In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt In the Shadow of the Eternal Flame is a side quest that was added to the game along with the release of the updated version The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. As part of it, you will need to clear the Devil's Pit, find Raynald's letters, create his elixir and prevent the young priest from dying. This quest has three endings, and we'll tell you how to unlock them all.
Completing this mission will reward you with blueprints for the Forgotten Wolf School Gear, a new set of armor inspired by the Netflix series. You will also receive the next task related to the improvement of this set of armor.
The passage of the quest “In the shadow of the eternal flame”
How to start the task
It is recommended to take on this mission after Geralt reaches at least level 15. Players with low-level characters may have problems completing it. So, if you meet the specified condition, teleport to the “Devil's Pit” sign located in the Velen region east of the village of Javornik.
After moving, turn left and take a few steps along the path. You will immediately notice the priest of the Eternal Flame near the wagon – chat with him to start the quest. You will need to kill the deserters and deal with the evil spirit so that a dangerous disease does not break out.
Note: If you talk to the priest about your reward, you can convince him to increase the pay for the job to 250 Novigrad crowns.
Where to find the gate to the mine
Start tracking a new mission so that a pointer appears on the map – follow it, going down the path. You can examine the corpse lying on the ground (in front of the first gate) to find out more information about the deserters who killed it.
Then go to the bandit camp and deal with 5 level 9 deserters. You can just go down to the gate that you need to open – the opponents will go down to you, so you don't have to catch them. Only after killing all the thugs will you be able to interact with the desired door and open it using the priest's key.
How to search the mine (Reynald's letters)
While exploring the caves, you will be able to find some letters from Raynald. They do not affect the ending, but the second letter allows you to make a special elixir that simplifies the battle with the boss. However, we still advise you, just in case, to find all the notes, as they reveal the veil of secrecy over the tragedy that happened in this place.
So, going inside, go a little forward through the tunnel. When you reach the fork in the larger cave, turn right and climb up to the ledge with the white canvas. Approach the desk that emits a purple glow – examine it for Reynald's Note, a torch, and a large Yrden glyph.
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We advise you to take a torch in your hands, as it is quite dark in the tunnels. Alternatively, you can use the “Cat” elixir. Now go down back to the fork and this time go straight along the wooden path to a dead end. On the wooden gate you can see a leaf nailed to it – examine it to find the first letter from Raynald.
Watch a short cut-scene, after which the gate will open. You will also hear a mysterious voice that will begin to guide you. However, we do not advise you to immediately follow him, as in this case you may miss the letters. Start going down, and then turn into the right passage near the cart with the barrels. Here, Geralt will announce for the first time that it would be nice to use the Magic Lamp, which will allow you to see spirits and various secrets. You won't find anything interesting in the room itself.
Exit the building, go down the stairs to the lower level of the mines and go forward a little. You will find yourself near the second fork, where the spirit will tell you to turn right, but instead turn left, where the witcher marks on the floor indicate.
Move further towards the cages until you exit into the next spacious area. If you go forward to the stone ledge, which emits a purple glow, you will find on it the third letter from Raynald and a large glyph of Yrden. If you climb onto the white ledge on the left, you will find a chest there, which contains very useful items (resin, “Arbiter of Fates” blueprint, dark iron ore, “Excellent oil against vampires” recipe, meteorite ore, phosphorus and Erlichrad).< /p>
Return to the place where the third note lay and take a few steps forward. If you use a lamp, you will see spirits near the dilapidated wall – break it with Aard, and then examine the skeletons inside.
Exit the room with the skeletons and go down to the red-lit passage. Keep going forward until you run into an infected one. Click on it to start a short cutscene. Go further until you find yourself in a kind of dungeon. You can examine the chambers with the lamp to find out more information about the horrors that happened here.
Next, go through the open passage ahead, turn left and climb onto the ledge. On the crate on the right you will find a large glyph of Yrden. Jump over the pit and enter a small room where you will find the Forgotten Priest's Testament on a table.
Exit the room, turn left and jump over to the other side of the destroyed bridge. Run forward through the open grate and continue up the tunnel without turning anywhere. Near the broken door next to the purple glow you will find the fourth letter from Raynald.
Next, turn around, go forward and exit to a spacious cave. Go down, watch a short cutscene, and defeat a few level 14 Infected. After dealing with the opponents, climb up to the white ledge, jump down, turn left and break the door with Aard.
Enter the room and pick up the second letter from Raynald from the table. In it you will learn the recipe for a useful elixir that will help you in the battle with the Red Sea. To do this, you will need the following ingredients:
- Dwarven spirit
- Swallow grass (not shibalts!)
- Box contents
Go to the “Alchemy” menu, open the “Quests” tab and find Reynald's Potion in it. Make it.
