You’re riding through the Toussaint countryside, the sun is hitting the grapevines just right, and honestly, you feel like a god. Then you find a lake. Not just any lake, but Lac Célavy, where a hermit is literally walking on water. It’s a scene ripped straight out of Arthurian legend, but in the world of Geralt of Rivia, nothing is ever that simple. This is the starting point for There Can Only Be One The Witcher 3 players often call the ultimate endgame challenge. It isn't just about swinging a sword; it’s about proving you aren't just a mutant sellsword with a bad attitude.
Most quests in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ask you to kill something. A drowner, a griffon, maybe a higher vampire if you’re unlucky. But this one? It asks you to be a good person. That’s surprisingly hard when you’ve spent the last hundred hours looting every peasant's cabin you come across.
What Actually Happens in There Can Only Be One?
If you’ve picked up the Blood and Wine expansion, you’ve probably heard whispers of a legendary sword. Aerondight. It’s the Excalibur of the Witcher universe. To get it, you have to satisfy the five chivalric virtues of Toussaint: Generosity, Valor, Compassion, Honor, and Wisdom.
The hermit at the lake won’t just take your word for it. You have to have actually lived these virtues during your time in the Duchy. If you’ve already finished most of the side quests and acted like a jerk, you might be locked out. That’s the beauty—and the frustration—of how CD Projekt Red designed this. It’s a retroactive check on your morality.
Breaking Down the Five Virtues
Let's get into the weeds of how you actually trigger these flags. It’s easier than you think to mess this up.
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Generosity is usually the easiest one to tick off. Remember that kid who brings you a letter from Yennefer or Triss in the Beauclair port? Just give him a tip. Five crowns. That’s it. You’ve proven you aren’t a total miser. Alternatively, during the quest "Where Children Toil, Toys Waste Away," you can give some coin to the bootblack. It’s about showing that Geralt cares about more than just his next potion refill.
Compassion is a bit more nuanced. In the quest "The Beast of Toussaint," after you fight the Shaelmaar in the arena, you get a choice. You can kill it or spare it. Spare it. The crowd might want blood, but the hermit wants to see mercy. Another way is through "Big Game Hunter." If you help Count Beledar and show interest in the safety of the panthers, you’re golden.
Honor is where things get dicey because it often involves Geralt’s personal code. In the quest "The Warble of a Smitten Knight," you enter a tourney. If you accept a duel to settle a matter of honor and actually win, it counts. Or, in "Till Death Do Us Part," if you tell the truth to Charles Lanzano about what was actually happening in the cemetery, you’ve acted honorably.
Wisdom isn't about how high your level is. It’s about making the right call when things are complicated. The best example is the "La Cage au Fou" quest. If you choose to lift the curse on the spotted wight instead of just killing it, you’ve shown the wisdom to see a victim where others see a monster.
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Valor is the bread and butter of a Witcher. It’s about facing down the impossible. Completing the main contract "The Beast of Toussaint" usually covers this, but you can also get it by finishing "Feet as Cold as Ice" and taking down the Groomore.
Why Aerondight Is Actually Worth the Hassle
Is it just a shiny toothpick? No. Aerondight is arguably the best silver sword in the game because it scales.
Every time you hit an enemy, the sword builds charges. Once it’s fully charged, every hit is a guaranteed critical hit. If you kill an enemy with a fully charged sword, its base damage increases permanently. This means if you get the sword at level 40 and keep playing until level 100 in New Game Plus, the sword grows with you. It’s the only weapon in the game that does this effectively.
The fight with the Hermit himself is the final test. He isn't a push-over. He uses water-based magic and moves with a fluidity that can catch you off guard if you’re used to just tanking hits. It’s a dance.
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Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them
People often panic thinking they've missed their chance.
- Check the Stones: Near the hermit, there are five stones inscribed with the virtues. If Geralt reads them and comments on one, it means you haven't completed that specific virtue yet.
- Don't Rush the Main Story: A lot of these virtues are tied to side quests that vanish if you push too far into the main Blood and Wine plot.
- The Bootblack Tip: If you missed the letter-delivery kid, the bootblack in Beauclair is your backup for Generosity. Don't intimidate him; just pay for the info.
The "There Can Only Be One" quest is a rare moment in gaming where your choices over dozens of hours actually coalesce into a single physical reward. It turns Geralt from a monster hunter into a true knight of the realm, even if he still smells like a swamp most of the time.
How to Check Your Progress Right Now
If you are standing at the lake and the Hermit is telling you that you're lacking, don't delete your save. Open your quest log. Look for "The Warble of a Smitten Knight." This is the "gold mine" for virtues. You can get Honor and Valor right there in the tournament grounds.
If you’ve already finished that, look for "Father Knows Worst." Resolving the tension between the brothers without a bloodbath is a major check for Wisdom.
Toussaint is a land of fairy tales, but those tales have teeth. To get the best sword in the game, you have to prove you have a heart.
Step-by-Step Action Plan for Aerondight
- Travel to the Isle of Selina (Lac Célavy) northwest of Beauclair to start the quest by talking to the Hermit.
- Verify your virtues by interacting with the five stones surrounding the pool.
- Complete "La Cage au Fou" specifically by choosing to have dinner with the wight to secure the Wisdom virtue.
- Enter the Tourney in "The Warble of a Smitten Knight" to knock out Valor and Honor in one go.
- Return to the Lake once all virtues are acknowledged.
- Defeat the Hermit in a duel—use Quen to deflect his water projectiles and stay mobile.
- Claim Aerondight and immediately go find a group of low-level drowners to start farming kills and increasing the sword's permanent damage stat.