Witcher 3 Whatsoever a Man Soweth Walkthrough – All Choices & Best Ending

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TL;DR

• Whatsoever a Man Soweth is the final quest of Hearts of Stone – suggested level is 36.
• Visit Shani in Oxenfurt before going to the Temple of Lilvani – this is required to unlock the good ending.
• Shani leads you to Professor Shakeslock, who tells you how to challenge Gaunter O’Dimm.
• At the Temple, choose to intervene and challenge O’Dimm to a wager to save Olgierd.
• Solve the riddle in O’Dimm’s puzzle world before the timer runs out – the answer is water (a reflection).
• Save Olgierd to earn the unique Iris Steel Sword and the Viper Venomous Silver Sword – both are missable.

Whatsoever a Man Soweth – Quest Overview

Whatsoever a Man Soweth is the final main quest of The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone. Everything you have done across the DLC – killing the Toad Prince, attending Vlodimir’s one last night out, and robbing the Borsodis’ auction house – has led to this moment. Gaunter O’Dimm has come to collect Olgierd von Everec’s soul, and Geralt must decide whether to step in or walk away.

The choice you make determines the ending of the entire expansion. It also decides which rewards you walk away with, including some of the best swords in the game. This is not a quest to rush.

Quest type: Main Quest – Hearts of Stone DLC
Suggested level: 36
Region: Oxenfurt / Temple of Lilvani / O’Dimm’s Puzzle World
Prerequisite: Scenes From a Marriage

For the full story leading up to this point, see our Witcher 3 A Dark Legacy treasure hunt guide and the other Hearts of Stone walkthrough articles on GamingProMax.

Witcher 3 Whatsoever a Man Soweth Walkthrough

The Two Endings at a Glance

Before diving into the full walkthrough, here is a quick overview of your two paths:

• Save Olgierd (Good Ending): Challenge Gaunter O’Dimm to a wager, enter his puzzle world, solve the riddle before time runs out. Rewards: Iris Steel Sword (from Olgierd) + Viper Venomous Silver Sword (found during the trial). This requires visiting Shani and Professor Shakeslock first.
• Let O’Dimm take Olgierd’s soul (Bad Ending): Do nothing and watch O’Dimm claim Olgierd. Reward: one wish from O’Dimm – choose from four items. The Viper Venomous Silver Sword is permanently lost.

The good ending is strongly recommended. Both swords are unique and cannot be obtained any other way. Save your game manually before heading to the Temple of Lilvani.

Step 1 – Go to the Alchemy Inn in Oxenfurt

The quest begins immediately after Scenes From a Marriage. Head to The Alchemy Inn in Oxenfurt. Olgierd told you to find his man there and report your success. When you arrive, it is not his man waiting for you – it is Gaunter O’Dimm.

A drunk at the bar tries to interrupt. O’Dimm stops time entirely to have his conversation with Geralt in peace, then kills the drunk on his way out. This scene alone tells you everything you need to know about what kind of being you are dealing with.

O’Dimm reminds Geralt that the brand on his face was part of their original deal. He tells Geralt to bring Olgierd to the Temple of Lilvani so the contract can be concluded. After he leaves, speak to Olgierd’s man and pass on the message.

Step 2 – Visit Shani (Do Not Skip This)

Before going anywhere near the Temple of Lilvani, go to Shani’s clinic in Oxenfurt. This is optional in the game’s framing but it is mandatory if you want the good ending. If you skip Shani and go straight to the temple, O’Dimm takes Olgierd’s soul and you have no say in the matter.

Geralt asks Shani what she found out about Olgierd. She tells him about a Professor Premethine Shakeslock at the Oxenfurt Academy, who apparently helped Olgierd research Gaunter O’Dimm in the past. Shani offers to take Geralt there.

This is also your last chance to play Shani at Gwent and win the Olgierd von Everec Gwent card. If you want that card, do it now before the quest advances. For a full card list, see our Witcher 3 Remastered how to get every Gwent card guide.

