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  • How To Start Defender Of The Faith
  • How To Deal With The Students

This might have been said a thousand times already, but it is relevant again. Velen is a miserable place. Its people often turn to drink and other vices to keep their sanity as they cope with abject poverty and its inherent danger. Some take a less regressive approach, finding solace in faith.

Related: The Witcher 3: In The Heart Of The Woods Side Quest Walkthrough

The Witcher 3 gives you a brief snapshot of this in the quest Defender of the Faith. Geralt is asked by an old woman to help restore a series of shrines across Velen before their desecration angers a god and brings all manner of fresh miseries into the swamp.

How To Start Defender Of The Faith

There are two places where you meet the woman that starts the quest. She can be found at a junction east of Blackbough or at Duén Hen, further to the west of Velen.

You are likely to meet her at the first location. You are likely to pass by while playing the main story quest, The Bloody Baron.

It's not something to worry about, though. The quest is not affected by the order that you restore the shrines.

She needs Geralt to restore a fallen shrine before the god it is dedicated to curses Velen. If you choose to accept the quest, Geralt will restore the shrine by lifting it back upright. She will thank Geralt and asks him to restore two more shrines that have been recently vandalized.

This quest will take you through a large part of western Velen, where two of the shrines are located. At each one, you will need to defeat any nearby enemies and interact with the shrine to cleanse it.

The route from Duén Hen to the shrine south of Byways can take you through higher-level enemies intended to be fought later in the game such as a griffin and a town of level 20 ghouls.

With the exception of the shrine near Crow's Perch, Geralt will have to defeat nearby enemies before he is able to restore the shrine.

East of Blackbough

No enemies spawn here.

Duén Hen

Geralt will be attacked by a lone Endrega Warrior.

South of Byways

A pack of wolves will attack Geralt.

The last shrine you encounter will have its enemies replaced by some rowdy students responsible for the vandalism.

How To Deal With The Students

The students have chosen to battle against religion itself and had begun their crusade by desecrating the shrines that you have been restoring. You can choose how Geralt responds.

Stop Them

Geralt refuses to allow them to continue, starting a fight.

Let Them Continue

The students are left alone to carry on. This will fail the quest.

Fighting The Students

They quote what modern listeners might recognize as Nietzsche and Marx to Geralt. The witcher can call upon what he learned at the School of the Wolf by punching them in the face, instead. You will need to fight all the students at once to complete the quest.

You can draw your sword during the fight. This will make the students draw their weapons. In this situation, you will have to kill them instead of merely beating them into unconsciousness.

Next: The Witcher 3: Complete Guide And Walkthrough