The Secrets of Loc Muinne quest in The Witcher 2 is part of the Enhanced Edition and can only be accessed if the player sides with Iorveth and continues with his path.
As you arrive in Loc Muinne’s Square, you’ll find a few scholars and some other people talking. The two scholars are there to get some companions that can guard them from danger during their mystery adventure, which is later revealed to be the exploration of a mage’s laboratory.
If you accept their offer, the quest will start, and they’ll tell you to meet them at the Crypt of Mages. To reach their location, go downstairs until you reach a door.
Open the door, and you’ll hear the two scholars talking with Cynthia and Adalbert in The Witcher 2. You can listen to their conversation and even look at them from the crack in the wall. As you feel the timing is correct and you’ve heard enough, go inside and confront the group.
Once Cynthia realizes who you are, she’ll put down the option of making a deal. You can either accept the deal by selecting the Let’s hear it option or reject it by choosing There will be no deals option. Here are the results of both options.
Option A: Kill the Cynthia and Adalbert
If you choose, There will be no deals option, the fight will start between you and both mages. Adalbert will multiply himself, which would result in a 4v1 battle. They are pretty hard to fight as both are powerful. Their ranged spells come continuously, giving you a tiny window to land your attacks.
Once you get to defeat them, the Secrets of Loc Muinne quest in The Witcher 2 will be marked as failed, and you’ll be left with nothing.
You can also reach this conclusion another way. During the start, ask about Triss and other quarries. During the conversation about what Cynthia hopes to find in Dearhenna’s laboratory, she refuses to answer. Then, an option arises that says, I’m not about to work for Nilfgaard. If you select this, Adalbert will not let you leave, and the fight will start.
Option B: Make a deal with Cynthia and Adalbert
If you accept their offer to make a deal at the start or after the conversation, the quest will move forward. Pick up the loot and follow them into the sewers. As you continue, you’ll encounter monsters that you need to kill as it is your main task. Here are all the monsters you’ll need to fight in The Witcher 2:
- Body Eaters
- Endregas
- Draugirs
- Bruxas
- Rotfiends
What are the answers to Guardian’s Eye riddles?
After a long corridor, Cynthia senses an illusion and uses her magic to break it. She’ll reveal a door and an eye over it. The eye will ask a riddle that can vary for each player. There are three riddles, out of which one can be asked randomly. One scholar would try, and he would answer wrong, which would make the eye burn him to death in The Witcher 2.
| Riddle Statement | Answer |
| I’m seen to fly, described as hard. I can be your currency and heal all wounds, but not many things can stand my test. | Time |
| Pleasant or terrible, I come at night or in daytime. Short or long, but yours alone, essential, I am… | Dream |
| Capable of kindness and cruelty, I take victims when I sour. I can be on your side or wrong you. I bring gifts, though you already have me. | Fate |
Continue, and you’ll come into a room full of Redanian soldiers. The fight will immediately start, so be prepared after the riddle. The mages would also help you, so it will be easy to kill them.
As soon as the soldiers are defeated, Cynthia will declare the presence of another guardian eye. Wait for her to reveal it and then answer according to the statement. The eye will say three verses in The Witcher 2: The Secrets of Loc Muinne quest that will reveal the answers according to the nine frescos in the room.
Out of these, here are three frescos that are the answer according to the verses. Both mages will take part in this riddle.
- Cynthia’s Spot: The Dragon (Third from the right of the eye)
- Adalbert’s Spot: The Moon (Lady standing straight)
- Geralt’s Spot: The mountain mine (First from the left of the eye)
The riddle would be solved, but the other scholar, Farid, would also die after getting labeled as an intruder by the eye. The door to Dearhenna’s Laboratory in The Witcher 2 will open after that.
How to persuade the Talking Golem in Dearhenna’s Laboratory?
The door reveals a Talking Golem, which Dearhenna made. Your only task here is to persuade the Talking Golem to let you pass and explore the laboratory. This can be done if you make him believe that he is a living creature, not a machine. This is not possible with simple dialogues, and you’ll need to use some specific options.
Select dialogues in The Witcher 2 that portray you as a guest and are not invasive in any way possible. Talk to him about the lies and delusions and the fact that only a master’s will exists. Don’t use the Axii sign, as it is a machine and would categorize you as an intruder.
Neither go for asking its name or anything personal. If you manage to portray yourself as a guest, the golem will fall, leaving the room to explore. Now, you can proceed without any complications. If not, two more golems will appear, and you’ll have to defeat them all. They are pretty powerful, so the attacks would be less damaging.
You can complete a mini-quest here by collecting five pages from Dearhenna’s journal scattered in the room.
What does each Final Decision result in?
Inside the laboratory, Cynthia finds a mysterious artifact that breaks the illusion. After this, both mages will talk to you, and you’ll have the following three options and the results from them.
| Dialogue Option | Result |
| All right. We’re even. | The quest will conclude with you getting 500 experience and some Orens. |
| All right. We’re even. | I can’t let you leave with that thing. |
| This will start a fight against the mages, both of them. Once you defeat them, you’ll get the chance to keep the artifact that you can only use three times. | This option will bring Cynthia to your side, and both of you will fight Adalbert. This fight is much easier as Cynthia helps a lot. |
Although all options are okay and would complete the quest with no further effect, it is better to choose the third option. According to suggestions, it’s better to side with Cynthia as she does become your ally later on. And that is how you’ve now completed the Secrets of Loc Muinne Quest of The Witcher 2.
