Should I Kill the Tree Spirit?
Looking to get more ability points? See the locations for all Places of Power here:
・Place of Power Locations
Trying to make more coin as quickly as possible? See our Money Making Guide!
・How to Make Money Fast
Want to know the best early game builds and skills to invest in? We've got you covered!
・Best Early Game Skills and Builds
During the quest, The Whispering Hillock, you can choose to kill or free the tree spirit within the Ancient Oak in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Check out this guide to learn all the choices and outcomes and if you should kill the tree spirit!
List of Contents
Kill or Free the Tree Spirit Outcomes
 |
|
| Choice | Result |
|---|---|
| Kill the Tree Spirit |
・The Orphans at Crookback Bog are to be eaten by the Crones. ・Anna Strenger loses her mind from losing the orphans. ・The Baron takes her far away from the bog to seek help. ・The village of Downwarren remains safe. |
| Free the Tree Spirit |
・The Orphans at Crookback Bog are saved from the Crones and taken to a Novigrad orphanage. ・Anna Strenger gets punished and dies from a curse. ・The Baron commits suicide from the loss of his wife. ・The village of Downwarren gets destroyed by the spirit. |
Approaching the Ancient Oak south of the village of Downwarren starts the secondary quest, The Whispering Hillock, in which you will be given a choice to kill or free the tree spirit residing within the Ancient Oak.
If you arrived at this quest from the main quest, Ladies of the Wood, you will learn that the Crones want the tree spirit dead in exchange for information regarding Ciri. The tree spirit will also tell you that the Crones are going to eat the orphans at Crookback Bog. Regardless of your choice, you'll still receive information about Ciri.
- Killing the tree spirit will result in the orphans being eaten by the Crones which leads to Anna losing her mind from the loss. The Baron will then take her far away to look for help.
- Freeing the tree spirit prevents the orphans from being eaten but results in the destruction of Downwarren, Anna dying from a curse, and the Baron committing suicide from the loss of his wife.
The results of your choice will be made apparent in the secondary quest, Return to Crookback Bog.
The Whispering Hillock Walkthrough and Best Choice
Should I Kill the Tree Spirit?
Kill the Tree Spirit to Save Anna, Downwarren, and the Baron
From a gameplay perspective, killing the tree spirit allows you to avoid extra objectives in the Return to Crookback Bog secondary quest. The battle is not that difficult anyway and you can even choose to trick the spirit to kill it without fighting by pretending to go along with its plans for freedom.
Free the Tree Spirit to Save the Orphans at Crookback Bog
From a moral perspective, you might consider freeing the tree spirit to save the innocent orphans. Although this results in the death of many, the village of Downwarren worships and sustains the Crones who eat children through the Trail of Treats anyway.
Anna dies but she made the deal with the Crones that led to the death of her unborn child anyway while the Baron is a man that beats his wife during bouts of drunken rage.
The Witcher 3 Related Guides
All Choices and Outcomes
| Secondary Quests | |
|---|---|
| Should I Kill the Tree Spirit? |
Comment
Author
Should I Kill the Tree Spirit?
Rankings
- We could not find the message board you were looking for.
Gaming News
![Animal Crossing: New Horizons Review [Switch 2] | Needlessly Crossing Over to a New Generation](https://img.game8.co/4391759/47d0408b0b8a892e453a0b90f54beb8a.png/show)
Popular Games
Genshin Impact Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Arknights: Endfield Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Honkai: Star Rail Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Wuthering Waves Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Umamusume: Pretty Derby Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Zenless Zone Zero Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Pokemon TCG Pocket (PTCGP) Strategies & Guides Wiki
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Digimon Story: Time Stranger Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Where Winds Meet Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Recommended Games
Fire Emblem Heroes (FEH) Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl (BDSP) Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Monster Hunter World Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Persona 3 Reload Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
All rights reserved
The Witcher® is a trademark of CD PROJEKT S. A. The Witcher game © CD PROJEKT S. A. All rights reserved. The Witcher game is based on the prose of Andrzej Sapkowski. All other copyrights and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
The copyrights of videos of games used in our content and other intellectual property rights belong to the provider of the game.
The contents we provide on this site were created personally by members of the Game8 editorial department.
We refuse the right to reuse or repost content taken without our permission such as data or images to other sites.