The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Walkthrough — Start to Endgame

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.

This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. Follow this path to avoid common traps that stall most players.

Quick Progression Summary

Phase 1: Getting Started — 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.

Level/Difficulty: Level 1-3 Key Rewards: Viper School Swords, 6 Places of Power, Griffin Trophy, first Gwent cards

What to Do in White Orchard

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). Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
2. Pick Sign Build as your starting build. It's the most forgiving option.
3. 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.
4. Acquire your first equipment upgrade — Toussaint Knight's Steel Sword or whatever's available.
5. Clear all main content before moving on.

Phase 1 Checklist

• Understand sign casting fundamentals
• Sign Build selected and functional
• White Orchard main content cleared
• Ready for Velen

Phase 2: Early Game — 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.

Level/Difficulty: Level 3-15 Key Rewards: Bloody Baron quest rewards, Witcher gear diagrams, multiple contract trophies

What to Do in Velen

1. Work on alchemy and oils. Before fighting specific monsters, apply the correct oil to your sword (Specter Oil for wraiths, Vampire Oil for vampires, etc. This system becomes critical from here on.
2. Farm for Toussaint Knight's Steel Sword if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
3. 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.
4. Complete all objectives before pushing to Novigrad.
5. Consider whether Combat Build might suit your playstyle better than Sign Build.

Phase 2 Checklist

• alchemy and oils integrated into gameplay
• Toussaint Knight's Steel Sword acquired
• Velen fully cleared
• Ready for Novigrad

Phase 3: Mid Game — Novigrad

The massive Free City with hundreds of NPCs, shops, and quest opportunities. Contains Triss's questline, the Dandelion rescue arc, and the best merchants for selling loot. The Gwent tournament and several important card players are here.

Level/Difficulty: Level 10-20 Key Rewards: Triss romance questline, best vendors, Hattori the swordsmith, Gwent tournament cards

What to Do in Novigrad

1. Master bestiary research. Every monster type has a bestiary entry revealing weaknesses, effective signs, oils, and bombs. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
2. Start working toward Aerondight. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
3. 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.
4. This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
5. Start investing in Gwent card game for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.

Phase 3 Checklist

• bestiary research mastered
• Aerondight acquired or in progress
• Novigrad fully cleared
• Ready for Skellige

Phase 4: Late Game — Skellige

A Viking-inspired archipelago with its own culture, monsters, and questlines. Features the succession quest for the throne of Skellige, multiple dragon-type contracts, and underwater treasure. Sailing between islands is the main traversal method.

Level/Difficulty: Level 15-25 Key Rewards: Yennefer romance questline, Skellige deck Gwent cards, Cat School gear diagrams, Hjalmar quests

What to Do in Skellige

1. Finalize your build. You should be running Combat Build or Sign Build with optimized gear.
2. Aerondight should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
3. Gwent cards from merchants are missable — buy every card from every innkeeper and merchant you meet. Some NPCs become unavailable after certain quests.
4. mutation system optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
5. Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Toussaint.

Phase 4 Checklist

• Build fully optimized
• Aerondight upgraded to max
• Skellige fully cleared
• Ready for Toussaint

Phase 5: Endgame — Toussaint

The Blood and Wine expansion's fairy-tale French region, the most beautiful area in the game. Contains the grandmaster witcher gear quests, the mutation system, and Corvo Bianco vineyard (Geralt's home). The main quest involves a vampire serial killer and offers incredible storytelling.

Level/Difficulty: Level 35-50 Key Rewards: Grandmaster witcher gear sets, Aerondight, Corvo Bianco upgrades, Mutation system, Euphoria

What to Do in Toussaint

1. Toussaint tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
2. Sell crafted witcher gear you've outgrown rather than dismantling it. Sell swords to swordsmiths and armor to armorers for the best prices.
3. The endgame loop: run Toussaint, optimize gear, push harder content.
4. Experiment with Euphoria Build for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
5. This is where mutation system mastery separates good players from great ones.

Phase 5 Checklist

• Endgame content on farm
• Best-in-slot gear acquired
• Toussaint fully cleared
• Ready for challenge content

Common Progression Mistakes

• Leaving White Orchard without grabbing all 6 Places of Power — that's 6 free ability points you'll never get back easily.
• Ignoring alchemy entirely because it seems complex — oils, potions, and decoctions are massive damage multipliers and auto-refill on meditation.
• Selling or dismantling witcher gear diagrams instead of keeping them for crafting — grandmaster gear in Blood and Wine requires all previous tier diagrams.
• Not buying Gwent cards from merchants and innkeepers before progressing quests — some NPCs become permanently unavailable, locking you out of cards.
• Rushing through dialogue without reading bestiary entries — knowing a monster's weakness makes contracts trivially easy instead of frustratingly hard.

Key Tips for Smooth Progression

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Gwent cards from merchants are missable — buy every card from every innkeeper and merchant you meet. Some NPCs become unavailable after certain quests.
5. Sell crafted witcher gear you've outgrown rather than dismantling it. Sell swords to swordsmiths and armor to armorers for the best prices.

For detailed build optimization, see The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt builds. For quick wins, check tips & tricks.