Win or lose, talk to Vincent Meis, who directs you to Jethro. Approach the open cell door, and another cutscene introduces you to the city Sewers. You'll shortly meet up with Sigfried, who represents one of the two major factions in the game: The Order. You have the option of teaming up with him to kill the Cockatrice. You don't really need his help, and it won't affect your alignment later, but if you accept, find and loot a corpse labeled "Dead Knight," located in the south central end of the map. He'll later tell you about a hidden crypt here in the Sewers, and an associated side quest (this is the only way into the crypt). With or without him, find and kill the Cockatrice, and be sure to loot it for its Trophy, and the Maal'Kaad, which is needed later. If Sigfried was teamed up with you, he'll run off towards the exit, and you'll have a conversation with him there.
This may be a good time to check out The Cultits's Crypt. You know: to kill and loot. It's in the northwest corner of the sewer map. The enemies are labeled as spider cultists, but there are no spiders in here.
When you do exit the sewers into the Temple Quarter, Geralt will mention being right next to the Detective's house. Do everything you can possibly do before going to the Detective, as there are some bugs and some quests that get locked out if you even enter his house first. Ignore it for now and instead find the Prison you just left. Go in and talk to Jailer Jethro to get your stuff. Loot the chest in the nearby unlocked cell. Talk to Jethro again about the missing package for the Hot Potato side quest. Note that he likes Fistek. Next, talk to Vincent to turn in the Cockatrice Head Trophy and add him as a Suspect. Time to do some side quests.
You should find yourself now just outside of the Prison. Check the Notice Board next to the door and accept all those quests: the Wolf, Echinops, Drowned Dead, Dog, and Alghoul Contracts. You'll complete those as you go. Vincent is outside nearby, and will reward you with a rune if you've turned in three Trophies so far in the game.
Near the front of the Hospital is the Gardner. If you have the echinops parts left over from Chapter I, you can turn them in and complete that contract. He's also a Dice Player. If you ask for a story, you can either pay him or give him food. Once you've given him a gift, you should ask for a Red Rose instead.
Go down the street straight out from the Hospital front door and hang a left. Outside are the Order Armorer and Apprentice. The Armorer can sell you some new armor, and the Apprentice will sell other stuff.
Opposite the Order Armorer are some steps down into the Slums. If it's daylight, Carmen will be in front of the Brothel, at night inside, and will give you the Working Girls quest. She also plays Dice. After midnight, make the quest active and then find the three places around this quarter to save her girls. Return to Carmen to turn the quest in.
Between the hours of 0600 and 0900, near the entrance to the Sewers is a Con Man, who will give you the quest Finders Keepers. Enter the Sewers and go through the bars to your immediate left to find the Family Ring.
Inside the Hairy Bear Inn during the day you can find many people: The Dice Players Munro Bruys and a man labeled Gambler. The Fistfighter Butter Bean. At night you can find The Drinker Messenger. Quest givers Conrad for A Most Uncommon Wine. If you sided with the Scoia'tael, Coleman for The Rat, though he also Drinks. Buy some Fistek from him. After this, Coleman will be on the Dike at night, though you'll have to ask the Innkeeper for his whereabouts in order for him to actually appear.
Shani can be found in the Hospital during the day, and you'll have to bribe the guard at the front door to get in. She's is at her house at night, near the square with the snake statue. To get in the house, "Grandma" will randomly kick you out when you first enter. Just re-enter and you'll get a different conversation path, and she'll eventually let you past. Or you can first beat Thaler at drinking (9 beers), and he'll give you a book as a reward. Just outside the detective's house is the bootblack. Exchange the book for The Prophet Lebioda's Signet Ring. Equip this and show it to Grandma. Shani will start the quest "Old Friends," and is a part of Memory of a Blade.
Zoltan tends to hang out at Vivaldi's house and the Hairy Bear Inn, but can also be found wandering all about this section of town.
At noon, head to the Cemetary Gates and talk to Hildegard Zollstock for her quest A Restless Ghost.
To get access to the Dike, try to go out the gate, and the guards will stop you. If you let Siegfreid join you earlier in the Sewers, he'll be at the gate, and will convince the guards to let you through. Otherwise, you'll have to talk to Vincent for permission.
Out on the Dike is Leuvaarden, and you both oddly don't acknowledge that you know each other. He's part of the quest Wanted, and will give the quest Safe Haven
The Ferryman will take you to the Swamp. At the Landing is Jean-Pierre, who wants the Wolf Pelts. Ask the Ferryman about work, and he'll point you to Yaren Bolt, who will have some quests. Go straight, and you'll come to a fork in the road. Gramps is here, and would like an escort for his quest A Pilgrimage.
Go north at the fork into the village, and Talk to Vaska, or if she's not outside, enter Vaska's House. She plays Dice, and has a couple of quests for you: Clay Pits, followed by A Lost Lamb.
To the south is a Cave. Inside this cave you'll find a sarcophagus with the Y'eshath Sephirot in it, which you need for the "Monoliths" main quest. Also inside is a stone circle, from which you should learn the Quen Sign.
To the southwest is the Lumberjack Camp. Yaren Bolt is the chief, and will give you the quests Flowers and Gold and A Long Way from Home.
