The Warble of a Smitten Knight - tourney quest The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine Guide

This is one of the longest side quests in Blood and Wine expansion pack. During its course Geralt will not only participate in a tournament consisting of various competitions, but he will be able to help Vivienne in solving the problem of her curse as well.

Note - there is a serious bug associated with the quest in the 1.20 version of the game, which might prevent you from completing it. If you've decided (during the conversation with Guillaume at the beginning of the quest) to learn about the tournament competitions, refrain from selecting horse racing as the first competition to practice. Because of the bug Geralt wouldn't be able to leave the starting line. Instead, select the shooting range, or melee combat as the first competition. If the bug occurred the only solution to that is to load a save game, or the nearest checkpoint.

• Starting the quest
• Training before the tournament
• Beginning of the tourney - shooting range & race
• Battles on the arena
• Lifting Vivienne's curse

Starting the quest

Visit Guillaume in the medics' tent

You don't need to search for the place where the quest can be unlocked since it is added automatically to Geralt's journal during The Beast of Toussaint main quest. In that quest Guillaume was trying to impress Vivienne and got hurt in the encounter with the shaelmaar. Later in the game you can go visit him. The man can be found on the Tourney Grounds, north of Beauclair (M2,2).

Find Guillaume and speak with him once you get there. He will ask you to take his place in the tournament and to help Vivienne who is said to be a victim of a curse. You can immediately agree on helping Guillaume or first negotiate the payment. Then Guillaume will want you to train for the tournament competitions. You can agree (dialogue options 1-3) or refuse (fourth option). If you selected the latter option, then skip to the Go to the registration tent and register for the tourney step.

Training before the tournament

Follow Guillaume to the shooting range

Hit only the red knights

This step will only activate if during the conversation with Guillaume you agree to train for the shooting competition. Go to the shooting range. You must hit the shields with red knights on it by using the crossbow. Try destroying all red targets before the time limit ends.

Follow Guillaume to the race track

Example objects to attack with the sword and with the crossbow

This step will only activate if during the conversation with Guillaume you agree to train for the horse race competition. Reach the racing track. You must travel through the track (the green line on the minimap) before the time ends. What's important, during the race you can gain additional seconds by destroying the obstacles on your way. Geralt can:

• Hit the dummies with the sword - prepare the attack preemptively, but the swing itself must be done in the last moment. Only then you can be certain that the dummy is correctly hit.
• Hit the shields that hang very high with the crossbow - use the fact that time slows after you start aiming with the crossbow and try making every hit count.

If you fail an attack, then don't try stopping or going back to the obstacle - you don't have to destroy them all to guarantee reaching the finish line in time limit.

Follow Guillaume to the training grounds

This step will activate only if during the conversation with Guillaume you agree to train for the melee battle competition. Go with Guillaume to the arena and stand in its central point.

Defeat Horm

You must defeat only a single opponent during the training - Prince Horm Akerspaark of Maecht. The most important thing related to this duel is that Geralt can't use Witcher signs and bombs. You can heal yourself if you have to. Depending on your fighting style you can run around the opponent and search for openings for a quick attack while depending on dodges or you can parry Horm's attacks and perform counterattacks.

Go to the registration tent and register for the tourney

You can sign up for the tournament after the first conversation with Guillaume or after participating in training for the tournament competitions. Go to the registration tent, speak to the Scribe and tell him that you want to compete in the tournament. During the conversation you can decide whether you want to participate as Geralt or as Sir Ravix. This decision will not affect the course of the tournament in any way. However, it will affect one of the additional fights that you can fight between the individual events. Also, it will affect the names of the unique tournament rewards that Geralt wins. During the conversation with the scribe you will receive a special tournament armor and a shield. Geralt cannot use the shield but he can hang it in his mansion in Corvo Bianco Vineyard.

Beginning of the tourney - shooting range & race

Go to the shooting range

Playing gwent with Palmerin is optional. Even if you win, you will make the first competition only slightly easier

Go to the shooting range where the first competition will take place. Before the competition starts, Palmerin will talk to Geralt. He will want to play gwent. Geralt won't receive any unique reward for winning, but he will participate in the competition during different time of day, when the sun won't shine directly in his face. The difference is very small, so you can refuse Palmerin if you don't want to waste time.

In order to win the first competition you must hit all nine red knights before your opponent destroys his blue targets. If you win, you will receive a unique crossbow (it will have different name depending on whether you participate in the tourney as Geralt or as Ravix). You can also participate in a short conversation with Vivienne.

Very important - Losing a competition won't end in failing the quest. In worst case you won't get additional rewards and won't participate in the final duel on the arena. You will still be able to identify Vivienne's curse and remove it.

