The Play’s the Thing is among the main quests in The Witcher 3 involving a dramatic play as a move to find Dudu hidden in Novigrad. Geralt is searching for Dandelion and Ciri and needs Dudu’s help to find both of them.
Dudu, the doppler, is hiding for fear of being killed. He transforms into different characters and outfits to protect his identity from being revealed. This walkthrough will help you quickly complete The Play’s Thing quest and pick the best choices for the play in The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt.
Help Priscilla write the play
As the quest starts, you must visit Kingfisher Inn and meet Priscilla there. During the conversation, Geralt will pitch an idea of a dramatic play to lure Dudu out of hiding. Both of you will agree to write and perform a new play. Priscilla begins writing the new script, leaving the title choice to Geralt.
At this moment in The Play’s The Thing, you can choose any of the two titles suggested by Priscilla, but The Doppler’s Salvation is recommended as it is short and catchy. Furthermore, regarding the choice of play type, either dramatic or comedy can be chosen. We went with the comedy genre.
Take the script to Irina at the theater
Once Priscilla has done writing the script, you need to take it to Irina to get approval. Irina runs a theater near Hierarch Square in Novigrad in The Witcher 3. A person is sitting at the door, and he will ask you to buy a ticket to enter the theater.
Here, you have two choices. Either give him 50 crowns for the ticket and enter the theater or if you want to enter the theater for free with no ticket, you will have to run around a bit. You need to find a house on the other side of the theater and climb on its roof. From there, jump to the adjacent roof and then enter the theater.
This way, you can meet Madame Irina without buying a ticket. However, purchasing a ticket for the entrance is recommended as it will save time and effort.
Irina supports the idea of finding Dudu with the help of the play. She demands Geralt arrange some Ushers and Puffins to conduct the play smoothly. Puffins will help spread the word about the play so more people can attend the show, resulting in more crowns and XP at the end of the quest.
Hiring ushers
For hiring the Ushers, you need to move to the docks area. Here, you will find Sofus the Bull enjoying a fight. Upon asking to work as an Usher, he gives Geralt multiple options.
The first is to pay him 70 crowns, while the other is to fight with two people simultaneously. Do note that you must pay them 140 Crowns if you lose the fight. But if Geralt wins, both of them will work for free. Getting into the fight is recommended as it is not that challenging, and you will save a bit of money.
Recruiting puffins
Once the Ushers are hired, you must move to the Hierarch Square area and enter the marked building. Interacting with the Puffins will inform you about the bandits harassing the Puffins.
Go outside their house, and you’ll find three men harassing a man. Ask them to leave, but they won’t budge, which would then prompt you to choose between paying 50 crowns, using the Axii sign, or fighting them.
Each choice leads to a fight, so pick whatever, although I selected the Axii choice. Defeating one of them would end in them leaving which would free the Puffins. They will get out praising Geralt and offer to do the job for free in return.
Selecting the cast for the play
Now, you need to return to Irina to start the play. She will begin to talk about the cast of the play and will choose Geralt as the Witcher. Furthermore, she had already decided whom to cast as Servant and the Queen. But for the Prince and Princess, she asks Geralt for input.
The best cast choice for Prince is Abelard Rizza as Maxim Boliere wouldn’t show up for the play due to being drunk. For Princess, your options are Priscilla or Irina. Personally, I went with Priscilla cuz the play is basically her baby, so she should get to act in it. Choosing Irina or Priscilla has no impact on the outcome of the quest.
What lines to use in the play
Once the play has started, Geralt needs to speak different lines while performing the Witcher role. The choice of lines is a crucial part of the play.
For the play, these are the correct lines that you must pick for the best results, and 150 XP will be added to the final reward:
- To slay beasts most foul
- Perhaps ‘midst the guests
- Seems men’s hearts
- But a base heart
- No monster is he
While performing on the stage, Geralt finds Dudu in the crowd and smartly calls him onto the stage. But if the choice of drama were made, a riot would break, and you would need to call Zoltan and ushers to control the outraged observers.
At the end of the show, you will get 500 XP and finally a chance to talk to Dudu. Geralt and Zoltan discuss the proposed plan to rescue Dandelion, and Irina rewards Geralt based on his performance in the show.
- All correct lines will result in 150 XP and 50 crowns
- More than three correct lines will result in 125 XP and 20 crowns
- At least one correct line will result in 110 XP
With that reward, The Play’s The Thing quest ends, and a new quest related to Djikstra, A Poet Under Pressure, starts in TW3.
Best cast and choices for The Play’s The Thing
Below is a summary of all the best choices you can make during The Play’s The Thing quest in The Witcher 3 for the best possible outcome to the quest.
- The Script (Title: The Doppler’s Salvation and Type: Comedy)
- The Theater (Entrance: Enter the theater by buying the ticket)
- Hiring Ushers (Fight: Choose to fight Sofus instead of money)
- Recruiting Puffins (Fight: Choose Axii dialogues and fight)
- The Cast (Prince: Abelard and Princess: Priscilla)
- The Play (Lines: To slay beasts most foul, Perhaps ‘midst the guests, Seems men’s hearts, But a base heart, No monster is he)
