Highlights

• Silver swords in The Witcher 3 are essential for slaying creatures, while steel swords are best for human enemies.
• By utilizing the right silver sword for the job, players can easily tackle tough creatures without breaking a sweat.
• The variety of silver swords available in the game offer unique boosts and abilities, allowing players to tailor their weapon to their playstyle.

Of all the weapons players use in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt perhaps most useful are the silver swords. These weapons are intended for the slaying of mythical, mystical, and magical beasts. While steel swords will carve through human enemies, silver swords will cut down any fearsome creature of legend.

There are a lot of swords to choose from, and the best option will vary depending on playstyle and enemies. For general use, however, players should strongly consider one of the silver blades listed below to fulfill their contracts.

Updated on March 30, 2024, by Ritwik Mitra: The Witcher 3 is one of the greatest video games ever made. The sheer amount of love and effort put into this game is palpable from the first few hours, making it clear why so many people can't get enough of it. After a point, players will find it second nature to remember that humans require steel, while silver blades are perfect for monsters. Sure, the third game automates this act for players, but it's still a fact that Witcher fans won't forget anytime soon. To beat down the many monsters in this game without breaking a sweat, it becomes necessary to wield the best silver swords in the game so that monsters don't end up overwhelming Geralt.

23 Bloodsword

Complete The Quest 'Inheritance'

• 310-380 Damage
• 5-20% Critical Hit Damage
• 1-4% Critical Hit Chance
• 9% Bleed
• 1-2 % Dismember

Found as hidden treasure in Boxholm, the Bloodsword is a solid choice for taking down tough beasts or if under-leveled for the challenge ahead. It deals 227 to 277 damage every hit and raises critical hit damage and the chance of landing a critical.

But the sword’s main benefit is the added chance of causing bleeding and dismemberment. Bleed will deal damage over time, making foes fall faster, and dismemberment is always helpful. It’s a great sword that can be used to attack a few times until the bleed effect kicks in. Geralt can then back off and play defensively while the bleeding does its work.

22 Naevde Seidhe

In The Ancient Ruins Under The Mountains Of Ard Skellig

• 363-443 Damage
• 8-15% Igni Sign Intensity
• 8-15% Yrden Sign Intensity
• 10% Stagger

There are actually three ways to obtain this sword. The first is by finding it in a Monster’s Den in Kaer Gelen near the Miner’s Camp. The second is by completing the quest "For Fame And Glory." Finally, players can find one in the Ancient Crypt at Ard Skellig.

It’s the ideal sword for players that rely heavily upon signs as it boosts the intensity of Igni and Yrden signs. It also has a chance of causing stagger, which can be useful for getting some distance to cast signs or retreat if need be.

21 Manticore Silver Sword

Craftable Weapon Introduced In Blood & Wine

• 335 – 409 Damage
• 250 Armor Piercing
• 50% Critical Damage
• 5% Critical Hit Chance
• 10% Bleed
• +5% Experience From Humans/Nonhumans

The Manticore Silver Sword is obtained from a diagram hidden in a cave beneath the Palace Gardens. It’s guarded by gas and a mysterious stranger, but it’s worth the effort. The sword comes with some powerful stats.

It comes short of the Grandmaster gear from other schools, but it is more than capable of doing the job. The armor-piercing combined with bleed makes it ideal for tough targets. The experience gain bonus is also handy when facing humans and nonhumans alike.

20 Sarrim

Craftable Weapon Introduced In Hearts Of Stone

• 418 – 512 Damage
• 15% Aard Sign Intensity
• 15% Igni Sign Intensity
• 15% Axii Sign Intensity
• 75% Critical Hit Damage
• 10% Critical Hit Chance

To wield the mighty Sarrim, players must find its diagram located at a bandit camp in the Kilkerinn Ruins. The sword provides a number of boosts in addition to great damage.

This puts the Sarrim ahead of many of the Mastercrafted Witcher school silver swords in terms of raw damage output. The Sign intensity perks are helpful for just about any build, and the almost doubled Critical Hit Damage is really nice. It is certainly one of the best silver swords in The Witcher 3.

