This page contains tips, tricks and strategies for playing The Witcher 3. For new players, an overview of basic game mechanics can be found further down the page.

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When first starting out in Wild Hunt, players may feel a bit lost within the large scope of the open world. Here are a few tips on making the most out of the first few hours of gameplay. DO NOT SKIP THE TUTORIAL. While many players may be tempted to breeze past this section, combat in The Witcher is a little more in-depth than some may be used to. Be sure to pay attention during Vesemir's lessons, and keep practicing with him in free-form mode until you feel comfortable with the mechanics.

DO EVERY SIDE QUEST in White Orchard. Most of them are super simple, like finding a frying pan for an old woman, or tracking simply brewing a potion.

EXPLORE. There are plenty of goodies hidden across the White Orchard area - some on, some off the in-game map. Spots like hidden treasure  or can help you get better gear, while Places of Power will grant you bonus ability points for your Character skills.

Convert your money

Sometimes you'll find money in crates or when you loot bodies. Those coins go directly to the Junk part of your inventory, because they are foreign coins. Simply go to Novigrad (North of Velen), visit Vivaldi's Bank and convert your cash into Crowns. To do so, just speak to the banker and select the conversion option. You can also borrow money here. 

Once you're above level 10, buy Manuscripts for Enhanced potions.

You can find a merchant in Novigrad who sells them for only 36 crowns. He also sells enhanced bombs, oils. Here's where you can find him:

The Basics

For players unfamiliar with other titles in The Witcher franchise, the mechanics of the game may seem a bit daunting. Believe it or not, though, Wild Hunt features the most streamlined mechanics in the series to date.

Exploring

Check out everything -- but don't be afraid to take a rain check on a tough enemy and come back later. A skull/red text display means: not yet. 

Your quests will take you into dark caves. You can equip a torch to see in the dark -- or create the Cat potion to let you see much farther. Lighting things on fire, like braziers or candles can be very helpful in marking your path and remind you where you've been and where you haven't. 

Equipment 

Remember to compare new items with your equipped items to see if you should upgrade. Sometimes, higher defense or attack damage is just part of the story. Look at the weapons and armor's other abilities. A new sword may be slightly less powerful, but cause additional poison or magical damage that makes up for the slightly lower attack power.

Also, go for Witcher gear -- and hang on to it (you can store it your stash if you don't want to carry it). These sidequests net you great equipment that can be upgraded later in the game.

Finally, empty slots on gear you're using should be filled. Save the most powerful Glyphs and Stones for things you're likely to use for a while. You can remove upgrades, but you can't recover the upgrade items. 

Remember that you don't have limitless powers. When you carry too many items, you can no longer run. Pace yourself and visit merchants and armorers/smiths often to sell equipment. First buy and fix your equipped items to provide the merchant with more money, then sell off everything you don't need. If you're out in the field and carrying too much, go for inexpensive heavy items first. Look for high weight numbers -- and don't forget that Roach's unused saddles can weigh a lot. 

Combat

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Witchers carry with them two swords - one steel and one silver. Steel swords are used for fighting humans and beasts (wolves, bears, wild dogs, etc), while their silver swords are reserved for battling monsters and other supernatural enemies. There are also maces and axes -- what you use is up to your preference. Geralt will automatically draw the right weapon for the job, but you can also manually pull or sheathe your weapons. 

Use your two attack types wisely -- and remember that just before the enemy strike hits, Geralt can knock his opponent back - this offers him ample time to land a few quick strikes or a powerful attack.

Signs are the second most important aspect of combat in The Witcher. There are five signs that Geralt can use in combat:

• Aard: A blast of telekenetic energy that will knock back (or even stun) enemies, allowing Geralt to press the attack.
• Igni: A wave of fire passes over your opponent, setting anything (or anyone) it strikes ablaze to do damage over time.
• Quen: Provides Geralt with a protective shield, which can be upgraded to explode and stun enemies when it depletes.
• Axii: Take control of your enemies mind - stun them for a short period, or upgrade this skill to entrance foes into fighting for you.
• Yrden: A powerful trap that, when laid on the ground, slows enemy movement. Especially effective against Wraiths.

Casting Signs costs stamina, which replenishes over time. As Geralt improves his Character Abilities, he can upgrade his stamina regeneration to allow him to perform more signs in a shorter amount of time.

Use Oils when facing tough enemies. For every enemy type, there is an oil that you can apply to your sword that will grant you significant combat bonuses. 

Healing

Meditating in a safe spot heals your wounds. Just take a quick break instead of wasting replenishing items. Note, though, that that will also clear the effects of buffs from potions or grindstones. 

Most importantly, slot the most helpful items in your shortcut menu. On consoles, you hold down on the D-pad to switch between two chosen items. For example, you could have your favorite healing/restore portion in one spot and Cat in the other, allowing you to quickly activate night vision or heal yourself in the middle of a battle. 

Alchemy

Witchers are known for their cat-like eyes and often odd physical appearances - this is due largely in part to the potions and mutagens that they imbibe during their training and while hunting monsters.

Geralt can craft potions that will aid him in combat, such as the regenerative Swallow or the night-vison Cat potion, though drinking these will increase his body's toxicity. If he drinks to many potions and goes over his limit, he will poison himself and begin losing health. But don't worry, you can always medidate or use White Honey to clear the poisoning.

Potion recipes can be learned by finding formulaes throughout the world, though a few basic potions are known to him at the onset of the game. Note that by crafting these potions once, you can replenish them easily by meditating. Items like Alcohest or Dwarven Spirit will be used to replenish the potions. 

Travelling

When summoning your horse, try to face the direction opposite of where you are planning to ride. Horse tends to spawn behind Geralt if that is possible (i.e. no large body of water behind you), thus you will only need to turn around instead of wait for the horse to catch up.