It’s been over a decade since CD Projekt Red unleashed Wild Hunt upon the world, and yet, players are still screaming at each other on Reddit about Dijkstra’s brain-dead decision making. You know the one. We’re talking about Reason of State Witcher 3, a quest that somehow manages to be both the peak of political intrigue and the absolute lowest point for character consistency in the entire franchise. It’s messy. It’s brutal. Honestly, it’s kind of a disaster from a writing perspective, but it’s also one of the most important sequences in Geralt’s journey if you care about the fate of the Continent.
Most people play through the game and just want to save Ciri. That makes sense. But the Northern Realms are literally burning while you’re out chasing ghosts in Skellige. Radovid V the Stern is a tactical genius, but he’s also a genocidal maniac who thinks burning mages—and eventually anyone who can read a book—is the only way to save Redania. This quest is where you finally get to stop him. Or not. Decisions have consequences, right?
The Setup: Why Assassinating a King Feels So Dirty
Getting to the actual mission isn't exactly a straight line. You can’t just walk up to Radovid and poke him with a silver sword. You’ve got to play the long game. To even see Reason of State Witcher 3 pop up in your journal, you have to complete a series of prerequisites that feel like a political thriller. First, you help Triss get the mages out of Novigrad during "Now or Never." Then, you have to find Thaler—everyone’s favorite foul-mouthed cobbler/spy—in "A Deadly Plot."
If you mess up your interaction with Dijkstra in "Blindingly Obvious" (like, say, by shoving him aside and breaking his other leg), the quest never even triggers. You just get locked out. Geralt basically says, "Nah, not my problem," and Radovid goes on to conquer the entire world. It’s a harsh reminder that Geralt’s temper can literally change the map of the world.
The atmosphere in that warehouse in the Novigrad docks is thick. You’re sitting there with Dijkstra, Roche, and Ves, plotting regicide. It feels heavy because it is heavy. In the books, Geralt tries so hard to stay neutral. He’s the guy who says "if I’m to choose between one evil and another, I’d rather not choose at all." But here? Neutrality is just a slow death for everyone Geralt loves. If Radovid wins, Philippa Eilhart is dead. Triss is in danger. Keira Metz is a human kebab. You’re forced into the dirt.
✨ Don't miss: All Might Crystals Echoes of Wisdom: Why This Quest Item Is Driving Zelda Fans Wild
Radovid’s End and the Problem with "The Chessmaster"
Let’s talk about the assassination itself. It’s actually pretty clever how they lure him out. Using Philippa Eilhart as bait is the only thing Radovid would actually fall for because his hatred for her is the only thing stronger than his tactical paranoia. The battle on the bridge is chaotic. Redanian soldiers are everywhere. But when the dust settles, the "Eagle of the North" dies in a way that feels oddly pathetic.
Then comes the "Dijkstra Moment."
This is the part of Reason of State Witcher 3 that fans absolutely despise. Sigismund Dijkstra is arguably the smartest man in the series. He ran Redania’s intelligence network for years. He knows Geralt. He knows that Geralt will literally kill monsters, dragons, and higher vampires to protect his friends. And yet, after Radovid is dead, Dijkstra steps out and basically says, "Hey Geralt, I’m going to kill your buddies Vernon Roche and Ves right now. You should probably just walk away."
It makes zero sense. Why would a master manipulator who prides himself on logic try to fight a Witcher in a tiny room? Why would he assume Geralt—who just helped him kill a king—would suddenly develop a "neutrality" spine and watch his friends get slaughtered? This is the point where the writing for the quest takes a massive nose-dive. It feels like the developers needed a way to force a choice between a Redanian victory or a Nilfgaardian one, and they sacrificed Dijkstra’s IQ to get there.
🔗 Read more: The Combat Hatchet Helldivers 2 Dilemma: Is It Actually Better Than the G-50?
The Three Possible World States
The outcome of this quest determines the ending of the entire game. It’s not just a side mission; it’s the geopolitical backbone of the epilogue.
If you walk away and let Dijkstra kill Roche, Redania wins the war. Dijkstra becomes Chancellor. He’s a dictator, sure, but he’s an efficient one. He industrializes the North. People have food, but they don't have freedom. It’s a "Greater Good" ending that feels incredibly cold because you had to step over the bodies of your friends to get there.
If you side with Roche and kill Dijkstra, Nilfgaard wins. Emhyr var Emreis marches into Novigrad. Temeria becomes a vassal state, which is what Roche wanted all along. It’s a bitter-sweet win. The North loses its independence, but the madness of the witch hunts finally ends.
The third option? You don't do the quest at all. Radovid lives. He wins. He goes full "Mad King" and starts purging anyone who doesn't look like him or think like him. It is, by far, the darkest timeline for the Continent.
💡 You might also like: What Can You Get From Fishing Minecraft: Why It Is More Than Just Cod
Why Nilfgaard Might Actually Be the "Good" Choice
It sounds weird to say that an invading empire is the "good" path. Emhyr isn't a nice guy. He’s a cold, calculating imperialist. But compared to Radovid? He’s practically a saint. Under Nilfgaardian rule, the mages are controlled, but they aren't burned at the stake. Non-humans are generally treated better.
There’s a specific nuance to Reason of State Witcher 3 that people miss. If you want Ciri to become Empress—which many consider her "best" or most impactful ending—you must kill Radovid and Dijkstra. Nilfgaard has to win the war for Ciri to have a throne to sit on. If the North holds, she can't take over. It’s a weirdly interconnected web of choices that forces you to be a kingmaker whether you like it or not.
How to Handle the Quest Without Ruining Your Save
If you're playing through this right now, pay attention to the dialogue in "Blindingly Obvious." When you're in the bathhouse trying to get Philippa back from Dijkstra, do not get physical. You have to give him information about the Emperor instead. If you break his leg, the quest for the assassination is gone forever.
Also, consider the gear. You get the unique sword "Winter's Blade" from Crach an Craite earlier, but the rewards here are mostly about the story. You aren't doing this for the crowns or the XP. You're doing it because the world state depends on it.
Honestly, the best way to approach this quest is to lean into the roleplay. Is your Geralt a man who sticks to the "Witcher Code" of neutrality even when it means his friends die? Or is he the Geralt from the later books who realizes that sometimes, you have to pick a side to stop a monster wearing a crown?
Actionable Steps for Your Next Playthrough
- Check your quest log early. Ensure "Now or Never" and "A Deadly Plot" are finished before you start the final act in Skellige.
- Choose your ending before the bridge. Decide now: do you want a free Temeria (Nilfgaard victory) or a powerful, industrialized North (Dijkstra victory)?
- Save often. The final fight in the warehouse can be buggy, especially with the guards' AI.
- Listen to the dialogue. Thaler and Dijkstra have some of the best lines in the game during this sequence; don't skip them just to get to the combat.
- Manage your Ciri choices. Remember that the outcome of the war is one of the three pillars that decides if Ciri becomes a Witcher, an Empress, or... something worse.
The quest is flawed. The Dijkstra turn is jarring. But Reason of State Witcher 3 remains a masterclass in making the player feel the weight of a crown, even if they’re just a guy with two swords trying to find his daughter. It’s the messy, political heart of the game, and it deserves every bit of the debate it still generates today.