Fans of The Witcher franchise know how tedious and difficult the boss battles in the video game series can be. To be a legit threat against the famed Geralt of Rivia, an enemy would have to be quite terrifyingly strong. In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Geralt, and his accomplices team up against the Wild Hunt, taking down their top soldiers, mages, and of course, the king Eredin.

RELATED: The Witcher 3: Best Optional Quests In Every Major LocationThe battles are hard and long when played on normal or higher difficulty, and finally beating them is incredibly satisfying. For those who have trouble finding a way to beat the final bosses in the main game, along with the other difficult Witcher 3 bosses, this is the guide to beating them.

Updated on February 10, 2022, by Jourdan Silva: It's been nearly 8 years since the initial release of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, yet fans are more into the franchise than ever before. With the excellent Netflix show based on the same Witcher books by Andrzej Sapkowski boosting the number of monster fighting fantasy lovers in the world, the Witcher games are only gaining more popularity. For those attempting to complete the game for the first time or the tenth time, this guide will help players navigate the toughest Witcher 3 boss battles in the video game, including the main bosses of the Wild Hunt. Stock up on plenty of potions and oils and get ready for some excellent battles!

14 The Wicked Witch

Wicked Witch with poisonous cauldron

This nasty witch faces Geralt in the Blood and Wine expansion of The Witcher 3, in the Land of a Thousand Fables. She is based on the classic fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel, as she loves to kill and devour humans. She uses a broom to attack from the sky, which requires a lot of dodging and evading her poisonous soup-based attacks.

  • A golden oriole potion will help negate the soup's deadly effects. Relict oil can amplify sword attacks.
  • When the witch descends close enough to the ground during a soup attack, use Aard or a crossbow attack to knock her down then lay a series of swings at her with your silver sword.
  • Destroy her broom while she's down to avoid more airborne attacks.
  • Use a Dimeritium bomb to break her cauldron and weaken her once her broom is broken.

13 Beast Of Beauclair

Beast of Beauclair Dettlaff in human form

This won't be the first time Geralt will attack this blood-spilling vampire, as he appears throughout the Blood and Wine DLC and can be fought against again at the story's climax. However, that doesn't mean the first fight against Dettlaff, the Beast of Beauclair, is easy!

  • Dettlaff is very fast and will teleport around the room to try to get behind Geralt to land attacks.
  • The vampire can block and dodge Geralt's attacks, so be sure to activate Quen with Active Shield to be protected against his tough blows.
  • Dodge attacks after Dettlaff teleports, then quickly counterattack to take him down.
  • It's a fast-paced fight, but thankfully, Dettlaff isn't as strong as he gets in the second battle against him!

12 Myrhyff the Ice Giant

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Ice Giant Myrhyrr in battle with Geralt

Geralt comes across The Ice Giant known as Myrhyff as he looks for Hjalmiar an Craite. This boss isn't required to finish the game, but it does offer some valuable rewards.

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  • Be prepared with Ogroid Oil, an oil that adds +10% attack power against ogroids, including Myrhyff.
  • Quen is a vital sign to use in the fight against the Ice Giant.
  • Dodging, evading attacks, and keeping distance between attacks is the best defense. Staying in one place against an Ice Giant is dangerous, as the beast will keep rampaging without breaks and can easily take Geralt out.
  • Geralt can actually avoid fighting the Giant entirely if he can manage to sneak past him.

11 Bruxa at Corvo Bianco

The Bruxa at Corvo Bianco in cloak at the inn in The Witcher 3

As Geralt finds out more about the mysterious Beast of Toussant, he comes across a blood-thirsty bruxa. Bruxa are stronger, more intelligent vampires, making them much harder to kill.

  • Equipping Vampire Oil will increase the damage done to the bruxa.
  • The Black Blood potion can add extra damage to her, ending the deadly battle quicker. The faster Geralt can take her down, the better, as she does not get tired and will not stop attacking relentlessly.
  • Use Aard to knock the monster into a Yrden trap then defeat her with a silver sword. She is incredible at dodging and avoiding attacks, so trapping her gives a huge advantage!
  • Moon Dust and Yrden stop the bruxa from turning invisible, making her easier to target.

10 Major Boss Fight: Nithral

The Witcher 3 Nithral

The soldier Nithral is the first Wild Hunt member that Geralt has to face in the game. This challenging opponent can be found in the quest Wandering In The Dark. Kiera aids Geralt in this battle, using electric attacks to stun and distract Nithral.

  • The Witcher can do some major damage to the Wild Hunt warrior by slowing down his attacks with Yrden, dodging his powerful axe attacks until there's an opening, and dealing some heavy hits once his guard is down.
  • Make sure to get the Quen ability leveled up and use Geralt's dodge attacks often.
  • While Keira attacks from the front with her electricity attacks, Geralt can head behind him and strike. Parrying his counterattacks is key since he will always strike back when hit.

9 The Caretaker

The Witcher 3 Caretaker

This boss can be found in the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's Hearts of Stone expansion. He is easily one of the most difficult bosses in the entire game, as he can heal himself with every blow he deals to Geralt.

  • When he summons spirits from the Earth, it is important that Geralt defeats them as quickly as possible to avoid the Caretaker healing even more.
  • Use the Quen sign to stop the boss from gaining back health when he lands attacks on Geralt..
  • Counterattack the Caretaker every time he hits the ground with his weapon when creating a shockwave.
  • His moves are slow and easy to predict, so dodge and stay at a distance when he's about to attack.

