Every independent game developer wishes to create a game that takes the entire world by storm, like what Activision did with Call of Duty, and what Bungie did with the Halo franchise. In 2007 CD Projekt Red achieved this dream when they released The Witcher, an action RPG that spawned two sequels, and for many people The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the best game they have ever played.
Like its two predecessors, The Witcher 3 has Geralt of Rivia fighting a multitude of different monsters, all with their own abilities and weaknesses, but not all of these monsters are created equal, as some a far more powerful than others, and this list will identify the game's strongest and weakest adversaries.
Updated on February 17th, 2021, by Reyadh Rahaman: With so many different styles of combat, tools, and perks to take advantage of, Geralt has a veritable arsenal with which to arm himself as he hunts down his inhuman targets. Bombs, oils, signs, and more can give the White Wolf an edge over any monster he comes across. Regardless of a foe's appearance, a wise witcher knows never to underestimate any adversary and to always strike with the greatest damage potential.
10 Strongest: Hym
A Hym is a type of specter that feeds off of its target's guilt by tormenting them until they go insane or take their own life. Geralt encounters two of these specters in the game, and they are very difficult to kill which is why they appear on this list.
Unlike other specters, a Hym cannot be exorcised through normal means, which is why the best way to combat one is by tricking it to expose itself, and once it does, a silver sword with specter oil will be very helpful.
Although not as fast as other spectral enemies, Hyms have long reach and can slash at the player with shadowy claws from afar. They can also teleport about the area, making their attacks nearly unpredictable. Counter their advantage by tossing a Moon Dust bomb at them to stop their evasive maneuvers. These dusk-dwelling nightmares are also susceptible to flames, making Igni the ideal sign to use against them.
9 Weakest: Fire Elemental
Philippa Eilhart was a sorceress, and she created a mindless Fire Elemental that only had one purpose in life: to kill. The elemental possesses immense physical strength, but it also controls fire which should come as no surprise.
When you fight the elemental in a confined space, it feels like a tough opponent, but it is actually a fairly weak boss, seeing as a Northern Wind bomb can easily dispatch it. You can also wait until its flames disperse and strike it with a sword for critical damage.
If one does not feel like waiting for this elemental's flames to dissipate naturally, casting the Aard sign can snuff out the fire emanating from this golem's body. It is recommended to use heavy attacks on it since elementals are relatively slow and telegraph their attacks in an obvious manner, leaving huge windows for landing sword strikes. Elementa oil upon one's blade can further speed up the process of permanently quenching this monster's flames.
8 Strongest: The Toad Prince
In the Hearts of Stone DLC, we learn that Prince Sirvat of Ofir was cursed by his love interest's parents because they wanted her to marry someone else, and he gets turned into a giant toad who lives under the city of Oxenfurt where he poisons the water supply with his venom.
This monster has an obscene amount of health, and it uses a lot of ranged attacks and poison gas during the fight. The only way to really defeat him is to freeze him with Northern Wind bombs.
The openings to attack this hideous fiend are very small, which makes this fight even more frustrating. This can be partially alleviated by using the Yrden sign, particularly the alternate mode, to slow down this cursed monstrosity. Do not try to use Igni, as the poisonous gas is combustible and can lead to Geralt immolating himself. Cursed oil upon a silver blade can help one hack this amphibious adversary to ribbons.
7 Weakest: Fiends
A Fiend may look like a deer from afar but it is actually the size of a small house. These muscular menaces have claws that can even tear a Witcher apart with ease, and the antlers aren't fun to get hit with either. They also possess a third eye which they can use to hypnotize their opponents.
Luckily, fiends are weak to loud noises, so certain types of bombs are very effective against them, but a sword covered in relict oil will also do the trick.
The bombs that work the best on Fiends are Samum and Devil's Puffball. Samum can permanently damage their third eye enough to totally disable their hypnotic attack. Devil's Puffball poisons the huge beast, which adds some convenient damage over time. Since multiple bombs can be carried simultaneously, bring a few of each into battles with these brutes for an easier time.
6 Strongest: Archgriffin
A griffin is a combination of a lion and eagle, and their sharp claws and beak can easily rip a person to shreds, but what really makes them dangerous is the fact that they fly around during combat which means that conventional fighting methods won't work, so crossbows are probably your best option.
Archgriffins are a subspecies of griffin that is larger and more powerful than their lesser counterparts, but they benefit from being immune to fire and having the ability to spit acid at their opponents.
Players can also use Aard to force griffins to land, although crossbows have much better range and allow one to use Quen, which can be even more helpful against monsters that do large, single hit damage. Hybrid oil on the blade allows one to deal more damage per hit against these feathered foes, though the best way to take chunks out of an archgriffin's health bar from afar is with the Grapeshot Bomb with its deadly explosion of shrapnel.
5 Weakest: The Tree's Heart
Depending on your progression, you will encounter the Tree's Heart at the end of a main or secondary quest, and the monsters you have to fight to get to it are far more dangerous than the heart itself. The heart contains a spirit and when Geralt finally reaches it he has to decide whether or not to free it.
Several humans have lost their lives to this monster simply because they got too close to it, and if Geralt chooses to kill it, he does so after several sword strikes.
4 Strongest: Higher Vampires
Higher vampires are extremely rare, and they blend in so well with humans that even a Witcher medallion cannot properly identify them. These vampires do not need human blood to survive, which is why most of them chose to live amongst people, but if you run into an evil one, you need to be quick because they can kill someone very easily thanks to their extreme speed.
Aside from being immortal and fast, higher vampires possess a lot of intelligence and physical strength. They can also become invisible and bend living things to their will.
An immensely helpful tactic to counter a higher vampire's speed and invisibility is to cast Yrden about oneself and wait for the bloodthirsty opponent to come to the witcher. When they cross the line of sigils, they'll be revealed and partially slowed, letting one land some silver-bladed slashes. Vampire oil is an obvious choice for a blade coating here.
3 Weakest: Bears
Given everything that's already been mentioned on this list, a bear doesn't really sound like much of a monster, but they are part of The Witcher 3's bestiary, which means that the Witchers do consider them to be a threat. These bears are much larger than their real-world counterparts, and they are capable of causing a good deal of damage.
Bears possess a decent amount of health and defense, which is why they are a bit annoying to deal with at the beginning of the game, but once you level up enough to use powerful oils, they're easy to get rid of.
Beast oil makes fights against these massive mammals trivial due to their lack of supernatural abilities. Their strikes can still be very dangerous, so it is recommended to use Quen to avoid any damage from bad dodges or poorly timed slashes.
2 Strongest: Gaunter O'Dimm
Gaunter O'Dimm, otherwise known as the Man of Glass, claims to be a former mirror merchant, but he may actually be the strongest creature in The Witcher's universe. O'Dimm makes deals with people in exchange for their souls, but he also has the ability to control time.
Based on the fact that O'Dimm seemingly has control over an entire world filled with monsters and shadows, it is safe to assume that he may be The Witcher's version of the devil, which would make him more powerful than every monster in the world combined.
1 Weakest: Wolves
Wolves fall into the same category as bears-they aren't really monsters, but they're in the same category as Wargs and the Big Bad Wolf, so their presence on this list is valid. Wolves roam around the world and attack as soon as they see you, but what really makes them tiresome is the fact that they will attack in packs.
Depending on the actual size of the pack, a player can run into a bit of difficulty while fighting, but it should still be easy to cut through them as long as you use beast oil.
In addition, some signs, like Igni, Aard, or Yrden, can help with crowd control when facing larger packs. Igni to scorch those who get too close, Aard to stun them, or Yrden to slow down the usual swift attacks launched by these canine combatants.