The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Beginner’s Guide#
The Three School Builds#
The game has no formal “class selection” early on, but your skill points and gear direction define your playstyle
| School |
Core Attribute |
Playstyle |
| Cat School (Feline) |
Light armor + crit |
High attack speed, high crit, high evasion — glass cannon |
| Bear School (Ursine) |
Heavy armor + strong attacks |
High defense, high vitality, heavy hits that break guards — tank |
| Griffin School |
Medium armor + Signs |
Boosted Signs, elemental damage — battlemage |
Other schools:
- Wolf School: the balanced route, mixing melee attacks and Signs
- Viper School: Hearts of Stone DLC — crits and poison damage
- Manticore School: Blood and Wine DLC — alchemy specialization
Skill System#
Skill Slots#
There are 12 skill slots in total, unlocked at levels 1/2/4/8/12/16/20/24/28/32/36/40
Skill Trees#
| Tree |
Color |
Core Skills |
| Combat |
Red |
Fast/strong attack boosts, crit chance/crit damage, adrenaline points |
| Signs |
Blue |
All 5 Signs upgraded across 5 levels each + alternate modes |
| Alchemy |
Green |
Potions/decoctions/oils/bombs enhancements — toxicity cap |
| General |
Colorless |
Powerful passives like Gourmet and Undying |
Mutations#
Unlocked after defeating Dettlaff — 12 powerful passive abilities, only 1 can be equipped
| Mutation |
Effect |
| Euphoria |
Each point of toxicity increases attack power and sign intensity |
| Conductors of Magic |
Sign intensity scales with crit chance |
| Death Blow |
Counters are instantly lethal |
Signs#
| Sign |
Effect |
Alternate Mode |
| Aard |
Knockback/knockdown |
Aard Sweep |
| Axii |
Charm/stun |
Mass charm |
| Igni |
Fire damage/ignition |
Flame stream |
| Quen |
Shield absorbs damage |
Quen Shield (passive healing) |
| Yrden |
Slowing trap |
Yrden turret |
Sword Oils#
After the next-gen update: oils never run out (one application lasts forever). +50% damage
| Oil |
Target |
| Elementa oil |
Golems, gargoyles |
| Draconid oil |
Dragons, wyverns |
| Vampire oil |
Vampires, alps |
| Necrophage oil |
Ghouls, grave hags |
| Hybrid oil |
Griffins, manticore |
| Insectoid oil |
Arachnomorphs, giant centipedes |
| Specter oil |
Noonwraiths, nightwraiths |
| Cursed oil |
Werewolves, wights |
| Magical oil |
Elementals |
| Beast oil |
Bears, wolves |
| Relict oil |
Grave hags, Crones |
Potions#
| Potion |
Effect |
Toxicity |
| Thunderbolt |
+attack power |
25 |
| Swallow |
Health regen over time |
25 |
| Cat |
Night vision |
10 |
| Tawny Owl |
+stamina regen |
25 |
| White Honey |
Clears toxicity |
0 |
| Full Moon |
+max HP |
25 |
| Golden Oriole |
Poison immunity |
25 |
| Black Blood |
Vampires feeding on you take damage |
25 |
| White Raffard’s Decoction |
Instant heal |
25 |
| Maribor Forest |
+adrenaline gain |
25 |
Bombs#
| Bomb |
Effect |
| Grapeshot |
Standard blast damage |
| Dancing Star |
Fire AoE + ignition |
| Dragon’s Dream |
Releases flammable gas — detonate with Igni |
| Northern Wind |
Freezes enemies — can set up an instant kill |
| Moon Dust |
Blocks spectral enemies from assuming other forms |
| Devil’s Puffball |
Poison gas AoE |
| Samum |
Blinds + stuns |
Combat Basics#
- Quen is god-tier: keep Quen up at all times on higher difficulties — hits drain the shield, not your HP
- Dodge vs roll: short dodge step (short range, no recovery) vs roll (long range, costs stamina)
- Counter to break guards: parrying the instant an enemy attacks opens a counter stagger — extremely effective against humanoids
- Yrden against ghosts: wraiths, noonwraiths and other specters — a Yrden trap makes them corporeal and damageable
- Keep oils applied: after the next-gen update oils are unlimited — apply the matching oil before every fight
- Decoctions are strong but toxic: decoctions last until you meditate — heavy toxicity cost, pair them with the Euphoria mutation
Progression Roadmap#
Levels 1-6 — White Orchard: clear every "?" — early skill points and gear