Step 3 – Break Into the Oxenfurt Academy

The Academy is not exactly welcoming to witchers. You cannot walk through the front door. Shani leads Geralt around to the river side of the building.

• Get down to the water and swim under and around to the side of the Academy.
• Three Drowned Dead are waiting in the water below the wall. Kill them.
• Once they are dead, Shani drops a rope down from above. Climb up.
• Inside, four Witch Hunters are guarding the corridor to Professor Shakeslock’s room. Deal with them. Spectre Oil on your silver sword helps if you want to save it for later, but these are human enemies so use your steel sword.
• Get to the professor’s door. It is locked. Loot the key and journal from a nearby chest to get inside.

Speak with Professor Shakeslock on the ground floor. He tells Geralt something critical: Gaunter O’Dimm is a compulsive gambler. If Geralt proposes a wager, O’Dimm cannot refuse. This is the key to the good ending. The professor’s advice is the only thing that unlocks the option to challenge O’Dimm at the temple. Without it, Geralt simply does not have the knowledge to act.

When you are done, leave the Academy through the small tower near the wall.

Step 4 – Travel to the Temple of Lilvani

With Shakeslock’s advice in hand, head to the Temple of Lilvani. Follow the quest marker through the cave passage and into the temple itself. A cutscene triggers when you arrive.

Gaunter O’Dimm appears. Olgierd arrives. The contract is called in. This is the moment of decision.

The Big Choice – Save Olgierd or Let O’Dimm Take His Soul

Option 1 – Challenge O’Dimm (Save Olgierd)

If you spoke to Professor Shakeslock, the option to intervene and propose a wager becomes available. Choose it. Geralt stakes both his own soul and Olgierd’s on a challenge against O’Dimm. O’Dimm, unable to resist a bet, accepts.

O’Dimm transports Geralt to his puzzle world – a warped, dark version of reality – and gives Geralt a riddle to solve before a timer runs out. If time expires, both souls belong to O’Dimm.

The riddle: “To all things and men I appertain, and yet by some am shunned and disdained. When I come, few rejoice, yet when I leave, some are saddened at the loss of me.”

The answer is a reflection in water. The solution is not a piece of dialogue – it is a physical thing you must find in the world.

Option 2 – Do Nothing (Let O’Dimm Win)

If you did not visit Shakeslock, or if you simply choose to step aside, O’Dimm takes Olgierd’s soul. Olgierd dies. O’Dimm is pleased and offers Geralt a reward from five choices (or four if Ciri’s story has already been completed in the base game). See the full reward list in the endings section below.

How to Solve the Riddle – O’Dimm’s Puzzle World

Once Geralt is inside the puzzle world, a timer begins depleting. It drains slowly at first but faster when you investigate wrong objects. Do not stop to fight enemies unless absolutely necessary. Move fast and follow this route exactly.

The Route Through the Puzzle World

• Follow the road forward. At the first fork, two Foglet spectres appear. Take the right road.
• At the next fork, take the left road.
• At the last fork, take the right path and head up the stairs.
• Jump across the gap in the bridge ahead.
• Before you continue – go up the stairs to find a sword stuck in a stone. Pull it out. This is the Viper Venomous Silver Sword, a unique Witcher gear weapon from the Serpent School set. It cannot be obtained any other way in a normal playthrough. Grab it before moving on.
• There is also a cave nearby with some loot if you have time, but the sword is the priority.
• Continue down from the stairs and follow the path. Head toward the visible manor ahead. Two Gargoyle spectres wait in the front yard – skip them or kill them quickly.
• Enter the manor and run down the hallway. The floor will collapse as you move through. Let it happen – Geralt drops down to a lower level.
• As you go through the lower rooms, the mirrors will all shatter as you approach them. O’Dimm has broken every reflective surface to prevent Geralt from finding the answer.
• Turn left immediately when you enter the ruins section. You will see a broken fountain. Nearby, use your Witcher Senses to examine the wall behind the fountain. You will find stones blocking a water source.
• Use Aard on the wall. Water pours out, fills the area around the fountain, and creates a natural pool on the ground.
• Look into the pool of water. The reflection in the still water is the mirror that not even O’Dimm could shatter. Interact with it.

