Twisted Firestarter Walkthrough
From the Notice Board head south to find a very angry Dwarven blacksmith cursing as he works at his forge. Talk to the poor guy and, as one would expect, he’s rather snippy. Keep cool and he’ll tell you that somebody set his hut on fire-an act of arson he feels was brought on by tensions that arose when the Nilfgaardians came. Offer to help him for a price and he’ll agree to give you whatever he as left to find the cause of his misfortune. This begins the quest “Twisted Firestarter”.
First, note the Grindstone to the north-east. Using it is free, and will sharpen your weapons, giving you the “Enhanced Weapons” boon for 15 minutes. Score. Head behind the blacksmith’s house and search to the south-east using your Witcher Senses to spot some evidence on the ground. Investigate them and Geralt will deduce the arsonist’s actions. Further south-east Geralt will find footprints, which seem to belong to a large man. Follow them or less east to a tree, where Geralt will detect the smell of piss and vodka-a common combination. Keep following the tracks east to reach a road, then north-east until they terminate near a boat. As drunk as our arsonist was, he was at least wise enough to try and cover his trail. Loot a chest to the north and pass under the bridge to find where the tracks continue, north of the bridge. Signs of a struggle are noted-apparently our arsonist was attacked by Drowners and lost his boots in the scuffle. The trail continues to the west and onto the road that runs through White Orchard. Follow the wounded arsonist’s trail to a house just south of the tavern.
Head inside and Geralt will comment that we’ll be able to spot our arsonist by the wounds he bears. Search the eastern room to find Napp, who is obviously drunk and injured. Talk to him and he’ll confirm that blacksmith’s suspicions-a combination of racism and hatred of the Nilfgaardians led the arsonists to torch the business of a suspected collaborator. Knowing that he’s in trouble, however, he’ll offer to give you some loot to let him go. If you accept, the blacksmith will be upset you couldn’t find the arsonist, but he’ll still offer his services to you… which is really the point of all this.
| Objective | Reward |
|---|---|
| For talking to the arsonist | 25 XP |
| For letting the arsonist go | 25 XP |
| For telling the blacksmith about your failure | 50 XP |
Alternatively, you can attempt to apprehend him. Doing so will provoke him to attempt to fist fight you. You can indulge him and pummel him into submission, or you can use the Axii Sign to subdue him and get him to come along peacefully. In the former case, you’ll appear back near the blacksmith, in the latter case, you’ll have to escort Napp to him. Either way, the outcome is the same-Willis calls some Nilfgaardian soldiers over, who decide Napp’s arson constituted sabotage, and set out to hang him. Once they’re gone, Willis decides the Nilfgaardians aren’t so bad after all, and will offer to work his forge for you.
| Objective | Reward |
|---|---|
| For using the Axii Sign on Napp | 25 XP |
| For bringing Napp back to Willis | 25 XP |
One way or another, we have a blacksmith at our disposal, which allows us to repair our gear, craft new items, break down old items for components, and of course, peruse his wares. Dismantling hides, tools, and inferior weapons is a good idea, as it’s a fine way to score components at little cost. You also are able to turn more refined components into more generic ones (Ingots into Ore, fore example), but at this point in time, there’s little need to do so. Consider dismantling all your Junk, while leaving Crafting Components and Alchemy Ingredients alone.
Of particular interest in his inventory are the Saddlebags, which will increase your maximum inventory weight by 30, a boost of 50%. They cost nearly 200 Crowns, however. Also, you might have-or nearly have-the components required to upgrade your armor to the Warrior’s Leather Jacket, depending on how diligently you looted the houses in White Orchard. All of this costs money however, and right now the best way to earn money is by selling the herbs we pick. They’re plentiful, they grow everywhere, and each one is worth a coin. Killing animals works, too, especially if you use the Igni Sign to save wear and tear onyour weaponry. Or… we could start exploring. That’s an option, too. There’s nothing stopping you from hunting game, killing monsters, and picking herbs while we explore, either. In fact, it’s recommended! Yeah… let’s do that.