Blindingly Obvious sends Geralt into Dijkstra’s bathhouse to pull Philippa Eilhart out of his hands, and almost every choice along the way is cosmetic. Only one exchange carries real weight: how you handle Dijkstra when he blocks your exit. Pick the diplomatic line and you open the secret quest that decides who wins the war for the North.
Quick answer: When Dijkstra confronts you at the end, choose “Tell you what the emperor’s after if you let us go.” instead of shoving him. This is the choice that unlocks Reason of State, provided you finished the earlier assassin quests.
The Dijkstra choice that unlocks Reason of State
After you catch Philippa and drag her back upstairs, Dijkstra steps in and demands custody. He and Philippa share a history of love turned to hatred, so he wants his revenge. Two paths open here. You can force your way past him, or you can talk him down by revealing what Emperor Emhyr is planning. The diplomatic path is the one that matters.
To keep the door to Reason of State open, work through the confrontation with these lines in order.
Prerequisites for the diplomatic option to appear
The diplomatic line only shows up if you set it up earlier. Two conditions gate it.
- Complete A Deadly Plot before starting The Isle of Mists. Miss this and the option is gone.
- Finish all three assassin quests to fully confirm Reason of State later: An Eye for an Eye, Redania’s Most Wanted, and A Deadly Plot.
If those quests are done and you pick the diplomatic lines above, Reason of State becomes available. That questline is what lets you work with Vernon Roche and Dijkstra to assassinate Radovid and steer the war’s outcome. Fail to unlock it, and Nilfgaard loses by default, which closes off the ending where Ciri can become Empress.
Bart the troll: fight or talk your way past
Deeper in the sewers, Philippa’s magic has brainwashed the friendly rock troll Bart into blocking your path. You get a choice, but the outcome barely changes.
| Choice | Result |
|---|---|
| “I want to help her.” | Bart sympathizes and lets you pass without a fight. |
| “I need her.” | Geralt loses patience and fights Bart, who drops no loot. |
Since Bart carries nothing worth taking, saying “I want to help her.” is the cleaner pick. It skips a pointless fight and moves you straight toward Philippa.
Choices that have no consequence
A few moments look like decisions but change nothing. Skip the overthinking on these.
- The timed dialogue with Triss at The Chameleon has three responses and no effect on anything.
- Dijkstra’s henchmen in the bathhouse can be fought or run past. Geralt incapacitates rather than kills them either way.
- If you romance Triss, her questions about advising King Tankred in Kovir have no consequence. She takes the role regardless.
The instruction to approach Philippa quietly does not work. She always knows where you are, so run and jump up the stairs to start the capture cutscene.
How to confirm it worked
With the diplomatic approach and all prerequisites in place, completing Blindingly Obvious adds Reason of State to your secondary quests. The quest concludes as Triss creates a portal and departs with Philippa; you receive 500 XP, and Final Preparations updates with a return to Dandelion’s inn as its objective.
If you shoved Dijkstra instead, no Reason of State quest will show up, and Radovid keeps his hold on the war. There is no way to reopen the diplomatic path after the quest closes, so the pick you make in that final exchange is the one that sticks.
