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Spoilers for “The Whispering Hillock,” “Ladies of the Wood,” and “Return to Crookback Bog.” There is no outcome that saves everyone. Killing the spirit protects Downwarren and leaves Anna alive but mentally devastated; the Crones keep the children, and the Baron takes Anna away to seek help. Freeing the spirit during the main quest sequence saves the orphans, but it massacres Downwarren; Anna dies after the Crones’ curse is lifted, and the Baron hangs himself. A separate outcome is possible if you free the spirit before speaking to Downwarren’s ealdorman.
What changes when you free or kill the spirit?
The choice affects four groups: the Crookback Bog orphans, Downwarren’s villagers, Anna, and the Bloody Baron. The table describes the familiar main-quest sequence; the order-dependent exception follows below. Quest and ending accounts from Witcher Wiki, Witcher.tools, and Gamer Guides document these branches.
| Choice in the main quest sequence | Orphans | Downwarren | Anna | Bloody Baron |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kill the spirit, by fighting or tricking it | The Crones keep them. | Protected from the spirit. | Survives, but is mentally devastated after losing the children. | Takes Anna away to seek help. |
| Free the spirit | Saved; later guides report they appear in Novigrad. | Massacred by the spirit. | The Crones turn her into a water hag. She dies when Geralt lifts the curse. | Hangs himself. |
How the choice works
Walkthroughs describe investigating the spirit with Witcher Senses, obtaining its bones and a raven’s feather, and bringing a black mare into the cave. Geralt can free the spirit, trick it into being destroyed, or fight it. Trickery and combat both count as killing the spirit and produce the kill-route outcome.
Why the order of quests matters
The usual consequences are not universal. If you reach and free the spirit before speaking with Downwarren’s ealdorman, the branch changes: Downwarren is still attacked, but Anna is not transformed into a water hag and survives mentally devastated. The children are not rescued through the later arrangement. This exception is documented in the quest decision material at Witcher Wiki; it is not a way to save both the orphans and Anna.
#1 Best Overall
- Trained from early childhood and mutated to gain superhuman skills, strength, and reflexes, witchers are a counterbalance to the monster-infested world in which they live.
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- Take on the most important contract of your life: to track down the child of prophecy, the key to saving or destroying this world.
Which choice should you make?
There is no objectively best route; choose according to which loss matters most to you.
- If saving the orphans is your priority: free the spirit during the main quest sequence. Downwarren is destroyed, and Anna and the Baron meet tragic ends.
- If protecting Downwarren and Anna is your priority: kill the spirit, accepting that the Crones keep the children and Anna is left mentally broken.
- If you are considering the early-free branch: freeing the spirit before speaking to the ealdorman changes Anna’s and the children’s outcomes, but Downwarren is still attacked.
PC Gamer’s July 18, 2026 discussion of difficult choices in PC games likewise summarizes the familiar tradeoff as one between the children and the village; the quest-specific details above are also covered in walkthroughs, rather than first-party developer documentation.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
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- EXPLORE A MORALLY AMBIGUOUS FANTASY OPEN WORLD: Built for endless adventure, the massive open world of The Witcher sets new standards in terms of size, depth, and complexity. Traverse a fantastical open world: explore forgotten ruins, caves, and shipwrecks, trade with merchants and dwarven smiths in cities, and hunt across the open plains, mountains, and seas. Deal with treasonous generals, devious witches, and corrupt royalty to provide dark and dangerous services. Make choices that go beyond good & evil, and face their far-reaching consequences.
- TRACK DOWN THE CHILD OF PROPHECY: Take on the most important contract of your life: to track down the child of prophecy, the key to saving or destroying this world. In times of war, chase down the child of prophecy, a living weapon foretold by ancient elven legends. Struggle against ferocious rulers, spirits of the wilds, and even a threat from beyond the veil – all hell-bent on controlling this world. Define your destiny in a world that may not be worth saving.
Rank #3
- If you buy this game, you will receive a free next-gen update on December 14th!
- Play as a highly trained monster slayer for hire.
- Built for endless adventure, the massive open world of The Witcher sets new standards in terms of size, depth and complexity.
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Rank #2
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