This guide will explain where to find Master Blacksmith in The Witcher 3, and how to start and complete the “Of Swords and Dumplings” quest to unlock Hattori’s shop, where you can craft Mastercrafted tier Weapons!
This guide is up-to-date for The Witcher 3 Next-Gen version (Update 4.04)
How to Unlock the Master Blacksmith
The Master Blacksmith crafter is the only one who can craft Mastercrated tier weapons in The Witcher 3 – the fourth, and highest tier of gear in the base game.
The Mastercrafted witcher sets are for high-level players, around 34 or so, but you can unlock the quest and complete it to have the Master Blacksmith ready. There are also a few other more immediate benefits, explained and shown at the end of the guide, in the rewards section.
There is only one Master Blacksmith in the whole game. His name is Hattori. You need to help him restore his shop before you can use him to craft high-tier gear for you.
Hattori’s Master Blacksmith shop is unlocked by completing a secondary quest called “Of Swords and Dumplings”, recommended for level 24 players.
How to start and complete Of Swords and Dumplings
To get the quest you need to ask one of the Journeymen Blacksmiths in Velen and Novigrad if they can craft a Master tier weapon for you. They will tell you that they lack the skills and tools and point you to Novigrad and Hattori.
There are a few Blacksmiths you can talk to in Velen. They are all low-tier crafters, though. After asking them about Mastercrafted gear, they will point you to Master Hattori.
Below is an example of a Blacksmith you can ask about Mastercrafted weapons. This one is located in the northwest corner of Lindenvale, which is east of Crow’s Perch, in the heart of Velen.
Then you will get the quest to talk to Hattori in Novigrad. “Of Swords and Dumplings” is a secondary quest, recommended for players of level 24 or higher. Of course, you can do it at a lower level, if you want some challenge.
You could also directly go to Hattori’s shop in Novigrad. He is making… dumplings. Ask him about his work and his past and you will get the quest as well.
Note: You can stumble upon this quest very early on in Velen. Don’t talk to Hattori in Novigrad and don’t do the quest’s first objective unless you plan to finish the quest. Hattori will be waiting for you for quite a long time at the docks. Even if you get a message that he has gone from the meeting spot, you can talk to him back at his shop to resume the quest.
Talk to Hattori in Novigrad
To start the quest, find Hattori in Novigrad and talk to him. You will find him at his shop, making dumplings.
The closest Fast Travel (if you have it unlocked) is the Glory Gate on the south side of Novigrad. Hattori is on the west side of the small square.
In the cinematic that will play when you get there, you will learn that Hattori has given up on making high quality weapons as a result of the domination of certain gangs and the pressure they apply to crafters in Novigrad and the region.
Since this is the only Master tier blacksmith in the base game, you have no other option but to agree and help Hattori restore his shop. The reward is worth it as well.
As I said, the quest is recommended for level 24, but you should be comfortable doing it at a lower level. Considering the reward (more about it at the end) is for level 21, it might be better to not listen to the game’s recommendations. The challenges during this quest are not too big either.
Help Hattori to make a deal with his supplier
Agree to help Hattori and arrange a meeting with his potential supplier. This is the tricky point I mentioned earlier. You have to go to the marked spot near the docks in Novigrad after dusk (at night time). If you delay going to that spot to continue the quest for too long, Hattori may go away, but you will be able to resume the quest.
If you head straight to the meeting point, you may see a different animation and a unique line from Geralt. By default, Hattori should meet you there, but if you go first, Geralt will see Hattori coming when dusk comes and will meet him with a funny line. This doesn’t affect the story in any way, of course.
Follow Hattori to a back alley where you will meet three NPCs. You have to negotiate with Tinboy (guy in the middle), who serves one of the underworld lords of Novigrad – The King of Beggars.
At the start of the negotiations, you have three options. Choose one of the first two:
1. Let’s Negotiate
Allows you to enter negotiations and lower the compensation Hattori will have to pay The King of Beggars down to 25%. Starting Point is 50%.
