Not every upper class citizen hides away in prestige districts like Gildorf, however. But that hasn’t stopped Whoreson Junior, one of the city’s crime lords, buying a townhouse on the island.

And, of course, the Temple Guard is out in force, making sure order is kept in this most holy of sites. At the base of the tower, whose flame can be seen burning for miles around, you’ll find crowds of worshippers praying and priests giving passionate sermons. This is the religious heart of the city, home to the Great Temple of the Eternal Fire. Gildorf is also notable for its connection to Temple Isle via St. Compared to The Bits, it’s like a different city. There are no beggars or cutthroats here just strolling nobles clad in fine, colourful clothes and a huge contingent of Temple Guards to keep the riff-raff at bay. Here the wealthiest citizens live in opulent villas, relax in Sigismund’s Bathhouse, and engage in all manner of hedonism at the Passiflora, Novigrad’s finest brothel. Gildorf is the city’s most affluent district, elevated above the grimy slums below-both literally and figuratively. Of course, for others, life in Novigrad is sweet. Novigrad may seem like a shining beacon in war-ravaged Velen, but for some folk, life there is just as tough as anywhere else. Geralt meets a fugitive mage called Remi Villeroy, who fled with his family after the witch hunts broke out. Although not completely safe from the prying eyes of the Eternal Fire, magic users and non-humans can find some safety here. Outcasts can also be found in Farcorners, a patch of farmland just outside the city walls. This here’s the last bastion of normality, sanity, reason.” “But it’s the rest of Novigrad that’s putrefied. “They call this place the Putrid Grove,” the King of Beggars tells Geralt. This is the only place in the city where people on the fringes of society can live in peace without being hounded by the Eternal Fire's witch hunters.

In his sanctuary you’ll see elves, dwarves, and humans living together, and mages plying their forbidden trade. Putrid Grove is similarly impoverished, but has become a haven for non-humans and magic users, who live under the protection of Francis Bedlam, the King of Beggars.

Witcher 3 portrait of hierarch