How to Complete the Skellige Contract: In The Heart Of The Woods in Witcher 3

This contract was acquired at a notice board, somewhere in Skellige, and instructs us to talk to the one who commissioned the task, Sven, at the village of Fayrlund.

  1. Head towards the village of Fayrlund and look for Sven.
  2. We arrive during an argument between Sven and Harald.
  3. As our presence is acknowledged, we state our purpose for visiting the village.
  4. Harald, a devote follower of the old traditions, contested that the deaths in the village were caused by the angered Woodland Spirit. Sven on the other hand, refuses to believe in such a mythical creature and wishes to claim the forest for their own and eliminate such a creature if it ever existed.
  5. After the tense conversation, we proceed to investigate the woods using the Witcher Sense.
  6. Investigate the tracks and follow them to learn more about what is killing the villagers of Fayrlund. We will encounter wolves as we go along. Eliminate them and proceed onward following the tracks.
  7. This will lead us to this stone which was seemingly used by a large animal to sharpen its claws.
  8. After investigating the claw marks, another wolf appears. Eliminate the wolf and proceed with the search for other clues.
  9. Here we find a dead dog with thin and deep cuts.
  10. Finally, we retrace our steps and discover smashed bones on the rock.
  11. After investigating every marked location, we then press B to open the Beastiary. Under the Relicts tab we find an entry about the Woodland Spirit.
  12. After reading the entry about the Woodland Spirit we will be given the option to Talk to both Harald and Sven about the Leshen (Woodland Spirit).
  13. We chose to speak with Harald on this run and completely ignored Sven.
  14. After the conversation, we then made our towards the altar. Upon arrival we will be attacked by wolves.
  15. After eliminating the wolves, we then collect five (5) Wolf Hearts to be used as an offering.
  16. Go to the altar and place the offering.
  17. As the offering is placed, ravens begin to perch on the branches.
  18. The Leshen appears in the background, appeased by Geralt’s offering.
  19. Report back to Harald and collect the reward.
  20. Harald is reminded that the killings will continue so long as the Leshen lives.
  21. An angry Sven then appears with his mates and attempts to kill Harald. We then help the old man from being murdered by attacking Sven and his gang first.
  22. After slaying Sven, the contract is then completed.

An Alternate Ending

If you gave a fair bit of attention to what the beastiary contained about the Leshen, you would see that it says:

The leshen known as the Woodland Spirit was so powerful as to have mastered the art of marking. This meant the monster had inserted his essence into one of the residents of Fayrlund. As long as this unfortunate soul remained alive and near the settlement, the leshen would always be reborn near its lair.

Leshen – Witcher 3 Beastiary

This will be presented to us on step 11 of this guide. Equipped with this knowledge, we can safely say that the leshen has marked Harald to become the next vessel to which it will be reborn. So on step 12, players are given the opportunity to continue to side with Harald or switch to Sven’s side. Harald will be eliminated if we choose the latter, as he will definitely stand firm with his beliefs.

This forces the Leshen to appear, and Geralt will have to defeat the creature. Once done, the village Fayrlund will now be free from the Leshen’s control and will now truly be free. No more fear of dying whilst hunting in the woods.

We hope to have helped you with this Witcher Contract. Between Harald and Sven, who did you side with? Let us know by leaving a comment below.