The Witcher 3

Open Sesame! Walkthrough and What to Buy at the Auction

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Open Sesame
This is a guide to the quest titled Open Sesame! from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Read on for information on objectives and possible rewards, as well as useful tips and strategies for completing the quest.

Previous Quest Current Quest Next Quest
Dead Man's Party Open Sesame! Open Sesame: Witcher Seasonings

Open Sesame! Rewards and Basic Information

Basic Information

Quest Number 3
Region Novigrad
Quest Location Borsodi Brothers' Auction House
Previous Quest Dead Man's Party
Next Quest Open Sesame: Witcher Seasonings

Rewards

Gold Reward None
Exp Reward 250
Item Reward None


Open Sesame! Main Objectives

Objectives
1 Go to the Borsodi's Auction house in Oxenfurt. Receive 100 XP.
2 Sit down on the marked bench to start the auction.
(Optional) It is recommended to meet with Vivaldi's friends for extra XP and more.

Countess Mignole: Agree to help her find her earing. Use your Witcher Sense and inspect the spilled wine to earn 100 XP.

Yaromir: Tell him that you know a bit about paintings. Then choose the painting of the merchant. You can choose to tell Vivaldi what Yaromir just told you, however, it is recommended that you do not tell him. You will receive 100 XP and a tip for the auction.

Hilbert: Beating him at a game of Gwent will earn you the Gaunter O'Dimm Card and 100 XP.
3 You can choose to participate in the auction. Refer to the Tips and Strategies section for more information.
4 Fistfight the 2 guards. Receive 200 XP for winning.
5 Go to the Herbalist's Hut located north east of Oxenfurt.
6 3 guards will be outside the hut. Kill them.
7 Talk to the herbalist and choose the dialogue option asking for Yarrow Extract.
8 Go down the ladder into the basement and talk to the Stranger. Gain 100 XP after the conversation.
9 You must ccomplete these 3 quests to continue:
Open Sesame: The Safecracker
Open Sesame: Breaking and Entering
Open Sesame: Witcher Seasonings
10 Go back to the Herbalist's Hut basement and talk to the Stranger to start the hiest. Receive 100 XP.
11 If you do not choose to come with them to the Auction house, meet with them at the marked location at midnight.
12 Head into the auction house and get to the basement. 4 guards will be in your way. You will only need to beat 2 to continue.
13 If you chose Casimir as your safecracker, choose not to use human shields. No matter what dialogue choice you make, negototiations will fail. Fight the negiotiator and 2 soldiers.
If you chose Quinto, you can succed at negotiations. Choose the following dialogue options to succeed: Tell a joke > Actually kinda funny or Are you a rascist?
Dealing with the negotiators will earn you 150 XP.
14 Head down into the vault. If the safecracker you chose was Quinto, there will be a trap door after entering. You will need to kill the 4 Arachnomorph to continue.
15 You will be faced with a decision to side with one of the Borsodi brothers, which will have a different outcome based on your chosen safecracker. After choosing who to side with, you will only have to defeat the other brother to continue.
If you chose Quinto:
If you side with Horst: You will have to fight Edwald (Stranger).
If you side with Edwald: You will have to fight Horst, Quinto, and 2 guards.
If you chose Casimir:
If you side with Horst: You will need to fight Edwald and Casimir.
If you side with Edwald: You will need to fight Horst and 2 guards.
16 After this, the best option is to make a deal by choosing the second dialogue option.
If you do choose the first dialogue option you will have to fight the surviving brother and whoever else sided with them. Whatever you choose, you will receive 100 XP.
17 Get away using the secret passage. Gain 150 XP after leaving the passage.
If you do kill the surviving brother, you will need to find the secret passage and the switch to open it. The switch is on the northern side of the left pillar. The entrance is on the south wall.
18 Talk to Olgierd to finish the quest.

Open Sesame! Tips and Strategies

School of Viper Gear

Viper School Diagrams
The only chance for you to get the Viper School gear diagrams is when you speak to Countess Mignole. To buy it from her, you will need to choose the dialogue options with the merchant symbol. The four Viper School diagrams are sold at 328 crowns each.

Bidding at the Auction

Auction
If you want to bid for all the items in the auction you will need at least 670 to buy them all. The 3 items are:

  • The Starry Night Over the Pontar Valley - winning bid at 20 crowns. It can be sold to Marcus T.K. Hodgson, the book seller in Novigrad.
  • Count Romilly's Figurine - winning bid at 300 crowns. Can be dismantled to reveal a note that will start the treasure hunt A Dark Legacy.
  • The Professor's Spectacles - winning bid at 350 crowns. Can be equipped in your quick item slot to wear as an accessory.

What to Bid On

It's recommended to always get The Starry Night Over the Pontar Valley as you can sell it to Marcus T.K. Hodgson for 500 Crowns. You will need to speak to him and there will be a dialogue option to sell it.

You could also bid for the Count Romilly's Figurine. The rewards for the treasure hunt A Dark Legacy are not great, but the quest in itself can be reward enough for some.

The Professor's Spectacles is only an accessory with no real use. It is not recommended to bid for it.

The Witcher 3 Related Links

Quests.png

All Hearts of Stone Main Quests

No. Quest Title Location Sugg. Level
1 Evil's Soft First Touches Seven Cats Inn, Garin Estate, Oxenfurt sewers 32
2 Dead Man's Party Brunwich, von Everec Estate, Upper Mill 33
3 Open Sesame! Borsodi Brothers' Auction House 34
4 Open Sesame: Witcher Seasonings Oxenfurt 34
5 Open Sesame: Breaking and Entering Oxenfurt 34
6 Open Sesame: The Safecracker Oxenfurt 34
7 Scenes From a Marriage Von Everec Estate, Painted world 35
8 Whatsoever a Man Soweth... The Alchemy, Temple of Lilvani, Puzzle world 36

See The List of All Quests

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