When to proceed to Battahl?

[pillowcase]

I know the main story quests will eventually give you the permit to go there. I’m level 26 and have about 21hrs on record. At this point I am just exploring random areas.

What level should I be to go to Battahl and continue the story?

I want to do some more side quests but it seems the game is not designed for the city folks to give you many side quests that are suppose to send you to new areas. Throughout my exploration I’ve only ran into a few.

Also is the grey/blue area in the middle of the map suppose to be water or not accessible?

[[-iD-]]

i suggest in order to prevent quest bugs only going there after you get the permit. either sneaking in or using the permit.
you will be attacked on site without a permit.

[Cryemore]

I had over 50 hours before I set foot past the gate. Even then I discovered new things in the vermund area 20 hours later.

[Arthur Morrigan]

I wandered in as part of an elf quest. I'm playing a beastren though.

[FumeKing]

I got to battahl around level 14 i think, i took a path on the west side of the map, there's also another path on the east, you can hitch a ride on one of those royal oxcarts during the afternoon and you'll get an achievement

[☆トンベリさん☆ AKA Swegfesh]

Originally posted by -iD-:

i suggest in order to prevent quest bugs only going there after you get the permit. either sneaking in or using the permit.
you will be attacked on site without a permit.

Not true, you will NOT get attacked unless provoking the guards or going into restricted areas.

You can go all the way from the start to the other end of the map without anyone attacking you.

[Rainnd]

I'd probably get best weapons/armor that first region can offer and upgrade them first. It feels like mobs have more health/deffense there.

[pillowcase]

Originally posted by Gamerica:

I wandered in as part of an elf quest. I'm playing a beastren though.

Yup I watched a streamer sneak in using the Ox cart but he got attacked soon after getting out on the other side of the gate. He also could not get back in so he kept exploring in that area.

I just don’t want to wander too far away from a city because I have not been paying attention to how many ferry stones I gathered or what I would need to teleport back somewhere in case I get screwed over later exploring.

[IcemayneXXV]

I went to Battahl before doing the coronation with Brandt (There's a way to cross the border through the Guerco Caverns), and that was about 40 hours into the game. I just did the coronation probably 50 hours into the game. It doesn't seem like much changed or like any quests were cut off.

[Hullu Ukko]

Long as you do not give those 15 red dragon parts to certain person when asked, the story wont start to autoroll.

[Mixed Herbs]

Originally posted by Lil Foxy:

Long as you do not give those 15 red dragon parts to certain person when asked, the story wont start to autoroll.

You can actually do that quest, the point of no return is going to moonlight tower. So beating Gigantus is fine.

[Mixed Herbs]

26 is fine, you could go earlier if you want even but it's far more dangerous to do so. Recently I realized just how much of this game is optional, you barely need to go off the main roads to beat the game but you miss like 60% or so.

[Valinov]

Whenever you want.

[pillowcase]

Originally posted by Mixed Herbs:

26 is fine, you could go earlier if you want even but it's far more dangerous to do so. Recently I realized just how much of this game is optional, you barely need to go off the main roads to beat the game but you miss like 60% or so.

Yup that is exactly what I noticed too. I was doing the main story thinking it would send me to new areas and then once there I would get side quests that push the exploration but that does not happen. Glad I asked because I would have kept doing main missions and probably ended the game.

I do like exploring, I’m just the type of person who needs some type of purpose to explore or a push to do it. Which is why I really loved Witcher 3 side quests, some were very well written and placed properly to get you into different sections of the map.