The Witcher 3 Blood and Wine Endings Guide: How to Unlock Every Outcome

Explore all the witcher 3 blood and wine endings. Learn how your choices shape Toussaint, Dettlaff, and the duchess sisters in this complete guide.

Choosing your path through Toussaint's sun-drenched vineyards is no simple task, making an understanding of the witcher 3 blood and wine endings essential before you commit to pivotal quests. As one of the most celebrated expansions in gaming history, CD Projekt Red's Blood and Wine tests Geralt of Rivia with complex moral dilemmas where there is rarely a clean, black-and-white solution.

Whether you want to secure a peaceful resolution or prefer a gritty, tragic conclusion fit for a dark fantasy epic, navigating the witcher 3 blood and wine endings requires careful attention during major turning points like "The Night of the Long Fangs." This guide breaks down every available outcome, the exact requirements to trigger them, and community reports on how these choices affect Geralt's ultimate fate.

Overview of the Expansion's Climax

The entire narrative climax of the expansion hinges on a single major branching point during the quest The Night of the Long Fangs. Depending on whether Geralt decides to track down Orianna to reach the Unseen Elder or chooses to follow Damien's advice to find Syanna inside the palace, the entire fate of Beauclair will shift dramatically.

To help you visualize the branching paths, here is a quick comparative breakdown of the primary routes available in the game:

Quest Route	Primary Action Required	Resulting Story Arc	Major Consequence
The Unseen Elder Path	Visit Orianna, summon the ancient vampire via the cave.	Skips the fairy tale land entirely.	Forces the "Bad Ending" where both sisters perish.
The Fairy Tale Path	Speak to Damien, inspect the playroom, enter the fable world.	Opens up choices regarding Syanna's magical ribbon.	Allows for either the "Good" or "Medium" ending paths.
Prison Bypass Route	Ignore the ribbon in the fable world.	Syanna is slain by Dettlaff during the confrontation.	Triggers the prison sequence followed by Dandelion's rescue.

Understanding these initial forks in the road ensures you do not accidentally stumble into a narrative path you wish to avoid. Make manual save files right before "The Night of the Long Fangs" if you plan to experiment with different outcomes.

Ending 1: Both Sisters Die (The Bad Ending)

The darkest of the witcher 3 blood and wine endings leads to a tragic double tragedy where both Anna Henrietta and Syanna lose their lives. This grim outcome can be triggered through two distinct methods, either by leaning into vampire lore or by failing dialogue checks during the epilogue.

How to Trigger the Bad Ending (Option A: The Unseen Elder)

If you choose to bypass the magical fable world by seeking out Orianna and descending into the lair of the Unseen Elder, the game removes player agency over the sisters' fate.

Quest Step	Action Required	Narrative Impact
The Night of the Long Fangs	Choose to find the Hidden (Orianna).	Initiates the hunt for the beast's nest.
Blood Simple	Track down the beast at the orphanage.	Closes off the option to pursue Syanna's whereabouts.
What Lies Unseen	Summon and converse with the Unseen Elder.	Forces a direct, unnegotiable confrontation with Dettlaff.
Tesham Mutna	Defeat Dettlaff in combat.	Resolves the immediate threat at the cost of vampire harmony.

How to Trigger the Bad Ending (Option B: Dialogue Failures)

Alternatively, if you enter the fairy tale land and defeat Dettlaff, you can still unlock this dark conclusion during the Pomp and Strange Circumstance quest. If you refuse to attend the ceremony, or if you select the wrong dialogue options when speaking to Syanna—specifically failing to convince her to let go of her bitter resentment toward her sister—Syanna will assassinate Anna Henrietta during the awards ceremony, prompting Damien's guards to instantly execute Syanna.

Player experience note: Many community members on the official forums report that stumbling into this tragic ending blind on a first playthrough feels shocking, yet strangely fitting for the bleak, unforgiving atmosphere of the broader Witcher universe.

Ending 2: The Death of Syanna (The Medium Ending)

If you prefer a bittersweet or heavily flawed compromise, you can guide the story toward a path where the Duchess survives, but her estranged sister meets a bloody end at the hands of the enraged higher vampire.

To unlock this specific resolution, you must commit to finding Syanna during The Night of the Long Fangs, explore the playroom in the palace, and enter the fable world via Beyond Hill and Dale. However, the crucial catch occurs inside the fairy tale realm itself: you must completely ignore the girl selling flints and fail to acquire the magical ribbon.