In the northwest part of the area is the Druid Camp. Pick up the Yrden Sign here. Ask druids about the lost boy, and they'll direct you to Morenn. Bring her a Wolf Pelt and choose dialog options about sex being a stress reliver in order to bed her. The elf Yaevinn is also here, and will give you the quest Worth its Weight in Gold. Later, he'll be at the Scoia'tael camp far to the north, where he'll have his Force Recon quest.
In the Swamps, you'll come across both elves and Order forces. If you want to remain neutral, don't do either of their "Force Recon" quests.
In the north east of the map is a small hut, where you'll find Gramps and the quest The Cannibal. Don't do this unless you've already completed his escort quest.
When you're done with all the side quests you can do, go to the Detective's House and talk to Raymond. He'll start the quests "The Crown Witness" and "What Lies Beneath." Start by clearing all of your suspects save Kalkestein and Thaler. The last two you'll want to start, but they'll finish up during the autopsy.
When you leave Raymond's house, you'll see a cutscene, and then you'll be attacked. Kill the assassins, then go about your business. You can clear Vincent, Vivaldi, and Leuvaarden easily. Advance along "The Crown Witness" by first giving Fistek to Jethro in the Jail. Meditate until just after dusk, then enter the Hospital and bribe the guard. This conversation and subsequent fight will start the Suspect quests for Kalkstein and Ramsmeat. Talk to Ramsmeat, Thaler, and Kalkstein to advance them as a suspects, even though it won't clear them, no matter what you say. Ramsmeat can be found at the Hairy Bear Inn at night.
Return to Raymond when you've run out of evidience and can't proceed any further. After the conversation, "Suspect: Leuvaarden" may reappear, even if you cleared him earlier. Go to him on the Dike and tell him he's clear. At some point, a boy will find you and tell you to go see Raymond, who will inform you that it's time to do an autopsy. If he doesn't, use the mod BugFix for the Vizima Confidential Problem.
Find Shani during the day in the Hospital, and she'll tell you to meet her at home at night. Once she agrees, meditate until dawn and talk to the Gravedigger, who wants some Dwarven Ale in order to release the body. Also ask him about examining bodies.
While it's still day, ask Vincent Meis about autopsies. Go to the Antiquary near Shani's place and buy two books from him: Forensic Medicine and Zerrikanian Insects and Other Vermin. Read them both. Meditate until Midnight, then go to the Hospital.
When doing the autopsy, choose the following options to clear all your remaining suspects: "...His neck muscles and palms look tense..." "This is too easy." After the autopsy, return to any remaining suspects to clear their names, and to ask for advice on how to deal with Javed.
After you've cleared Vincent, and regardless of the outcome of the autopsy, ask the Gravedigger for access to the Cemetary. He'll refuse and ask for permission. Talk to Vincent during the day and get said permission, then do the quest A Gravedigger's Grattitude. This will clear all remaining suspects.
Before you go any further, it's time for a party. Visit Shani's House at night for the quest "Old Friend of Mine." Have the party. You'll need a Red Rose, some Mettina Rosé, some Temerian Rye, and some Cherry Spirit Cordial. You'll also need to invite either Zoltan, Siegfried, or Carmen. At night, once you get past the landlady, loot all the containers downstairs. When you're able, get upstairs and talk to your friends in turn to get the party going. Your guest will ask for some food from downstairs, but you've already got it, so just talk to them again. Once people leave, if you want to have sex with Shani, Gift her the Red Rose and tell her she's blushing. If you don't want to fuck her, the quest will disappear from the Journal when you start the next chapter, so you might as well get the XP for finishing the quest.
Go to Raymond's place and bluff that you know how to get Javed. Leave and re-enter. Talk to him again and tell him that you killed Ramsmeat, even though you haven't. Raymond then gives you the last Sephirot. Get all of the other Sephirot, if you don't have them yet. Now that all the suspects are cleared, go and do the quest "The Gravedigger's Grattitude," if you haven't already.
This is your last chance to pick a side between the Scoia'tael and the Order. If you don't do the "Force Recon" quest for either Siegfried or Yaevinn, you remain Neutral, and the Order will win the upcomming battle by default.
Finish off "A Mysterious Tower" by collecting all the Sephirot. For the last one, talk to Vaska to get the Tarot Card, which you'll then need to show to Kalkstein. Next, buy the Lightning Rod from a blacksmith, either the dwarf or the Order, depending on which side you're on. Then visit the druids in the Swamp and pay for a lightning storm. Put the Lightning Rod in the Golem to activate it, then kill it. The easiest way to do this is to activate two of the monoliths, then kite the golem into the middle. Then, being sure you're out of the circle, activate the third. Do this about three times, then loot the last Sephirot.
Next, head to the Swamp. Make the "Monoliths" quest active, and visit each to put the corresponding Sephirot in it. They don't need to go in any particular order, and the quest updates have you running back and forth, so use your map to find the next nearest. Once all 10 are in place, make your way to the tower and go in. The entrance is from the north side. On your way out, a cutscene will place you in battle. Kill the magical creature, and then The Professor ports in and assists Azar Javed in battle. Whiddle The Professor's health down just a bit, and he will drop a cloud of poison for the duo to escape. You'll wake up in Chapter III.
last modified 19 June 2020