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This might have been said a thousand times already, but it is relevant again. Velen is a miserable place. Its people often turn to drink and other vices to keep their sanity as they cope with abject poverty and its inherent danger. Some take a less regressive approach, finding solace in faith.
Related:The Witcher 3: In The Heart Of The Woods Side Quest Walkthrough
The Witcher 3gives you a brief snapshot of this in the quest Defender of the Faith. Geralt is asked by an old woman to help restore a series of shrines across Velen before their desecration angers a god and brings all manner of fresh miseries into the swamp.
How To Start Defender Of The Faith
There aretwo placeswhere you meet the woman that starts the quest. She can be found ata junction east of Blackboughor atDuén Hen,further to the west of Velen.
You are likely to meet her at the first location. You are likely to pass by while playing the main story quest,The Bloody Baron.
It’s not something to worry about, though. The quest isnot affected by the orderthat you restore the shrines.
She needs Geralt torestore a fallen shrinebefore the god it is dedicated to curses Velen. If you choose to accept the quest, Geralt will restore the shrine by lifting it back upright. She will thank Geralt andasks him to restore two more shrinesthat have been recently vandalized.
This quest will take you througha large part of western Velen, where two of the shrines are located. At each one, you will need todefeat any nearby enemiesandinteract with the shrineto cleanse it.
The route fromDuén Hento the shrinesouth of Bywayscan take you throughhigher-level enemiesintended to be fought later in the game such as agriffinand a town oflevel 20 ghouls.
With the exception of the shrine near Crow’s Perch, Geralt will have todefeat nearby enemiesbefore he is able to restore the shrine.
South of Byways
Apack of wolveswill attack Geralt.
The last shrine you encounter will have its enemiesreplaced by some rowdy studentsresponsible for the vandalism.
How To Deal With The Students
The students have chosen tobattle against religion itselfand had begun their crusade by desecrating the shrines that you have been restoring. You can choosehow Geralt responds.
Geralt refuses to allow them to continue,starting a fight.
Let Them Continue
The students are left alone to carry on. This willfail the quest.
Fighting The Students
They quote what modern listeners might recognize as Nietzsche and Marx to Geralt. The witcher can call upon what he learned at the School of the Wolf by punching them in the face, instead. You will need tofight all the students at onceto complete the quest.
You candraw your swordduring the fight. This willmake the students draw their weapons.In this situation, you will have tokill theminstead of merely beating them into unconsciousness.
Next:The Witcher 3: Complete Guide And Walkthrough