↓
Levels 6-10 — Velen: Bloody Baron main quest + Ladies of the Wood
↓
Levels 10-16 — Novigrad: Triss/Dandelion/Lothar side quests
↓
Levels 16-20 — Skellige: Yennefer main quest + isles side content
↓
Levels 25-30 — Final act: Wild Hunt pursuit + ending
↓
Level 30+ — Hearts of Stone DLC
↓
Level 35+ — Blood and Wine DLC
Level cap: 100 (including DLC)
Early Money-Making Methods#
| Method |
Income |
Difficulty |
Recommended Level |
| Clearing “?” markers |
100-500 crowns each |
★★☆☆☆ |
1+ |
| Picking up weapons + selling to blacksmiths |
50-200 crowns per batch |
★☆☆☆☆ |
1+ |
| Completing side quests |
50-300 crowns each |
★★★☆☆ |
3+ |
| Playing Gwent (betting) |
10-100 crowns per match |
★★☆☆☆ |
1+ |
| Crafting potions + selling to herbalists |
30-150 crowns each |
★★☆☆☆ |
3+ |
| Cow hide farming |
200+ crowns per run |
★☆☆☆☆ |
1+ (nerfed but still works) |
Gear Quality Colors Explained#
| Color |
Quality |
How to Get |
Value |
| White |
Common |
Drops + scavenging |
Basic |
| Blue |
Magic |
Drops + chests |
Has bonuses |
| Yellow |
Relic |
Specific drops + chests |
Good bonuses |
| Green |
Witcher |
Diagram hunting + crafting |
Strongest |
| Orange |
Masterwork |
Mutated/upgraded gear |
Highest tier |
White Orchard Full Completion#
| Item |
Count |
Notes |
| Places of Power |
6 |
All in the open world — each grants a permanent +1 skill point |
| Witcher contracts |
2 |
Devil’s Pit + the griffin |
| Treasure hunts |
5 |
Cat School gear + Viper School sword diagrams |
| Gwent cards |
8 |
Tavern keeper + merchants + side quests |
| Hidden treasures |
12 |
Just clear every “?” |
| Missable events |
2 |
Devil by the Well + Ladies of the Wood prerequisite |
Recommended Settings for New Players#
| Setting |
Recommended |
Why |
| Difficulty |
Blood and Broken Bones (2nd tier) |
Challenging without ever walling you off |
| Lock-on camera |
Far + auto lock off |
Better field of view — better for combat |
| Auto-draw sword |
Off |
Manual control avoids accidental draws |
| Minimap |
On |
Easier navigation — especially when hunting “?“s |
Quick Money in White Orchard#
| Method |
Income |
How |
| Clear “?“s and sell loot |
~200 crowns |
Clear all 12 hidden treasure spots |
| Witcher contracts |
~100 crowns |
Devil’s Pit + griffin contracts |
| Gwent winnings |
~50 crowns per game |
Challenge tavern keepers everywhere |
Carry Weight Management#
Ways to Increase Carry Weight#
| Method |
Increase |
Source |
| Guardian Stone · Horse Stone |
+100 carry weight |
Southeast of White Orchard |
| “Strong Back” perk |
+50 per level |
General skill tree |
| Saddlebag upgrade |
+30 carry weight |
Buy from merchants |
| Alchemy potion |
Temporary +50 |
Alchemy crafting |
Carry Weight Tips#
| Tip |
Details |
| Prioritize weapons |
Best weight-to-value ratio |
| Skip armor |
Heavy armor eats up carry weight |
| Dismantle gear |
Dismantling yields lightweight materials |
| Sell in town regularly |
Return to town after finishing each area |
Recommended Beginner Builds#
Fast Attack Crit Build#
| Stage |
Priority Skills |
Target Level |
| Levels 1-10 |
Fast Attack 1 + 2 |
10 |
| Levels 11-20 |
Crit damage + crit chance |
20 |
| Levels 21-30 |
Adrenaline + stamina regen |
30 |
| Levels 31+ |
Pair with the Cat School set |
40+ |
Signs Support Build#
| Stage |
Priority Skills |
Target Level |
| Levels 1-10 |
Quen boost + sign intensity |
10 |
| Levels 11-20 |
Igni burning + Yrden traps |
20 |
| Levels 21-30 |
Axii control + sign combos |
30 |
| Levels 31+ |
Pair with the Griffin School set |
40+ |
White Orchard NPCs#
| NPC |
Location |
Function |
Importance |
| Tavern keeper (Vaughn) |
Inside the tavern |
Sells alcohol + gwent cards |
★★★★☆ |
| Blacksmith |
Village center |
Crafts gear |
★★★★★ |
| Herbalist |
Woods outside the village |
Sells herbs + recipes |
★★★★☆ |
| Merchant |
Town square |
Sells sundries + gwent cards |
★★★☆☆ |
| Goods trader |
Near the tavern |
Sells everyday items |
★★★☆☆ |