19 Harpy

Random Loot In The Caves Of Velen And Skellige

• 427 – 523 Damage
• 14% Bleed

The Harpy sword is very simple compared to others on this list, but that simplicity is one of its greatest strengths. It has an incredible base damage of 427, making it a powerful sword on that fact alone and capable of tackling most foes in the game.

But it also has the benefit of providing a 14% chance of causing Bleed. A dozen or so swings, and if the enemy is still standing, they have a good chance of being inflicted with Bleed, which will siphon off the last of their health points. This sword is great for long, brutal fights with tough foes. The Harpy sword can be found at a bandit camp near the Bloody Baron's compound.

18 Casus Foederis

Behind An Illusory Wall In Regis' Makeshift Abode At The Cemetery

• 460 – 562 Damage
• +150 Armor piercing
• +15% Aard Sign intensity
• +15% Quen Sign intensity
• +50% Critical hit damage bonus
• +15% Critical hit chance

Blood & Wine serves as Geralt's final adventure in The Witcher 3, making it clear why the bulk of the loot found in Toussaint is so powerful. Players can find a wealth of powerful armaments that Geralt can use to slice monsters apart, with one such weapon found in Regis' makeshift home in a cemetery that Geralt stumbles upon during the main questline.

With The Eye of Nehaleni, Geralt can uncover an illusory wall here that houses Casus Foederis, a powerful silver sword. Giving a bonus to armor piercing, critical hits, and both Aard & Quen, it's easy to see why this sword is perfect for players who combine magic with their melee attacks on a frequent basis.

17 Viper Venomous Silver Sword

Found In Gaunter's World

• 463 – 565 Damage
• 25% Aard Sign Intensity
• 75% Critical Hit Damage
• 10% Critical Hit Chance
• 15% Chance to Poison
• 20% Experience from Monsters

Added in the Hearts of Stone DLC, this sword is only obtainable if the player chooses to help Olgierd, rather than simply allowing Gaunter O'Dimm to collect his debt. The sword is in the riddle, along the left of the path, lit up by a red light.

With high critical damage and decent damage over time, this weapon is a great choice for players wishing to tackle the harder content in the game or those who simply wish to roleplay as a Witcher who uses a lot of poisons.

16 Grandmaster Forgotten Wolven Silver Sword

Craftable Weapon In The Next-Gen Update (Patch 4.0)

• 472 – 576 Damage
• 10% Sign Intensity
• 7% Adrenaline Point Gain
• 35% Critical Hit Damage
• 15% Critical Hit Chance
• 10% Chance to Cause Bleeding
• 10% Experience from Monsters

Added in the Next Gen Update for The Witcher 3, the Forgotten Wolven set is based on the armor worn by Geralt in the Netflix show. It can first be found through the "In the Eternal Fire's Shadow" quest in Velen. This will grant the player the base diagrams, but these are nowhere near as strong as the Grandmaster versions. To craft the Grandmaster set, players will need to complete the scavenger hunt for some notes in Kaer Morhen. They can then pay Yoana in Crow's Perch to make the Mastercrafted armor and Hattori in Novigrad to make the Mastercrafted swords. Finally, with these items, Lazare Lafargue in Toussaint can craft the Grandmaster set.

This Grandmaster silver sword is not the strongest in the game as none of its benefits are massive, but it does provide a mix of bonuses that can help builds with sign damage, adrenaline gain, and damage over time.

15 Grandmaster Griffin Silver Sword

Part Of The Griffin School Gear

• 472 – 576 Damage
• 21% Sign Intensity
• 5% Critical Hit Chance
• 25% Critical Damage
• 10% Dismemberment
• 20% Experience From Monsters

This is the first Witcher set the player is likely to encounter in the game. It is very powerful, even if it is the weakest of the four sets. The diagrams are in Kaer at Ard Skellig.

It can be obtained in its weakest form early on and upgraded, making it a solid sword from the early parts of the game until mid to late game. As with the Forgotten Wolven Set, it must be mastercrafted first and then taken to the Toussaint, where its final form can be crafted. At Grandmaster state, it has static damage of 576 with a critical hit damage bonus, an experience gain bonus against monsters, and a boost to sign intensity.

