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'The King Is Dead — Long Live The King' is one of The Witcher 3’s main quests, taking place shortly after Geralt arrives in Skellige for the first time.
After reuniting with Yennefer on the Kaer Trolde docks amidst an ongoing funeral for the former King Bran, Geralt and the sorceress agree to attend the wake together, catalyzing this quest. Ironically, this somber event plays a pivotal role in romancing Yennefer and provides the opportunity to indulge in the turbulent lovebirds' first romance scene of the game.
Updated on December 26, 2022 by Quinton O'Connor: Tidying up older guides is an important part of the procedure here, especially when a flashy new current-gen graphical update is out for a perennially popular game like The Witcher 3.
Dressing For The Occasion
If Geralt wants to start on Yenn’s good side, he’ll need to dress to impress, and more importantly, match his sorceress in the dress clothes she has laid out for him in her room at the Kaer Trolde Harbor. Find Yennefer's room at the back of the inn to the left. It is a large room with a megascope and all too familiar unicorn. Grab the formal attire from the trunk at the end of Yennefer’s bed and equip the outfit.
Now, if Geralt has gone through this extra effort to match his sorceress, he will need to don the formal wear all the way up to the keep to meet up with her.
It’s important to keep the outfit on once Geralt is wearing it. Unequipping and re-equipping the outfit may trigger a bug where Yenn doesn't recognize Geralt putting his best foot forward, and the quest continues as though the witcher did not fulfill the sorceress’s request.
A Political Wake
Surprising no one, the wake of the former King is a highly political one, catching Geralt up in a couple of mini-quests with various nobles right from the start.
Racing Cerys
As soon as Geralt and Yenn enter the hall, they are received by an usher and sat with Cerys An Craite and a couple of other Skelligers vying for the crown. The conversation that ensues presents players with the option to race Cerys for an additional 150 XP.
You'll earn this experience bonus whether he wins or not, as Geralt will both win or lose graciously, granting Cerys the reputation boost she was looking for amongst her fellow Skelligers. There’s no harm in postponing the race for another time, but why pass up free experience?
Yenn will pull Geralt away soon after regardless of the race's outcome to discuss “private matters.” From here on out, Yenn will primarily lead her witcher through the rest of the quest. But there are several other areas to get hung up on.
Fist Fight With Madman Lugos
Before leaving the hall, Geralt and Yenn will run into the middle of a dispute in which Madman Lugos will turn his insults on Yenn. Geralt then has the decision to start an altercation with the Jarl in Yenn's defense, which will lead to a fistfight against Madman Lugos for another 150 XP if Geralt wins. However, be wary in accepting this challenge if you haven’t mastered fist fights yet, as Madman Lugos is a tough level 30 brawler.
Discussing Private Matters
After they’ve slipped out of the banquet hall, Yenn proposes breaking into Ermion’s laboratory with the objective of retrieving the Mask of Uroboros. When the sorceress makes a suggestion, it nearly always renders Geralt's opinion irrelevant, so tell Yenn whatever you wish; Geralt will need to continue following her regardless.
Ermion’s Laboratory
On their way to the laboratory, the two find themselves in a showroom with many taxidermized animals. Upon trying to exit, Geralt cuts himself and begins to hallucinate as the stuffed figures come to life, so get ready for a fight.
Once in Ermion’s laboratory, search around using witcher senses, collecting various objects until he comes across a mug of mead, which will look more like a chalice. Place the cup in the statue’s hand to open a secret passageway beyond.
This will lead to a cavern holding the Mask of Uroboros, but it is guarded by an Earth Elemental. Though Yenn does contribute to the battle with her sorcery, you should still prepare for the fight by coating the silver sword in Elemental Oil. Using Aard throughout the fight can briefly stun the golem and create small windows of opportunity for Geralt to strike.
An Impromptu Rendezvous
Taking up the mask triggers a booby-trap, causing the room to fill with toxic gas. Despite the life or death situation, this is the witcher's moment to get his on-again-off-again relationship with Yennefer back on track.
By selecting "I want to kiss you, Yenn." as his first thought, the sorceress will teleport both of them to the safety of her room. Geralt will then need to choose to follow Yenn as she steps away to sew her dress. By doing this, Geralt will incite a long-overdue reunion incorporating Yenn's favorite unicorn before returning to the wake.
The Future Ruler of Skellige
The culmination of events ends with the official start to Skellige's search for a new King or Queen and Geralt's continued search for Ciri with some help from Crach An Crait. In return, however, Crach asks Geralt to help his children, Hjalmar and Cerys, charging the witcher with two subsequent secondary quests.
Hjalmar has set off to the isle of Undvik to defeat the infamous ice giant that dwells there and prove himself worthy of the Skelligan crown. Crach wants Geralt to go after his son to help Hjalmar achieve this feat in The Lord of Undvik quest.
Cerys, like her brother, has taken off to accomplish a feat befitting the next Skelliger ruler and lift a curse on Jarl Udalryk. Crach would like Geralt to convince his daughter to come home, but the famous white wolf proves no match against Cerys’ iron will and resigns to help her lift the curse in the side quest, Possession.