Priscilla’s secret, the whereabouts of a certain Witcher tutor, and the fate of Ciri’s fellow students are just a few examples of quests players may have failed to complete in The Witcher 3. These quests all have one thing in common: an auto fail point. If players didn’t manage to tie up loose ends before reaching these game-changing cut-off points, then crucial choices made during quests would have no impact, characters would remain underdeveloped, and big rewards would go unclaimed.
Fortunately, we’ve done the legwork to compile a list of every single quest that can auto-fail, when that cut-off is, and what players may be missing out on if Geralt doesn't tie up loose ends on time. Of course, this list contains spoilers for The Witcher 3’s best endings, so if you’re looking to go into CD Projekt Red’s multi-million seller fresh, then bookmark this for another time.
The Witcher 3 Auto-Fail Point List
You can find a list of every auto-fail point in The Witcher 3 main quests and side quests by chapter in the table below.
Main Storyline Auto Fail Points
The main storyline is where players would run into the most pertinent quest cut-offs in The Witcher 3. Not to mention, the base game content harbors more numerous auto fails than either of the game’s DLCs combined. The Prologue quest, Imperial Audience, is the first cut-off point of the game, and every side-quest in White Orchard (save one) will auto-fail upon heading to Vizima.
The Act 2 main quest, Ugly Baby, only auto-fails two quests, but they both pertain to two very close relations of Geralt. More specifically, Saskia the Dragonslayer will cease to factor into the story after failing to save Zaed’s prodigy, forcing the Witcher to make a big decision at The Long Road quest’s end, and Vorer’s Mum will perish before being reunited with her son if Geralt botches the Bloody Baron quest.
Sailing to the Isle of Mists is the next important cut-off, auto-failing a slew of quests throughout Velen and Novigrad to fast-track the White Frost invasion. It is without question the most significant point of no-return within The Witcher 3.
Kiera Metz’s questline is affected by Imperial Audience, with several quests that have different outcomes depending on Geralt’s choices. Specifically, the White Frost will have already hit Oxenfurt by the time you reach Imperial Audience’s cut-off point, and Commitment will auto-fail if The Thing He Wanted quest failed to complete. Similarly, Open Sesame! and Scenes From A Marriage will auto-fail certain quests, but it’s not exactly clear which ones.
Heart of Stone Auto Fail Points
Heart of Stone has two cut-off points. Open Sesame! and Scenes From A Marriage both auto-fail certain quests, with Open Sesame! failing A Knight’s Duty and The Toy’s Tree, and Scenes From A Marriage failing A Matter of Life and Death and What Does it Mean to be a Witcher?
Blood and Wine Auto Fail Points
Blood and Wine has two cut-off points: Where Children Toil, Toys Waste Away and Beyond Hill And Dale. Where Children Toil cuts off the very first quest of the expansion, Children’s Toys, which results in failing the related quest Gwent with the Ladies: Tru3tip, a Trophy Hunt contract, and Coronation Fund tip quests.
Our Witcher 3 maps, guides, and strategy pages should keep players busy long into the night. If it’s more monster slaying they’re after, they can find out exactly how the best Witcher gear and Monster Hunter: World armor sets compare in The Witcher 3.
