The rewards offered by Gaunter O'Dimm in Hearts of Stone in The Witcher 3

We encounter Gaunter O'Dimm already in White Orchard, long before he plays a significant role in the "Hearts of Stone" expansion of The Witcher 3. Although he initially appears to be benevolent and helps Geralt multiple times throughout the game, the witcher still harbors his doubts, which are quickly confirmed in the expansion. O'Dimm is revealed to be a kind of supernatural deceiver who makes contracts with people and offers them their deepest desires in exchange for their souls.

The DLC revolves around Geralt getting involved in one of these typical deals, recruited by O'Dimm to collect a troublesome debt from Olgierd von Everec. When the events reach their climax and Geralt refrains from interfering while O'Dimm takes Olgierd's soul, O'Dimm will reward the witcher by granting him a wish.

Updated on September 9, 2023, by Sean Murray: The decision of what to accept from Gaunter O'Dimm can be difficult. Therefore, we have revised this guide to make it shorter and better structured, and provided additional helpful tips to make this decision even easier.

Caparison of Lament

When Geralt tells O'Dimm that he wants to be "as fast as the wind," Gaunter will reward him with a sleek black saddle and a tattered caparison for Roach. This "Caparison of Regret" grants Roach 100 stamina and confuses a random enemy when they are within a certain range.

Horn of Plenty

Geralt can also choose to never be hungry again, which can prove to be a challenging dream considering that a witcher is sparsely rewarded with coins. If he chooses this reward, O'Dimm will give Geralt the "Horn of Abundance," which provides the witcher with an infinite supply of food.

Every time Geralt draws from this abundance of food, he gains 40 vitality for a duration of five seconds and regenerates 25 vitality during combat.

Bottomless Carafe

Alternatively, Geralt could prefer an bottomless carafe of vodka. This reward would undoubtedly keep the witcher and his alcohol-loving friends like Zoltan, Dandelion, and his fellow witcher brothers infinitely supplied and stumbling. However, it is unlikely that Yennefer would approve of this choice, given the incident with the dress in Kaer Morhen.

However, the unlimited supply of hard alcohol also serves a more practical purpose by never leaving Geralt short of the base ingredient for his alchemy crafting. Hard alcohol is easily accessible for Geralt, so his only wish would better support him in other ways.

5,000 Crowns

Some may agree with O'Dimm's claim that wealth is a regrettably mundane desire and far less valuable than the other helpful rewards on this list. However, when it comes to monsters and money for the witcher, one cannot blame Geralt for not turning down a payout of 5,000 crowns.

Not A Thing

After the experiences Geralt had during the "Hearts of Stone" expansion and upon discovering the true nature of Gaunter O'Dimm, Geralt might choose not to accept anything from him. The decision to disassociate himself from O'Dimm and refrain from making any further deals with the deceiver may be the morally rewarding choice on this list.

However, there is one final reward that is absolutely priceless for Geralt.

Advice on Ciri

If Geralt approaches the "Hearts of Stone" expansion before finding Ciri, Gaunter O'Dimm's final offer will be more significant than any monetary or material reward. Canonically, the stoic witcher's greatest wish would be to be reunited with his little witcher girl and see her safe and happy.

Geralt can tell Gaunter O'Dimm that he wishes to find Ciri. Although he cannot directly locate her himself, O'Dimm prophesies multiple scenarios in case Geralt eventually finds her and provides him with some advice on parenting in each of those scenarios.

As there is some debate about the 'best' ending for Ciri, we won't label it as such. However, if Geralt follows Gaunter O'Dimm's advice for each of the following scenarios, he will achieve the 'Witcher Ending' for Ciri.

"She will come to you resigned, defeated. Find a way to make her laugh."

Without giving away too much, for first-time players, Geralt must decide how to comfort Ciri after the Battle of Kaer Morhen. He can do this by choosing one of two options:

1. Having a drink with Ciri.
2. Engaging Ciri in a snowball fight.

While a round of drinks can be good for a laugh, that's not the mood in Kaer Morhen after the battle. Our advice: Choose snowballs.

"One will betray her. Let her vent her rage."

Ciri will receive some disturbing news about an alleged friend, and Geralt will once again be faced with two options:

1. Calm Ciri down.
2. Encourage Ciri to vent her rage.

While comforting her may initially seem like the responsible parental action, in this case, Geralt should encourage her to vent her frustration.

"She will grieve a friend. Grieve with her."

Geralt must deliver the news to Ciri that one of her friends, who had helped her escape the Wild Hunt earlier in the game, has since passed away. Despite the impending urgent matters, she will want to visit his gravesite. Here, Geralt must decide:

1. Travel with Ciri to her friend's gravesite.
2. Tell Ciri more pressing matters need attending.

Please do not tell Ciri that there is no time; she will rely on Geralt to nurture her sentimentality to face what lies ahead.

"Fear will engulf her. Instill courage in her, but do not act in her stead."

The sorceresses of the Lodge summon Ciri at a certain point, and it's understandable that she is concerned about meeting them. Another opportunity for parental care arises in the form of providing protection for Ciri or giving her the freedom to spread her wings.

1. Attend the meeting and speak on Ciri's behalf.
2. Bolster Ciri's confidence and let her confront the Sorceresses alone.

While Geralt may be the overprotective type, it is better to boost her self-confidence and encourage her to try it on her own.

"Never, ever let her feel as if you've sold her out."

This is a direct reference to the bounty that Emperor Emhyr placed at the beginning of the game, hiring Geralt as a mercenary to find and bring Ciri to him. Of course, Geralt had his own sentimental reasons for finding Ciri, but accepting the payment later in the game as a bonus will significantly impact his relationship with Ciri. The crucial decisions regarding this foreshadowing are indeed twofold.

First, Geralt must decide whether to completely ignore Emhyr's wishes.

1. Insist on visiting Emhyr before following Ciri's plan.
2. Disregard Emhyr and head straight to Velen.

The fact that Geralt brings Ciri to the Emperor does not inherently affect the relationship between Geralt and Ciri. However, accepting the payment leads to a painfully unpleasant cutscene that can result in the worst consequences for Ciri. It should also be noted that visiting Emhyr with Ciri will forfeit the "Witcher Ending" for her.

Visiting Emperor Emhyr instigates another ultimatum:

1. Accept bounty for finding and retrieving Ciri for Emhyr.
2. Refuse payment.

By not accepting the payment, Geralt will ensure that Ciri survives the endgame - provided you have paid enough attention to Gaunter O'Dimm's other prophecies - even if it means he has altered her destiny.

Nevertheless, the Emperor will feel obligated to compensate Geralt for his tireless search and present him with an exclusive black mount as a reward.

There we have it, the rewards offered when Geralt decides to let Olgierd die. Taking the side of O'Dimm or Von Everec is a classic case of choosing the lesser evil, as Olgierd is certainly no saint. Some may even consider it a mercy to grant Olgierd death. However, O'Dimm has a tempting way of tipping the scales when one is torn between these two options.