How to search the rest of the mine
Now exit the room, go through the tunnel and go down, following the quest marker. Deal with the plague victim and go through the illuminated cave, continuing to follow the sign. Enter the next room, where several infected will be waiting for you.
After dealing with them, continue forward and climb the stairs up. Jump over the gap and go to the big door. Examine it to find the fifth letter from Raynald.
How to defeat the Possessed Raynald
Go inside and go to the arena. At its far end you will see Reynald chained to the stalagmites. Use the Aard sign to free him. After that, watch a short cut-scene and talk to the witcher.
If you have read all the letters, you can check the interlocutor by giving him a different name. The possessed, of course, will be mistaken. For this reason, we strongly recommend that you do not give him the elixir, as he will simply knock it out of your hands. Keep the potion for yourself, as it will give you a nice buff when fighting the Red Pestilence. Geralt, by the way, will automatically drink it. We also advise you to use white honey to reduce toxicosis.
Having refused the enemy, you will enter into a fight with him. The enemy has a three-slot health bar and moves as fast as you. We recommend using the Yrden sign right away to slow it down a bit. The boss will often activate Quen – a red protective sphere. If you approach it at this point, it will explode.
To defeat an enemy, it is not enough just to swing a sword – witcher signs are also important. Don't forget to protect yourself with Quen to reduce damage taken. While using Yrden, keep the enemy within the purple circle and use Aard regularly to banish pestilence from the witcher's body.
The boss is able to quickly regenerate his health, so the duel should be ended as soon as possible, constantly attacking Raynald. We also advise you to drink the Tawny Owl elixir to speed up the recovery of your stamina. When the enemy is below 5% health and you use a combination of Yrden and Aard, a cut-scene will begin.
How to defeat the Red Sea
The evil spirit will leave Raynald's body, so you will have to fight the second boss. You don't have to change the battle tactics – except that the Aard sign is now optional. Try to stay as close to the boss as possible, as he has several ranged attacks. If he teleports, then just run after him.
Sometimes the enemy will summon victims of the plague, but they are weaker than their “brothers” from the cave, so you can ignore them, focusing on the Red Sea. Sooner or later, you will defeat this enemy. Next, you will find an epilogue of the quest with several endings.
All the endings of “In the Shadow of the Eternal Flame”
This or that ending depends only on the lines that you utter after defeating the Red Sea, so you can just follow the mysterious voice without looking for letters and without creating Raynald's elixir. Next, we will talk about all the finals.
Good ending
Start a conversation with the spirit to get the drawings of the Forgotten Equipment of the Wolf School from him (we advise you to choose absolutely all dialogue options, not just yellow ). After that, Raynald will really want to talk to the priest of the Eternal Flame, who is waiting outside. Choose the following answer:
- Good. I'll bring the priest.
The priest will be horrified by what he sees. Raynald will call all the clergy criminals and hypocrites. Answer him the following:
- I found the body of a priest who sacrificed himself (if the wall was destroyed and the skeleton was examined).
- This boy is innocent.
The young priest will understand that the church was wrong, but will not know what to do next. Tell him:
- What would you like, Raynald?
- Priest, you don't need the Church to do good.
As a result, Reynald will be able to leave with peace in his soul, and the priest will decide to look for the “light of the Eternal Flame” not in the church, but elsewhere.
Neutral ending
Start a conversation with the spirit to get the blueprints of the Forgotten Equipment of the School of the Wolf from him. After that, Raynald will really want to talk to the priest of the Eternal Flame, who is waiting outside. Choose the following answer:
- No. I won't risk it.
Raynald will be angry, but he will not insist, but simply ask the witcher to burn his body as soon as possible. After that, exit the mine and chat with the priest. He will not believe your words about the atrocities of the priests, remaining faithful to the church.
Bad ending
Start a conversation with the spirit to get the drawings of the Forgotten Equipment of the School of the Wolf from him. After that, Raynald will really want to talk to the priest of the Eternal Flame, who is waiting outside. Choose the following answer:
- Good. I'll bring the priest.
The priest will be horrified by what he sees. Raynald will call all the clergy criminals and hypocrites. Answer him the following:
- Reynald is right.
- Not all priests are scoundrels (unless they told you about the immured priest).
Young priest will understand that the church was wrong, but will not know what to do next. Tell him:
- Such crimes cannot be forgiven.
In this case, Raynald will attack the young priest and kill him. Note that this ending can also happen if you did not tell the witcher about the body of the priest and did not ask him what he wants.
After the final cut-scene, you will receive the next new task called “The Witcher's Antiquities: Blueprints for the Forgotten Equipment of the School of the Wolf”, which will allow you to improve the set of armor from the series “The Witcher”.
