of a prepared build.