In Witcher 2 Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition, Hunting Magic is one of the main quests that are activated after you complete The War Council.
Hunting Magic must be completed in order to progress through the games story, and to save Saskia who was poisoned during the council.
This quest becomes available only if you work with Iorveth in the second chapter of the game.
After you activate Hunting Magic, your first objective is to find and talk to Philippa.
Quest Description
“Having been poisoned during the council meeting, Saskia was dying, and nearly everyone who supported her cause now prayed for her health. Among her allies, however, were those who did not believe in gods, or at least in divine intervention. Lady Eilhart, the kind of woman who rolled her sleeves up and started casting spells when things got tough, fit this description.
So when Geralt learned that a magical artifact was one of the ingredients for the Dragonslayers curse, he reasoned that Philippa would be the ideal consultant. Therefore he decided to have a chat with her at her house.”
When to start
After Subterranean Life
Walkthrough
You will find Philippa inside her house in northern Vergen. When you approach, a cutscene starts and you will see her and Cynthia, a leashed apprentice. There are many questions you can ask Philippa, but the goal of your visit is the magic artifact.
Unfortunately, Philippa will send you to talk to the citizens and ask around about places of powers. Talk to the innkeeper first, and then go see Cecil Burdon, and ask about the medicine needed to cure Saskia.
Cecil, will mention something about a place of power, located in the Outskirts of Vergen. To get there, you have to reach the tunnel in the north-western area of Vergen (where Iorveth can be found). Exit the city, and continue to follow the path through the forest until you see a lake.
Go right, and around the lake. Stay on the main road, and to your left you should see a smaller lake (at this point some Nekkers will attack you). After you kill them, go left, cross the pond (several harpies should attack you).
Kill them too and then go left again (you should see the river to your right).
Continue along the river and go up on the hill. In front of you should appear a ruin.
Jump over the two gaps (be careful because you will encounter many harpies). Kill them all to learn more about them (The Harpy Contract side-quest), then climb the ledges to reach the ruins.
In a nest you should find a Magical Crystal. Pick it up and go back to Philippa in Vergen, who will tell you that the crystal you found is not enough.
Next, talk to Cecil Burdon and mention the quarry. He will open the gates for you, and a new side-quest is added to your journal: The Queen Harpy Contract.
Note: Dont leave the city without at least 7 harpy traps, because you can also complete The Harpy Contract while visiting the quarry.
After you get the traps from Haggard, head south through the main gate and exit the city. If you track the current quest, the pointer on your mini-map should take you straight to the old quarry.
On your way, you should see a small cottage. Make sure you talk to Elthon inside, to start a new side-quest called A Sackful of Fluff.
Now, descend the hill, and on your way down, dont forget to deploy the traps to complete the second phase of the side-quest called The Harpy Contract. Loot the harpies you kill because you need the items to finish A Sackful of Fluff side-quest.
When you reach the bottom of the quarry, head inside and follow the only path available. Continue to deploy the traps until you destroy 7 nests, and loot as many feathers as you can.
Push forward and eventually, you will see the Harpy Queen approaching a round stone, similar to the one you saw at the beginning of the chapter when Stennis was fighting Henselt. A cutscene automatically starts showing Letho.
After the cutscene, dont pick up the crystal placed by the queen on the round stone. Notice that The Assassins of Kings quest updated again.
Focus on fighting more crystals, usually placed within the tunnels adjacent to the area you stand at this point. The crystals have different colors and they are placed in the walls, but keep in mind that every time you pick one, you will spawn several harpies.
After you get all crystals, (silver, green, red and blue) approach the projector and save your game. Drink any potions that increase your resistance to bleeding, and then remove the stone from the projector, to summon the Harpy Queen.
Combat Tip: The Queen is accompanied by several Harpies. A common mistake made by many players is to fight monsters with the steel sword. Remember to use the silver one, for increased damage and efficiency.
During the battle, try to lure the Queen and her minions to a narrow tunnel, so you can fight only one enemy at a time. If the Harpies surround you, Geralt may not survive; therefore, lure them away and use the Yrden Sign to stun your current enemy. Take them out one by one.
After you kill the Harpy Queen, get near the projector and use it to view all dreams. The Silver Crystal (assuming that you have found it), will activate a new side-quest called Baltimore’s Nightmare, while the red one is Iorveths Dream.
If you watch Lethos dream, you will end the current quest and you can leave the quarry.
On your way out, dont forget to talk to Elthon for the side quest named A Sackful of Fluff.
