How to Start Blood and Wine in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

To start Blood and Wine on an existing Witcher 3 save, finish Poet Under Pressure, then follow Envoys, Wineboys. Read the Toussaint notice if your objective asks for it and meet the knights at Stonecutters’ Settlement in Velen. If you want a separate playthrough focused on the expansion, look for the expansion-only start in the new game menu.

1. Confirm the expansion and choose a save

Check that Blood and Wine is available to your edition of the game and installed where needed. If you are already playing through the main story, use your current save to keep Geralt's equipment and decisions. You can also use a dedicated expansion start if you want to get to Toussaint without continuing your existing character.

For an existing save, check your completed main quests. Poet Under Pressure is the requirement to focus on. Reaching Novigrad or doing a nearby contract does not substitute for completing that particular story quest. If the requirement is still open, keep following the base game's main quests until it is marked complete.

2. Follow Envoys, Wineboys

1. Finish Poet Under Pressure on the character you want to use.
2. Check the quest journal for Envoys, Wineboys and track it.
3. If the tracked objective sends you to a notice board, read the appeal addressed to Geralt. Mulbrydale is one place you can check.
4. Follow the updated marker to Stonecutters’ Settlement in Velen.
5. Speak with the knights from Toussaint and follow the quest's prompts.

Stonecutters’ Settlement is southwest of Oxenfurt and east of the Hanged Man’s Tree signpost. Use the quest marker for the final approach. It shows where to meet the knights once the relevant objective is active.

3. Prepare before agreeing to travel

Check your gear before following the knights into the expansion. The introduction takes you into a new region and soon gives you reasons to use your combat tools. Repair the gear you intend to wear, keep healing available, and check the quest's suggested level against your current character if you are entering from an early save.

Make a manual save before committing to the trip if you expect to return to your previous plan. This is particularly useful if you are still deciding whether to finish more base-game jobs first. The quest marker can wait while you prepare. If you want to avoid seeing what happens after the meeting, stop the walkthrough when it reaches the knights and continue through the dialogue yourself.

4. Use the standalone expansion start if you prefer

From the main menu, open New Game and look for the option to start Blood and Wine on its own. This is a separate start, so choose it only if you are happy to play with the setup the game provides. It is useful for revisiting Toussaint or trying the expansion while keeping your regular playthrough available separately.

Once the new session loads, check the quest journal and the equipment you have. Track the expansion quest and follow the objective. If you later decide you want to bring your established Geralt, return to your existing save and use the Poet Under Pressure route.

5. Diagnose a missing notice or marker

If you cannot find Envoys, Wineboys, check the expansion installation and the exact story quest first. If the quest is already active, read its current objective before visiting another notice board. You may already be on the step to meet the knights, in which case reading additional notices will not advance it.

If you found the notice but are unsure where to go, track the quest again and look for the marker near Stonecutters’ Settlement. Check that you are in the correct part of Velen rather than heading to a similarly named place. When you reach the knights, follow the conversation and prompts until the introduction advances. Your journal is the clearest record of which part is still waiting.

If you are coming from Oxenfurt, confirm that the marker takes you southwest into Velen. If you are already near Hanged Man’s Tree, the settlement is to the east. These are useful landmarks when the map is zoomed out and several quest markers sit close together. Once the opening quest takes over, follow its next objective before looking for optional activities.