You’re riding through Velen. The rain is pouring—because in The Witcher 3, it’s always pouring—and you see that yellow exclamation point near Lindenvale. Most players stumble into "The Fall of the House of Reardon" thinking it’s just another "kill the monsters, get the coin" contract. It isn't. Not really.
This quest is a masterclass in how CD Projekt Red uses environment to tell a story that's actually kind of heartbreaking. You meet Dolores Reardon. She’s an old woman sheltering in a barn, crying about her family estate that's been overrun by monsters. She hands you a key. She mentions a stash of "floren" (the old currency) and begs you to clear out the "wraiths" so she can go home to die in peace.
It sounds simple. It’s never simple.
The Secret History Behind The Fall of the House of Reardon
If you’ve played the previous games, specifically The Witcher 2, this quest changes completely based on one single choice you made regarding Letho of Gulet. For the uninitiated, Letho is the Kingslayer. If he’s alive in your world state, the "monsters" Dolores complained about aren't even the main event.
Honestly, the "monsters" part of the quest is basically a warm-up. You head to the Reardon manor, which is this sprawling, dilapidated mess of overgrown weeds and crumbling stone. If Letho is dead, you just fight some booblers or wraiths, find the hidden stash, and call it a day. But if he’s alive? The manor is rigged. Tripwires everywhere. Letho is hiding in the barn because he’s being hunted by Nilfgaardian mercenaries.
This is where the narrative depth kicks in. You realize Dolores wasn't just chased out by monsters; her family history is rooted in a much darker, human betrayal.
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Searching for the Truth in the Dust
When you get inside the manor, don't just rush to the objective. Look at the walls. Read the diary entries. You find out about Dolores’s brother, Humbert.
There’s a specific moment where you can find a sturdy wall in the cellar that looks... off. If you use Aard to blast it open, you find a skeleton. This isn't just random set dressing. It's the remains of Dolores's brother. It turns out her husband, a man she loved, actually murdered her brother and walled him up alive to seize the estate.
That’s the "Fall" the title is talking about. It’s not just the physical collapse of a house. It’s the moral rot of a family.
Dolores spent decades wondering where her brother went. She thought he abandoned her. Finding that skeleton changes the context of her entire life. It turns a standard RPG errand into a gothic tragedy. You’re not just a monster hunter here; you’re a forensic investigator unearthing a cold case that’s decades old.
How Your World State Changes Everything
Most people don't realize how much the "Simulate Witcher 2 Save" option at the start of the game impacts this specific quest.
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If you didn't simulate a save or chose the "wrong" dialogue during the interrogation in Vizima, Letho is gone. You miss out on "Ghosts of the Past," which is the follow-up quest that triggers immediately inside the Reardon grounds. Without Letho, the manor feels empty. It feels like a chore.
With him? It’s a reunion.
Letho is a giant, hulking wall of meat who happened to kill kings, but in this quest, he’s vulnerable. He’s tired. Seeing him hide out in the ruins of the Reardon estate—a place defined by betrayal—is incredibly poetic. The mercenaries hunting him are relentless. You end up helping him fake his own death using a special decoction. It's one of the few times Geralt gets to act as a true friend rather than just a contractor.
The Rewards (and why they kind of suck)
Let’s be real: the physical rewards for The Fall of the House of Reardon aren't going to make you rich. Dolores gives you the key to a small box in the manor. Inside, you find about 100 florens.
In the grand scheme of The Witcher 3, where Grandmaster armor sets cost thousands of crowns, 100 florens is pocket change. It’s enough for a couple of beers and maybe some repair kits. But that’s sort of the point.
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Dolores is a refugee. She’s lost everything. The "treasure" she’s been holding onto for years is actually quite pathetic because the world moved on without her. The real reward is the closure. Or, if you’re a completionist, the reward is getting Letho to show up at the Battle of Kaer Morhen later in the game. That is a massive advantage that you literally cannot get if you mess up this quest or the choices leading into it.
Common Misconceptions About the Reardon Manor
People often think they’ve "finished" the quest once the journal entry updates.
Nope.
If you haven't found the secret room in the cellar, you haven't finished the story. You can go back to Dolores and tell her you cleared the monsters, and she’ll be happy. But you have the option to tell her the truth about her brother.
Is it better to let an old woman live in a happy lie, or tell her that her husband was a fratricidal monster? The game doesn't give you a "right" answer. If you tell her, she’s devastated, but she gets to bury her brother properly. If you stay quiet, she lives out her final days in a house built on a secret grave. Velen is a miserable place.
Key Details to Remember:
- The Barn: Check the rafters. Letho usually hides up there if he’s in your game.
- The Cellar: Use Witcher Senses. The "shimmering" wall is breakable.
- The Diary: It’s located in the main house. It explains why the husband was so resentful of Humbert.
- The Loot: It’s under the floorboards in the side building.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Playthrough
To get the most out of the Reardon storyline, you need to be intentional. Don't just click through the dialogue.
- Ensure Letho is alive. When speaking to Morvran Voorhis in Vizima at the start of the game, tell him you didn't kill Letho at Loc Muinne. This is non-negotiable if you want the full experience.
- Level up first. While the quest is low-level, the wraiths can be annoying on Death March difficulty if you don't have Specter Oil or the Yrden sign upgraded.
- Investigate the cellar before talking to Dolores again. Find the skeleton of Humbert. This unlocks the extra dialogue options that provide the emotional weight the quest is known for.
- Complete the quest before the "Isle of Mists." Like many character-driven side quests, there is a cutoff point. If you progress too far in the main story, you might miss the chance to recruit Letho, which makes the upcoming battles much harder.
- Look for the "Lesser Blue Mutagen." There’s often one tucked away in the crates near the manor’s back entrance. Mutagens are rare in the early game, so grab it.
The Fall of the House of Reardon isn't just a quest; it's a reminder that in Geralt’s world, the past is never really buried. It’s just waiting behind a thin layer of brick in the cellar.