Step in Fable World	Action to Take	Consequence
Encountering the Flint Girl	Ignore her trades / Do not purchase or win the ribbon.	Syanna loses her magical tether of protection.
Confronting Dettlaff	Trigger the boss battle at Tesham Mutna.	Dettlaff slays Syanna before Geralt can intervene.
Aftermath	Deal with Dettlaff (kill him or let him go).	Geralt is arrested and sent to Toussaint's prison.

Following this sequence, Geralt will experience the Burlap is the New Stripe main quest, where his loyal friend Dandelion conveniently arrives to bail him out. While Anna Henrietta mourns her sister, you can still investigate the bootblack and discover the identity of Dettlaff's fifth and final intended victim, though the overarching tragedy remains set in stone.

Ending 3: Both Sisters Survive (The Good Ending)

Widely considered the "happy ending" by the community—though still tinged with the series' signature gray morality—this outcome ensures that Anna Henrietta and Syanna reconcile, hugging it out after airing their grievances.

Achieving this peaceful resolution requires precise execution across multiple quests. You can review the official context and community discussions regarding these milestones on the CD Projekt Red Forums.

Checklist for the Happy Ending

During The Night of the Long Fangs, choose to find Syanna by talking to Damien and inspecting her childhood room.
While traversing Beyond Hill and Dale, make sure to interact with the flint girl and acquire the magical ribbon (either by winning it in a game of Gwent or purchasing it with coin). This ribbon acts as a life-saving safeguard against Dettlaff's fatal blow.
Defeat Dettlaff during the ensuing confrontation at Tesham Mutna.
Before the awards ceremony in Pomp and Strange Circumstance, visit the bootblack with Regis to read the letter revealing the fifth victim.
During your conversation with Syanna prior to the ceremony, choose dialogue options that encourage forgiveness and remind her of their shared childhood bond, avoiding hostile choices that push her toward vengeance.

+-------------------------------------------------------+
|                 The Good Ending Path                  |
|                                                       |
|  [Find Syanna] -> [Get Ribbon] -> [Defeat Dettlaff]   |
|                          |                            |
|                          v                            |
|                 [Choose Reconciliation]               |
|                          |                            |
|                          v                            |
|             (Both Sisters Embrace / Live)             |
+-------------------------------------------------------+

Reward Comparisons Across the Paths

Your choice of ending does not just influence the cutscenes and narrative closure; it also impacts the gear, swords, and items you take away from your adventures in Toussaint.

Ending Path	Unique Armor / Gear Available	Notable Weapon Drops	Post-Game Status
The Bad Ending (Unseen Elder)	Hen Gaidth Armor Set (Vampiric stats)	Cantata Silver Steel Swords	Regis is exiled from Toussaint.
The Medium Ending (Syanna Dies)	Standard Grandmaster Gear options	Aerondight (if virtues fulfilled)	Geralt spends time in prison; Dandelion assists escape.
The Good Ending (Both Live)	Standard Grandmaster Gear options	Aerondight + Duchess's Gift	Vineyard Corvo Bianco is fully visited by friends.

For players looking to optimize their build, acquiring the legendary silver sword Aerondight is entirely possible on any path as long as you demonstrate the five chivalric virtues throughout your journey in the DLC. However, collectors who enjoy dark aesthetic styles often lean toward the Unseen Elder path purely to loot the striking red Hen Gaidth armor set.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which of the Witcher 3 Blood and Wine endings is considered canon?

CD Projekt Red has not designated any single outcome as strictly canon, as the game respects player choice. However, the development team structured the narratives so that each path offers a distinct, internally consistent conclusion to Geralt's overarching video game saga.

Can I save both Dettlaff and Syanna?

No. Dettlaff's deep emotional betrayal and violent rampage across Beauclair force a point of no return. Even if you choose to spare Dettlaff by letting him walk away after Syanna's death, you cannot achieve a peaceful reconciliation where both primary characters survive unharmed.

Do my choices in the base game affect the Blood and Wine epilogue?

Yes. Depending on your romance choices or lack thereof in the main game (Yennefer, Triss, or neither), a specific companion will arrive at your vineyard estate, Corvo Bianco, during the final moments of the expansion.

How do I get Aerondight in Blood and Wine?

You can earn Aerondight—widely regarded as the best silver sword in the game—by completing the "There Can Be Only One" side quest. You must prove your mastery of five chivalric virtues: valor, wisdom, generosity, honor, and compassion, culminating in a duel against the hermit by the lake.