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We meet Gaunter O'Dimm back in White Orchard, long before he becomes a pertinent role in The Witcher 3's Heart of Stone expansion. Though he appears to be good-natured, helping Geralt a couple of times throughout the game, the witcher isn't without his suspicions, which are quickly validated in the expansion. O'Dimm is revealed to be a supernatural con artist of sorts, making contracts with people and offering them their deepest desires in exchange for their souls.
The DLC consists of Geralt characteristically finding himself wrapped up in one of these deals, enlisted by O'Dimm to help collect a troublesome debt from Olgierd Von Everec. When the events come to a head, if Geralt stands back and lets O'Dimm take Olgierd's soul, O'Dimm will reward the witcher by granting him one wish.
Updated September 9, 2023, by Sean Murray: Choosing what to accept from Gaunter O'Dimm can be a difficult decision, so we've refreshed this guide to be shorter and have better formatting with more breakout tips to make that decision that much easier.
Caparison of Lament
If Geralt tells O'Dimm he wants to be "as swift as the wind," Gaunter will reward him with a fancy black saddle and tattered caparison for Roach. This 'Caparison of Lament' grants Roach 100 stamina and confounds a random opponent when they come within a certain range.
Horn of Plenty
Geralt can also choose never to go hungry again, which on a witcher's salary of sparsely tossed coins can prove a difficult dream to fulfill. If he chooses this reward, O'Dimm will give Geralt the 'Horn of Plenty,' providing the witcher an endless supply of food.
Each time Geralt pulls from this cornucopia of sustenance, he will receive 40 vitality and 25 vitality regeneration during combat for a five-second duration.
Bottomless Carafe
Geralt may prefer a bottomless carafe of vodka instead. This reward would undoubtedly keep the witcher and his liquor-happy friends like Zoltan, Dandelion, and his witcher brethren sated and stumbling around indefinitely, but it's unlikely Yenn would approve of this choice, given the dress incident at Kaer Morhen.
However, the limitless hard alcohol supply also serves a more practical purpose, never leaving Geralt short on the base ingredient for his alchemy crafting. Hard alcohol is an accessible commodity for Geralt, so his one wish will better serve him elsewhere.
5,000 Crowns
Some may be inclined to agree with O'Dimm's assertion that being rich is a woefully banal wish and not nearly as valuable as the other resourceful rewards on this list. But, when the witcher's code comes down to monsters and money, you can't blame Geralt for not passing up a 5,000 crown payout.
Not A Thing
After the ordeal Geralt has experienced throughout the Heart of Stone expansion and learning the true nature of Gaunter O'Dimm, Geralt may decide to accept nothing from him. Choosing to wash his hands of O'Dimm and have no further dealings with the fraudster may be the most morally rewarding choice on this list.
However, there is one last reward that is absolutely invaluable to Geralt.
Advice on Ciri
If Geralt tackles the Heart of Stone expansion before finding Ciri, then Gaunter O'Dimm's last offer will be more meaningful than any monetary or material reward. Canonically the stoic witcher's greatest wish would be to reunite with his little witcher girl and see her safe and happy.
Geralt can tell Gaunter O'Dimm he wishes to find Ciri. Though he cannot directly locate her himself, O'Dimm prophesies several scenarios for when Geralt eventually does and offers him some parenting advice on each one.
As there is some debate over the 'best' ending for Ciri, we won't call it that. But if Geralt heeds 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 too much away for first-timers, Geralt will need to decide how to comfort Ciri after the battle of Kaer Morhen. He can do this by doing one of two things:
- Having a drink with Ciri.
- Engaging Ciri in a snowball fight.
Though 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 learn some upsetting news about a supposed friend, and Geralt will again be faced with two options:
- Calm Ciri down.
- Encourage Ciri to vent her rage.
While calming her down may seem like the responsible parental thing to do, in this instance, Geralt should encourage her to vent her frustrations.
"She will grieve a friend. Grieve with her."
Geralt will have to break the news to Ciri that one of her friends who helped her evade the Wild Hunt earlier in the game has since passed. Despite being on the precipice of more pressing matters, she will want to visit his gravesite. Here Geralt must decide:
- Travel with Ciri to her friend's gravesite.
- Tell Ciri more pressing matters need attending.
Please don't tell Ciri there is no time; she will need Geralt to nurture her sentimentality in order 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 one point, and she will be understandably trepidatious about meeting with them. Another parenting opportunity presents itself in the form of sheltering Ciri or letting her spread her wings.
- Attend the meeting and speak on Ciri's behalf.
- Bolster Ciri's confidence and let her confront the Sorceresses alone.
While Geralt may be the overprotective type, it's better to bolster her self-confidence and encourage her to go it alone.
"Never, ever let her feel as if you've sold her out."
This is a direct reference to the bounty offered by Emperor Emhyr at the start of the game, enlisting Geralt as a hired hand to find Ciri and bring her to him. Naturally, Geralt had his own sentimental reasons for finding Ciri, but accepting the payment in the late game as a bonus will significantly impact his relationship with Ciri. The critical choices pertaining to this foretelling are actually split in two.
First, Geralt must choose whether to disregard Emhyr's wishes altogether.
- Insist on visiting Emhyr before following Ciri's plan.
- Disregard Emhyr and head straight to Velen.
The act of bringing Ciri to the Emperor in itself doesn't tarnish Geralt and Ciri's relationship, but accepting payment makes for a painfully awkward cut scene that could lead to the worst outcome for Ciri. It should also be noted, visiting Emhyr with Ciri will forfeit her 'witcher ending.'
Visiting Emperor Emhyr instigates another ultimatum:
- Accept bounty for finding and retrieving Ciri for Emhyr.
- Refuse payment.
By not accepting payment, Geralt will ensure Ciri lives through the endgame--assuming you've heeded enough of Gaunter O'Dimm's other prophecies--even if it does mean he's changed her destiny.
The Emperor will also still feel obliged to compensate Geralt for his tireless search and reward him with an exclusive black mount.
There you have it, the bounty of rewards offered if Geralt decides to let Olgierd die. Siding with O'Dimm or Von Everec is a classic case of choosing a lesser evil as Olgierd is certainly no saint. Some may even view it as a mercy to grant Olgierd death. However, O'Dimm has an enticing way of tipping the scales if you find yourself torn between these two.