I'm interested in going to Skellige early just to collect the Mysterious Elf card. The answer to a related question makes it seem like it is workable to travel to Skellige as a lower level player (I'm currently lvl 12). My concern isn't directly addressed either in the question or the answer. Will I be grossly under-leveled for any quests needed to unlock the ability to play gwent with players I need to play to get the Mysterious Elf card? I read one Reddit post that suggested I need to complete at least one level 24 quest.
I'm not the greatest fighter, since I mostly just hack and slash my way through monsters. This means there's no way I'd be able to defeat a level 24 quest of any substance at this time.
Initially I had a couple of other concerns about being able to return to Velen/Novigrad after making the trip to Skellige. That doesn't seem to be a problem1. I was also worried I'd bump into a point where I'd fail/miss other quests but it seems like I can get the Mysterious Elf before that point, since that happens around Madman Lugos and I play him after I get the Mysterious Elf.
Best Answer
You will be blocked by a quest, but it's not hard to complete. Just a little time consuming. Click here to access the quest walkthrough but I will detail your troubles below.
There are 3 steps to completing the quest.
The first thing you have to do is find some missing people. You can run past this and find the person causing the trouble. Some townspeople will tell you to take revenge but you can also choose not to take revenge. Easy.
The next part is going to a distillery and making something. Not hard, but there's a cyclops outside! They actually really aren't that hard to defeat, as you can cast Quen and block the initial hit if it manage to get through one, they are big and slow. As long as you take your time, you'll be totally fine with Quen. You can also retreat to the entrance to eat/drink if your health gets too low. The cyclops won't follow you, and won't regain health.
The last part is the toughest, but still not a problem. There's a ritual and you have to protect the guy doing it. Foglets will come out of some....fog, and you have to kill them. They appear in 2's and 3's but they are really easy to kill, and the guy's dog helps you.
That's it! That will lead you to having all the quests taken care of and you'll be able to challenge Gremist after that.
You'll find the Islands easy to navigate between, but not that easy to navigate around on them. Use the boats and feel free to pick up fast travel points. You can travel between the regions at will so don't worry about going to Skellige early.