One of the most iconic games out there, The Witcher 3's popularity stems first and foremost from its vivid world and compelling story line, and second from the freedom the player gets when it comes to Geralt's growth as a character.
Every player will have a different way of completing the game, depending on the choices they make in shaping Geralt's skills and expertise in Signs, Combat, Alchemy and General skills. While there's no orthodox way ofbuilding your skill tree, there are some combinations that when focused will make Geralt into a powerful opponent no matter what one's approach is.
Updated on February 12th, 2020 by Anastasia Maillot: There are nearly endless build possibilities in The Witcher 3, with only the sky as the limit. What makes things in the game even more interesting is the fact that the DLCs bring so much more to the table when it comes to builds, with more variety in skills.
The mutations in the Blood and Wine DLC are particularly great examples of maximizing the amount of skills a build can have active. Because of this, we decided to include a few of the best mutagens to try out for players who have the DLC or are either consideringwhether or not to get it.
15 Cold As Ice Build
While Igni is one of the most popular picks when it comes to the signs, why not try something different for once? Aard is actually a powerful sign to have on the player's side when paired with some of the mutations in Blood and Wine.
Piercing Cold introduces a 25% chance that Geralt will freeze his enemies. If they fall over while frozen, they'll also die instantly. Granted, the likelihood of it happening isn't big, but it's still a pretty great advantage to have against a group of enemies that might otherwise overwhelm Geralt.
14 Immortality Build
For those who have the Blood and Wine DLC available, mutations are a great way to get creative with builds or to further complement existing ones. One of the best mutations available is Second Life, which basically makes you immune to any damage when you die, every three minutes or so. This essentially makes Geralt immortal.
The best part about this build is that it can be made from any of the main three flavors of the game. It fits well into combat, alchemy and even sign heavy builds, but it also means it's a bit of a niche option. Still, worth considering for those who dream of being an unbeatable force.
13 AlchemistBuild
For those looking for a more strategic approach to combat, the alchemist build might be just the challenge for you.In the Alchemy tree themost useful choices right off the bat will be Oil and Bomb preparation skills, which will allow you to use powerful poisons on your blade, some of which certain enemies will be weak to,and you'll be able to craft bombs.
The real challenge for this build comes from the fact that it will affect Geralt's toxicity levels, and also keep you busy foraging and gathering for ingredients.
12 Signs-Alchemy Build
All about outwitting your enemies, this combination of Alchemy and Signs makes Geralt the perfect magician and brewmaster. This build takes into account the individual weaknesses of each enemy and exploits them to the fullest degree.
To really make this combination work, opt for Rage Management from General skills which will allow you to use adrenaline to cast signs and Refreshment from Alchemy to ensure you'll always have some extra vitality at hand. Finally, your main damagewill come from Firestream in Signs skills, which is by far the most effective source of strength.
11 Combat-Signs Build
The perfect balance between swordplay and the magic practiced by Geralt, this build is ideal when making the choice between the two seems impossible. Here the focus should be on yourIgni Sign to melt the enemy defense and Quen Sign for protection and shield, as they will continue to be useful even against high levelenemies.
If you have the Blood and Wine expansion, we recommend opting for one Alchemy skill, Euphoria, which will boost your swordplay and Sign intensity. Here, Griffin or medium armor is the best choice since you will be utilizing Signs so much.
10 Full Hybrid Build
The most balanced form of Geralt is taking skills from all the categories. While generally spreading out skills in such manner is not advised, for players wanting to experiment with a bit of everything it's a great option. Some of the objectively best skills in the game to opt for are Armor Techniques from General Skills, Active Shield under the Quen Sign, Firestream from Igni, Muscle Memory and Precise Blows from Combat and Refreshment from Alchemy.
Depending on what your preferences are, we recommend building your hybrid around these skill choices.
9 High DefenseBuild
If your play style is waiting for that perfect moment to strike while keeping your enemies at bay, then going for a basic high defense hybrid build is a great idea. From the Signs you should grab crowd control abilities like Yrden to slow down your enemies and Quen to shield and protect yourself.
