Final Preparations asks you to complete four ally quests around Novigrad, then return to Ciri at the Chameleon. Yennefer is at Crippled Kate's, and Ciri's initial visit is in northern Novigrad during the day. Searching every ally only at the inn is the wrong location check.
Find the correct starting conversation
| Ally | Historical location | Linked quest |
|---|---|---|
| Avallac'h | Chameleon, top floor | Through Time and Space |
| Ciri | Northern Novigrad, daytime | Payback |
| Triss | Chameleon, upstairs | Blindingly Obvious |
| Yennefer | Crippled Kate's, at a table | The Great Escape |
Select the relevant journal entry to track its own marker. This is an ally/location checklist, not a complete portal, prison or rescue walkthrough for all four subquests. It does not prescribe an undocumented “best order.”
Protect the decision checkpoints
- Keep a save before starting the ally sequence.
- Check each named subquest in the journal rather than assuming a conversation completed it.
- Before Blindingly Obvious's Dijkstra decision, review Reason of State's prerequisites if you want that side quest.
- After all four, return to the Chameleon's top floor for Ciri's next conversation.
Attend or wait outside the Lodge meeting
Ciri says Philippa and Rita want to meet her. You can accompany her or let her go alone. This is a later Ciri decision, separate from finding her earlier for Payback. Use the Ciri ending checkpoint guide if choosing for an ending; completing this meeting alone does not guarantee that ending.
If the parent quest still waits
Compare your journal with the four entries above, note any unfinished objective, and track that entry directly. If the expected conversation remains absent despite completed subquests, preserve the save and report the precise stage, time and build. No force-completion command is supplied.
Final Preparations and the later Battle Preparations are distinct quests. Confirm the exact title before using a marker or route from an endgame guide. These locations come from a historical walkthrough, without a current 5.x NPC-scheduling test.
Sources and version limits
- GameBanshee: Final Preparations — Historical 1.31 GOTY walkthrough; not a Remastered 5.x playtest.
- GameBanshee: Payback — Historical 1.31 GOTY walkthrough; not a Remastered 5.x playtest.
- GameBanshee: Ciri decision context — Historical 1.31 GOTY walkthrough; not a Remastered 5.x playtest.
Sources checked October 6, 2026. These are attributed reports and route instructions, not our own test of your hardware or save. A reported workaround does not establish a permanent fix.