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  • Where To Start Where The Cat And Wolf Play
  • Investigating Honorton
  • Following The Killer
  • Should You Kill Or Spare Gaetan?
  • How To Beat Gaetan
  • Helping Millie

Geralt has it easy in The Witcher 3, when it comes to his profession at least. Lambert and Eskel, fellow members of the School of the Wolf, bemoan the miserable life of a witcher whenever they can while Geralt often reflects on how poorly treated he usually is.

Related: The Witcher 3: Woe Is Me Side Quest Walkthrough

While the game's Witcher Contracts tend to involve only a small degree of disrespect, the side quest Where The Cat and Wolf Play shows you what most witchers can expect on the Path. This short story is one of the game's best, coming in a short and well-contained package that has you dealing with a fellow witcher.

Where To Start Where The Cat And Wolf Play

This quest doesn't have a conventional start. Instead of looking for a quest-giver, you'll need to visit the town of Honorton where you'll find the settlement overrun with alghouls. You'll have to kill the monsters for the quest to begin.

Another way to find the town would be to find Contract: The Beast Of Honorton, which is posted on notice boards in Crow's Perch and Oreton. You won't be able to complete the contract, for reasons that'll become obvious, but you'll be able to start the quest.

Investigating Honorton

Curious and concerned with the state of the town, Geralt will begin investigating four buildings to piece together what happened.

Large House To The North

A woman with lethal sword wounds lies slumped opposite the door with the stove still burning. Search the room to the left of the entrance to find a leshen head.

Small Huts To The West

At the entrance of the northern hut, Geralt will find a man who died quickly after being stabbed. At the southern hut, a body that was stabbed in the back lies before the entrance.

Barn To The South

The large, empty barn has several corpses laying outside and an alghoul waiting within. Search the stall furthest from the entrance to find a silver chain.

After you have searched all the buildings, a cutscene will begin, where a young girl flees from an unknown assailant. Go outside and use Geralt's Witcher Senses to locate her doll before following her footprints.

They lead to her hiding place, where Geralt will try to learn about what had happened in the town. It'll take some convincing, but she eventually tells Geralt that she's Millie, the only survivor in Honorton.

If you do not have Delusion at level one, you will not be able to use Axii to calm the girl, leaving her doll as your only option.

She'll tell Geralt that a witcher had butchered the town but had mysteriously spared her. She even has the witcher's School of the Cat medallion, which had been dropped during his killing spree.

He had fled the town by a stone circle important to the inhabitants. You'll have to go there to discover where the man had gone.

Following The Killer

At the stone circle, you find two clues, a bloody hand print on a rock and a bloody trail left by the witcher. Inspect both with Geralt's Witcher Senses to track the wounded witcher down.

Be prepared to fight a pack of wolves on the way to the witcher.

You'll find the culprit resting on a bench far away from Honorton. Getting close enough will have Geralt confront the witcher, where you will decide his fate.

Hear Gaetan Out

Choosing to hear Gaetan out will let you learn of the circumstances behind the massacre. You will have a second choice where you will make a final decision between sparing or killing him.

Kill Gaetan

The witcher's actions have both caused the deaths of innocent villagers and sullied the name of the profession. If you choose to kill him, you'll be facing him in a duel.

Should You Kill Or Spare Gaetan?

The choice at the heart of Where The Cat and Wolf Play is one of the many difficult decisions that you'll have to make throughout The Witcher 3. On the one hand, Gaetan had been cheated and almost killed by the people he had fought to protect. On the other, his killing spree was merciless and indiscriminate, possibly murdering people who had no part in the scheme.

There isn't a clear-cut answer to this decision, at least when considering the situation. While he was likely justified in defending himself, he may have gone too far in killing almost everyone in the town.

Members of the School of the Cat have a reputation for being killers-for-hire that are more than happy to engage in indiscriminate murder with a side of regicide and assassination. While we don't know if Gaetan carries on this tradition, he may not be entirely honest with his testimony.

While the ethics at the heart of this choice would be better explored by a more intelligent individual, the choice is easy when deciding based on gameplay rewards.

Spare Gaetan

The witcher will be grateful for Geralt's mercy and share his stash as a reward. It contains 250 crowns and Tegir, a steel sword.

Kill Gaetan

You'll have to beat Gaetan in a fight. He won't go down easy, though you will receive Tegir when looting him.

In short, sparing Gaetan will let you avoid a difficult fight while also providing better rewards. You'll get 250 crowns and Tegir for sparing him while you'll only get Tegir for killing him.

How To Beat Gaetan

If you're set on killing Gaetan, you're in for a tough fight. His wounds don't stop him from being a superhuman fighter with the enhanced reflexes and Signs that make Geralt so deadly.

He will ask Geralt to let him drink Swallow before the fight. While it would be the sporting thing to do, do not let him. He will use the opportunity to blind Geralt with a bomb, putting you at a disadvantage.

You can use the Noonwraith decoction to avoid being affected by his bomb if you've fallen for his trick.

Gaetan is much faster than most of your opponents and is especially difficult to parry. If you're not feeling confident in your parries, you can block his attacks normally for a short time.

If you need to stun him, he is still susceptible to Aard and bombs. These options will open up opportunities to deal damage to him. Be ready for him to cast Quen, though.

During this fight, it's best to stay defensive and expect him to swiftly punish any mistakes you make. He can kill you in a few hits if the opportunity presents itself.

Helping Millie

Once business with Gaetan has been settled, Geralt will have to return to Honorton to help Millie. Considering that she's all alone, it won't be long before the necrophages come for her, too.

She tells Geralt that she has an aunt in Oreton. She doesn't have anywhere else to stay, making the nearby village your only option. A cutscene will begin that has Geralt and Mille arriving at Oreton and immediately meeting her aunt.

The woman is already struggling and isn't keen to take Millie in. While she'll take Millie in regardless, you can sweeten the deal by giving her 40 crowns as an incentive. Once Millie is in safe hands, the quest will end.

Next: The Witcher 3: Complete Guide And Walkthrough