The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Game Tips

Combat Tips

Beginner: Core Mechanics

• Dodge (Space/X) is your best friend. Unlike rolls, dodges cost little stamina and interrupt enemy combos. Use side-dodges to circle behind slower foes.


• Parry (Q/L1) works only against humans with swords or small weapons. Time it right to knock them open for a fast attack.


• Fast vs. Strong attacks. Fast attacks deal less damage but are quicker and interrupt medusa strikes. Strong attacks break guards and stagger larger enemies, but leave you vulnerable.


• Quen (Y/Triangle) first. Always cast Quen before engaging. It absorbs one hit completely and prevents knockback. Recast during lulls.




Intermediate: Sign & Oil Usage



• Apply oils before every fight. Open your inventory and apply the bestiary-appropriate oil. It increases damage by 50% and stacks with other buffs.


• Yrden for wraiths and elementals. Place it where enemies phase or charge. The slowdown allows you to land hits safely.


• Igni for shield bearers and flammable foes. A fully-charged Igni can set multiple enemies on fire, causing panic and damage over time.


• Aard for staggering and environment kills. Use Aard to knock enemies off cliffs or into traps. It also interrupts flying enemies.




Advanced: Alchemy Combos & Critical Burst



• Stack decoctions with synergy. Ekimmara decoction (HP on hit) + Water Hag decoction (50% more damage at full HP) + Tawny Owl (stamina regen) = near-invincible combat mage.


• Use bombs to control crowds. Northern Wind freezes enemies, allowing instant finishers. Dragon Dream coats them in gas that explodes when ignited by Igni.


• Exploit enemy weaknesses. Check the bestiary mid-fight. If an enemy is sensitive to Necrophage oil, pop a Blizzard potion to slow time and chain critical hits.


• Perfect parry timing for humans. Practice parrying just before the swing lands. Successful parries open enemies for an instant kill prompt (skull icon).




Exploration Tips





Beginner: Reading the Map



• Question marks (?) are Points of Interest. They always contain loot, quests, or treasure. Visit every one on your way to main objectives.


• Fast travel from any signpost. You can also fast travel from your boat, horse, or even mid-quest if a signpost is nearby. No need to return to Novigrad manually.


• Use Roach to auto-navigate on roads. Hold down the gallop button (Shift/L3) and Roach will follow the path. Great for long trips while you glance at the map.




Intermediate: Hidden Treasures & Secrets



• Check underwater for smugglers' caches. In Skellige, hundreds of black dots in the sea are smuggler caches. Dive with Killer Whale potion for infinite underwater breathing.


• Climb every tower. Many towers and ruins have ledge-climbing spots. At the top, you often find treasure chests or Witcher gear diagrams.


• Listen for wind chimes and animal sounds. Some hidden quests activate only when you approach specific areas. For example, the "Possession" quest in Skellige starts when you hear screaming near a house.


• Fast travel to main quest hubs after major story beats. Side quests can disappear if you progress too far. Check your quest log for a red clock icon (time-sensitive).




Advanced: Efficient Completion



• Use the minimap to spot guarded treasures. Treasure guards are usually higher-level. Mark them, level up, then return for guaranteed Witcher gear.


• Clear Skellige's sea points last. They give lots of relics and money but are tedious. Do them when you need cash for the Runewright (30,000+ crowns).


• Complete all contracts in an area before moving on. Contracts give mutagens, formulas, and unique swords. Group them by region: White Orchard, Velen, Novigrad, Skellige, Toussaint.




Resources & Crafting Tips





Beginner: Looting Essentials



• Loot everything, but avoid guards. In cities, stealing in front of guards gets you fined or attacked. In the wild, loot every chest, corpse, and sack. You'll need herbs, monster parts, and junk to sell.


• Dismantle junk at a craftsman. Silver swords, old armor, and monster teeth yield components. Dismantle items with high value components like dimeritium or orichalcum.


• Pick every herb you see. Herbs are used in potions, oils, and bombs. Aerenaria, Celadine, White Myrtle, and Balisse Fruit are common. Run through fields and meadows.




Intermediate: Alchemy & Crafting Recipes



• Buy every formula and diagram from merchants. Even if you don't need it, stock up. Some rare formulas (e.g., Superior White Gull) are only sold by specific alchemists in Novigrad or Skellige.


• Upgrade bombs and potions. Enhanced, Superior, and Mastercrafted versions are much stronger. Each tier requires the previous one and more ingredients.


• Use the "Potion of Clearance" to respec. Buy it from Keira Metz (Velen) or Gremist (Skellige) for 1,000 crowns. Respeccing refunds all ability points.




Advanced: Gear Progression



• Craft Witcher gear sets. Griffin (signs), Cat (fast attacks), Wolf (balanced), Bear (tank), and Viper (poison/damage). Each set has bonuses at 3/6 pieces. Start gathering diagrams as soon as you reach level 11 (Griffin) or 17 (Cat).


