Can You Save Anna and the Baron in The Witcher 3? A Deep Dive into a Moral Quagmire

Yes, it is possible to “save” both Anna and the Baron in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, but the definition of “save” is crucial here. There’s no universally happy ending where everyone walks away unscathed. You must decide what “saving” them truly means to you, weighing difficult choices with far-reaching consequences. The best outcome, according to the Witcher books, is the choice with the lesser evil. The questline is a moral minefield, and your decisions ripple through the game world, affecting not only the immediate characters involved but also the wider landscape of Velen. Prepare to grapple with grim choices and the understanding that some wounds, both physical and emotional, may never fully heal. Let’s explore the nuances of these choices and their impact.

Understanding the Bloody Baron Questline

The “Family Matters” questline, often referred to as the Bloody Baron questline, is widely considered one of the best in The Witcher 3. It’s a multi-layered story focusing on Baron Phillip Strenger, his missing wife Anna, and their estranged daughter Tamara. The quest explores themes of domestic abuse, addiction, redemption, and the lasting impact of war on individuals and communities. The choices you make regarding the Whispering Hillock, the fate of Anna, and your handling of the Crones will determine the ultimate outcome. The entire area in the swamps of Velen will be affected, and it’s the player who must decide what would be the most beneficial path.

The Whispering Hillock Choice: The Crux of the Matter

The central decision point revolves around the Whispering Hillock, a quest that becomes available early in the Bloody Baron storyline. Here, you encounter a spirit trapped beneath a tree. You have two primary choices:

• Kill the Spirit: This prevents the spirit from causing further harm but has its own set of consequences.

• Free the Spirit: This allows the spirit to fulfill its promise to save the children from the Crones’ orphanage but at a significant cost.

The Ladies of the Wood is an important quest. To make sure that the children and Anna are saved, start the Ladies of the Wood quest. Get Johnny’s voice back for him, but after that, do not follow him back to the orphanage. Go and do the Whispering Hillock thing instead, and free the spirit.

The “Good” Ending (with a catch)

The closest thing to a “good” ending involves killing the spirit under the Whispering Hillock. While this might seem harsh, it prevents a chain of events that leads to a much darker outcome.

1. Killing the spirit: This prevents the spirit from destroying the village of Downwarren.

2. Anna’s Fate: By doing this, the Crones curse Anna, transforming her into a water hag. You’ll then be tasked with lifting the curse using dolls.

3. Choosing the Right Doll: The correct doll is the one with a violet hollyhock bloom, as it’s Anna’s favorite flower. Choosing incorrectly results in her immediate death. The most obvious doll would be the one with pearls, but that is incorrect.

4. Anna’s Death and the Baron’s Departure: Even with the curse lifted, Anna dies shortly after, her mind fractured by her experiences at Crookback Bog. Devastated, the Baron, feeling responsible, decides to take Tamara to find a healer who can help her with the trauma she has experienced. While tragic, this is often considered the “better” ending, as it prevents further widespread suffering in Velen. The Baron and Anna are both alive, but neither is happy.

The “Bad” Ending (with more widespread consequences)

Freeing the spirit has dire consequences.

1. Freeing the spirit: The spirit fulfills its promise and saves the children from Crookback Bog.

2. Downwarren’s Destruction: However, it also unleashes its wrath on the nearby village of Downwarren, slaughtering its inhabitants.

3. The Crones’ Retaliation: The Crones are enraged and punish Anna severely, turning her into a hag.

4. Anna’s Death and the Baron’s Suicide: Even if you lift the curse, Anna dies, and the Baron, consumed by guilt and grief, hangs himself at Crow’s Perch. This ending leaves Velen ravaged and its key characters destroyed.

The Importance of Choice

The Bloody Baron questline highlights the core themes of The Witcher 3: the grey morality, the consequences of choice, and the lack of easy answers. No matter what you choose, there will be a price to pay. The key is to weigh the potential outcomes and decide which course of action aligns with your own moral compass. It’s a situation in which the only options are the lesser of two evils. It’s these kinds of storylines and choices that make The Witcher 3 one of the best video games in history. Games such as this can teach a user how to deal with moral ambiguities and the results of your actions.

