Ghosts of the Past is a secondary quest in Velen that brings back Letho, the assassin Geralt crossed paths with in The Witcher 2. It hinges almost entirely on choices, and two of them carry real weight: whether Letho survives, and whether he shows up later to fight alongside Geralt during the main story. Get the setup wrong and the quest never appears at all.
Quick answer: Spare Letho when importing or simulating a Witcher 2 save, finish the quest before starting The Isle of Mists, and invite Letho to Kaer Morhen at the end so he joins the Battle of Kaer Morhen.
Unlock requirement: Letho must have survived The Witcher 2
The quest only exists if Letho lived through The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. You do not need to have played the second game to make that true.
When you start a new game, choose Yes to simulate a Witcher 2 save. Picking No applies a default slate of outcomes in which Letho is dead. Later, during the White Orchard quest Imperial Audience, Morvran Voorhis questions Geralt about past events. When Letho comes up, answer with the line that asks what happened to him rather than confirming his death. That locks the quest in.
If you imported a Witcher 2 save and the quest still refuses to trigger, the import may be missing the correct decision flag. Starting fresh and simulating a worldstate is the reliable fix.
The deadline: finish it before The Isle of Mists
Ghosts of the Past permanently fails if you begin the main quest The Isle of Mists before completing it. There is no way to recover it afterward, so handle Letho’s business while you are still free-roaming Velen. The quest is built for around level 6, and its total payout is 75 XP with no gold or item reward.
Where the quest starts
The trigger point is Reardon Manor in Velen. You can reach it two ways: talk to the crying Dolores Reardon in Lindenvale to pick up the contract The Fall of the House of Reardon, or simply travel to the manor. Both quests run in the same location, so it is efficient to do them together.
With Ghosts of the Past active, the manor holds no monsters. Instead the grounds are rigged with explosive satchels and tripwire crossbow traps. Use Witcher Senses to spot them, disarm as you go, and head for the barn to the south. Examine the ladder on the ground to climb into the loft, where you find Letho hiding from bounty hunters. Reaching him grants 25 XP.
Hunters arrive almost immediately. Letho asks for help, and although two dialogue lines appear, both drop you into the same fight against the men. Clearing them awards more XP before the first real decision.
Choice 1: Follow Letho to Louis, or lose him for good
After the fight, Letho wants to confront Louis, the only person who knew his hiding spot. This is the point where the quest can quietly end. If you refuse to come along, or wander too far and lose track of him on the ride, the quest completes and Letho leaves the game permanently.
Agree to accompany him, and keep close while riding. At the camp, Letho charges Louis with betrayal, prompting a battle with a group of enemies. After they are defeated, the wounded Louis tells you where Arnout Vester’s men are. You may kill Louis afterward, but doing so gives no reward and has no effect on the outcome.
Choice 2: Letho’s fate at Lindenvale
Ride to Lindenvale and let Letho handle the confrontation. He draws the men out, takes a crossbow bolt, and appears to fall. Geralt then gets two dialogue options, and this is the decision that decides Letho’s plan.
| Choice | What happens |
|---|---|
| You’re good as dead | Geralt fights and kills Vester’s men. No witnesses survive, so word of Letho’s “death” never spreads and he stays hunted. Letho is frustrated the plan is ruined. |
| Don’t want trouble | Have the men take Letho’s medallion and spare his life. They depart and spread the news, leaving Letho free. |
Letho was never actually dead. He used Zanuguebarian venom to fake it, betting on the bounty hunters carrying the story back that he had been killed. If you stay out of the fight and let them take the medallion, the ruse works and he can finally stop running. If you intervene and kill them, you destroy the deception.
Choosing “Don’t want trouble” and then offering the medallion is the only outcome where Letho’s plan actually succeeds, and it is the ending he reacts to positively.
Choice 3: Send Letho to Kaer Morhen for the Battle
Once the confrontation ends, Letho says he needs to leave the region, and Geralt can steer where he goes. This is the choice that carries into the main story.
- Suggest Kaer Morhen — Letho agrees to head there and returns as an ally during The Battle of Kaer Morhen.
- Say nothing about Kaer Morhen — Letho talks about travelling to Zerrikania, leaves to pursue his own plans, and is not available for the battle.
The invitation works regardless of how the Lindenvale confrontation played out, so even if you killed Vester’s men you can still recruit Letho. If your goal is the largest possible force for the siege, this is the line to pick.
How to confirm it worked
The quest closes as soon as the final conversation with Letho ends and his destination is set, marking Ghosts of the Past as complete in your journal. If you suggested Kaer Morhen, the payoff is visible later: Letho appears at the keep and fights on Geralt’s side during The Battle of Kaer Morhen. If he never shows up there, he went to Zerrikania instead, meaning the invitation line was skipped.
