The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is an expansive RPG masterpiece offering an immersive world filled with captivating quests and challenging encounters. No matter if you are a new or veteran player of The Witcher 3, this comprehensive guide offers essential tips and tricks to enhance your Witcher 3 experience – from mastering combat strategies to inventory optimization and maximizing exploration; these insights will ensure a successful journey across Northern Realms as you become an adept hunter.

1. Summary

   Quicksave before every fight

The Witcher 3 can be challenging, particularly when you’re still learning its intricate combat system. To avoid frustration and potential setbacks, practice quicksaving before every fight. By pressing the designated quicksave key (usually F5), you ensure that you don’t lose progress and have a safety net in case things don’t go as planned. This simple action can save you from unnecessary frustration and allow you to focus on honing your combat skills.

1. Meditate for health recovery

Utilize the Meditation option found in the main menu to meditate for an hour. This practice allows you to regain your health and automatically replenishes your potions and bombs, provided you have the necessary ingredients. Meditating is a cost-effective way to restore vitality, especially on lower difficulty levels. If you’re playing on higher difficulties, brewing Swallow potions can significantly boost your vitality regeneration for a limited time.

1. Prepare for tough fights

Never underestimate the importance of preparation in The Witcher 3. Oils, potions, and bombs can provide a crucial advantage when facing tough enemies. For example, applying Cursed Oil to your blade before fighting a werewolf will increase your damage output and potentially neutralize the enemy’s health regeneration. Take the time to gather ingredients, craft these useful items, and equip them strategically before engaging in challenging encounters.

1. Master the art of dodging, rolling, and parrying

Effective maneuvering is essential for survival in combat. The Witcher 3 offers three main defensive options: dodging, rolling, and parrying. Understanding when to use each technique is crucial for success. Parrying is effective against human enemies, allowing you to time your block perfectly and counterattack. Dodging is useful for evading smaller attacks while remaining close to your opponent, ready to strike back. Rolling is ideal for evading powerful, sweeping attacks from larger foes. Experiment with these defensive maneuvers and find the optimal strategy for enemy encounters.

1. Explore notice boards in new regions

The world of The Witcher 3 is vast, and exploration plays a significant role in uncovering its secrets. When venturing into a new region, make it a priority to visit notice boards. These boards are often found in towns and settlements, and interacting with them reveals new quests and contracts. By reading the notices, you can obtain valuable information about the area, gain new quests to pursue and unlock additional points of interest on your map. Embrace the spirit of discovery and immerse yourself in the rich lore of the game’s world.

1. Gallop indefinitely on horseback

Traveling long distances can be time-consuming, but there’s a handy trick to speed up your journeys. When on horseback, stick to the roads as much as possible. By galloping on the roads and then releasing the directional keys (WASD), your horse, Roach, will automatically follow the road and continue galloping without using stamina. This trick allows you to cover vast distances without pausing for Roach to rest, making exploration more efficient and enjoyable.

1. Seek out the best gear

As a monster hunter, your equipment is crucial for survival. Make it a priority to seek out the best weapons and armor available in the game. Witcher gear sets are highly recommended, as they offer exceptional bonuses and unique properties tailored to Geralt’s playstyle. Embark on quests and exploration to find diagrams and materials for crafting these powerful sets. For starters, the basic Cat School gear is an excellent choice in the game’s early stages. Visit Est Tayiar in Velen to begin the quest for this formidable set.

1. Harness the power of Places of Power

Throughout your journey, you’ll come across Places of Power scattered worldwide. These monoliths grant temporary boosts to Geralt’s Signs and a free skill point upon activation. Seek out these locations and interact with the stones to gain an advantage in combat and unlock additional skill points. By strategically utilizing these Places of Power, you can shape Geralt into a formidable force and unlock powerful character builds early in the game.

1. Manage encumbrance and sell wisely

Inventory management is crucial in The Witcher 3, as you’ll encounter many items, weapons, and crafting materials. Monitor your encumbrance levels, as exceeding the weight limit will hinder your movement and fast-travel capabilities. To lighten your load, sell excess items to the appropriate vendors. Different merchants offer varying prices for items, so they sell weapons and armor to blacksmiths, ingredients to herbalists, and miscellaneous items to general merchants. Accumulate wealth over time by making smart selling decisions and organizing your inventory.

1. Regularly repair your gear

Maintaining your weapons and armor is essential for optimal performance in combat. As you engage in battles and exploration, your gear will gradually degrade. Keep an eye on the condition of your equipment, and repair it as needed. Repair kits can be purchased from blacksmiths or looted from the world. These kits instantly restore a portion of your gear’s durability. When you don’t have repair kits, visit a blacksmith who can repair all your gear for a fee. Ensuring your equipment is in top shape will prepare you for any encounter.

1. Beware of fall damage

Geralt’s vulnerability to fall damage is a long-standing meme in The Witcher 3. While you can mitigate some damage by rolling just before hitting the ground, it’s best to avoid cliffs and steep drops altogether. Falling from even short distances can result in instant death. Exercise caution and quicksave before engaging in potentially perilous leaps to prevent frustrating setbacks.

1. Customize your game with mods

The Witcher 3 boasts a vibrant modding community that offers many options to enhance your gaming experience. Mods allow you to customize game graphics, add new content, improve gameplay mechanics, and more. Installing mods is relatively simple:

• Download and extract the mod files.
• Create a “mods” folder in your Witcher 3 directory.
• Place the mod files in that folder.

Modding allows you to tailor the game to your preferences and explore new possibilities beyond the base experience.