The Witcher Geralt can defeat a lot of different monsters. But the biggest monster is merciless: The tax office with its tax collectors.
As a Witcher in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, it’s not that easy. Not only do you have to constantly try not to succumb to the charm of enchanting sorceresses, save a rebellious daughter from your own doom, and rescue villages from monsters and horrors in the meantime – but you also have to deal with tax collectors. This “adversary” was mainly seen by players who had previously cheated and possessed a lot of money.
What was that exploit? In the early days of The Witcher III, there were still a lot of small bugs and exploits. They weren’t really fatal to the gaming fun, but those who knew them could cheat significant advantages. Some of these exploits affected the in-game currency, the crowns. Because even in the starting area, it was possible to kill cows en masse and then sell their hides and milk profitably to merchants. So you could acquire sums before the “real” start of the game that would ensure you never had to worry about money again for the rest of the game.
This exploit was later fixed by giving the cows an extra boss to protect them. But it got even crazier.
Tax collector targets the scoundrel Witcher
In the expansion “Hearts of Stone”, the developers referred to such exploits and even included their own NPC. This one intercepts Geralt at the first opportunity in Oxenfurt when he has more than 35,000 crowns in his inventory.
Then the tax collector named Walthemor Mitty wants to ask you a few critical questions and really get to the bottom of how you acquired your wealth and whether you used any unscrupulous methods. In his questions, he clearly refers to the known exploits. He wants to know …
- … whether you participated in large trade with animal skins.
- … whether you bought shells just to sell the pearls contained in them.
- … whether you ever broke into someone’s house and took something without permission.
If you deny at least two of the questions, you will be praised as a model taxpayer and even receive a diploma stating that you are an “Honest Taxpayer”.
What is the penalty? If Geralt helps with his own conviction and admits to at least two wrongdoings, he will be sentenced by Walthemor to pay a fine of 1,000 crowns in the bank of Novigrad. As long as you do not settle this debt, Vimme Vivaldi refuses to have further contact with you – not even Gwent will he play with you anymore.
At least: As a reward for the quest, there are again 50 crowns. This then reduces the tax burden to 950 crowns.
However, it is also possible to meet the tax collector legally. Anyone who simply acquires over 35,000 crowns, which is likely in the later course of the game, can have the same dialogue.
What do you think of this way of dealing with exploits and bugs in the game? A funny thing that other developers should take a page from? Or should one not deal with their own mistakes in the game this way? Let us know in the comments!
We have presented the 10 most powerful monsters that even Witcher Geralt respects here.
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