In Chapter 3 of A Plague Tale: Requiem, Amicia and Lucas set out in search of some nightshade that is intended to calm Hugo. During this search, players will encounter an herbalist that is in the custody of two soldiers, and they will be instructed to save him. While fans can progress past this section without saving the herbalist in A Plague Tale: Requiem, some may wonder if it is possible to keep him alive, and this guide is here to shine some light on this matter.
A Plague Tale: Requiem - Save the Herbalist
It is actually possible to prevent the death of the herbalist in A Plague Tale: Requiem's third chapter, and players should start by using Amicia's sling to launch some Exstinguis at the left soldier. This action will dowse the guard's torch, causing him to be attacked by rats, and fans of stealth video games should wait for the second guard to approach the swarm. Players should then launch another Exstinguis at this second guard to dowse his torch and initiate another rat attack.
At this point, both guards should be dead, and the herbalist should be left standing. However, players will not be able to interact with him in any capacity, and they must simply walk past the character and interact with the wall that is beyond to advance A Plague Tale: Requiem's story. Indeed, while some fans may have hoped to receive an item or an achievement for keeping the herbalist alive, nothing of the sort is granted at the time of writing.
This seems to suggest that players are intended to let the herbalist be taken by the soldiers or be eaten by a swarm of rats in A Plague Tale: Requiem, as there are no gameplay benefits to be earned by saving him. While it is possible that this could be changed by a future update, fans are currently advised to simply let the character meet his end and not put too much time toward trying to prevent his death.
The world of A Plague Tale: Requiem is grisly, and indeed players will become quite accustomed to encountering death before everything is said and done. Even still, fans may be sad to fail the herbalist after they have received instruction to save him. Fortunately for these players, it is not requisite that they watch the herbalist perish, as they can simply wait until the soldiers take him away.
A Plague Tale: Requiem is available for PC, PS5, Switch, and Xbox One.