Free Spirit is a secondary quest in The Witcher 3 that sends Geralt across the Continent to collect five books for Ivar, a Skelliger searching for a way around the religious rules keeping him from the woman he loves. The books are sold by merchants in Crow’s Perch, Novigrad, and Lindenvale, so completing the quest requires considerably more traveling than its remote Skellige starting location might suggest.
There’s also an important requirement when first reaching Ivar: you need to save him immediately. If the attacking warrior kills him, you won’t be able to start Free Spirit.
How to Start Free Spirit
Free Spirit begins on a small island north of Skellige, beyond the Ancient Crypt.
There’s a boat near the Ancient Crypt Fast Travel point that you can use to sail toward the island.
Approach from its southern side and you’ll encounter two Skelligers fighting. One is Ivar, the NPC associated with Free Spirit.
Don’t wait for the fight to resolve itself.
Immediately attack and kill the Warrior fighting Ivar. If you take too long, the Warrior can kill Ivar, preventing the quest from becoming available.
Once Ivar is safe, speak with him to learn why he needs Geralt’s help.
Why Ivar Needs the Books
The warrior Geralt just killed has a sister named Irma, a priestess who is also in love with Ivar.
Their religious traditions prevent them from simply being together, so Ivar is searching for arguments, precedents, or loopholes that might provide a solution.
Since Geralt travels extensively, Ivar asks him to find several books dealing with religion, relationships, and different ways of approaching life.
You’ll need five books to complete the quest.
All Free Spirit Book Locations
The five books and the merchants who sell them are:
| Book | Location |
|---|---|
| Religion and Life | Merchant near the entrance to Crow’s Perch |
| The Curious Cases of Virtuous Vegga | Shopkeeper southeast of St. Gregory’s Bridge in Novigrad |
| Change Your Life! A Handbook | Loan Shark southwest of Oxenfurt Gate in Novigrad |
| The Cult of Freya | Eternal Fire Priest in Electors’ Square, Novigrad |
| Tristianna and Isador | Shopkeeper in Lindenvale |
You need to purchase the books from their respective merchants before returning to Ivar.
Where to Find Religion and Life
Religion and Life is sold at Crow’s Perch in Velen.
Look for the merchant located near the entrance to Crow’s Perch and check his inventory for the book.
Purchase it and keep it for Ivar.
Where to Find The Curious Cases of Virtuous Vegga
Travel to St. Gregory’s Bridge in Novigrad.
From the Fast Travel point, head slightly southeast and find the nearby shopkeeper.
He sells The Curious Cases of Virtuous Vegga, one of the five books required for Free Spirit.
Where to Find Change Your Life! A Handbook
The next book is also available in Novigrad.
Fast travel to Oxenfurt Gate, then head slightly southwest until you reach the Loan Shark’s shop.
Speak with the Loan Shark and purchase Change Your Life! A Handbook from his inventory.
Where to Find The Cult of Freya
Head to Electors’ Square in Novigrad.
Look for the Eternal Fire Priest who sells Alchemy supplies. Despite the subject matter, his inventory includes the book Ivar needs.
Purchase The Cult of Freya from him.
Where to Find Tristianna and Isador
The final book is found in Lindenvale.
Travel to the village and locate its shopkeeper. Check his inventory and purchase Tristianna and Isador.
With all five books collected, you can return to Ivar in Skellige.
How to Give the Books to Ivar
Sail back to Ivar’s island and speak with him.
You can hand over the books you’ve collected through his dialogue.
While it’s possible to arrive with all five and turn them in during the same visit, giving the books to Ivar one at a time is the safer approach if you want to hear his reaction to each title.
Turning everything in together can sometimes cause parts of his commentary to be skipped or behave inconsistently.
After receiving the final book, Ivar concludes that he’ll need to see more of the world himself if he wants to find a way to be with Irma.
He thanks Geralt, completing Free Spirit.
Where to Find Ivar After Free Spirit
Ivar’s story has one small follow-up after the quest.
Return to Novigrad and travel to the docks west of St. Gregory’s Bridge.
You can find Ivar there after completing Free Spirit.
Speak with him and he’ll explain that his search has taken him to Novigrad. For the moment, however, he needs money and is looking for work.
There are no more books to collect or decisions to make afterward. This conversation serves as the final update on Ivar’s journey following the events of Free Spirit.