Use your Witcher Senses to investigate Vivienne's hut

Meet with Guillaume and follow him to Vivienne's hut. Activate Witcher senses and start checking the interactive objects. You don't need to find any specific object in the hut. Soon you will be scared away and you will be able to focus on the second tourney competition.

Go to the entrance to the racing course

The competition will start after you arrive at the destination. The competition will be same as the training you may have played previously. You must complete the track before the time runs out and on your way you can gain some time by using the sword to destroy the dummies and by using the crossbow to hit the shields. If you manage to win the competition, Vivienne will give you a unique saddle for Roach.

Defeat Anseins in a mounted duel or Defeat Tailles and his thugs

Geralt can enter either a mounted duel or a fist duel

After Geralt and Guillaume go to rest, one of the two additional scenes starts:

• If, while entering the duel, you have said your name is Geralt, you will be challenged to a mounted duel by prince Anseis. You can agree to fight. To win, hold down the sword attack button, while Anseis is approaching, and release it when you are nearly side-by-side. Thanks to this, he should receive a blow. Repeat this tactic several times, until he loses his entire health.
• If, while entering the duel, you have said your name is Ravix, Geralt and Guillaume will be accosted by Count Tailles and his men. After a short conversation, you will have to defeat your opponents in combat. During the fight, you can attack with your fists only. Do not let your opponents surround you and try to eliminate them one-by-one. You cannot use witcher signs, but this is not too much of a problem.

Confront Vivienne

Entrance to the cave through which you must walk on your way to Vivienne

Go back to Vivienne's hut and enter the small balcony at its back. Geralt will notice a bird and will decide to follow it. You can use Witcher senses to find the bird or look for the yellow circle on the minimap. While following the bird you don't need to worry that you will lose it, so don't worry if you encounter some monsters on your way.

Later the bird will fly over a cave. Find the entrance to the cave and decide to walk through it. You must be careful as Geralt can be attacked by Barghests and Wights. You can use wraith oil, Moon Dust bomb or Yrden sign against the barghests (attack the monsters when they are inside the Yrden circle). Wights can be attacked in more traditional way, but if you have necrophage oil then consider using it (preferably after taking care of the barghests). Leave the cave and continue following the bird. Soon you will reach a field where Geralt will meet Vivienne and learn details about her curse.

If you tell Guillaume about the curse, you have decide on which way to lift it

After you return to the encampment, see Guillaume. There are two things you can do here. You can either tell him about Vivienne's curse or keep it a secret. If you have told the secret, Guillaume will want the curse to be carried over to him. You can decide to lift the curse, as you have originally planned, which will cut her life cycle shorter (the first dialogue option) or agree on his proposition and carry the curse over to him (the second dialogue option).

Regardless of your decisions, you will have to decide whether to carry on with the tournament, or rather focus on lifting the curse. It is better to select the first option since after finishing the tourney you can still help Vivienne.

Battles on the arena

Defeat the opposing team

If you decided to finish the tournament, then you will move to the arena where two five-person teams will face each other. When the battle starts, attack only the knights from the opposite team. Try helping your teammates because of they are defeated too early then you will have to defeat the remaining opponents on your own. If you manage to defeat the opposing team then you will be able to face the champion of the arena.

Defeat the champion of the arena

Attack Gregoire after his unsuccessful attacks which end in his sword hitting the ground

Gregoire de Gorgon is the master of the arena and you can face him only if you defeated the opposite team on the arena. The most important information related to this duel is that Geralt cannot use Witcher signs or bombs. You must depend only on sword attacks. Gregoire is using a powerful, two-handed sword and all of his attacks are rather slow. It is best to wait for his attacks to miss and then run towards him and perform attacks of your own. If you watch yourself then Geralt can win the duel without losing health. If not, then using healing items is allowed during the duel.

Defeating Gregoire will equal winning the whole tourney. As a reward Geralt will receive gold and a unique sword (its name will be same as the one Geralt picked when signing for the tournament).

Lifting Vivienne's curse

There are two ways in which to lift the curse - by cutting short Vivienne's life cycle or by carrying the curse over to Guillaume

Regardless of the tournament's results, you will cut to the tent, where you have another conversation with Vivienne and Guillaume. If you want to remove the curse and cut short Vivienne's life, you will go to the rite site with her only. If you decided on carrying the curse over to Guillaume, he will join you also.

Head towards the mead. Along your path, deal with the panther that you can defeat using Igni, and sword with oil against beasts applied. In a moment, a longer cutscene will start, where you perform the ritual. If Guillaume does not take part in it, you will have to meet him afterwards. You can tell him he truth about the side-effects of the rite, or lie to him and reassure him that Vivienne will have a long and happy life. In either of the cases, you will be rewarded by the man with your payment.