Every Rose Has Its Thorn is a quest in Dragon’s Dogma 2 where players must help Wilhelmina look for evidence for Allard’s crimes. Wilhelmina seeks vengeance on Allard for murdering her parents. She will enlist the player’s help to gather evidence against Allard by investigating his connections and actions. With evidence gathered, Wilhelmina plans to denounce Allard’s crimes to Regent King Sven and the authorities. In gratitude for the player’s assistance, Wilhelmina promises “the sweetest of dreams” (romance scene) as a token of appreciation.
Read ahead as I walk you through on how to unlock the quest, gathering evidence, and how to go about Wilhelmina’s plan to achieve the best outcome in Dragon’s Dogma 2.
How to unlock the Every Rose Has Its Thorn quest
You can unlock the Every Rose Has Its Thorns quest after completing both The Stolen Throne and An Unsettling Encounter main story quests and gaining access to Battahl:
- Meet Wilhelmina during “The Stolen Throne”: Simply head inside the Rose Chateau Bordelrie in Vernworth which will trigger a cutscene with her.
- Meet Wilhelmina during “An Unsettling Encounter”: Get a chance to meet her while escaping the castle through the south archway during the An Unsettling Encounter quest.
Both quests can be done in any order as long as both quests are completed. The Every Rose Has Its Thorns quest is immediately becomes available after obtaining the Myrmecoleon Card from Wilhlemina.
Raising Wilhelmina’s Affection in Dragon’s Dogma 2
Afterwards, you will need to raise your affection level with Wilhelmina by giving her gifts. Inside the room where Wilhelmina is in is a chest that contains a Bunch of Flowers. Give the flowers to her, then wait for a day before going back into the Bordelrie again.
Note: There seems to be a chance element in how fast Wilhelmina’s affection rises. You may need to gift her several times for the next part of the quest to trigger. It is recommended to create a save prior to giving Wilhelmina the flower and passing the day in case the next event stated below won’t trigger. You can simply reload the save file and try again. It also helps to give her other high-value gifts other than flowers to make sure that her affection level goes up.
The next day, you will find that Wilhelmina is with a patron; enter the same room that you’ve met Wilhelmina in the previous day, then turn right past the bed. Inspect the small picture hanging on the wall and you will find a peephole that goes through the other room. From here, you will see Wilhelmina talking to Allard. She then sends Allard away and beckons you into the room.
As you talk to Wilhelmina, you will learn that she aims to kill Allard, but she wants to do more to him before doing so. This will then start the quest which will give the first objective.
Gather evidence within three days
In order to find some evidence against Allard, visit Sven at his chamber in the Vernworth Castle. He will recommend that you go see Patrick during nighttime.
Pass the time until it’s nighttime, then head to Patrick’s estate. Talk to Patrick to know that he suspects that Allard is hiding something behind his paintings. He offers his help by setting up a meeting with Allard to give you the opportunity to inspect the paintings.
Murder Report (first evidence): Make your way back to Allard’s estate and wait for Allard to go out. As soon as he’s out, go inside the estate and go up the stairs. Enter the first door and inspect the painting on the wall to your left to obtain the Murder Report. Reading this report will mention that there is another evidence to be found.
Bribery Investigation Findings (second evidence – Optional): For the next evidence, head to the house west of the barber shop, then go to the table to get the Bribery Investigation Findings. Take note that this evidence is purely optional as the quest, plus the romance route for Wilhelmina, can still be completed without obtaining it.
Before I proceed, it is important to note that your next choices can impact both the quest outcome and your potential romance with Wilhelmina:
All Choices and Consequences for Every Rose Has Its Thorn in Dragon’s Dogma 2
- Helping Wilhelmina’s Escape: If you seek to aid Wilhelmina in her escape from the Bordelrie and/or pursue a romance with her, it’s wise to present Brant at the Stardrop Inn with both pieces of evidence. This will convince him to assist you and Wilhelmina later.
- Wilhelmina’s Capture: Giving Wilhelmina only the Bribery Investigation Findings, or speaking to Brant and presenting him with only the Bribery evidence, can lead to Wilhelmina’s capture. It will conclude the quest, but negatively impact Wilhelmina’s fate and prevent any romance option.
- Warning Allard: If you choose to warn Allard of Wilhelmina’s plans, the quest will end. Wilhelmina will likely still take action against Allard, but her fate becomes uncertain.
Present both evidences to Brant (optional, but necessary for Wilhelmina’s romance)
Head over to The Stardrop Inn and talk to Brant about the Myrmecoleon. Then, present him the bribery findings first. Afterwards, choose the option to Search for more evidence and show him the murder report. Then finally, choose the option I’ll have any aid you can give. Brant will still not condone your assassination plan, but he will help out with your escape later on.
Check your inventory to be sure that you still have the Murder Report. If you are just left with the Bribery Investigation Findings, reload your save file and try talking to Brant again, or skip Brant altogether. It is always recommended to create a save file before talking to Brant.
Give Wilhelmina the Murder Report
Go back to the Bordelrie and talk to Wilhelmina, then give her the Murder Report (in case you skipped to get Brant’s help) it is important that you only hand over the Murder Report to Wilhelmina.
Next, you will be given the option to continue offering your aid or to leave, to which you should choose to continue offering your aid.
By choosing to help Wilhelmina, you will proceed with her assassination plan. She will wear a mask and instruct you to grab Allard to restrain him. Enter the next room where Allard is at, then use the Grab action on him. This will start another cutscene where Wilhelmina reveals who she is to Allard before stabbing him to death. A guard will then hear the commotion and both of you prepare for your escape, but not before Wilhelmina plants the Murder Report on Allard’s body.
If you talked to Brant earlier and convinced him to help you, you will be escorted by Brant away from the castle and he also reprimands you for helping in killing Allard, otherwise you and Wilhelmina will just part ways. If you have a house in Vernworth, you will also get a note from Wilhelmina thanking you for your help.
How to Unlock Romance Scene with Wilhelmina
After the events above, given you’ve made the right choices, come back to the Bordelrie the following day, you will be able to speak to Wilhelmina and unlock the romance scene with her. The quest will then be completed and you will be rewarded with 1,200 XP, 8,500 G, and the Ring of Benevolence. After this, Wilhelmina will disappear and you will no longer be able to see her until you reach the Unmoored World where she will appear once more.
Other Choices and Outcomes for Every Rose Has Its Thorn
Choosing to leave: after you hand over the Murder Report to Wilhelmina and not help her assassinate Allard will give you an Allheal Elixir. However, once you return to Wilhelmina the next day, she will no longer be in the Bordelrie, and a worker will tell you that she has been captured. This will complete the quest and reward you with 1,200 XP, 7,000 G, and x3 Tiger Eyes. This will also prevent you from romancing Wilhelmina any further.
Warning Allard: At any time after learning about Wilhelmina’s plan to kill Allard, you can talk to Allard and choose to reveal Wilhelmina’s plan. This will end the quest and Allard will give you 1,200 XP and 3,000 G. However, it would appear that Wilhelmina would still manage to kill Allard regardless, and so she will still be captured by the royal guards soon after.