The Nithing Quest is related to a particular NPC individual called Lothar, whose son has been a victim of the Nithing Curse in The Witcher 3. You can investigate this matter, which will later turn out to be a lover’s betrayal of sorts. Ultimately, you will have to make a crucial decision to get rid of the Nithing curse and save Lothar’s son.
Furthermore, this particular secondary quest will require you to be on Level 14. You will either need to meet with Lothar or take up the Nithing quest from the Notice board in the Skellige Isles Region in The Witcher 3.
In this quest guide, we will discuss all the objectives required to complete Witcher 3 The Nithing Quest.
Witcher 3 The Nithing Quest Walkthrough
There are two ways that you can use to initiate the Nithing Quest in The Witcher 3. The first way will be to find Lothar yourself. You will need to head southeast from the Rannvaig area. This way you will reach a crossroads so turn right and at the end of this road you will find a house. Lothar can be spotted easily outside his house so speak with him. This will trigger the Nithing Quest automatically for you.
If you are having trouble finding Lothar then you can go to the Notice board that is located south of the Rannvaig area. Moreover, on this Notice board, you can also discover other secondary quests, including The White Whale in Mine!, Glory to Eldrid, Cunning Man Wanted, etc. Once you take up the Nithing quest, you can head to Lothar’s house next in The Witcher 3.
Speak with Lothar
The first objective of the Nithing Quest will involve you speaking with Lothar, who posted this contract on the Notice Board. You can follow the quest marker to reach his house, and sure enough, Lothar will be present outside his house next to a large stew pot in The Witcher 3.
Lothar will be offering a small prayer so you can speak to him and inquire about his trouble with the curse. He will point out the horse head stuck to a pole near the fence on your right side and this will be called the Nithing curse. This particular curse can bring misfortune and also result in death.
According to Lothar his firstborn child Tjalve had been the victim of this Nithing curse and is suffering from a fever due to which he is growing weaker each day. Lothar tried to lift the curse but he had no luck and feared that his child would die in The Witcher 3.
You can offer to help him by finding out who placed the Nithing curse on Lothar’s son and convince that specific person to lift the curse themselves. Depending on how you perceive the Nithing quest you will also have to make another choice on whether you want to deflect the Nithing Curse on the person who inflicted it on Lothar’s family later on in The Witcher 3.
Investigate the Nithing
Once your conversation ends with Lothar, you can investigate this matter and make your way to the Nithing first. On closer inspection, you will discover that Tjalve’s name will be carved on the shaft which may suggest that the person knows Lothar and may be connected to him in some way.
However, prior to your conversation with Lothar, he did not mention suspecting any particular individual who would want to cause him any harm, so you need to look for other clues in The Witcher 3.
Follow the Tracks
Next, you can use your Witcher senses and find some tracks that will lead away from the Nithing. You will need to follow the tracks while using your Witcher senses, and along the way, you will find a woman’s shawl stuck to a tree on your right side.
You can smell this shawl and then follow the distinctive scent. This way, you will be able to reach the Rannvaig area in The Witcher 3. Once you reach this specific area, the scent you will be following will be mingled with the other scents of the people living there so now you will need to take another investigative approach by inquiring about the woman’s shawl you found earlier.
Ask about the Shawl’s owner
You can ask around the village folk and begin your investigation from the left end and go to the house near the shore. There will be a Skellige Woman standing outside, so you can speak with her and ask her if she recognizes the shawl you found earlier. To your surprise, this woman will immediately recognize the shawl and tell you that it belongs to their herbalist called Jonna. She will point out her hut in The Witcher 3.
Confront Jonna
Now that you have successfully identified the culprit, you will need to question Jonna and prove that she is behind the Nithing curse on Lothar’s son. Make your way to her hut, and Jonna will also be present outside so speak to her and tell her that you found her shawl near Lothar’s house by the Nithing she placed there.
Jonna will admit that she did it out of pure love for Lothar. It turns out she was supposed to marry Lothar, but he cast her aside for another woman. This made Jonna really jealous, and when Lothar’s son was born, she placed the Nithing curse on his son Tjalve as an act of revenge on Lothar for betraying her love.
You can then ask Jonna to lift the Nithing curse and she will agree but only on one condition. Jonna will state that Lothar will need to renounce his family and come back to her in The Witcher 3. After this conversation ends, you can take your leave and go back to meet with Lothar again.
Talk to Lothar on how to lift the Nithing curse
You will need to speak with Lothar about your findings on the Nithing curse so you can retrace your steps and meet him at his house. He can be found mending a large wheel outside his house. You can break the news about Jonna being the culprit. He will not be pleased with her actions and will not agree to her conditions. Lothar loves his family and will not be able to leave them alone for Jonna, so he will ask you to let Jonna die in The Witcher 3.
Now you will have two options,
- Option 1: Spare Jonna and ask Lothar to go to her
If you are sympathetic towards Jonna’s pain of Lothar’s betrayal, then you can select the first dialogue choice which says “Can’t do that” in The Witcher 3. Lothar will be enraged as you will be choosing to help Jonna instead of his innocent son.
However, Geralt will explain to Lothar that he has a choice in this matter and that his son can still be saved if he leaves his family for Jonna. Lothar will be angry and tell you to leave while he accepts Jonna’s offer. The Nithing Quest will conclude, and you will only receive Experience Points (x75) as a reward for concluding this quest.
- Option 2: Let Jonna die by her own curse (Nithing)
If you want to go with the second option, then select the dialogue option, which says, “So be it.” This way, you will need to carve Jonna’s name into the Nithing in The Witcher 3.
After you have done this act, you can meet with Lothar and tell him that his son Tjalve will recover and Jonna will get what she deserves, which will be a quick and painful death. Lothar will be pleased, and you will receive your reward. This will conclude the Nithing Quest, and you will get
- Experience Points (x25)
- Crowns (x60)
Should you kill Jonna in The Witcher 3? What’s the Best Choice?
In my opinion, the best choice here is to kill Jonna by carving her name on the Nithing curse that she set up for Lothar’s son. Lothar is a good and decent fellow who values his family and their safety. He bears no ill intent towards anyone and also doesn’t blame Jonna or mention her when you inquire about the Nithing Curse at the start of the quest.
On the other hand, Jonna has not gotten over Lothar’s betrayal and blames him for marrying another woman when she clearly has feelings for him. She is willing to kill his innocent son in order to make Lothar feel miserable for leaving her.
You can judge by Jonna’s condition that she is willing to destroy Lothar’s family if he doesn’t come back to her, so saving her should not be a sane choice for you. Moreover, saving her doesn’t mean that she will still sell you stuff, as this will not be the case in the base game or even the NG+ run in The Witcher 3.
The best choice for the Nithing Quest will depend on how you want the Nithing curse to end in The Witcher 3. If you want to gain more Experience Points, then you can convince Lothar to leave his family for Jonna.
However, if you wish to receive gold and experience points, then the best choice here would be to inflict Jonna with her own curse. This way, you will not only save Lothar’s child, but instead of physically killing Jonna, you will let her reap what she sows by carving her name on the Nithing curse in The Witcher 3.
