Witcher 3 Dead Man’s Party Walkthrough – Hearts of Stone Quest Guide

TL;DR

• Dead Man’s Party is the second main quest of the Hearts of Stone DLC – suggested level is 33.
• Visit Shani in Oxenfurt, then go to the Von Everec family crypt to summon Vlodimir’s ghost.
• Kill the Wraiths, spread the incense with the Censer, then let Vlodimir possess Geralt.
• Attend the wedding in Brunwich and complete all activities before midnight to get the achievement.
• Don’t leave the party early – the optional romance quest A Midnight Clear fails if you do.
• Hand Vlodimir’s letter to Olgierd at The Alchemy Inn in Oxenfurt to finish the quest.

Dead Man’s Party – Quest Overview

Dead Man’s Party is one of Olgierd von Everec’s three wishes in The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone. Olgierd wants Geralt to show his brother Vlodimir the time of his life. The catch? Vlodimir has been dead for years.

Witcher 3 Dead Mans Party Map

With Shani’s help, Geralt performs a ritual to summon Vlodimir’s ghost and lets the spirit temporarily take over his body. Vlodimir then attends a lively wedding in Brunwich – using Geralt’s arms, legs, and unfortunately his dignity – for one last night of celebration.

It is a lighter, more fun quest compared to the rest of Hearts of Stone, but it hides some missable loot, an optional romance, and a hidden achievement that many players miss.

Quest type: Main Quest – Hearts of Stone DLC
Suggested level: 33
Region: Oxenfurt / Brunwich / Von Everec Estate
Reward: 1,050 XP + optional King of Swineherd’s Crown

If you have not started Hearts of Stone yet, read our Evil’s Soft First Touches walkthrough first, as that quest must be completed before Dead Man’s Party unlocks.

How to Start Dead Man’s Party

Dead Man’s Party becomes available after you complete Evil’s Soft First Touches and hear Olgierd’s two wishes. Open your map and head to Shani’s clinic in Oxenfurt. The quest marker will point you straight there.

When you arrive, a Redanian soldier will ask what Geralt thinks of Shani. Your answer here does not affect your relationship with her or lock you out of the romance later. Say whatever you like.

Talk to Shani and explain Olgierd’s request. She knows the Von Everec family crypt and agrees to help. She gives Geralt a Censer, which you will need for the summoning ritual inside the crypt.

She arranges to meet Geralt at the Von Everec Estate south of Brunwich. Travel there to find her waiting outside.

The Von Everec Family Crypt

Follow Shani to the crypt entrance. She will wait outside while Geralt goes in alone. Get your Silver Sword ready before you descend.

Step 1 – Kill the Wraiths

As soon as you enter, four Wraiths attack. Clear them all out before doing anything else. Use your Silver Sword and Yrden to make them easier to hit. Once the room is clear, activate your Witcher Senses.

Step 2 – Get the Hidden Crypt Key (Don’t Miss This)

This is the most commonly missed step in the entire quest. In the main chamber of the crypt, look for a breakable wall on the northern side. Your Witcher Senses will highlight it. Use Aard to smash through it.

Inside, there is a graverobber’s corpse. Loot it to get the Crypt Key. This key opens a locked gate near the main entrance of the crypt. Behind that gate is a tunnel leading to a hidden cave with 4 Arachnomorphs and 2 chests full of loot. One of the most notable items here is a copy of the Ofieri kilij, a very strong steel sword.

Vlodimir will grumble at Geralt for raiding the family crypt, but there are no actual consequences for taking everything. Loot it all.

Step 3 – Find Vlodimir’s Grave

Use your Witcher Senses to examine the coffins in the main chamber. Vlodimir’s grave is at the front-right side of the room, identifiable by the sabre placed at the stone grave marker. Interact with it.

Step 4 – Perform the Blood Summoning Ritual

Equip the Censer that Shani gave you. Follow the marked locations around the crypt and use the Censer to spread incense in every room. Once you have covered all the required spots, return to the central cauldron and interact with it to light the main votive.

