This article is part of a directory: The Witcher 3: Full Guide and Walkthrough
Table of contents

Fans of The Witcher 3 should definitely look into the two DLC expansion packs, Blood and Wine and Hearts of Stone. In the latter DLC, there are so many new and exciting missions involving supernatural duels, grand heists, and challenging God himself. One of the best quests in The Witcher 3 DLC is Open Sesame, where Geralt is tasked with the seemingly impossible request of delivering Maximilian Borsodi's house to Olgierd.

RELATED: The Secret Side Quests Everyone Missed In The Witcher 3

There are many different outcomes for this quest depending on what Geralt does, and each ending has its own thrilling twist. Here's how to make the best choices for The Witcher 3's Open Sesame quest, how to achieve some rare Witcher gear and all the extra steps involved in the quest.

Updated on January 19, 2022, by Jourdan Silva: With the resurge of players getting their hands on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt following the release of the Netflix series based on the same Witcher series, players are tackling all the tricky and exciting quests offered in the main game and the DLCs. To make the gaming experience smoother for those who enjoy following tutorials, this complete guide to the Open Sesame quest has been enhanced for The Witcher 3 fans, both old and new. You can find all the results of the endings and how to achieve each one below, along with how to get the rare Viper School gear.

Finding the Borsodi Brothers' Auction House

Heart of Stone The Witcher 3 Open Sesame Quest Vivaldi

The Borsodi Auction House can be found in the city of Oxenfurt in Novigrad. When Geralt attempts to enter the auction house, he is stopped by guards who demand proof of an invitation. Vimme Vivaldi will then approach the doors and invite Geralt inside as his guest. Once inside, Geralt will be introduced to a number of guests.

Mingling Before The Auction

  • The Art Dealer

The Witcher 3 Dialogue Option In Open Sesame
Velen

An art dealer by the name of Yaromir will test Geralt to see if he is a true art connoisseur. He asks Geralt to point out the painting by a specific artist. If Geralt chooses the correct one (hint: it's the Portrait of a Merchant), Yaromir will let him in on a secret: an unpopular artist's painting is going to be at the auction that could easily make Geralt some money. It's then up to the player if they want to share the tip with Vivaldi, however, telling him the truth will lead to the price of the painting going up. Lying to him has no consequence, so might as well keep it a secret and score the painting for cheap!

  • The Countess

Heart of Stone The Witcher 3 Open Sesame Quest Viper Armor

Geralt will meet an old widow on the balcony of the Auction house who tells him about her assortment of Witcher collectibles. If Geralt offers to help the woman find her lost earring, she will share more information about her love affair with a Witcher from when she was young.

Be sure to check out what she's selling, for she has instructions on how to craft rare Viper School gear.

  • Gaunter O'Dimm Gwent Card
Heart of Stone The Witcher 3 Open Sesame Quest Gwent

For Gwent enthusiasts, this unique card is up for grabs when Geralt plays against Hilbert, another guest at the auction. He has a pretty good Monster deck but will change up which deck he uses based on what the player gave as their preferred faction. This keeps things a little challenging! This is an important game for anyone looking to complete their Gwent deck.

RELATED: The Story-Heavy Games To Play If You Loved The Witcher 3

Joining The Auction

Olgierd talks to Geralt in The Witcher 3

It's time for the auction. When the unknown artist's painting is up for sale, Geralt can buy it at a cheap price or 3x the price if Vivaldi is betting too. A statuette of an eagle can be purchased and will lead to a treasure hunt. Geralt will then meet Horst Bordosi and the outcome of the conversation will always lead to the Witcher being kicked out of the establishment. A stranger will instruct Geralt to meet him in a secret location outside of town.

RELATED: The Witcher 3: Which DLC Character Are You Based On Your Zodiac?

Heist Preparations

Heart of Stone The Witcher 3 Open Sesame Quest

As it turns out, the Stranger wants to work with Geralt to break into the Auction House and steal something. He will send Geralt to enlist the help of others to make the heist go smoothly.

His first task is to bribe or convince the cook to poison the guards with a potion brewed by the Witcher. Geralt can either pay the cook or use Axii on him to do it for free.

  • Choosing the Safecracker
Heart of Stone The Witcher 3 Open Sesame Quest Safecracker

There are two safecrackers to choose from in this sub-quest, Casimir and Quinto. Whoever you choose can drastically change the ending of the quest so be aware!

Choosing Casimir:

Casimir will be about to blow himself up when you meet him. The player has four options to choose between: the first two will result in Casimir killing himself, the third will start a fight, but will save his life. The fourth choice is convincing him with Axii.

Choosing Quinto:

Quinto needs to be freed from being locked up by Hans of Cidaris. Geralt can pay 2oo to release him or barter for a cheaper price. He can also get Quinto out for free by winning a fight or a game of Gwent. Once the Witcher saves either of the safecrackers, they are ready to join the heist. The player can choose to meet and save only their safecracker of choice to save time.

  • Recruiting the Burglar

Though given the names of two burglars who can help with sneaking into the Auction House, only Eveline Gallo can be recruited due to Hugo being dead. Geralt can investigate the home of Hugo to find out what happened and to gain some XP. Eveline reveals to Geralt that she will help with the heist as long as he helps her with her current financial problem. Geralt can either pay the expensive refunds to the circus guests or help the circus by performing alongside them. Eveline will agree to help either way.

The Heist

The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Velen
Velen

The heist begins and Eveline successfully gets everyone inside, though unfortunately, the place isn't empty. Armed with wooden swords to avoid murder, the crew heads downstairs and the whole plan falls apart. Guards are alerted and Horst locks himself in the underground vault. With a hostage taken by the Stranger, the safecracker will get to work getting the vault open while Geralt uses his skills of persuasion to negotiate a truce with the guards. There are two outcomes to this:

If you chose Quinto:

Geralt can talk his way out of a fight by choosing the dialogue options as follows: "Pull back..." and then "Bring us a wagon..." and then "Doesn't matter..." and then "Release one..." Any other triggering responses will result in the guards storming the building and causing a massive fight. After the vault is entered, Geralt will fall into a booby trap filled with arachnomorphs before being hoisted back up.

If you chose Casimir:

There's no way for Geralt to finish successful negotiations before an explosion goes off and all the guards rush in, ready to fight. Eveline flees the scene in all scenarios. As the vault was exploded open, the booby trap inside was triggered so Geralt doesn't fall into it.

RELATED: The Witcher 3: Overpowered Weapons, Gear, And Skills That Make The Game Way Too Easy

Side With Ewald Or Horst

Heart of Stone The Witcher 3 Open Sesame Quest Hors

Once inside, it is revealed that the Stranger is Ewald Borsodi, the brother of Horst, who needed to break into the vault in order to get revenge on his brother. Geralt then has to take a side. This is where the story splits into many different endings. Geralt's chosen safecracker will take a side as well; Quinto with Horst and Casimir with Ewald.

If Geralt sides with Ewald:

Geralt will have to fight off the guards, Horst, and Quinto (if he was the chosen safecracker).

If Geralt sides with Horst:

Geralt will have to defeat Ewald and Casimir (if he was chosen).

Take Or Leave the Papers

Heart of Stone The Witcher 3 Open Sesame Quest Ewald

After the fighting, it is revealed that inside the figurine of Maximilian Borsodi's house rests the will belonging to the brothers' father. Since the will is void and has no legal power, the brothers will lose their rights over their fortune if the will is revealed to the public. Geralt now has the option to accept the house without the papers or fight once more to keep the papers for himself.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.

MORE: The Witcher 3: Most Difficult Boss Fights, Ranked | Game Rant