best weapons in witcher 3

The world of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a brutal and unforgiving one, where a witcher's survival hinges as much on his skill with a blade as on the steel and silver he wields. While Geralt's Signs and alchemy provide crucial advantages, his swords remain the primary instruments of his trade. Navigating the vast arsenal available can be daunting. This guide delves into the very best weapons in the game, examining not only their raw power but also the journeys required to obtain them and how they complement different playstyles.

Table of Contents

Understanding Witcher Steel and Silver

The Unrivaled Steel: Aerondight

Top Contender Steel Swords

The Pinnacle of Silver: Aerondight

Essential Silver Swords

Choosing Your Arsenal: Playstyle Considerations

Understanding Witcher Steel and Silver

A witcher carries two blades: steel for humans and beasts, and silver for monsters. This fundamental dichotomy extends to weapon statistics and design philosophy. The best weapons often come from Witcher Gear sets, diagram-based craftable swords and armor that scale through multiple upgrade tiers: Basic, Enhanced, Superior, Mastercrafted, and Grandmaster. These sets offer balanced stats, unique bonuses, and set bonuses that synergize with specific combat approaches. Beyond these, unique relic swords found in the world or earned through quests can sometimes surpass even the finest crafted gear, offering extraordinary abilities and unparalleled damage.

The Unrivaled Steel: Aerondight

Paradoxically, the single best steel sword in the game is, in fact, a silver sword misplaced in the steel slot. Aerondight, obtained in the Blood and Wine expansion, is a weapon of legend. Its base damage scales with Geralt's level when first acquired, ensuring it never becomes obsolete. Its true power lies in its permanent enchantment: each strike builds a charge that increases damage by 10% per charge, up to a staggering 100%. A killing blow with a full charge permanently increases the sword's damage. Furthermore, it always deals critical hits on enemies at full health. This self-improving mechanic makes Aerondight the ultimate end-game weapon for any build, a sword that grows in power alongside the witcher who wields it.

Top Contender Steel Swords

For those seeking a pure, dedicated steel blade, several options excel. The Toussaint Knight's Steel Sword, a relic weapon from Blood and Wine, offers immense critical hit damage, chance to cause bleeding, and a significant bonus to experience from humans and nonhumans. It is a devastating tool for dealing with human foes. From the Witcher Gear school, the Grandmaster Feline (Cat School) steel sword is a favorite for fast-attack and critical hit builds, providing massive bonuses to critical hit damage, attack power, and chance to cause bleeding. Conversely, the Grandmaster Ursine (Bear School) steel sword favors a strong, tanky style, offering high raw damage, a chance to stagger, and bonuses that complement heavy armor and adrenaline point generation.

The Pinnacle of Silver: Aerondight

As previously established, Aerondight's unique properties make it not only the best steel option but also the definitive silver sword. No other blade can match its capacity for exponential damage growth and consistent critical strikes. For players who complete the "There Can Be Only One" quest in Toussaint, Aerondight becomes the irreplaceable centerpiece of their arsenal, a single silver solution for every monstrous threat from drowners to ancient vampires.

Essential Silver Swords

Before obtaining Aerondight, several silver swords are paramount. The Gesheft, crafted through the "Scavenger Hunt: Wolf School Gear" quests, is a superb all-around choice with high damage and bonuses to Sign intensity and experience gain. For those facing spectral enemies, the Moonblade from the "What Lies Unseen" quest in Novigrad is invaluable, granting a guaranteed instant kill on wraiths at 25% health. In the late base game, the Grandmaster Griffin silver sword shines for Sign-focused builds, offering a massive boost to Sign intensity and Yrden sign effects. For sheer explosive potential, the Iris, Olgierd's sword earned in the Hearts of Stone expansion, is unique. Its strong attacks consume vitality but unleash a powerful wave, rewarding high-risk, high-reward tactical play.

Choosing Your Arsenal: Playstyle Considerations

Selecting the best weapons ultimately depends on how Geralt is built. A witcher specializing in fast, dodgy combat with light armor will find perfect synergy with the Feline set swords, maximizing critical hits and speed. A battle-alchemist or tank build benefits enormously from the raw power and defensive bonuses of the Ursine weapons. A Signs specialist should prioritize the Griffin swords to amplify magical damage and control. For players who favor a hybrid approach or seek ultimate late-game power, Aerondight paired with a high-critical steel sword like the Toussaint Knight's creates a nearly unstoppable combination. The journey to these weapons is as important as their stats; hunting diagrams, completing challenging quests, and overcoming powerful guardians are rites of passage that make wielding these legendary blades truly rewarding.

The best weapons in The Witcher 3 are more than just stat sticks. They are artifacts with histories, earned through peril and perseverance. They define Geralt's combat identity, turning him from a skilled survivor into a true force of nature. Whether through the self-perfecting magic of Aerondight, the precise brutality of the Feline blades, or the raw, Sign-charged might of the Griffin steel, choosing the right sword is the final, crucial step in preparing for the wild hunt.

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