The Sunstone is a main quest in Act III of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and one of the required steps inside Battle Preparations. It begins as soon as your ship reaches Skellige, and it sends Geralt after a legendary elven artifact hidden inside the Ancient Crypt. The opening branches depending on who rules Skellige, but every path funnels into the same search and the same mirror puzzle.
Quick answer: Ask Ermion, get the cave location from Eyvind by choosing the “adventure novel” line, speak to Yennefer, then meet Philippa at the Ancient Crypt and pull each of the three mirror levers once to reveal the Sunstone.
Finding Ermion depends on who rules Skellige
Ermion is your first lead, though the outcome of King’s Gambit determines where he is. Ask Crach an Craite on the platform overlooking Kaer Trolde Harbor where the druid went.
If Cerys or Hjalmar takes the throne, your talk with Crach ends the opportunity to play Madman Lugos in Gwent: Skellige Style. Take his card before starting the fight.
If Cerys or Hjalmar rules Skellige
Fast-travel to Kaer Muire. Ermion and Madman Lugos are arguing when you arrive. Your responses make no difference: Lugos attacks regardless. Defeat him (level 32) and around ten of his warriors (level 28). Ermion joins in, but mainly keeps the enemy distracted.
When the battle ends, follow Ermion out of the keep, across Holmstein, and well to the north; you cannot speak with him until then. He takes down many of Lugos’s guards as you go, so you can stay back and loot the castle approach, but keep an eye out for survivors.
If Svanrige Tuirseach is king
Head to the keep at Kaer Trolde. Furious, Donar tells you Birna Bran plans to hand Skellige over to Nilfgaard. In the main hall, Svanrige opposes his mother’s scheme, slays the Nilfgaardian envoy, and triggers combat against nearby Nilfgaardian troops (levels 19 and 29). Defeat them, watch the scene, then speak with Ermion.
Get the cave location from Eyvind or the pearl divers
Ermion does not know where the Sunstone is, so he points you to two leads near Arinbjorn: the skald Eyvind and a group of pearl divers who loot elven treasures. Either one gives you the same cave location, so you only need one. Eyvind is faster and safer.
Eyvind stands on a cliff west of Arinbjorn, watching for Gevorg, a legendary white whale. You get two timed dialogue choices. The first, about alerting him to the whale, does not matter. For the second, when he asks why you want the elven ruins, choose “Gathering material for an adventure novel.” This is the line that makes him reveal the location.
Do not mention Ermion to Eyvind. He hates the druid and refuses to help if the name comes up, forcing you to visit the pearl divers instead. If you want every objective marked green, you can deliberately mention Ermion (it still counts) and then go to the divers.
The Fishlung brothers, who dive for pearls, are in a cave beneath the water off the eastern coast, near the road leading to Eldberg Lighthouse. Dive beside their boat, swim through the underwater entrance, and surface inside to speak with them. They give you the information directly. A few Drowners (level 29) attack afterward, but you can run away.
Speak to Yennefer and meet Philippa
No matter how you found out where to go, return to Kaer Trolde Harbor and speak with Yennefer, who is there with Philippa and Ciri. Ciri wants to see Avallac’h’s lab, so Yennefer accompanies her, and Philippa takes charge of finding the Sunstone. The conversation also begins the Child of the Elder Blood quest; you can finish it now or return to it later.
Philippa waits by the entrance to the Ancient Crypt on Ard Skellig’s northern coast. If the crypt is on your map, fast-travel directly to it; it has a harbor marker as well as a signpost. If not, sail from Kaer Trolde. Approach the entrance so Philippa can open it, and loot the chest on the right before following her inside.
Ancient Crypt enemies and paths
Follow Philippa along the linear route. Early on you reach a watery chamber guarded by Drowners (level 28) and a Siren (level 29). Clear them, then draw from the Igni Place of Power to the west before continuing. An optional detour on the way spawns a Wraith.
Philippa repairs a ruined staircase and the path forks. Both routes lead deeper, but they hold different rewards and enemies.
| Path | Enemy | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Left | Venomous Arachas (level 28) | Hidden treasure chests behind spike traps; Elven-Made Key |
| Right | Golem (level 28) | Naevde Seidhe formula in a side room |
The spike traps on the left-hand route inflict heavy damage. Use Witcher Senses to work out their timing, then cast Aard or Igni to hold the spikes out briefly and expose a safe path; keep Quen active for extra protection. Use the lever at the far end to shut off the spikes for good. Farther ahead, level 28 Wild Hunt warrior ghosts guard minor loot behind a door, and a concealed chest sits behind breakable pillars along the way.
Coat your silver sword with the right oil for each fight. Use Necrophage Oil on Drowners, Hybrid Oil on the Siren, Insectoid Oil on the Arachas, Elementa Oil on the Golem and ghosts, and prepare Golden Oriole to shrug off the Arachas poison.
Solving the mirror puzzle
The chamber holding the Sunstone is sealed behind a light puzzle. A crystal on the ceiling sends a beam that must be reflected through three mirrors until it reaches the platform where Philippa stands. Each mirror has a lever, and each is guarded by a ghost you must kill first.
When the beam reaches Philippa, the Sunstone appears. Cross over to her to trigger a cutscene where she continues her political scheming, with dialogue that shifts slightly based on your romance choice. She hands you the Sunstone, turns into an owl, and flies away.
How to confirm the quest is complete
You know the quest is done when the “Examine the Sunstone” objective checks off and you receive 500 XP (scaled on the Story and Swords! difficulty). The quest log then updates Battle Preparations, and Child of the Elder Blood remains active if you have not finished it.
You still need to leave the ruins. The now-open secret door leads to a loot-filled route with more ghosts and extra chests, exiting through an illusion north of Rogne. Clear out your inventory before entering, since the loot easily pushes you over the weight limit, then use the Rogne signpost to offload anything you no longer need.
