At the end of The Beast of White Orchard, the third main quest in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Geralt kills the royal griffin terrorizing the village, and the Nilfgaardian commander offers him coin. This is the first timed dialogue in the game, so you have only a moment to accept or refuse before the choice is made for you.
Quick answer: The choice has no story consequences. Take the coin for 150 crowns and the lower XP, or turn it down for roughly 100 extra XP and no money.
Both rewards for the griffin coin choice
Each option gives a different mix of crowns and experience. Taking the coin pays out money plus a smaller amount of XP, while refusing it trades the money for a larger XP bonus.
| Choice | Crowns | XP | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Take the coin | 150 | 240–300 | Geralt pockets the coin and the Nilfgaardian looks pleased with himself. |
| Turn down the coin | 0 | 400–500 | Geralt walks off without a word. |
The exact XP depends on your level and version, but refusing always awards more experience than accepting. The crowns are the only thing you give up by walking away.
What the choice does and does not affect
Taking or refusing the griffin coin has no bearing on the main story, any future quest, or the ending. It will never come back to influence a later decision. The agreed payment for the hunt was always information on Yennefer’s whereabouts, so the coin is simply an extra the commander dangles in front of you.
Narratively, the offer works as a small test. The Nilfgaardians are occupying the Northern Realms while locals go hungry, and the officer is gauging whether Geralt will take their money anyway. Refusing reads as the cleaner roleplay choice, but neither answer locks you out of anything.
Do not confuse this with the attacked merchant in White Orchard. Declining that merchant’s reward gives you a shop discount with him; it does not alter the game’s ending.
Which option to pick
Pick based on what you value early in a playthrough. Both choices leave the game exactly where it would be otherwise, so this comes down to crowns versus faster leveling.
- Turn it down if you want faster leveling and ability points. XP is harder to come by than money across a full run, since you can later sell loot and junk for crowns.
- Take it if you want an early cash cushion. Money is tight in White Orchard, and 150 crowns helps with crafting Witcher gear and buying supplies before you leave the region.
Because the XP gap is modest and crowns become easy to accumulate later, most players lean toward refusing the coin. Either way, you confirm the outcome the moment the reward text appears on screen and the quest completes, after which you are free to move on from White Orchard.
