The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is CD Projekt Red's acclaimed open-world RPG where you play as Geralt of Rivia, a professional monster slayer searching for his adopted daughter Ciri. The game received a complete visual overhaul with the Next-Gen Update adding ray tracing, improved textures, and new content. With two massive expansions — Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine — the complete package offers 200+ hours of storytelling that's widely considered among the best in gaming.
Starting The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt can feel overwhelming. This guide tells you exactly what to focus on during your first hours so you don't waste time on things that don't matter yet.
What Kind of Game Is This?
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a rpg game built around sign casting and alchemy and oils. The core loop involves mastering these systems to progress through increasingly challenging content.
What to expect: Time investment in learning mechanics, experimentation, and gradual mastery. The game rewards patience and knowledge.
Choosing Your First Build
| Build | Beginner Rating | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Combat Build | Excellent for beginners | Heavy attacks with strong counterattacking, using Quen as a safety net. |
| Sign Build | Situational | Cast signs constantly, use Yrden to slow enemies, and burn groups with alternate Igni. |
| Alchemy Build | Excellent for beginners | Chug decoctions before combat, maintain high toxicity for constant buffs. |
| Hybrid Build | Excellent for beginners | Fast attacks with Cat gear, supplemented by strong sign usage for crowd control. |
| Euphoria Build | Good (but demanding) | Stack decoctions to max toxicity, then enjoy 50-70% bonus damage on every hit permanently. |
Our recommendation: Start with Sign Build. Invests in the blue Sign skill tree, turning Geralt into a magic-focused fighter. Igni can melt enemies at high Sign Intensity, and Aard alternate can freeze enemies solid for instant kills. Less damage than other builds but very safe and satisfying.
Avoid Euphoria Build as your first pick. The strongest build in the game, requiring Blood and Wine DLC.
First Session Step-by-Step
Step 1: Learn sign casting
Geralt has five combat signs: Aard (telekinetic blast), Igni (fire stream), Quen (protective shield), Yrden (magic trap), and Axii (mind control). Each can be upgraded with alternate modes in the Sign skill tree — alternate Quen absorbs damage as health, alternate Igni channels a continuous flame. Sign intensity scales with your Sign Intensity stat on gear.
This is the foundation. Spend your first 15-30 minutes getting comfortable with how sign casting works before worrying about anything else.
Step 2: Head to White Orchard
The tutorial region where you learn combat, alchemy, signs, and Witcher Sense. Contains your first contracts, the Griffin boss fight, and several hidden diagrams. Thoroughly explore before leaving — the Viper swords and several Places of Power give valuable early boosts.
Clear the main content here before moving on. Everything teaches fundamentals you'll need later.
Step 3: Get Your First Upgrade
Look for Toussaint Knight's Steel Sword — it's the most accessible early upgrade. The best steel sword in the game, found in Blood and Wine. Has high base damage and decent crit stats. Combined with Aerondight as your silver sword, these two cover all combat needs for the endgame.
Step 4: Understand alchemy and oils
Before fighting specific monsters, apply the correct oil to your sword (Specter Oil for wraiths, Vampire Oil for vampires, etc.) for 10-50% bonus damage. Alchemy also includes potions (Thunderbolt for damage, Swallow for health), decoctions (powerful long-duration buffs with toxicity costs), and bombs. All alchemy items auto-refill when you meditate with Alcohest in your inventory.
This is the system most new players overlook. Invest time here early — it pays off throughout the entire game.
Step 5: Push to Velen
A war-ravaged swampland called No Man's Land, forming the largest region in the base game. Contains the Bloody Baron questline (widely considered the game's best), multiple witcher contracts, and the Crookback Bog with the Crones. Expect dark, mature storytelling.
Essential Mechanics Explained
sign casting
Geralt has five combat signs: Aard (telekinetic blast), Igni (fire stream), Quen (protective shield), Yrden (magic trap), and Axii (mind control). Each can be upgraded with alternate modes in the Sign skill tree — alternate Quen absorbs damage as health, alternate Igni channels a continuous flame. Sign intensity scales with your Sign Intensity stat on gear.
alchemy and oils
Before fighting specific monsters, apply the correct oil to your sword (Specter Oil for wraiths, Vampire Oil for vampires, etc.) for 10-50% bonus damage. Alchemy also includes potions (Thunderbolt for damage, Swallow for health), decoctions (powerful long-duration buffs with toxicity costs), and bombs. All alchemy items auto-refill when you meditate with Alcohest in your inventory.
bestiary research
Every monster type has a bestiary entry revealing weaknesses, effective signs, oils, and bombs. Entries unlock through finding books from merchants or killing enough of that monster type. Reading the bestiary before a contract tells you exactly what oil, sign, and bomb to bring — the difference between a tough fight and an easy one.