This triggers the ritual and summons the entire Von Everec family – who immediately turn hostile.

Step 5 – Defeat the Von Everec Family Ghosts

Fight off the spirits of the dead Von Everec family with your Silver Sword. After you defeat them all, Vlodimir von Everec appears. He is amused rather than angry and listens to Olgierd’s wish.

No matter what dialogue options you pick during the conversation, the outcome is always the same. Vlodimir possesses Geralt’s body, and the witcher loses consciousness. You are now Vlodimir for the rest of the evening.

The Wedding in Brunwich – Full Activities Guide

Vlodimir-as-Geralt wakes up next to Shani, who immediately catches his eye. Head to the wedding in Brunwich and speak to Aldona and Johnnus, the newlyweds, to get things started.

The wedding has four major activities that progress the quest and six smaller optional interactions. Time passes after each major activity until midnight arrives and Vlodimir has to leave.

Important: If you want the Let the Good Times Roll! achievement, you must complete all ten activities before the story forces you past midnight. Do the six small interactions first, then tackle the four main events.

Six Optional Wedding Interactions

These are quick and easy. Do all six before starting any of the major activities:

• Speak with the woman sitting by the tree to the right of the pig-herding pen.
• Drink with the two women near the barn’s main entrance.
• Speak with the woman near the barn ladder.
• Climb the ladder and interact with the pillow to sit with Shani.
• Enter the barn and dance near the musicians.
• Find the small tent inside the barn with the dwarves and interact with the cup beside them.

Major Wedding Activity 1 – The Pig Herding Game

Walk to the pig pen and talk to the men there to begin the challenge. You need to guide the two pigs marked with yellow paint into the pen.

Here is the key rule: do not use Axii. If you use Axii on the pigs, the other participants accuse Geralt of cheating and the bonus reward is forfeited.

Instead, position Geralt directly behind each pig and slowly walk it toward the pen. It takes a bit of patience but it is not difficult. Guide one pig in, then the other.

Complete it without cheating and you win the King of Swineherd’s Crown. This is a Roach trophy that gives a 15% bonus to gold earned from selling items. Worth grabbing.

Major Wedding Activity 2 – Find the Missing Fire Swallower

Talk to the NPCs near the center of the wedding who are panicking about the missing entertainer. Head toward the dog pen on the left side of the entrance and activate your Witcher Senses.

Follow the tracks north into the woods. You will find the fire swallower hiding up in a tree, terrified of a dog below him.

Use Axii on the dog to send it home. Do not just scare it away – if you do, the dog can disappear entirely and cause issues.

When you speak to the fire swallower, do not ask how he performs his trick. He takes serious offence and leaves. If he leaves, Geralt is forced to spend 50 Crowns or use Axii to convince him to come back. Just escort him to the wedding without prying.

A boar attacks on the way back. Kill it quickly and continue escorting the performer until he reaches the party safely.

Major Wedding Activity 3 – Play Gwent With the Halflings

Find the Halflings at the wedding to start a Gwent game. They play a Northern Realms deck with Foltest: The Steel-Forged as their leader and can use Spy, Weather, and Scorch cards. Bring a strong deck if you care about winning.

There is no major reward for beating them. But if Geralt loses, he has to wear donkey ears for the rest of the wedding, which is funny but embarrassing. Despite the wager, the Halflings do not actually take any of Geralt’s money if he loses.

If you want to sharpen your Gwent skills before the match, check out our guides on the best Northern Realms Gwent deck and how to get every Gwent card in Witcher 3 Remastered.

Major Wedding Activity 4 – Find Shani’s Shoe (The Slipper Game)

Head toward the river area of the wedding grounds and join the activity happening there. Shani throws her shoe into the water, and Geralt has to retrieve it.

Dive into the pond and activate your Witcher Senses. Shani’s shoe is in the far-left section of the water. There are other shoes on the floor of the pond, but you only need hers. Pick it up and swim back to the surface, then return the slipper to finish the activity.

Finishing the Wedding – Meeting Gaunter O’Dimm

Once you have done everything you want to do at the party, head to the barn and meet Gaunter O’Dimm. Your dialogue choices during this conversation do not meaningfully change the outcome.

