Part 59 - The Witcher 3 - 2nd playthrough - Death March

Geralt's signature sitting pose. :D

We asked the peasants what this Sabbath on Bald Mountain was all about as if we didn't already know. The "Ladies" feast on human sacrifice while the gullible peasants celebrate having survived another year, right?

I was surprised to find tame wildlife near the celebrating peasants.

Sara and Johnny are now together! So the good decision in the Novigrad Dreaming quest is actually kicking Sara out of the house.

Geralt retrieved the blind lady's coin from the lake to prove he was worthy of standing before the "Ladies," but it turned out to be a trap, and this sylvan attacked us upon seeing the coin, saying it was a "death sentence." It sure was for him... Ciri and I cut him down in a matter of seconds.

Geralt and Ciri deciding who should fight Imlerith and who should go for the Crones. Ciri wanted Imlerith, but she loses the game of rock, paper, scissors, and gets the Crones instead.

Wonderfully horrifying scenes ensue.

"Yum-yum!"

I thought the fight with the Crones would be the tougher one of the two on Bald Mountain, because there are three of them, and Ciri can't use signs or potions or eat food to heal herself. I expected Geralt would have much less trouble with Imlerith. I was sorely mistaken.

While the fight with the Crones wasn't easy for me, it was nothing compared to what was awaiting me on top of Bald Mountain.

Ciri killed two of the Crones, Brewess and Whispess, but Weavess turned into a flock of crows and fled with Vesemir's wolf medallion.

Meanwhile, Geralt found Imlerith.

This fight, ugh! I died ten times at least - none of which happened after this or the below screenshot, though. :D What eventually worked is dodging - not rolling! - behind Imlerith during the first phase of the fight when he still has his shield, and then maniacally rolling back and forth from left to right during the second phase until he "freezes" for a few seconds with his maul stuck in the ground, and then rolling to him and slashing him a few times. And of course having quen on at all times. This all sounds much easier than done...When I finally got to the second phase again, and for the first time wasn't killed by him in two blows, my heart was pounding outside my chest.

Geralt: "What an interesting patch of grass..."

Imlerith: "Raaargh!"

Look at the size of that elf! :O

When Geralt saved his own life by using igni, I wondered why Vesemir didn't do the same when Imlerith picked him up this same way a few days earlier... Then someone's post on a forum set me straight. Vesemir was very old and completely out of stamina after he used aard to push Ciri out of the way to save her.

Imlerith's final moments. It felt like real triumph when he was finally down.

Early morning, Ciri joined Geralt on the cliffs of Bald Mountain.

Unlike in my first playthrough, I told Ciri I would stay a bit longer, and I went back to loot Imlerith's body. Now I have the magic acorn which is supposed to give me two ability points if I eat it.