Under Watchful Eyes branches directly out of the Firebrand quest in The Blood of Dawnwalker. Once you reach Mert inside the military post, he asks Coen for help getting out and points out that the camp is thinner on guards after dark. Freeing him is optional, and there is a way to do it that skips almost all of the camp’s soldiers.
Quick answer: Steal the Prison Key from behind Overseer Friedo, leave through the front to get your weapons back, then loop around the outside to a back door. Unlock it, clear only the guards near that door and in Friedo’s room, free Mert, and exit through the same back door. As long as Mert leaves alive, the quest completes.
Should you free Mert?
The choice has a small footprint on the wider story, so decide based on the payoff you want rather than any major branching. Freeing Mert unlocks an extra dialogue option the first time you meet Crake, and it lets you find Mert again later in Svartrau. If you handled the Firebrand quest well and did not cause Renna’s death, you can also witness the two of them reunite.
To see where Mert ends up, visit the Almshouse in Svartrau city. It is an asylum next to the cathedral. If none of that appeals to you, there is no penalty for leaving Mert behind.
What to grab before you start the escape
The whole method depends on one item and one habit. Take the Prison Key and take nothing else from Friedo’s area yet.
- The Prison Key sits behind Friedo the Overseer. Steal it while you talk to Mert. Friedo will not react to it.
- Do not steal anything else at this point. You can return to loot his room later once the fight is over.
- Because the post confiscates your weapon on entry, the night approach pairs well with your vampire claws if you want them available.
How to free Mert with the least fighting
How to confirm the quest is done
The only condition that matters is Mert getting out alive. Whether you leave by the back door or the main gate, Under Watchful Eyes completes as soon as he clears the exit. The back-door route simply avoids the extra combat that the main entrance forces on you.
Note: If you want the infamy points and progress toward Ambrus’s court quest, you have to clear the entire camp instead of slipping out quietly. Choose the noisy route only when you are chasing that reward.
Under Watchful Eyes sits early in the flow after the prologue, right after Firebrand and before the chain that pushes Coen toward raising his Infamy and taking on Ambrus. Freeing Mert here is a small thread that pays off much later in Svartrau, so it is worth the short detour if you plan to see his story through.
