You're standing in the middle of a sun-drenched vineyard in Toussaint, the grass is unnaturally green, and suddenly your quest log explodes. If you've played the Blood and Wine expansion, you know the feeling. It’s overwhelming. You came here to hunt a beast in the shadows, but now you’re basically the freelance superintendent for an entire duchy’s infrastructure problems. This is where the Knight for Hire Witcher 3 questline kicks in. It’s not just one mission; it’s a massive, sprawling checklist of fifteen different objectives scattered across the map of Toussaint. Honestly, it’s a bit of a grind if you don't know what you're doing, but it’s also the fastest way to turn Geralt from a broke mutant into a wealthy landowner with a grandmaster gear set.
Most people stumble into this quest by talking to the Ducal Camerlengo near the Nilfgaardian Embassy in Beauclair. He’s the guy who looks like he’s drowning in paperwork. He’ll tell you that the duchy is a mess and the knights errant are... well, they’re busy being poetic and useless. He needs someone who actually knows how to swing a sword without reciting a sonnet first.
Why Knight for Hire is Different from Your Average Contract
In the base game, you’re used to the "find tracks, kill monster, get gold" rhythm. Toussaint plays by different rules. The Knight for Hire Witcher 3 activities are grouped into specific types of encounters that populate the world. You aren't just hunting a single Chort; you're clearing out Hanse Bases, rescuing "People in Distress," and securing "Abandoned Sites."
It’s about regional stability.
When you clear an Abandoned Site, people actually move back in. Merchants show up. The world changes. It feels less like a static map and more like a living place you’re actively fixing. Plus, the Camerlengo pays a decent bonus for every task completed, on top of whatever loot you find. And trust me, the loot in those Hanse Bases is the real prize. We're talking hundreds of swords that you can sell to the blacksmith in Beauclair for a small fortune.
The Hanse Base Problem
Let’s talk about the Hanse Bases because they’re the meat of this quest. There are three main ones: Mont Crane Castle, Arthach Ester Estate, and the ruins of Fort Astre. These aren’t just small bandit camps. They are fortified bastions filled with dozens of enemies.
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If you charge in blindly on Death March difficulty, you’re going to get turned into a pincushion by crossbow bolts.
The trick—and this is something many players miss—is the signal torch. Every Hanse Base has a lookout who will run for a torch to call for reinforcements. If you let him light it, the number of bandits doubles. Kill him first. Or, if you’re feeling spicy and want to farm experience points and loot, let him light it. You can actually leave the "boss" of the base alive, fast travel away, come back, and all the minions will have respawned. It’s a bit of an exploit, sure, but it’s how you afford those expensive Corvo Bianco renovations.
Managing the Fifteen Objectives
The quest tracks fifteen specific points of interest. You don't have to do them in order. That’s the beauty of it. You can be on your way to a main story beat and just pivot to clear a cave or a bridge.
- The Trading Posts: Usually overrun by bandits or monsters like Giant Centipedes. These are quick but the Centipedes are a nightmare if you don't use the Yrden sign to trap them.
- The Caves: Toussaint has these gorgeous, glowing caves that are usually home to monsters that haven't seen the sun in a century.
- The Bridge Construction: One of the objectives involves clearing out a site near a bridge. It’s a small detail, but it shows the "rebuilding" theme of the expansion.
Basically, you're a glorified exterminator. But you're an exterminator with a silver sword and a fancy title.
Don't Forget the Camerlengo
A lot of players finish the objectives and then wonder why the quest hasn't "ended." You have to go back to the Camerlengo in Beauclair to collect your final reward and see the quest marked as complete. He’s located in the southern part of the city, usually standing at a desk under a colorful canopy.
He’ll give you a hefty sum of crowns. By this point in the game, you probably need them for the Grandmaster Smith, Lafargue. Those armor sets—especially the Manticore or the Grandmaster Ursine—cost more than a small villa. Knight for Hire Witcher 3 is essentially the "Get Rich Quick" scheme of the 13th century.
The Strategy for Efficiency
If you want to breeze through this, stop using Roach for every five-meter journey. Toussaint is dense. If you ride everywhere, you'll miss half the hidden loot containers that aren't marked on the map.
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Combat-wise, use the Superior Blizzard potion. When you're in a Hanse Base surrounded by fifteen bandits, the slow-motion effect after a kill allows you to chain together whirl attacks that look like a blender went off in a medieval tapestry. Also, make sure your gear is repaired. Nothing sucks more than being halfway through a bandit camp and seeing that "Weapon Broken" icon pop up because you've sliced through too much chainmail.
Honestly, the hardest part isn't the combat. It's the inventory management. You will get so much gear that you'll be overencumbered in minutes. Keep the Fiend Decoction handy to increase your carry weight, or just be prepared to make multiple trips to the shopkeepers.
Actionable Steps for Success
To wrap this up and get you back into the game, here is the most effective way to handle the questline:
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- Visit the Camerlengo early. Don't wait until the end of the DLC. Get the quest active so every "Point of Interest" you clear counts toward the total.
- Focus on the Hanse Bases for gold. Loot everything. Every rusty sword, every blunt axe. Sell them specifically to the Grandmaster Smith or the armorers in the high-rent district of Beauclair for the best prices.
- Use Northern Wind bombs. When dealing with large groups in the "People in Distress" locations, freezing them in place prevents you from getting flanked.
- Check your 'Quest Items' tab. Sometimes clearing a site requires you to read a specific note or letter found on a leader's body to officially "clear" the location for the Camerlengo.
- Return to Corvo Bianco regularly. Use your bed to get the "Well Rested" buff, which gives you an XP boost before you head out to clear the remaining objectives.
Completing the quest isn't just about the money; it’s about the "Knight of Toussaint" vibe. By the time you’ve cleared all fifteen spots, the map looks cleaner, the roads are safer, and you’ve actually made a dent in the chaos of the world. It’s satisfying in a way that the bleak, war-torn fields of Velen never quite manage to be.