The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt: Complete Walkthrough & Boss Guide
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🗺️ Main Story Walkthrough
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The Witcher 3 opens in Kaer Morhen with a brief tutorial, then deposits Geralt in the prologue region of White Orchard. Your objective is to find Yennefer of Vengerberg, who was last seen with Nilfgaardian soldiers. Collect all five notice board contracts before leaving White Orchard—completing them earns 300–500 Crown each and levels Geralt to 4–5 before the open world unlocks. The main quest "The Beast of White Orchard" ends with Geralt killing a Griffin, which serves as the primary combat tutorial for Signs, alchemy, and oils. Apply Grease to your steel sword for the Griffin fight.
Velen (No Man's Land) is the largest and most content-rich region of Act 1. Follow the main quests "Bloody Baron" and "Ladies of the Wood" to gather information on Ciri's whereabouts from the Bloody Baron and the enigmatic Crones of Crookback Bog. These quests contain branching decisions that affect multiple characters' fates in the endgame—the choice of whether to free the Spirit in the tree during "Ladies of the Wood" has long-term consequences. Complete Keira Metz's questline in full for the best outcome and an extra ally at Kaer Morhen later in the story.
Novigrad is a massive city under the grip of the Church of the Eternal Fire's fanatical witch hunters. Main quests "Pyres of Novigrad" and "Get Junior" advance Ciri's trail. Reunite with Triss Merigold and Zoltan Chivay, both of whom offer companion quests with meaningful outcomes. The "Now or Never" quest determines whether Triss stays in Novigrad—tell her you love her to keep her as a potential romance and ally. Explore the city fully before advancing to Skellige; several Novigrad shops carry unique Rune stones that cannot be bought elsewhere.
Skellige is an archipelago of islands ruled by clan jarls. The main quests "Destination: Skellige" and "The King is Dead—Long Live the King" connect Geralt to Yennefer, who is investigating the Wild Hunt. Complete the clan Dimun, Tuirseach, and Drummond questlines alongside the main story for bonus XP and good armor rewards. The "Possession" quest on Spikeroog introduces Udalryk an Brokvar and has two valid solutions; the lore-respectful solution avoids harming a character who reappears in Act 2. Before proceeding to the Isle of Mists, ensure Geralt is at least level 16.
The Isle of Mists is a short, atmospheric quest that reunites Geralt with Ciri and triggers Act 2, centered on Kaer Morhen. Immediately after the Isle of Mists, the main quest "The Battle of Kaer Morhen" requires you to have summoned all available allies from Act 1 side quests—Keira Metz, Letho (if spared in Witcher 2 import), Lambert, Eskel, and Triss all participate if their companion quests were completed. More allies directly means fewer losses during the battle. This quest culminates in the devastating loss of a major character regardless of preparation.
Bald Mountain is a climactic two-part quest in Velen. Ciri and Geralt split: Ciri confronts the Crones while Geralt fights Imlerith on the peak. The Crones fight is handled during Ciri's section and does not require player input. Geralt's Imlerith fight is one of the hardest in the game; prepare Quen Sign upgrades, Dancing Star bombs for his ice armor, and a full Swallow and Thunderbolt supply. After Imlerith falls, the story unlocks Avallac'h's questline and the final act of the Wild Hunt arc.
The final act centers on "On Thin Ice," a Skellige-set quest where Geralt and allies assault Eredin's flagship in a multi-stage battle. The quest includes a fight against Caranthir, the Wild Hunt navigator, followed immediately by the final confrontation with Eredin. Ensure your armor is the strongest available—Grandmaster Witcher gear or high-level crafted sets from Hattori in Novigrad. Bring 20 Swallows, full Sign intensity oils, and Elementa Oil for the Ice Elementals Caranthir summons. The ending varies depending on the choices made throughout Acts 1 and 2.
The Blood & Wine expansion takes Geralt to Toussaint, a sun-drenched duchy with its own political intrigues and a serial killer mystery tied to the Vampires. The main questline "Beast of Toussaint" leads to the shocking revelation that Dettlaff van der Eretein, a Higher Vampire, is behind the killings—manipulated by Geralt's acquaintance Regis. The path to the Dettlaff confrontation branches based on whether you turn over Syanna: delivering Syanna changes the final encounter significantly. Complete all Tourney and Gwent quests in Beauclair before the point-of-no-return for Grandmaster armor diagrams.
⚔️ Boss Guides
Royal Griffin (White Orchard)
Attack Patterns
The Royal Griffin is the first major boss in The Witcher 3, fought at the end of the White Orchard prologue. It alternates between a grounded phase and an airborne phase. On the ground it charges headlong, performs a beak-stab combo, and sweeps with its wings for AoE knockback. In the air it dives steeply, throws a wind-blast, and circles before re-landing. It uses Gust—a wind-cone breath attack—that inflicts knockdown at close range.
