These Witcher 3 tips will help you master the massive open world with much less pain. From the combat system to magic, monsters, hundreds of quests, contracts, scavenger hunts and much more – there’s tons of stuff to work on and a few could go centuries without signs. The Witcher 3 is a huge and complex game, and it can easily turn into a daunting experience if you’re not prepared.
We soon have Witcher 3 tips to help you survive and progress. This includes mastering alchemy and various oils you can use, magic signs to upgrade, and much more. We’ve got it all covered here in a great summary of all the basics you need to get started quickly.
1. Alchemy is important for survival and fighting
Alchemy is vital to a witcher, so mastering alchemy is one of the most important tips. Most of the loot you’ll collect during your travels will probably serve a purpose later, and it’s recommended to spend a few minutes in the alchemy tab and check out the available recipes. From here you can create oils for your weapons, bombs and potions.
There will be more recipes available for purchase from traders and as loot, so always keep an eye on them. Swords and insignia are of course important, but never underestimate the use of potions or additional tools before and during battle.
2. When using Roach, stick to roads to travel faster
Roach is probably your best partner in the game, but if you’re galloping it can be exhausting having to keep an eye on your stamina all the time. However, if you’re on a path, just double-tap the designated button and the Roach will continue to move forward on its own – simply flick left or right from time to time to keep on the right path, and the rest will happen automatically. loss of stamina.
3. Invest in Quen sign for protection
The Quen mark Geralt can cast can be extremely helpful during fights to protect you, especially when you acquire the Exploding Shield skill. This turns it into a shield that can defend against attack while also dealing damage with a chance to knock it down.
Exploding Shield is in the early stages of skills, so getting it early shouldn’t be too difficult. As an interesting alternative, Quen’s tree also has a second skill called Active Shield. It gives you a much larger area of protection, and an upgrade heals Geralt based on how much damage he takes per attack. Also no longer uses Stamina when activated.
4 Axii, battle and great signs to get answers
The sign of Axii is an incredibly useful spell to use both aggressively and non-aggressively. Using Axii on enemies in battle will temporarily stun them, allowing you to take a slower, heavy attack while they’re vulnerable, or focus on the others if you have a large group to deal with. More interestingly, Axii can also be used to influence people in dialogue, open up new options to avoid a fight, pay for something, or access new information.
5. Oils give you a useful boost in battle
Oils are basically temporary upgrades with a specific purpose that you can apply to weapons in The Witcher 3 in addition to their default stats. Most will increase the effectiveness of your swords against some type of enemy, and strengths and weaknesses will play a large part of that. Always have a few in your inventory as you never know when you might need the extra advantage against a dangerous enemy.
6. Check with the local board when you arrive at a new place
A good Witcher 3 tip is to check local message boards when you get to a new place. These will be filled with new contracts and side quests, unlocking new question marks to explore on the map, and even providing useful information about your current objectives. Worst case scenario, you always read a silly story about the town and where it is.
7. Learn the difference between dodging and rolling in battle
Dodging and rolling obviously serve a similar function – getting out of the way of an attack – but knowing when to use it can make a huge difference in your combat effectiveness. Whenever Geralt escapes, he makes a short, quick movement in the direction you choose. Rolling over is similar, but you take up more room and take longer to stand up to respond.
If you’re fighting a rogue, or a Choke, or a smaller, humanoid-sized enemy, this is all you need to get the little window you need to respond as your enemy misses. Rolling, on the other hand, usually works best against larger enemies that have larger, unavoidable attacks or that cover a larger area with each hit, such as Golems. Practice both and learn enemy patterns to find which one will be best used in any given fight.
8. Parrying can often save your life
Speaking of combat, Geralt can also parry, which can be hit or miss depending on the enemy, but it’s still worth your attention. During fights, the white wolf can block incoming attacks with its swords. Depending on timing, it can trigger a parry and deny all damage. The trick is when…
If you’re having trouble timing a good parry, a good tip is to hold down the block button, wait until an enemy’s name turns red – this indicates they are about to attack – and then lift your finger and quickly press again just before the attack happens. Even if you miss, you should still get a block.
Note that not everything can be evaded and the skill is best used on enemies of similar height or lower than Geralt.
9. Watch out for armorer tables and whetstones and use them for battle buffs
Armor tables and whetstones are often found near blacksmiths and armorers. These can be activated for free and provide a 20% boost to armor and weapons for 15 minutes. It’s basically free extra damage and protection, so always make sure to seek and activate them before a tough fight or mission.
10. Get Roach a saddlebag to increase your inventory limit
Weight is a very important part of The Witcher 3, and being burdened with resources and gear can be a pain. Luckily, Roach can help with saddlebags to lighten the load. It’s not easy to find, but well worth the investment to increase your inventory limit early – search for a horse racing quest near Crow’s Perch and get one as a reward.
11. You can change Geralt’s hair and beard style.
When you arrive in Novigrad and a few other major cities, look for a shop with giant scissors at its front door. For a small fee, a barber will independently change Geralt’s hair and beard style if you have activated the corresponding free DLC. This is great for giving Geralt a fresh look or for trimming his beard after a few in-game weeks when he’s gotten too tall.
12. Save regularly outside of tasks
Progress is automatically saved at various other checkpoints after completing objectives and working on missions. But relying on it is risky due to the unpredictability of world events. Especially when discovering where you can load up for years and never trigger a checkpoint. So, if you are not following a specific task, make sure to make manual postings on a regular basis. That way, you won’t lose much progress if you get ambushed or accidentally fall off a cliff.
13. Keep your vitality high
Your vitality will only regenerate automatically when not in combat, and even then it will only regenerate very slowly. Make sure to place at least one type of food in the consumable slot so you can quickly use it to gain some health during battle – the longer the regen time, the better. If your vitality drops too low during a fight and you can’t seem to recover in time, you always have the option to run and live to see another day. Unless you’re playing on a higher difficulty level, you can also meditate to restore vitality and simply shift the clock to the next hour to fully fill your counter.
14. Loot everything (when no one is looking)
Loot everything you see, as there are all sorts of useful items that can be found in chests and barrels, as well as removed from the bodies of defeated enemies marked with an X on your minimap. Use your Witcher Senses to highlight any items that can be seized nearby, but be careful when guards are around as they don’t like theft. If you are caught stealing, you will likely get into an unnecessary fight.
The “catch everything in sight” approach is especially true for alchemical materials such as plants and animal parts, as there are hundreds of different components to harvest and you will need certain combinations of components to craft new alchemy items. The good news is that once you’ve successfully crafted a particular item, you no longer need to gather supplies to craft more, as you can only use alcohol to replenish your stockpile.
Witcher 3 romance (opens in new tab) | Witcher 3 armor (opens in new tab) | Witcher 3 side quests and contracts (opens in new tab) | The end of The Witcher 3 (opens in new tab) | The Witcher 3 best Gwent cards (opens in new tab) | The best Witcher 3 mods | Witcher 3 place of power (opens in new tab) | Witcher 3 side quests (opens in new tab) | Witcher 3 conventions (opens in new tab) | Witcher 3 killing monsters
Witcher 3 Master of the Arena (opens in new tab) | The Witcher 3 Ladies of the Jungle (opens in new tab) | Witcher 3 Wandering In The Dark (opens in new tab) | Witcher 3 Tracking Thread (opens in new tab) | Witcher 3 Family Matters (opens in new tab)
