Witcher 3 Veterans Discover Game-Changing Secret After 9 Years
A Reddit user’s revelation about saving doomed character Moritz Diefenthel has stunned The Witcher 3 community. Skip13ayles shared their discovery after 1,000 hours of playtime: During “A Matter of Life and Death,” when Moritz faces execution at the stake, players can intervene using Aard to extinguish flames or combat guards. This triggers a multi-stage narrative chain previously unknown to most players.

How the Secret Unfolds
The rescue occurs during a random Novigrad encounter where citizens burn Moritz for treason. Successfully saving him (via Aard or combat) leads to three consequential reappearances:
- “Now or Never” quest: Moritz appears in the crowd during Triss’ mage rescue speech
- Escape outcome: He flees successfully to Kovir with other saved mages
- Epilogue: Find Moritz drinking at Kingfisher Inn, processing his trauma
Why This Shocks the Community
Moritz was widely considered scripted to die based on his earlier hostile behavior toward Triss. As Reddit user Anonimity101 confessed: “Five playthroughs and I’ve just stood there watching him burn every time.” The discovery proves CD Projekt Red hid meaningful consequences behind obscure choices – even veterans missed this in a decade of play.
The Ripple Effect
This finding has significant implications:
- Replay value: Players like Kylekuzma0 are starting new saves solely to experience this arc
- Design appreciation: Highlights Witcher 3’s depth of hidden narrative branches
- Completionist impact: 100% runs now require this previously unknown sequence
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How to Trigger the Secret
- Complete “A Matter of Life and Death” (regardless of choices)
- Explore Novigrad until encountering the burning event (random trigger)
- Use Aard on pyre or kill executioners
- Proceed with “Now or Never” quest normally