Witcher 3 poet under pressure (A Poet Under Pressure) is a main quest in Novigrad, where Geralt and Zoltan Chivay ambush a witch hunter convoy and free Dandelion. The bard is being taken from Temple Isle to the gallows and the plan from The Play’s the Thing finally has to work. You go through the ambush, the trail after the kidnapping, the hut in the woods, and a flashback with Ciri.
When the quest starts
The quest starts automatically after The Play’s the Thing, once you have the trap arranged with Dudu. They are transporting Dandelion from the prison on Temple Isle toward Oxenfurt, and without your help you lose him for good.
The marker sends you to Zoltan east of the city, across the bridge from the crossroads by the Seven Cats Inn. By the road the ambush is already set.
Ambush on the convoy
With Zoltan and a crew of guys you wait until dawn. Priscilla can stay by the fire and offers gwent, but it does not affect how the quest goes.
When the convoy with the wagon shows up, the ambush starts. You can take the hunters down yourself or leave it to Zoltan and the others, the main thing is the wagon does not get past without a fight.
One hunter with the bard escapes on horseback. Geralt mounts up and rides after the trail.
Trail after the hunter
With witcher senses follow the tracks on the road. Along the way you also find scattered pages of Dandelion’s verses that he dropped during the ride.
At the fork you can talk to the blacksmith in the camp. Sometimes he sends you the wrong way, so it pays to check both paths. On the correct turnoff you find Dandelion’s hat and you keep going by the scent all the way to a lonely hut in the woods.
Hut in the woods and the cellar
In front of the house sit the hut owners. After a short talk they give you the key to the trapdoor behind the hut. Climb down the ladder into the cellar, go through the tunnel under the house, and come up on the other side.
Upstairs the hunter who held Dandelion waits for you. After the fight you free him and you can talk to him.
Dandelion and the flashback with Ciri
Dandelion tells you what happened before he was captured. The game switches to Ciri at Junior’s estate and then to the escape toward Temple Isle.
In Ciri’s part you do not have to take out every enemy. Teleport ahead by the markers, cut a path with the sword now and then, and at the end run to the temple. After the sequence you return to Geralt at the hut.
Talk with the bard about Ciri and you close the quest. The Novigrad main line ends there and the side quests Cabaret and A Dangerous Game open. The Witcher 3 story continues toward Skellige.
Closing
A Poet Under Pressure is the final Novigrad step to Dandelion and to the next lead on Ciri. Stick with the ambush with Zoltan, after the convoy ride the hunter’s trail, and do not skip the back entrance at the hut in the woods. I summarize how the game holds up overall in the Witcher 3 review. More guides are on the Witcher 3 hub.