Aard is also useful for pushing away enemies when Geralt gets clumped up. For combat the choice is entirely yours, but if you want true defense then go forStrong Attacks, paired with the Bear School heavy armor to give you that extra protection.
8 Full Sign Build
We're not going to lie, a pure magic user in The Witcher 3 is going to be hard to pull off especially in the late game. That being said, nothing is impossible and the challenge can be surprisingly rewarding.
Even for this build youstill want to Muscle Memory from Combat skills and Rage Management from General skills. After that, it's up to you which Signs you focus on. The objectively best choices tend to beMelt Armor, Firestream and Active Shield to really give you that 'oomph' as Magician Geralt.
7 Magic Sensibilities Mutation Build
For players who really enjoy using their Signs in an aggressive and offensive manner, the Magic Sensibilities mutation is by far the best pick in the Blood and Wine DLC. Thanks to this mutation, Geralt is able to land critical strikes when using his signs. If the target dies in the process, they'll also explode, which is a nice morbid bonus.
This is only a great mutation for players who have already developed their Signs quite a bit, and therefore can be devastatingfor magic users. Since the critical hit chance depends on the intensity of the sign, the best thing is to pair this mutation with theintensity in the signs the player plans on most using.
6 Deadly Counter Mutation Build
Reserved especially for players who have unlocked mutations from the Blood and Wine DLC, unlocking the Deadly Counter mutation is a great addition to a kit that's heavily focused on combat. If your Geralt is specialized above all in sword fighting and combat in general, unlocking this mutation as soon as possible will make for a very powerful build.
Deadly Counter gives you a 25% boost when fighting enemies that have an immunity against counterattacks. Muscle Memory and Strength Training are two excellent skills to pair up through this mutation.
5 High Offense Build
The opposite to the high defense build, whether you're more of a mage or a swordsman, the idea here is to dish out as much damage as possible.
Depending on whether you go for Fast or Strong attacks, we recommending opting for Muscle Memory or Strength Training. From the Signs,Aard and Igni will be your best friends, with Firestream still being one of the best damage dealers.
4 Bloodbath Mutation Build
Another great treat for those who have the Blood and Wine DLC, one of the combat mutations known as Bloodbath is an absolutely fantastic mutation to unlock. Not only does it work well with any generic swordsman version of Geralt, it's one of the deadliest mutations.
With this mutation, Geralt's damage gets higher and higher by 5% with each consecutive strike, up until a whopping 250% bonus. As long as he doesn't get hit while striking, he's able to build this insane momentum and deal incredible amounts of damage. Not to mention, Geralt will have a guaranteed finisher or dismemberment with each final strike thanks to this mutation.
3 Agile Build
If you rather stay light and swift on your feet, the agile build might be more up your alley. Still heavily combat focused, you want to focus most on Fast Attack skills. One of the most notable skills is Whirl, which will allow you to control the battle when multiple foes are attacking you, and Muscle Memory which will boost the damage done for fast attacks.
Consequently you'll want to opt for light armor, preferably the Feline armor and the rest of the Cat School gear that will convert Geralt's kit into that of a quick rogue like fighter.
2 Tank Build
For players looking to deal some serious damage in combat, the mostly combat focused tank build is most ideal. The Strong Attack skills are your friends here in the combat tree, to build up high damage.
Couple that with the Bear School Techniques skill from the General skills that will boost your attack and health pool with each piece of heavy armor you equip, as well as preferably Ursine armor, and Geralt will turn into a demolishing tank capable of taking any battle head on.
1 Combat-Alchemy Build
By far the best build in the game this hybrid of Combat and Alchemy is widely used in The Witcher 3's Death March difficulty due to its sustain.Unlock the Heightened Tolerance from Alchemyso you can consume more potions, and Refreshment to help you heal more from them.
From Combat, go forFast Attack with Muscle Memory and Whirl, and from Battle Trance pick Resolve to ensure you lose less adrenaline points. It's highly recommended to go for Mutated Skin mutation, which lets Geralt take less damage based on his adrenaline points.
NEXT:Netflix's Witcher TV Show Will Premiere This Fall