14 Grandmaster Feline Silver Sword

Part Of The Cat School Gear

• 472 – 576 Damage
• 15% Aard Sign Intensity
• 10% Critical Hit Chance
• 15% Bleed
• 10% Dismemberment
• 20% Bonus Experience From Monsters

Like the Griffin sword, the Feline silver sword can be obtained early and enhanced over time to be a powerful weapon. Its diagram is found in the ruins of Est Tayiar behind a secret wall. At Grandmaster state, the sword deals the same 476 damage as the Griffin.

It also has a chance to cause bleeding, increases Aard sign intensity, and grants experience gains from monsters. Instead of relying on criticals for occasional spurts of damage, it gives steady results with bleeding and improved Aard damage.

13 Grandmaster Ursine Silver Sword

Part Of The Bear School Gear

• 472 – 576 Damage
• 21% Adrenaline Point Gain
• 75% Critical Hit Damage
• 5% Critical Hit Chance
• 14% Dismemberment
• 20% Bonus Experience From Monsters

One of the strongest of the four Witcher sets, the Ursine silver sword provides great damage and helpful abilities. Its diagram is located on a small island near Olean's Grove. At Mastercrafted state, it deals 472 - 576 damage.

Where this weapon shines is in the perks. It grants a boost to critical hit chance, a 10% chance at dismemberment, an incredibly useful 20% boost to monster experience gain, and the piece de resistance is a boost to Adrenaline gain. The longer a fight goes with this sword, the more likely Geralt is to kill them with one blow. As with all the Wolven sets, it must be upgraded steadily through NPCs such as Hattori and Lazare Lafargue.

12 Grandmaster Wolven Silver Sword

Part Of The Wolf School Gear

• 472 – 576 Damage
• 11% Sign Intensity
• 11% Adrenaline Gain
• 11% Critical Hit Chance
• 10% Bleed
• 5% Bonus Experience From Humans/Nonhumans

The strongest of the Witcher sets is the Wolven. It’s only available with the DLC and is found inside the Termes Palace near Beauclair. It is an improvement over its Forgotten variant.

It has a boost to sign intensity, gives a boost to Adrenaline gain, and provides the familiar boost to monster experience point gain. Setting it apart from the others is a chance to cause bleeding. It’s basically the other Witcher sets wrapped into one with a nice bonus on top.

11 Tah’rel

Craftable Weapon Introduced In Blood & Wine

• 481 – 587 Damage
• 28% Aard Sign Intensity
• 95% Critical Hit Damage
• 12% Critical Hit Chance
• 15% Poison
• +5% Experience From Monsters

The Tah’rel diagram can be a bit tricky to find, but it is worth it to get a powerful silver sword. It’s in the large river south of The Silver Salamander Inn to the west of the first major fork in the road. It's part of the "What Was That About Again" quest. Once crafted, players will have a strong sword with a number of helpful stats.

With lots of damage and an almost doubled critical hit damage, this sword is capable of packing quite the punch. The bonus experience from monsters is also a nice touch and cuts down on some of the end-game grinding needed for higher levels.

10 Grandmaster Legendary Griffin Silver Sword

Part Of The Griffin School Gear, Introduced In Blood & Wine

• 481-587 Damage
• +25% Sign intensity
• +50% Critical hit damage bonus
• +10% Critical hit chance
• +10% Chance to dismember
• +20% Bonus experience from monsters

Blood & Wine introduced Grandmaster Gear, which players could strive to acquire, letting them enjoy the best versions of every school's armor set. This was a welcome inclusion, especially since most players were disappointed that even mastercrafted armor lost its relevance after a point.

The Griffin School has pretty cool-looking armor that players upgrade to Grandmaster level. The legendary variant of the silver sword can also achieve this upgrade. The bonus to Sign intensity and multiple critical hit buffs make combat with this weapon incredibly satisfying.

9 Grandmaster Legendary Ursine Silver Sword

Part Of The Bear School Gear, Introduced In Blood & Wine

• 481-587 Damage
• +25% Adrenaline Point gain
• +100% Critical hit damage bonus
• +5% Critical hit chance
• +14% Chance to dismember
• +20% Bonus experience from monsters

The School of the Bear is one of the more fascinating schools in the game, with its heavy armor set providing greater defenses at the cost of lower speed. The outfit looks great, and players will love how the silver sword of the set promotes an aggressive playstyle.