Strategy
Apply Grease Oil before the fight for bonus damage against its tough feathered hide. Cast Aard immediately after each ground charge to stagger the Griffin—it recovers slowly from stagger, giving three to four free sword strikes. When it takes flight, light a campfire nearby (marked by the quest) to lure it down with a decoy; the game provides this as a crafted tutorial moment. Use Thunderbolt potion to increase Critical Hit chance during the grounded phase. Keep Quen active and do not stand still against the wind-blast—roll diagonally toward the Griffin's flank.
Imlerith
Attack Patterns
Imlerith is a Wild Hunt general and arguably the hardest main-story boss in the game. Phase one: he wields a shield and mace, blocking all front attacks and countering with a slow but devastating mace overhead slam. Phase two (below 40% HP): he discards the shield and wields the mace two-handed, adding rapid teleports behind Geralt followed by multi-hit combos. Each teleport leaves him covered in protective ice that must be removed with fire before normal damage applies.
Strategy
In phase one, never attack from the front. Bait the mace overhead slam, dodge to his shield-side flank, then land exactly two strikes before his shield comes back up. Cast Igni at the start of any combo to interrupt it and deal bonus damage. Use Samum bombs when Imlerith winds up a charge to disorient him. In phase two, cast Igni immediately after each teleport to strip the ice coating before counterattacking. Never sprint—only roll, as Imlerith's mace tracks sprint movement. Keep Quen active to absorb one mace hit. Dancing Star bombs deal direct fire damage and strip ice simultaneously, making them invaluable in phase two.
Caranthir
Attack Patterns
Caranthir is the Wild Hunt navigator and is fought in two character phases during "On Thin Ice." As Ciri in phase one, he fights with melee staff strikes and teleports but does not use magic. As Geralt in phase two, Caranthir fires volleys of frost bolts that Slow Geralt, summons Ice Elementals from portals, and creates an ice armor barrier that reduces all damage until melted. He teleports after every two hits landed against him.
Strategy
In the Ciri phase, be aggressive—Caranthir only uses melee and cannot handle Ciri's speed. In the Geralt phase, carry Dimeritium Bombs to interrupt Caranthir's magic attacks and temporarily prevent new Elementals from being summoned. Use Elementa Oil on the silver sword for bonus damage against both Caranthir and his Elementals. When Caranthir channels frost bolts, rush into melee range immediately—he stops the channel when Geralt closes the distance. Strip the ice armor with Igni or Dancing Stars each time it reappears. Two-hit, then roll back is the core rhythm for this fight.
Eredin (King of the Wild Hunt)
Attack Patterns
Eredin is the final boss of The Witcher 3's main story. He teleports constantly during all phases, making prediction difficult. His melee attacks are fast sword combos that chain into three to five hits. He fires red energy projectiles that track Geralt, performs an area-of-effect portal burst that appears beneath Geralt's feet, and in his final phase summons persistent purple energy fields that restrict movement across the arena. He also briefly conjures a shield that deflects all attacks until broken.
Strategy
Place Yrden traps in the center of the arena—Eredin walks into them frequently after teleporting and is slowed significantly, creating a reliable 3–4 hit window. Specter Oil increases all damage against him. When the energy shield appears, use Aard or Igni to break it faster than standard sword attacks. Roll sideways (never backward) from the portal burst to stay within Yrden range for his follow-up. In the final phase, prioritize the energy field edges as safe standing positions. Drink Thunderbolt at each phase transition to maintain Critical Hit bonus. The fight is not as hard as Imlerith if Yrden trap placement is mastered.
Dettlaff van der Eretein (Blood & Wine)
Attack Patterns
Dettlaff is a Higher Vampire and the Blood & Wine DLC final boss, fought across three phases. Phase one (humanoid form): he moves at blinding speed, turns invisible for repositioning, and regenerates HP during fog-phase pauses. Phase two (bat form): he flies and dives repeatedly, summons bat swarms that converge on Geralt, and performs a wing-buffet AoE. Phase three (Heart phase): Dettlaff retreats to a cocoon and summons three pulsing flesh pillars that pump blood to sustain him. Destroying all three pillars is the win condition.
Strategy
Coat the silver sword with Vampire Oil before every phase. In phase one, drink Black Blood before the fight—if Dettlaff bites or claws Geralt, Black Blood poisons him for significant damage. Cast Yrden whenever Dettlaff becomes invisible to reveal his position. In phase two, dodge perpendicular to bat-swarm approach (never directly away) to minimize damage, and use Aard to interrupt Dettlaff's aerial dives. In phase three, ignore the Blood Construct and roll continuously clockwise between all three flesh pillars, striking each once per pass until all three are destroyed—this rotation prevents the Blood Construct from catching you. Bring 10 Black Blood potions, 15 Swallow, and at least one Thunderbolt.