A cutscene plays. Geralt has solved the riddle. O’Dimm is outplayed and forced to release both Geralt and Olgierd from their contracts. He vanishes. The brand on Geralt’s face disappears. Hearts of Stone ends.

Back in the real world, Olgierd thanks Geralt and gifts him his personal sword – the Iris Steel Sword, a relic-tier blade. He then promises to never make a wish again and walks away a free man. The credits roll.

The Viper Venomous Silver Sword – Do Not Miss It

The Viper Venomous Silver Sword is found during the puzzle world trial, stuck in a stone at the top of the stairs after the bridge. It is a unique Serpent School silver sword and cannot be obtained any other way in a standard playthrough without console commands. If you choose the bad ending or fail the trial, it is gone forever.

Prioritise grabbing it the moment you reach those stairs. It only takes a few seconds and it is well worth the time off the clock.

Iris Steel Sword – What It Does

The Iris is a relic-tier steel sword given to Geralt by Olgierd at the end of the good ending. It has a unique mechanic: if Geralt lands several light attacks in quick succession (whether they are blocked or not), the sword begins to glow red. Landing a heavy attack while it glows delivers an unblockable strike with a knockdown effect similar to Aard – at the cost of a small amount of Geralt’s own health. It is a high-risk, high-reward weapon that rewards aggressive play. For more on builds that can use this effectively, check our Witcher 3 Remastered best builds guide.

All Rewards – Both Endings

Good Ending Rewards (Save Olgierd)

• Iris – Relic Steel Sword with unique unblockable heavy attack mechanic (from Olgierd)
• Viper Venomous Silver Sword – Unique Serpent School silver sword (found during the trial)
• 200 XP – Quest completion
• Pacta Sunt Servanda achievement/trophy (earned on either ending)

Bad Ending Rewards (Let O’Dimm Take Olgierd)

O’Dimm offers Geralt one wish. Choose based on what you value:

• “Wanna be as swift as the wind” – Earns the Caparison of Lament, a Roach saddle that grants +100 Horse Stamina and adds a dark cosmetic fog around Roach’s head.
• “Never wanna go hungry again” – Earns the Horn of Plenty, an infinite food source.
• “A bottle of vodka that’s always full” – Earns the Bottomless Carafe. Cosmetic only, cannot be dismantled or used in any meaningful way. Skip this.
• Refuse any reward – Earns extra XP instead.
• “Can you find Ciri?” – Only available if the base game’s main story has not been completed. O’Dimm declines but the option exists.

None of the bad ending rewards compare to the two swords from the good ending. The Caparison of Lament is the best of the bad ending options if you want something practical.

Whatsoever a Man Soweth – Tips

• Talk to Shani first, every time. If you go to the temple without visiting her and Shakeslock, the good ending is locked out. There is no recovery.
• Play Gwent with Shani before heading to the temple to get the Olgierd von Everec card. It is your last chance.
• Make a manual save before entering the Temple of Lilvani. The puzzle world disables saving and uses a checkpoint, but having a pre-temple save lets you redo your choice if needed.
• In the puzzle world, go straight for the Viper Venomous Silver Sword at the top of the stairs. That is the priority. Everything else is secondary.
• Do not fight enemies in the puzzle world unless you have to. Every second counts and the timer drains faster when you waste time.
• The answer to the riddle is always water – find the blocked fountain, use Aard on the wall behind it, and look into the pool that forms.
• The Iris sword’s red glow and unblockable heavy attack is a strong tool against tough human enemies. Learn the mechanic.

Related Witcher 3 Guides

• Witcher 3 A Dark Legacy Treasure Hunt Guide
• Witcher 3 Remastered All Endings Guide
• Witcher 3 Remastered How to Get Every Gwent Card
• Witcher 3 All Missable Gwent Cards
• Witcher 3 Remastered Best Builds for All Playstyles
• Witcher 3 Remastered Skill Tree Guide

Frequently Asked Questions