Players who love using their Adrenaline Points in battle will adore how quickly they're generated with this legendary sword. It's genuinely a great feeling for players to show monsters who are boss, using a combination of Signs and powerful blows to take them down in a jiffy.

8 Grandmaster Legendary Wolven Silver Sword

Part Of The Wolven School Gear, Introduced In Blood & Wine

• 481-587 Damage
• +15% Sign intensity
• +15% Adrenaline Point gain
• +15% Critical hit chance
• +15% Chance to cause bleeding
• +20% Bonus experience from monsters

The School of the Wolf is what most fans are familiar with, for obvious reasons. It's the school that Geralt, Vesemir, and most of the Witchers players are familiar with come from, and the gear itself looks pretty neat.

The Grandmaster Legendary Silver Sword of this school is a well-rounded beast. It upgrades Sign intensity, Adrenaline point gain, Critical Hit chance, and gives players a chance to make their foes bleed, too. It is a jack-of-all-trades and a strong sword in its own right.

7 Gesheft (Craftable)

Craftable Weapon Introduced In Blood & Wine

• 508 – 620 Damage
• 30% Aard Intensity
• 100% Critical Damage
• 15% Critical Hit Chance
• 15% Poison
• +5% Experience From Monsters

There are two Gesheft swords in the game. One is guarded by the Cloud Giant in the Land of a Thousand Fables, and the other is a craftable model that’s much more powerful. Gesheft’s diagram is hidden in a monster den northeast of Beauclair at the end of the Dun Tynne Crossroads river.

With such high damage and doubled critical hit damage, this actually makes it slightly better than Aerondight, the best sword in the game. The only reason it doesn’t rank higher is that it doesn’t see such a dramatic increase in damage over time as the fabled Aerondight does. Still, if players are looking for a powerful, low-maintenance sword, this is it. To improve its single-hit damage even further, players can use the water hag decoction to increase their damage by 50% while at full health.

6 Fen'aeth

Looted From Grottore During The Quest "Feet As Cold As Ice"

• 504 – 616 Damage
• +26% Aard Sign intensity
• +85% Critical hit damage bonus
• +11% Critical hit chance
• +15% Chance to poison
• +5% Bonus experience from monsters

Fighting a Spriggan is no mean feat in Blood & Wine. The combat in this DLC is extremely difficult, with enemies featuring high damage and tricky moves that can take out players in no time if they're not paying attention. In the case of this Spriggan, the attacks can hit Geralt for immense damage, and it doesn't help that the creature can summon some twisted archespores at a moment's notice.

If players engage in the quest and decide to battle against this Spriggan, they'll be rewarded with the most satisfying end to this side story and will also get their hands on the Fen'aeth. This sword hits like a truck and makes Aard more useful, making it perfect for players pursuing a build that synergizes well with this weapon.

5 Ami

Looted From The Monster Of Tufo

• 532 – 650 Damage
• +300 Armor piercing
• +30% Quen Sign intensity
• +75% Critical hit damage bonus
• +15% Critical hit chance
• +15% Chance to stagger

Shaelmaars are some of the trickiest enemies players can deal with in Blood & Wine. These massive armadillo-like beings can use their armor to protect themselves from most attacks, making it imperative to open up damage windows where players can catch these monsters in a vulnerable position. This is a tactic that is downright imperative to use against the Monster of Tufo, who just so happens to be a souped-up shaelmaar.

Defeating this enemy takes some time, so it's great that the reward is well worth the effort. Players who rely on Quen extensively will find Ami to be a worthy blade to get their hands on. The fact that critical hits and stagger chance are also boosted by this blade is another positive.

4 Cantata

Found During The Quest "What Lies Unseen"

• 576 – 704 Damage
• 150 Armor Piercing
• 75% Critical Hit Damage
• 15% Critical Hit Chance
• 15% Bleeding
• 15% Stun

The Cantata is a strong silver sword that can be found during the quest "What Lies Unseen." The player will loot a body in search of something to appease the Elder. This sword will be located on that body with a Crumpled Letter, and it has tremendous potential in Geralt’s hand.

This sword is easily one of the more powerful silver swords in the game for the base damage alone, and the armor-piercing, bleeding, and stun combinination can help players take down the mightiest of foes. It’ll shred any defense, drain their health over time, and occasionally keep enemies stunned and vulnerable to attack.