2. Are you Crazy?
Same possibilities as the first option, but I personally like it more because it’s more natural reaction if you plan to drop from 50% to 25%.
3. Fine. Let’s get this over with.
Agree to the 50% cut and continue with the quest.
You will still get Hattori to craft Master tier swords for you regardless of what you choose here, but if you want to be a good guy, Negotiate down to 25%. Here’s a suggestion of what to choose if you want to do this:
- Are you Crazy?
- Too much.
- Still too much.
- Fine, no deal. (timed answer)
After Tinboy agrees to the offered terms, you will get ambushed by Cleaver’s gang. The only outcome is to defeat them all and run out.
Regroup after the fight and a new cinematic will play. Tinboy will recommend that you secure protection for Hattori while the gang leaders negotiate a truce after this incident. However, during this conversation, Hattori will run away, scared.
You will have to go back to his shop and talk to him. He will ask once again for your help protecting him. Geralt is a witcher, of course. He can’t play a bodyguard.
Whatever you say at this moment, Hattori will ask you to talk to his former employee Sukrus.
Get protection for Hattori, hire Sukrus
You will find this old Skellige pirate outside The Golden Sturgeon inn, near the docks. As you approach the location marked on your map, you will see two people fighting. The marked one is Sukrus, the other one is his brother-in-law.
After a few words between you and Sukrus, you will enter in a fistfight with him. It doesn’t matter if you beat him or lose.
Here’s a quick tip on how to bear nearly every man in a fistfight match: counterattacks. Use Block just when the opponent’s bar flashes red and he is about to attack, Geralt will knock him back, which will open them up for a couple of hits at least.
Make Sukrus’ brother-in-law pay his debt to him
The quest will continue with the two of you sitting at a table on the lower level of The Golden Sturgeon to discuss the reason you came looking for him. If you want the quest to continue, you have no other choice than to agree to help Sukrus.
There are two possible actions you can take when you go to the merchant to discuss his dept. You can use Axii (Delusion skill perk, level 2) or destroy his goods. For the progression of the story, it doesn’t matter what you will do. It’s more of a moral choice. And, yes, this is the same guy Sukrus was beating when you first met him.
The barrels with mead are marked on the map and are right next to you in case you prefer the more destructive method or just don’t have and don’t want to invest skill points into Delusion. Use Aard to destroy them. The NPCs around will attack you right after that, of course.
Note: You should invest points into Delusion (blue skill perk). It opens up a lot of funny and unique outcomes to many dialogues in the game.
Whichever of the two you opt for, the outcome will be the same in the end – the merchant will agree to pay off his debt and you now have to go back to Sukrus at the inn to tell him the good news. The barter is complete and he will agree to help Hattori.
Next, go back to Hattori’s shop. Sadly, the job is not done yet. Hattori needs more supplies. This time, you will have to beark into van Hoorn’s warehouse to “borrow” some.
Get supplies from Ernst van Hoorn’s warehouse
After the conversation with Hattori, find Sukrus after dusk (again, nighttime) and listen to his plan of action. When you arrive in front of the warehouse and meet Sukrus there again, you will have to talk to the dwarf guarding the entrance.
The brother-in-law merchant is also there, but the dwarf will recognize you thanks to your connection with Yarpen Zigrin and will allow you to enter. You can use Delusion level 3 (Axii) on him to make him let you in for free or pay him 200 Crowns. There is a unique third option, but it is only available if you have a specific imported save file from The Witcher 2. I didn’t have it in the playthrough I recorded for this guide.
After you enter the warehouse, use your Witcher sense to find the three crates and mark them (Interact). One close to the door, on your left. One at the far back left. One at the far back on the right side.
Encounter with Ernst van Hoorn and his men
As you exit the warehouse, you will stumble on what appears to be an ambush. Sukrus is outside along with his brother-in-law as well as Ernst van Hoorn and his men. It doesn’t matter what you choose in the time-limited option shown on the image below, there will be a rumble!
After you defeat them all, you can finally return to Hattori. He is now back in the business and you can use him to craft any Master Tier Sword you wish!
