The Whispering Hillock is one of the hardest choices in The Witcher 3. A spirit trapped under an old oak in Velen asks Geralt to set it free and promises to save the orphans of Crookback Bog in return. What it doesn’t tell you is what it plans to do once it’s out.
There’s no outcome where everyone lives. This guide shows exactly what each choice leads to, which one we recommend, and how to complete both paths.
Quick answer: what’s the best choice at the Whispering Hillock?
Free the spirit if you want to save the orphans of Crookback Bog. Kill it if you want the Bloody Baron and his wife Anna to survive. Freeing the spirit saves the children but leads to a massacre in Downwarren and the deaths of Anna and the Baron. Killing it keeps Downwarren safe and the Baron alive, but the Crones take the orphans.
| Outcome | Free the spirit | Kill the spirit |
|---|---|---|
| Orphans of Crookback Bog | Saved, sent to Novigrad | Taken by the Crones |
| Downwarren village | Attacked, most villagers die | Safe |
| Anna Strenger | Cursed into a water hag, dies | Survives but loses her mind |
| The Bloody Baron | Takes his own life | Leaves Velen with Anna to find a cure |
| Affects Ciri’s ending? | No | No |
What is the Whispering Hillock quest?
The Whispering Hillock is a quest in Velen, tied to the main quest “Ladies of the Wood” and the Bloody Baron storyline. You’ll find it at the Ancient Oak, west of Downwarren and south of the Orphans of Crookback Bog signpost. A cave under the tree leads to the spirit, which is held in place by roots around a beating heart.
Most players reach it while investigating the deaths in Downwarren during “Ladies of the Wood.” You can also stumble on the oak while exploring Velen, in which case it shows up as a secondary quest.
What happens if you free the spirit?
The spirit keeps its word about the children. The orphans of Crookback Bog escape the Crones and end up in the care of a woman named Marabella in Novigrad.
But the spirit then turns on Downwarren, the village that has been making offerings to the Crones, and kills most of the people living there. The Crones blame Anna for losing the children and curse her into a water hag. When Geralt lifts the curse later in “Return to Crookback Bog,” she dies, and the Baron hangs himself in grief.
What happens if you kill the spirit?
Downwarren survives, and the villagers keep living under the Crones’ rule. The orphans don’t: the Crones take them, and the game makes it clear they’ve been eaten.
Anna isn’t turned into a water hag, but she loses her mind. The Baron survives and leaves Velen with her, hoping to find someone who can heal her. For many players, this is the only way to give the Baron a less tragic ending.
There’s also a “trick” option. You can gather the ritual items, then let the spirit bleed out instead of finishing the ritual. It ends the same way as killing it.
Which choice should you make?
There isn’t a right answer, but here’s how we see it.
Free the spirit if you care most about the innocent people involved. The orphans are children with no part in any of this. The Downwarren villagers have been feeding the Crones for years. It’s a grim trade, but it’s the one most players and guides call the lesser evil.
Kill the spirit if you’re invested in the Baron’s story. It’s the only path where he and Anna both survive, even if Anna isn’t herself. It’s also the choice that keeps a whole village alive, if you count lives rather than weigh them.
Our pick for a first playthrough is to free the spirit. The Bloody Baron questline is built around consequences, and this path follows through on them. If you’ve already seen that ending, killing the spirit is worth a replay, especially now that the Remastered update gives you a reason to start over.
How to free the spirit
You’ll need three items for the ritual. Mark them on your map before you head out.
- Raven feather: go to the harpy nest west of Downwarren, past the broken bridge.
- Spirit’s bones: search the southern edge of the swamp, between the Ancient Oak and the Orphans of Crookback Bog signposts. Use your Witcher Senses to find the grave.
- Black horse: find the wild black horses near the area. Approach slowly, since they run if you get too close, then cast Axii to calm one. Ride it back to the cave.
- Return to the cave under the Ancient Oak and complete the ritual at the spirit’s grave.
How to kill the spirit
- Enter the cave under the Ancient Oak and follow the flooded path to the heart in the roots.
- Refuse to help the spirit, either right away or after collecting the ritual items.
- Fight off the waves of endrega workers. Each wave weakens the branches guarding the heart.
- Attack the exposed heart to finish it.
Killing the spirit drops diamond dust, glowing ore and a lesser glyph of Quen.
Does the Whispering Hillock affect the ending?
No. This choice changes what happens in Velen, the fate of the Baron’s family and the orphans, but it has no effect on Ciri’s ending or the game’s main epilogue. Make the choice based on which story you want, not on the final ending.
One tip before you decide
Make a manual save before you enter the cave. The choice locks in once the fight starts or the ritual is complete, and the consequences don’t show up until later in “Return to Crookback Bog.” A save lets you see both outcomes without replaying hours of the questline.
There’s also a known quirk: if you free the spirit before talking to Downwarren’s ealdorman, Anna reportedly isn’t cursed into a water hag, but the village is still attacked and the orphans’ fate becomes unclear. Most guides recommend talking to the ealdorman first so the quest plays out as intended.
If you’re replaying on PC with the new Remastered update and running into stutter or frame drops, our Witcher 3 Remastered PC performance fix covers the settings that help most.
