2015's The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's critical acclaim from its release has carried itself to being one of the most eagerly awaited remasters of the year. Even seven years after its initial PlayStation 4 and Xbox One release, it stands the test of time by being one of the greatest RPGs in recent memory.
Part of that well-earned praise comes from its wealth of side quests. The game didn't suffer from "going bigger" just for the sake of it, with most of these side quests proving to be compelling and meaningful for one reason or another.
Ghosts Of The Past
Ghosts of the Past is one of the smaller-scale side quests and stories that have no real impact on the main plot, but it's a great showcase of how well The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is in making isolated tales compelling. It's also one that has a satisfying payoff for longtime fans coming from The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings.
If a save file from the second game is imported to Wild Hunt, Geralt spares him or tells Nilfgaard that he's still alive, then the witcher Letho will return in a revenge story that dives into morally-gray areas. Depending on how the quest finishes, Letho can come back to help Geralt and co. in the late-game main quest against the Wild Hunt.
Return To Crookback Bog
Some of the best stories come out of the darkest side quests in The Witcher 3. Geralt of Rivia eventually travels through Velen in the main questline to find Ciri and meets the Bloody Baron in Crow's Perch along the way. It's perhaps one of the strongest segments of the game from a narrative perspective, as the grim circumstances and moral ambiguities explored represent this franchise at some of its best.
His story finishes through the Return to Crookback Bog side quest, with multiple ways it can end and none of them perfect. The Baron has been a domestic abuser to his runaway wife and daughter, and the decisions Geralt makes throughout this story arc will have massive implications on this broken family's fate.
A Towerful Of Mice
As dark as things can naturally get in the world of The Witcher, the side quest A Towerful of Mice is among the bleakest. Following the Keira Metz storyline, this quest brings Geralt of Rivia to the desolate Fyke Island to uncover why it fell to such a horrific state.
He finds that the settlement's Lord and his amoral mage Alexander not only allowed it to rot, but the latter even conducted dangerous experiments with the rats. Geralt then finds a disease-ridden wraith who died after accidentally paralyzing herself, with her lover desperate to reunite with her. The results are far from ideal, but it's a side story that will undoubtedly stay with players.
The Last Wish
Author Andrzej Sapkowski's character dynamic has transcended its source material thanks to CD Projekt Red's adaptation, as Geralt and Yennefer of Vengerberg have long since been one of the best video game romances. And in The Last Wish side quest -- named after Sapkowski's short story of the same name -- players can solidify that relationship.
The quest starts with Yennefer asking Geralt to help her break their bond made by the Djinn during the events of the short story. Eventually, though, Geralt can choose whether to finally carry that romance forward. Even with The Witcher 3's dark quests making for great stories, The Last Wish is just as good thanks to its heartwarming blend of character writing and RPG decision-making.
Now Or Never
Conversely, Geralt can also fulfill a romance with Yennefer's fellow sorceress Triss Merigold in Now or Never. Though it's not in line with Sapkowski's book canon, CD Projekt Red has fashioned Triss into one of the most likable and compassionate characters in the games.
Geralt meets Triss naturally in the main questline, but Now or Never is the culmination of her side story as she tries to evacuate her fellow mages from Novigrad to Kovir. She intends to become the leader of the mages of Kovir and create a successor to the collapsed academy of Aretuza, but Geralt can convince her to stay with him. Like with The Last Wish, this side quest is excellent due to its emotional sincerity and meaningful player choice that will surely be eagerly replayed in the upcoming Witcher 3 remaster.
In Wolf's Clothing
On the archipelago of Skellige, players can find a myriad of exciting side quests and places to discover. While passing through these lands to follow Ciri's trail, Geralt can eventually take the side quest In Wolf's Clothing. It's another grim story, but a gripping one nonetheless. Before finding the remains of a man named Craven, Geralt finds his killer Morkvarg -- a ravenous werewolf.
However, he once was a feared human Skelligan pirate known for pillaging and spreading misery wherever he went. Morkvarg was cursed with lycanthropy and the excruciating and perpetual hunger that came with it. There are several ways to tackle this quest, but it's one of the easier decisions to make to bring justice that Morkvarg spent so long evading.
Carnal Sins
Carnal Sins is one of the more inventive side quests in The Witcher 3. The reason for that being this story tasks Geralt to hone his detective skills by investigating a murder. It can be picked up in Novigrad after advancing some of Dandelion/Jaskier's side story, and it leads the famed monster hunter on an engaging chase after a serial killer skulking through the streets of the city.
This quest is both exciting and high-stakes, as there are increasingly real ramifications for making the wrong calls on who the killer is. This impressive versatility in quest design is one of the many reasons that The Witcher 3 is considered one of the greatest fantasy RPGs.
Reason Of State
Unlike some other side quests in the game, Reason of State can carry forward major implications for the state of The Continent. This world is one rife with war, including Nilfgaard and Redania where no one is truly good.
King Radovid of Redania is at least just as despicable as Nilfgaard's Emperor Emhyr, and Reason of State gives Geralt the chance to assassinate him. It can only be picked up after completing a string of quests and gaining Dijkstra's favor, but it puts the titular witcher in a major role in shaping the future of The Continent depending on the choices made.
Where The Cat And Wolf Play...
It's another bite-size story in the grander scope of The Witcher 3, but Where the Cat and Wolf Play... is a memorable story all the same. It revolves around Geralt stumbling across a village filled with mangled slain bodies, where the only survivor is a young girl named Mellie. She's instantly terrified of Geralt upon seeing his cat-like eyes, and it's revealed that a fellow witcher was responsible for this.
The witcher Gaetan turned the village into a slaughterhouse when the contractor refused to pay, leaving Geralt with an important choice to make upon finding him. Even when crossing a rogue, hostile witcher, a small side quest like this makes for a thrilling story and contribution to worldbuilding. And depending on the choices made, Geralt can carve out a "good" ending -- or at least as good as one can be.
The Volunteer
Shifting away from the emotional and the dark, The Volunteer is undoubtedly one of The Witcher 3's more colorful and entertainingly bizarre side quests. In Eagle Fort, Geralt will hear strange singing that turns out to be a singing rock troll -- aptly named Trollololo. However, the surprising twist is that Trollololo has convinced himself that he's a Redanian soldier after he was tasked with guarding some boats.
Though, those boats were stolen from some villagers by the actual Redanian soldiers. The villagers come and fight back, leading Trollololo to accidentally kill everyone involved after trying to help the soldiers. It's as colorful as a Witcher 3 story can be, though, there is a moral question involved as Geralt has to decide Trollololo's fate.