• Enchant armor and swords at the Runewright (Hearts of Stone DLC). Enchantments like "Invigoration" (damage boost at full HP) or "Levity" (armor counts as light) transform builds. Costs escalate to 30,000 crowns.


• Craft superior Oils and Potions early. Superior potions have longer duration and stronger effects. For example, Superior Golden Oriole makes you immune to poison and heals from it.




Builds Tips





Beginner: General Advice



• Dump points into Muscle and Resolve first. These increase HP and stamina, making early combat forgiving. Then specialize in one tree: Combat (Sword), Signs, or Alchemy.


• Equip the Griffin School Techniques ability. It boosts sign intensity by 20% when wearing medium armor. Perfect for sign-focused builds.


• Unlock "Gourmet" perk (Brown skill). It extends food health regeneration for 20 minutes. Amazing for beginners who don't want to use potions constantly.




Intermediate: Hybrid Build



• Combine Combat + Alchemy for maximum damage. Use "Cat School Techniques" (light armor) and "Hunters Instinct" (critical hits from sword attacks doubled while under alchemy effects).


• Use Ekimmara decoction to get HP back on every hit. Together with the "Melt Armor" sign, you sustain through any fight.


• Prioritize fast attacks over strong attacks. Fast attacks proc bleed and critical effects faster. Strong attacks are only good for shielded enemies or charged attacks.




Advanced: Euphoria Build (Blood and Wine)



• Craft the Superior Northern Wind bomb. It freezes enemies solid, letting you chain finishers. Combine with the "Heart of the Woods" mutation from Blood and Wine for 50% toxicity.


• Stack decoctions: Ekimmara, Water Hag, Alghoul. You'll have massive damage (50%+ from Water Hag) and constant HP regen. Use Tawny Owl to maintain stamina.


• Use the Metamorphosis mutation. It boosts critical hit chance by 10% per active decoction. With 4 decoctions, you can crit over 50%!




Economy & Money Tips





Beginner: Making Crowns



• Sell weapons to blacksmiths, armor to armorsmiths. They pay more for their specialty. Sell junk to general merchants. Never sell crafting ingredients.


• Do every contract. Contracts pay 200-500 crowns plus rare loot. Always negotiate payment up to the max (some allow haggling).


• Pick up and sell all relics. Extra swords and armor you find can be sold. Only keep gear for your level or crafting.




Intermediate: Investing



• Buy the Runewright's services early (Hearts of Stone). Spend 5,000, then 10,000, then 15,000 crowns. The enchantments pay off in late game.


• Collect every Gwent card and win tournaments. Gwent prizes include unique cards and up to 1,000 crowns per tournament. Plus, you can bet on matches.


• Sell mutagens you don't need. Green mutagens for Health, blue for Signs. If you have extra, sell to alchemists. Red mutagens are valuable.




Advanced: Money Milking



• Clear the Hanse bases in Blood and Wine. Loot all weapons and armor, then fast travel away (don't kill leader). The enemies respawn. Repeat for infinite loot to sell.


• Invest in the Corvo Bianco vineyard. The upgrades require 10,000+ crowns but generate passive income of 100+ crowns per day from the vineyard harvest.


• Gambling in Toussaint. Use the gold exploit with Northern Realms deck: play against merchants and bet max. Keep winning till they run out of money.




General Pro Tips





Save Often



• Quick save (F5) before every major fight or dialogue. The game autosaves infrequently. A manual save prevents lost progress from wrong choices or unexpected difficulty.


• Create multiple save files. Keep one before entering a new region, one before a main quest, and one for experimentation. This allows backtracking.




Gwent Strategy



• Play Gwent early. Collect cards from innkeepers, merchants, and side quests. Northern Realms deck (with tight bond units) is the easiest to win with. Use spies and decoys to draw cards.


• Buy all cards from merchants. They often sell unique cards. Prioritize "Dandelion" and "Yennefer" cards for boosts.




Dialogue Choices Matter



• Listen to NPCs. Side quests often have multiple outcomes based on your choices. Some affect the entire ending (e.g., the Bloody Baron, the state of Skellige).


• Use Axii dialogue options. If you invest points in Axii (Delusion), you can bypass persuasion checks and avoid fights. Great for role-playing.




Difficulty & Mods (PC)



• Play on Sword and Story or Blood and Broken Bones for a balanced experience. Death March is for veterans; it reduces enemy health regen and makes potions vital.


• Install quality-of-life mods: "Friendly HUD" (hide clutter), "Auto Apply Oils" (automatic bestiary oil), "All Quest Objectives" (show all quests on map). They don't affect balance.




Endgame Preparation



• Complete all Scavenger Hunts for Witcher gear before facing the final boss. The Legendary Mastercrafted sets are the best in the base game.


• Craft Superior Blizzard potion. It slows time during combat when you kill an enemy. Useful for the final battle against the Wild Hunt generals.


• Save before entering the Isle of Mists. This triggers the point of no return. Make sure all side quests you care about are finished.