The Witcher 3 - Tesham Mutna, Pomp and Strange Circumstance, Be It Ever So Humble

How to defeat Dettlaff and complete the quests Tesham Mutna, Pomp and Strange Circumstance and Be It Ever So Humble.

Guide by Mat Hall Contributor

Updated on Dec. 8, 2020

This page covers Tesham Mutna, Pomp and Strange Circumstance and Be It Ever So Humble. If you're looking for more assistance, our Witcher 3 Blood and Wine walkthrough can help.

Tesham Mutna

The plots recombine here. Apply Vampire oil to your sword, ready Yrden and make any other preparations you need, then save your game before jumping into the fray. This is a three stage fight, with Dettlaff becoming more powerful with each step:

Initially it's just plain old vampire Dettlaff - he's quick, but Yrden should slow him down and make him more vulnerable to attack, and if you just keep your distance and then rush in for a few swings between his attacks, this stage is straightforward to deal with.
At around two-thirds health, he'll sprout wings and become much more of a threat. While he's flying around he has three main attacks

A swooping dive-bomb. As he heads towards you he'll momentarily pause at the lowest point of his dive, so sidestep a couple of times to dodge him while he's slowed down.
A bat swarm. It takes a few seconds to charge, and as soon as he releases it roll towards him - it's difficult to avoid completely, but it does much less damage than his other attacks.
A subterranean surprise attack. He'll dive into the ground and emerge just in front of you and peform an AOE atack, so dodge back continuously when he starts the attack.

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Stay out of his way and wait for him to make his third attack type, as this is the only time he's really vulnerable to damage, but don't try and get more than a couple of hits in. Also be careful of the mess he leaves behind after these attacks, as it'll pin you to the spot, leaving you wide open to attack, and at this point he's more than capable of one- or two-shotting you.
At one-third health, you'll be trapped inside a strange, organic-looking hemisphere. To actually damage him, you need to destroy the three pulsating bags around the edges of the area, but you'll also need to deal with his fleshy mobile form at the same time. When you kill his body, it'll respawn, but the delay will give you a few seconds' breathing room to lay into the main targets - just don't get greedy, as he has a habit of respawning almost on top of you. Doing a small amount of damage and then taking up a defensive posture is more likely to be successful - but you can also kite him around the room and do damage to both him and the fleshy sacs as you move.

When he's down to pretty much zero health the fleshy cage will dissipate, and one more swipe with your sword will do it.

Our Witcher 3 walkthrough and guide can help you with the main story, including the Wandering in the Dark and Family Matters missions, and eventually, one of several Witcher 3 endings. There's plenty of side content, too, including Witcher 3 Contracts, White Orchard quests, Velen quests, Novigrad quests and Skellige Isles quests. Elsewhere, learn about the best Witcher 3 builds, the best Witcher 3 mods, how to make money in Witcher 3, find Places of Power locations, and learn how to do Witcher 3 crafting and Witcher 3 Alchemy And when you're done with all those - we can help you through expansions with our Hearts of Stone walkthrough and Blood and Wine walkthrough.

Pomp and Strange Circumstance

If you're not interested in the full who, why, and what of the conspiracy, then skip the next paragraph and head straight for Damien once you're bedecked in your finery.

If you are interested, head for the bootblack and find out what he knows, then follow the lead he gave you to the homeless shelter. "Persuade" the thugs to leave and hang around to find out who the final victim was intended to be, tell Regis you want to find some answers, and then head for the palace. Once inside climb the stairs and talk to the guard, follow him up to the next floor, and speak to Syanna.

When you meet with Damien you can reveal the name of the fifth victim if you so choose, and then the grand ceremony will begin. The dialogue options available will vary depending on some of your choices earlier, but eventually it will be over and you'll find yourself relaxing with Regis, who then decides now is a good time to go looking for mandrake roots.

Equip the mask and gloves he gives you and follow him down the slope. Pick the mandrake roots (they're located fairly close together in the middle of the search zone) and then head for the marker. Regis is gone, so use Witcher senses to track him down and then assist him in his struggle against the Bruxae, then sit with him a while longer.