You may think of this as a learning opportunity. The Games Learning Society studies how people learn through gaming. Please visit GamesLearningSociety.org for more details.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Does the Baron ever cure Anna?

In the “good” ending (killing the spirit), Anna is not cured. While you lift the curse and restore her human form, her mind is broken, and she dies shortly after. However, the Baron vows to take Tamara to find a healer who can help her deal with her trauma. In the “bad” ending (freeing the spirit), Anna is not cured and dies.

2. Does it matter if the Baron dies?

Yes, it matters if the Baron dies. If he dies (usually by suicide in the “bad” ending), it leaves Crow’s Perch leaderless and destabilizes the region further. If he lives, he leaves Crow’s Perch to seek help for Tamara, but the region is still without his leadership.

3. How do you get the “good” ending in the Bloody Baron questline?

As previously stated, the “good” ending is achieved by killing the spirit in the Whispering Hillock. This prevents the destruction of Downwarren and the Baron’s suicide, although Anna still dies.

4. Does Anna ever recover in The Witcher 3?

No, Anna does not fully recover in any scenario. In the “good” ending, she dies shortly after the curse is lifted, her mind irreparably damaged. In the “bad” ending, she dies either as a hag or immediately after the curse is lifted.

5. Is it possible to save Anna Henrietta?

This question refers to the character Anna Henrietta from the Blood and Wine expansion, not Anna Strenger from the Bloody Baron questline. Yes, it is possible to save Anna Henrietta. It requires specific choices during the questline, primarily retrieving a magic ribbon from the fairy-tale world and killing the higher vampire Dettlaff.

6. How do you save Anna the Baron and the orphans?

There is no way to save Anna, the Baron, and the orphans simultaneously without significant negative consequences. Freeing the spirit saves the orphans but leads to the destruction of Downwarren, Anna’s death, and the Baron’s suicide. Killing the spirit prevents the destruction of Downwarren but results in Anna’s death and the Baron’s departure to find help for Tamara.

7. How many endings does the Bloody Baron questline have?

The Bloody Baron questline effectively has two main endings, determined by your choice regarding the Whispering Hillock.

8. Should I let the Bloody Baron take his wife?

The Baron doesn’t typically “take” his wife in a positive sense. The question refers to the aftermath of lifting the curse. In the “good” ending, Anna dies despite your efforts, and the Baron leaves with his daughter in an attempt to have her recover from the trauma she has suffered.

9. What happens to Velen if the Baron dies?

If the Baron dies, Velen becomes even more chaotic and dangerous. His absence creates a power vacuum, allowing bandits and monsters to thrive.

10. Can you save the Baron’s wife and the children?

As mentioned earlier, saving the children through freeing the spirit comes at the cost of Anna’s life and the destruction of Downwarren. There is no truly “good” outcome.

11. Should I save Anna?

The decision of whether to “save” Anna is a matter of perspective. Ultimately, it’s best to weigh the consequences of your actions and decide which outcome aligns most closely with your own values. The choice is up to the user, with the player needing to balance the moral consequences.

12. What is the best outcome of the Ladies of the Wood? Which should you choose?

There is no clean or tidy outcome for this quest, but the most generally positive solution is to kill the Ghost in the Tree. This outcome allows the Baron to be the least devastated and is most closely aligned with the Witcher books.

13. What is the correct doll to save Anna?

The correct doll is the one with a violet hollyhock blossom, which was Anna’s favorite flower.

14. Should I find the Baron’s daughter?

Yes, it is recommended to find the Baron’s daughter, Tamara. Finding her provides additional context and dialogue options within the questline and allows for a more complete understanding of the family dynamics.

15. What is the bad ending of Blood and Wine?

The “bad” ending of Blood and Wine involves both Syanna and Anna Henrietta dying. This typically occurs if you fail to retrieve the magic ribbon and make certain dialogue choices during the confrontation with Dettlaff.