There is also a chance to make a speech at the musicians’ stage. It can make things awkward for Geralt and Shani but has no lasting consequences either way.

At midnight, Gaunter O’Dimm intervenes and forcibly removes Vlodimir’s spirit from Geralt’s body. Control returns to Geralt. The quest does not end yet – the optional side quest A Midnight Clear now activates.

A Midnight Clear – Shani’s Romance (Do Not Skip This)

Right after Vlodimir leaves Geralt’s body, A Midnight Clear starts automatically. This is the only opportunity in the entire game to pursue a romance with Shani, and it is completely separate from the Triss and Yennefer romances. It does not affect your choices with either of them.

Do not leave the wedding area yet. A Midnight Clear fails permanently if you progress to Scenes from a Marriage before completing it. If you walk away from the party right now, the quest fails and you miss the romance.

To start the romance with Shani during A Midnight Clear, choose the dialogue option “That kiss didn’t sate me.” That’s all it takes.

The quest itself is short. Follow the markers, spend some time with Shani, and enjoy the moment. The rewards are not game-changing but the story content is worth seeing, especially for players who know Shani from The Witcher 1.

Return to Olgierd – Completing the Quest

After the wedding events are done and A Midnight Clear is finished (or skipped), travel to The Alchemy Inn in Oxenfurt. Find Olgierd and hand him the letter that Vlodimir wrote – in Geralt’s blood – as proof that his brother enjoyed one final night of celebration.

Olgierd accepts this and the quest concludes. Dead Man’s Party ends here. You are free to continue the Hearts of Stone story and tackle the remaining quests.

For a look at how all of this leads to the final outcomes of the DLC, see our Witcher 3 Remastered all endings guide.

All Rewards for Dead Man’s Party

• 1,050 XP – Full quest completion
• King of Swineherd’s Crown (Roach trophy) – 15% gold bonus from selling items; awarded for winning the pig herding game without Axii
• Ofieri kilij – A powerful steel sword found in the hidden crypt cave (missable)
• Donkey ears – Cosmetic trophy for losing the Gwent match (optional humiliation)
• Let the Good Times Roll! achievement – Complete all wedding activities

Missable Content Checklist

• Crypt Key and hidden loot – Use Aard on the north wall of the main crypt chamber. Easy to walk past without noticing.
• Ofieri kilij steel sword – Inside the cave behind the locked crypt gate. Requires the Crypt Key.
• King of Swineherd’s Crown – Win the pig herding game without using Axii.
• Let the Good Times Roll! achievement – Complete all six minor and four major wedding activities before midnight.
• A Midnight Clear and Shani romance – Must be done before leaving the wedding area. Fails forever if you start Scenes from a Marriage first.

Dead Man’s Party Tips and Tricks

• Break the north wall of the crypt with Aard as soon as the Wraiths are dead. It is very easy to miss the hidden loot area.
• Do all six minor wedding interactions before any of the four major activities. Time skips after each major event and the minor ones lock out.
• Do not ask the fire swallower how his trick works. It offends him and costs you 50 Crowns or an Axii use to get him back.
• Use Axii on the dog near the fire swallower. Simply scaring it away can cause it to disappear and create problems.
• Avoid using Axii during the pig herding game if you want the King of Swineherd’s Crown bonus trophy.
• Stay at the party after Vlodimir leaves. A Midnight Clear is time-limited and fails if you rush off toward the next main quest.

Need to stock up on supplies or earn more Crowns before the next quest? Check our Witcher 3 Remastered best money and Crown farming guide.

Related Witcher 3 Guides

• Witcher 3 Evil’s Soft First Touches Walkthrough
• Witcher 3 Remastered – All Romance Options Guide
• Can You Romance Triss and Yennefer Together in Witcher 3 Remastered?
• Witcher 3 – All Missable Gwent Cards
• How to Heal in Witcher 3 Remastered
• Witcher 3 Remastered Skill Tree Guide

Frequently Asked Questions