Geralt of Rivia has seen some pretty nasty stuff, but the Devil’s Pit was always a weird one. For years, players wandered into that massive, circular quarry in Velen only to find a bunch of low-level deserters and a locked door that led nowhere. It was a literal hole in the map. Then, CD Projekt Red finally dropped the Next-Gen Update, and suddenly, that empty space became the site of one of the most haunting quests in the entire franchise. In the Eternal Fire's Shadow isn't just a bit of fan service to tie in with the Netflix show; it’s a masterclass in atmospheric storytelling that actually makes the Church of the Eternal Fire feel terrifying again.
If you haven't played it yet, you're looking for a desperate deacon standing outside the pit. He’s young, he’s over his head, and he’s terrified of a plague brewing beneath the earth.
Honestly, most "collaboration" content in RPGs feels tacked on. You know the type—a random chest with a shiny sword and a note that says "thanks for playing." This isn't that. CDPR went deep. They built a multi-stage dungeon crawl that feels more like a survival horror game than a standard fantasy romp. You aren't just hunting a monster here; you're unearthing a tragedy that spans centuries.
The Horror in the Pit
The quest kicks off with a simple premise. There’s a "red death" spreading, and the deacon wants you to stop it. Simple, right? Wrong. Once you crack that seal and descend into the mines, the tone shifts. The lighting gets oppressive. You start finding these notes left behind by a man named Reinald. He was a Witcher—a brother from the School of the Wolf—who was sent here three hundred years ago to handle the same problem.
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That’s where the weight of In the Eternal Fire's Shadow really starts to press down on you.
You aren't just following a trail of blood. You're following the psychological breakdown of a professional who realized, too late, that he was trapped. The environmental storytelling is peak Witcher. You’ll see scratch marks on the walls and find remnants of "Redania’s finest" who were sent down here to die. The Church of the Eternal Fire has always been portrayed as a bunch of zealots, but this quest exposes a level of bureaucratic cruelty that's honestly hard to stomach. They didn't just lock the victims away; they forgot them.
The atmosphere is thick. You’ll need your Cat potion, or a torch if you’re feeling brave, because the shadows in this pit are aggressive. It’s one of the few times in the game where I felt like the world was actually closing in on me.
Meeting Reinald and the Miasmal
Eventually, you reach the bottom. You find Reinald. He’s been held in a salt-crust stasis for centuries, possessed by a creature called the Red Miasmal. This isn't your standard Noonwraith or Drowner. It’s an ancient, lingering malice born from the suffering of the plague victims.
The boss fight is a two-stager. First, you have to fight Reinald himself. He uses Witcher signs against you, which is a fantastic mechanical twist. It’s jarring to see an Aard blast coming from the "enemy" side of the screen. You have to be smart with your parries and timing. If you just mash the light attack button, he’s going to punish you.
Then comes the Miasmal. It’s big, it’s ugly, and it hits like a freight train.
But the real meat of the quest happens after the swords are put away.
The Choice Most People Mess Up
The Witcher 3 is famous for its "gray" morality, and In the Eternal Fire's Shadow delivers one of the most stressful dialogue sequences in the game. Once the spirit is gone, you’re left with the ghost of Reinald. He’s angry. He’s spent three centuries in a salt prison because of the Church’s cowardice. He wants blood. Specifically, he wants the young deacon’s blood.
A lot of players just click through the dialogue. Don't do that.
If you want the "good" ending—or at least the one that doesn't end in a senseless murder—you have to play therapist. You have to convince Reinald that the boy isn't the institution. You have to show him that the deacon is just as much a victim of the Church’s lies as he was. It’s a delicate balance. One wrong word and the deacon is dead, Reinald finds no peace, and Geralt is left standing in a room full of corpses.
The nuance here is incredible. It forces you to acknowledge that while the Eternal Fire is a corrupt, hateful organization, the individuals within it can still be capable of growth. Or they can be cowards. It’s up to how you guide the conversation.
That Sweet, Sweet Forgotten Wolf Gear
Let’s be real: half the reason people do this quest is for the loot. And the loot is legendary. By completing In the Eternal Fire's Shadow, you get the diagrams for the Forgotten Wolf School Gear. This is the armor Henry Cavill wore in the Netflix series.
- The Look: The basic version looks like the Season 1 armor—studded black leather, very "rough and tumble."
- The Upgrade: Once you reach the Mastercrafted and Grandmaster levels, it shifts into the Season 2 look, which is bulkier and more "superhero" esque.
- The Stats: It’s built for a specific playstyle. It focuses heavily on increasing the duration of potions and boosting the damage of Yrden and Aard.
If you’re the type of player who likes to trap enemies in a circle and then blast them into smithereens, this set is your new best friend. To actually craft the high-level versions, you’ll eventually have to travel to Kaer Morhen and find Reinald’s old notes in the library. It ties the whole world together in a way that feels earned.
Why This Quest Matters in 2026
Even years after the Next-Gen update, In the Eternal Fire's Shadow stands out as a template for how to handle legacy content. It didn't just add a skin; it added lore. It answered a question players had been asking since 2015: "What's in that pit?"
It also reinforces the core theme of Sapkowski’s world—that the real monsters aren't always the ones with claws. The Miasmal was scary, sure. But the real villain of the story was the priest who turned the key in the lock 300 years ago and walked away while people screamed for help.
The quest also serves as a bridge. For fans of the show, it’s a gateway into the games. For book purists and veteran players, it’s a dark, gritty reminder of why they fell in love with Velen in the first place. It’s depressing, it’s dirty, and it’s deeply human.
How to Prepare for the Pit
Don't go in underleveled. The game suggests level 15, but if you're playing on Death March, you might want to wait until 18 or 20. The Miasmal has some high-damage area-of-effect attacks that will one-shot a glass-cannon build.
Bring these things:
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- Enhanced Owl Potion: You’re going to be casting signs constantly. You need that stamina regen.
- Thunderbolt: To end the fight quickly before the Miasmal's teleportation moves get annoying.
- The willingness to read: Seriously, read the letters found in the cave. They make the final confrontation 10x more impactful.
When you finally confront the deacon at the end, remember that Geralt is a professional, but he's also a man who has seen enough death. Sometimes, the most "Witcher" thing you can do isn't killing the monster, but stopping the cycle of vengeance.
Next Steps for Your Playthrough
To get the most out of this content, you should first head to the Devil’s Pit in Velen (just east of Mulbrydale) and speak to the deacon to trigger the quest. Once you've defeated the Miasmal and secured the initial diagrams, make your way to Kaer Morhen as soon as the main story allows. Search the upper balconies of the fortress library to find the "Scraps of Paper" that unlock the Mastercrafted and Grandmaster upgrade paths for the Forgotten Wolf Gear. Finally, make sure to spec your character points into Yrden intensity, as the set bonus for the Netflix armor makes the trap sign significantly more powerful against slow-moving targets.