Reason of State drops Geralt into the middle of Redanian politics, where Vernon Roche, Dijkstra, and Thaler plot the assassination of King Radovid. Two choices inside the quest decide the fate of the North, and only one path both stops the witch hunts and keeps your closest allies alive.
Quick answer: Agree to help kill Radovid, then at the theater pick “Won’t let you kill them” to save Roche, Ves, and Thaler. This forces you to fight Dijkstra, restores Temeria, and supports the Ciri Empress ending.
Requirements to unlock Reason of State
At Level 30, this Novigrad secondary quest becomes available in Act 3, following the Battle of Kaer Morhen. Several earlier quests are mandatory; leave even one unfinished and this quest will not trigger.
- Finish Triss’ questline, ending with “A Matter of Life and Death” and “Now or Never”.
- Clear “Redania’s Most Wanted,” “A Deadly Plot,” and “An Eye for an Eye.”
- During “Blindingly Obvious”, bribe Dijkstra with information about what Emperor Emhyr is after instead of fighting him.
You must finish Reason of State before starting “On Thin Ice”. If you begin that main quest first, Reason of State auto-fails and you lose the chance to influence the war.
Should you help kill Radovid?
Yes. Radovid has slid into paranoid madness and turned his witch hunters loose on mages, dwarves, and anyone he deems a threat. Helping remove him carries no penalty for Geralt, because there are no witnesses tying him to the deed. Declining the plan simply fails the quest and leaves Radovid on the throne.
During the warehouse meeting, keep Geralt committed by choosing these lines:
- “Let’s say Radovid bites. What then?”
- “I’m in.”
After you leave, Philippa Eilhart hands you Vizimir II’s ring as proof to lure the king out. You then board Radovid’s ship at the docks, present the ring, and lead him to St. Gregory’s Bridge. He orders your execution, Roche’s men ambush the Redanians, and Philippa blinds and kills Radovid before vanishing as an owl. Taking part earns the Assassin of Kings trophy and 25 XP.
The final choice: Roche or Dijkstra
At the theater celebration, Dijkstra reveals his real plan. With Radovid gone, he intends to become Chancellor of Redania, keep fighting Nilfgaard, and unite the North under his own rule, which would include swallowing Temeria. Because Roche and Thaler have already negotiated a truce with Emhyr, Dijkstra surrounds them with his men and demands their deaths.
Geralt gets a timed prompt with two options:
- “Won’t let you kill them” — Geralt defends the Temerians and kills Dijkstra and his henchmen.
- “Do what you will.” — Geralt walks away, and Roche, Ves, and Thaler are killed off-screen.
Why “Won’t let you kill them” is the best choice
Loyalty is the deciding factor. Roche and Ves risked their lives at the Battle of Kaer Morhen to protect Ciri from the Wild Hunt, while Dijkstra offered little beyond coin. Saving them repays that debt directly.
The politics also favor Roche. Under the deal with Emhyr, Nilfgaard claims Aedirn and Lyria, but Temeria keeps its own courts, administration, and army as a self-ruled vassal. Against an army you cannot beat outright, that autonomy is the safer long-term outcome. It also lines up with the best path for Ciri, the Empress ending, when combined with her other required decisions.
The fight itself is simple. Dijkstra carries a large axe and his crew are ordinary human enemies, so any standard combat style clears them quickly.
All Reason of State choices and outcomes
| Choice | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Refuse to help kill Radovid | Radovid survives, wins the war against Nilfgaard, and continues the genocide of non-humans and mages. |
| Let Dijkstra kill Roche (“Do what you will.”) | Dijkstra becomes ruler of Redania, defeats Nilfgaard, unites the North, and restores Temeria under his industrial rule. |
| Kill Dijkstra to protect Roche (“Won’t let you kill them”) | Nilfgaard wins the war but honors the truce, letting Temeria keep its independence as a semi-autonomous state. |
How to confirm the quest completed correctly
Either ending closes the quest as soon as the choice resolves. If you sided with Roche, the quest completes right after Dijkstra dies and you can loot his body and his henchmen. If you walked away, the quest ends the moment Geralt leaves the theater.
Check that Reason of State is marked complete in your journal before you move on to “On Thin Ice”. Once that main quest begins, the political outcome is locked in and cannot be changed, so make sure the result you wanted is the one recorded.
