Skellige is cold. It’s miserable, jagged, and filled with sirens that want to tear your throat out. But most players remember their first trek to Undvik not because of the weather, but because of the sheer, overwhelming sense of dread. The Witcher 3 Lord of Undvik isn’t just another contract on a notice board. It’s a sprawling, multi-layered tragedy that serves as a masterclass in environmental storytelling. You're not just hunting a monster here. You are retracing the steps of a failed expedition, stumbling over the frozen corpses of men who thought they could be heroes.
Honestly, the first time I played this, I missed half the content. That’s the thing about Undvik; it doesn’t hold your hand. If you just follow the quest markers, you’re going to fail people. You’ll leave survivors to rot in cages or miss out on the best possible ending for the Skellige succession line.
What actually happened on Undvik?
The island is a graveyard. Hjalmar an Craite, the hot-headed son of Crach, decided he was going to slay the Giant of Undvik to prove he deserved the crown. He took a crew of Skellige’s finest, and the Giant—an ancient, intelligent Ice Giant named Myrhyff—basically turned them into snacks or building materials.
When Geralt arrives, the atmosphere is heavy. You see the massive ship the Giant is building out of the husks of wrecked longships. It’s eerie. You’ll find nails. You’ll find planks. You’ll find the "Lord" himself feeding his sirens. The scale of the destruction is massive compared to your standard drowner nest in Velen.
The mistake most players make with Hjalmar’s crew
Here is where it gets tricky. Most people rush to find Hjalmar. They see the tracks, they follow the red glow of Witcher Senses, and they run straight to the ruins. Don’t do that.
If you want the "best" outcome—which basically means keeping as many people alive as possible—you have to be a detective. There are two key NPCs you can save before the final confrontation: Folan and Vigi the Fool.
- Folan is being cooked by trolls. Literally. You’ll hear them arguing about a recipe. If you don't intervene early, Folan is dinner. Saving him adds a crossbowman to your final fight, which is actually super helpful when the sirens start swarming.
- Vigi the Fool is locked in a cage right next to the Ice Giant’s sleeping spot. He’s a total liability, but he’s your liability.
If you ignore these guys, they die. The game won't tell you that you failed a sub-objective because, technically, the quest is just about Hjalmar. But the narrative weight changes. A lonely Hjalmar returning to Kaer Trolde is a much more somber sight than a victorious one backed by his "unkillable" crew.
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The Ice Giant: Not your average boss fight
Myrhyff of Undvik is a terrifying piece of work. He doesn’t just swing a club; he uses the environment. He’s the reason the island is deserted. He drove out an entire clan. When you finally face him, the game shifts into a high-stakes stealth mission—at least for a few seconds.
You have to walk on the snow, not the ice. Or is it the other way around? It’s the ice. Step on the crunchy snow, and he wakes up. It’s one of those rare moments in The Witcher 3 Lord of Undvik where Geralt actually feels small.
The fight itself is a test of patience. Myrhyff hits like a freight train. If you’re playing on Death March difficulty, one hit is usually a reload screen. Using Quen is obvious, but the real trick is Igni and Northern Wind bombs. Giants hate fire, but they also hate being frozen in place while you reposition.
Once he hits half health, he grabs an entire ship's anchor to use as a flail. It’s metal. It’s brutal. And it’s a reminder that CD Projekt Red wanted this to feel like an epic saga, not a chore.
Why this quest defines the Skellige storyline
You can't talk about Undvik without talking about the politics of the Isles. This quest is one half of the "Kingmaker" arc. While Cerys is off being smart and methodical in "Possession," Hjalmar is here being... well, Hjalmar.
The contrast is wild.
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In "Possession," you're dealing with a Hym, a psychological shadow monster that feeds on guilt. It's quiet and terrifying. In Undvik, you're dealing with a physical titan. It’s loud and bloody.
Choosing who to support for the throne often comes down to how you feel after these two quests. Did you prefer the tactical brilliance of Cerys, or did the raw, Viking-style glory of Hjalmar’s hunt win you over? Even if you choose Cerys later, Hjalmar’s presence at the Battle of Kaer Morhen is determined by whether you helped him here.
The Horn of Plenty and other missable loot
There is a weird, legendary item hidden on this island called the Horn of Plenty. It’s an endless supply of food. In a game where you’re constantly scavenging for raw meat and bread to heal, this thing is a godsend.
But you won't find it if you just follow Hjalmar. You have to explore the deserted villages. You have to look into the corners of the map that the quest marker ignores. That’s the beauty of Undvik. It rewards the wanderer and punishes the rusher.
Navigating the bugs and triggers
Look, as much as I love this game, Undvik can be buggy. Sometimes the tracks don't trigger. Sometimes the Giant’s AI glitches and he just stares at a wall.
The most common issue involves the "Finding Hjalmar" objective. If you find the camp where the massacre happened but don't interact with the specific clues—the boat, the footprints, the bodies—the game might not progress the dialogue options correctly later.
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Always manual save before entering the sea caves. The geometry in Skellige is notorious for trapping Geralt in "sliding" animations where you can't jump out. Nothing ruins an epic monster hunt like getting stuck behind a pebble.
The legacy of the Lord of Undvik
What makes this quest stick in the brain years after release? It’s the silence. Most of the quest is spent wandering through empty, ruined homes. You find notes from people who were just trying to survive a winter, unaware that a giant was about to smash their roof in.
It’s the peak of Witcher storytelling. It’s not about saving the world; it’s about a small, localized apocalypse. Geralt is just the guy who cleans up the mess.
If you’re heading back into the Continent for a replay, treat Undvik with respect. Don't just fast-travel in and out. Sail there. Watch the sirens circle the mast. Feel the scale of the shipwreck on the mountain. It’s one of the few places in the game that feels truly dangerous, even for a mutant with two swords.
Actionable insights for your next playthrough
- Rescue Folan first: Head to the troll circle before going to the main ruins. If you kill the trolls or win their riddle game, Folan joins you for the rest of the quest.
- Don't wake Vigi too early: In the final cavern, you can sneak past the Giant to get the key from the chest. If you wake the Giant before unlocking the cage, Vigi’s survival becomes a lot harder.
- Check the master armorer’s tools: While you’re on the island, don't forget the side quest "Master Armorers." The tools Yoana needs are located in the Clan Tordarroch forge on Undvik. It’s efficient to grab them while you’re already there for Hjalmar.
- Loot the Giant: It sounds basic, but his mutagen and the unique loot he drops are essential for high-level decoctions.
- Watch the dialogue: If you want Hjalmar to grow as a character, challenge his recklessness in the post-quest conversation. It doesn't change the ending, but it adds a lot of flavor to his arc.
The best way to experience this is to go in under-leveled. When the Ice Giant can kill you in one swing, the tension of the stealth section becomes real. It turns a standard RPG mission into a genuine survival horror experience.