How to unlock the Master Blacksmith Hattori in The Witcher 3
This is a quick step-by-step walkthrough showing how to start the quest "Of Swords and Dumplings" to unlock Master Blacksmith Hattori in The Witcher 3, how to complete the quest with the best outcome, and what rewards you get.
Instructions
- Talk to a Blacksmith in Velen and ask them about Mastercrafted gear. This will start the secondary quest "Of Swords and Dumplings".
- Talk to Hattori in Novigrad. Agree to help him.
- Meet Hattori after dusk at the docks. Don't delay this step too long.
- Negotiate the deal with Tinboy for Hattori. Be stubborn until they drop to 25%. It's optional. You can agree on 50% from the start.
- Defeat Cleaver's men who ambush you and go back to the docks
- Talk to Tinboy who will recommend securing temp protection for Hattori while the gang leaders come to a truce.
- Find Hattori at his shop. Agree to find protection for him. He will ask you to convince his former employee Sukrus to guard him.
- Go to The Golden Sturgeon and talk with Sukrus. You'll find him outside, fighting.
- Fight Sukrus and have a conversation with him in the inn.
- Agree to help Sukrus collect the debt he is owed by his brother-in-law.
- Go to the docks and make the merchant pay his debt to Sukrus.
- Tell Sukrus you secured his payment and go back to Hattori.
- Agree to help Hattori again and talk to Sukrus.
- Meet Sukrus at the van Hoorn's warehouse after dusk.
- Convince the guard at the entrance to let you in.
- Use your Witcher sense and mark the three crates for Sukrus.
- Exit the warehouse and help Sukris and his brother-in-law defeat Erns van Hoorn and his men.
- Return to Hattori after a few days to get your reward - a great new sword.
- Browse Hattori's shop. He has a few key items you would want to buy!
Notes
The quest is for level 24, but the reward is for level 21. I recommend you complete it in one run without getting distracted. The only way to fail this quest without a way to resume or restart it is if you run away from the last fight. Don't do that. Hattori is the only Master Blacksmith in the whole base game, al the way up to Toussaint, which is part of the Blood and Wine expansion.
What reward do you get from Hattori
For completing the secondary quest “Of Swords and Dumplings” and helping Hattori resume his blacksmithing carrier, he promised to craft you a unique weapon as a gift.
When you finish the quest and get the final objective to visit Hattori and ask him about the sword, let a few days pass by either doing something else or metidating. After 3 days you can come back to Hattori to get your new blade.
The sword’s name is “Blade from the Bits”. It’s for level 21 and is a Steel Sword of Relic rarity. It’s on par with the Forgotten Wolf Witcher steel sword as well as the Bear School Ursine steel sword, which are for level 20. The sword has three empty slots for runes, so you can modify it to fit your current build.
The most important thing is that you can now visit Hattori to craft Mastercrafted tier witcher steel and silver swords as well as sell stuff to him to free up inventory storage. He also sells one important map fragment that will give you the location of three of the diagrams for the Enhanced Tier Wolf School Gear set (you need the basic Wolven witcher gear to craft the enhanced). At the level this quest is for (21-24), it’s the right time for you to go on a Scavenging hunt for the Enhanced Wolven witcher gear upgrades!
Hattori also sells maps with locations of the high tiers of Griffin and Wolf School diagrams. Not only that, but Hattori also sells high-quality and high-rarity crafting ingredients.
It costs you less to craft your gear at the Master smith, because he is grateful for your aid in reopening his shop, so you get something like a discount. Hattori is also a rich merchant and will be able to buy more junk that you loot while you venture into the wild.
Lastly, Hattori will not ditch his dumplings business. You will still be able to purchase Dumplings from him at a very very low price. If you combine this with the Gourmet general skill perk, you will have a good and very cheap passive regeneration resource.
If you are up for more, read the guide on how to unlock the Master Armorer in The Witcher 3. It will help you start and complete the quest to unlock Yoana in Crow’s Perch as the one and only Master Armorer in the game (until the Blood and Wine expansion).