Gwent card game
Gwent is a strategic card game playable against NPCs throughout the world. You build a deck from four factions (Northern Realms, Nilfgaard, Scoia'tael, Monsters) and play best-of-three rounds. Cards are found at merchants, won from players, and earned as quest rewards. Some cards are missable if you don't play certain NPCs before they become unavailable.
mutation system
Added in Blood and Wine, mutations are powerful abilities unlocked at the Grandmaster armorer in Toussaint using mutagens and ability points. Euphoria (damage scales with toxicity) is the strongest, effectively doubling your damage when combined with alchemy builds. Mutations also unlock extra ability slots.
Common Beginner Mistakes
1. Leaving White Orchard without grabbing all 6 Places of Power — that's 6 free ability points you'll never get back easily
2. Ignoring alchemy entirely because it seems complex — oils, potions, and decoctions are massive damage multipliers and auto-refill on meditation
3. Selling or dismantling witcher gear diagrams instead of keeping them for crafting — grandmaster gear in Blood and Wine requires all previous tier diagrams
4. Not buying Gwent cards from merchants and innkeepers before progressing quests — some NPCs become permanently unavailable, locking you out of cards
5. Rushing through dialogue without reading bestiary entries — knowing a monster's weakness makes contracts trivially easy instead of frustratingly hard
First 5 Hours Checklist
- Understand sign casting and alchemy and oils
- Choose Sign Build as starting build
- Clear White Orchard main content
- Acquire Toussaint Knight's Steel Sword or equivalent upgrade
- Reach Velen
- Apply the correct oil before every fight — Specter Oil for wraiths, Necrophage Oil for ghouls, etc. At higher alchemy levels, oils give 50% bonus damage, which is enormous.
- Quen is the most useful sign for survivability. Keep it active at all times — the basic version absorbs one hit, alternate Quen absorbs damage and heals you.
Tips for New Players
- Apply the correct oil before every fight — Specter Oil for wraiths, Necrophage Oil for ghouls, etc. At higher alchemy levels, oils give 50% bonus damage, which is enormous.
- Quen is the most useful sign for survivability. Keep it active at all times — the basic version absorbs one hit, alternate Quen absorbs damage and heals you.
- Explore question marks on the map for free loot. Smuggler caches in Skellige's ocean are tedious but contain top-tier gear and crafting components.
- Gwent cards from merchants are missable — buy every card from every innkeeper and merchant you meet. Some NPCs become unavailable after certain quests.
- Sell crafted witcher gear you've outgrown rather than dismantling it. Sell swords to swordsmiths and armor to armorers for the best prices.
- Places of Power grant one free ability point each. There are 6 in White Orchard alone — grab all of them before leaving the tutorial area.
- Meditation refills all your potions, bombs, and decoctions using Alcohest from your inventory. You never need to re-craft consumables.
- Witcher gear is always better than randomly found equipment of the same level. Prioritize finding and crafting witcher gear diagrams.
- Doing the Bloody Baron questline before going to Novigrad is recommended. The quest gives excellent rewards and is balanced for lower levels.
- In Blood and Wine, unlock the Euphoria mutation as soon as possible. It turns any alchemy build into the strongest combat build in the game.
Frequently Asked Questions
What order should I play Witcher 3 DLC?
Play the base game first (main story through all regions), then Hearts of Stone (recommended level 32+), then Blood and Wine (recommended level 35+). Blood and Wine serves as Geralt's epilogue and should be experienced last.
What's the best witcher gear set?
Ursine (Bear School) for combat builds, Griffin for sign builds, Cat for fast attack/crit builds, and Manticore (Blood and Wine) for alchemy. Grandmaster versions add powerful 6-piece set bonuses. The Euphoria mutation makes Manticore gear arguably the best overall.
How do I get the best ending in Witcher 3?
To get the best ending where Ciri becomes a witcher, you need to make 3 of 5 specific positive choices during her questline: go with her to meet the Lodge, have a snowball fight, don't take Emhyr's coin, trash Avallac'h's lab together, and let her go to the tower alone.
Is The Witcher 3 next-gen update free?
Yes, the Complete Edition/Next-Gen Update is a free upgrade for all existing owners on PC and consoles. It adds ray tracing, improved textures, new camera options, Netflix show-inspired DLC items, and performance improvements.
What to Read Next
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Builds — Optimize your build once you've learned the basics
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Walkthrough — Full progression path
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Tips — Advanced strategies for when you're ready