8 Major Boss Fight: Imlerith

The Witcher 3 Imlerith

The next Wild Hunt boss Geralt has to face is Imlerith. He is the largest enemy from the Hunt, making him very strong but also slower than the others.

  • Stocking up on potions, including Swallow and Thunderbolt, before heading into battle is imperative.
  • Imlerith strikes heavy blows with his weapon and can block attacks with his shield. Geralt can remove the warrior's shield by using Igni, which reveals an opening for an onslaught of attacks.

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  • Swapping between Quen and Igni to balance offense and defense is key, and patience and persistence will bring Geralt to his eventual victory.
  • When Imlerith starts teleporting once he’s nearing defeat, the player will need to focus on dodging, shooting Igni, and attacking before the enemy can recover.

7 The Crones

The Witcher 3 The Crones

One of the boss battles in the final leg of the game is between Ciri and the three Crones: Brewess, Whipess, and Weavess. Taking on three bosses at once can get tricky, especially with the lack of prepared items and upgraded weaponry, since the player is controlling Ciri the entire fight.

  • Homing in on one Crone at a time, starting with the giant Brewess, is the best way to approach this fight.
  • Use Ciri's teleportation to close in on targets to land an array of strong and fast attacks to knock down their health quickly.
  • Her teleportation is just as necessary to dodge the Crones and avoid their blows when they hit back.

6 Major Boss Fight: Caranthir

The Witcher 3 Caranthir

The battle between the protagonists and Caranthir begins with Ciri's fight. Using her rage mode, it is important to use her teleportation to dodge attacks and to cut down as much of his health as possible before the cutscene interrupts.

  • After the cutscene, it's Geralt’s turn to fight the Wild Hunt mage. Dodging becomes crucial! The frost blasts that Caranthir shoots out will deal damage to Geralt but can also slow him down.
  • It’s important to close the distance between Geralt and Caranthir while dodging, bringing the protagonist in close enough to land some damage.
  • When the mage summons his ice spell, Geralt can attack a few times while his guard is down. Once the elemental is summoned, the player can use it as a shield against Caranthirs attacks, while zoning in on him and landing the final blows.

5 Woodland Spirit

The Witcher 3 Woodland Spirit

The Woodland Spirit from the "In the Heart of the Woods" quest could be considered one of the toughest contract bosses in the game, being able to kill Geralt in a just small number of hits. The challenging beast will put up a good fight, but with spells and powerful equipment, it shouldn't take too many tries.

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  • If Geralt chooses to pursue the beast, make sure to equip the best silver sword available to deal the most damage as quickly as possible.
  • It has a lot of health, but it moves rather slow, making dodging attacks much easier.
  • Add Relict Oil to score some bonus damage.

4 Major Boss Fight: Eredin

The Witcher 3 Eredin

The main villain in The Witcher 3 is Eredin, the King of the Wild Hunt. This fight is brutal and will require the player to be fairly leveled up before attempting it.

  • The beginning of the fight is straightforward and deals with Eredin's sword-fighting skills, so Geralt just needs to dodge and attack when there’s an opening.
  • When Eredin teleports himself and Geralt to an open field, the king will start using ice attacks. The key is to dodge the icy meteors that fall from the sky and attack Eredin while he is busy casting his spells or reveals an opening.
  • Stocking up on healing supplies and potions, such as Thunderbolt and Full Moon, is recommended.
  • Igni and Quen are the best signs to use during this fight, as with the previous Wild Hunt boss battles.

3 Toad Prince

The Witcher 3 Toad Prince

Also found in the Hearts of Stone expansion is the Toad Prince, the first boss Geralt encounters in the DLC. This battle will last forever since the enemy has an enormous amount of health and deals poisonous and ranged attacks. Being in a tightly enclosed space doesn't help with the difficulty!

  • This battle can be won by using Cursed Oil and Golden Oriole to boost stats.
  • Throw fire bombs to deal burn damage, then wait until he glows purple to rush in and deal some really heavy blows.
  • Get ready for a long fight. Patience is key as dodging his poisonous attacks is vital for survival.

2 Dettlaff, Part 2

The Witcher 3 Dettlaff

The second fight against Dettlaff will be extremely harder than the first. The Elder Vampire will use all his force to take down Geralt, making him arguably the hardest boss in the entire Witcher franchise.

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  • During the final fight with Dettlaff, he will start off fighting in the same style from when Geralt first faces him but soon transforms into an incredibly powerful creature with strong and uncontrollable attacks that are hard to predict. Dodge, dodge, dodge!
  • Rolling away from his bat attacks, knocking him out of the air with Aard, and attacking when he crash lands are the best way to knock him into his final phase of the battle.
  • Once the boss has turned into a gore-y mass of blood, Geralt will have to destroy the organs found around the arena to finally defeat the enemy.

1 Iris' Greatest Fear

The Witcher 3 Iris Fear

The Hearts of Stone DLC proves to have many good boss battles, including the fight against Olgierd and the battle against the many undead spirits with Olgierd's appearance, which is revealed to be Iris' Greatest Fear.

  • Fighting the bosses one at a time and not all at once is the key to making it through this fight.
  • The Olgierds move quickly and deal plenty of fast attacks, but are weak to Blizzard potions and fast attacks.
  • Equipping Spectre Oil for the battle proves to be very efficient and causes more damage.
  • Using Quen to soften blows can help Geralt get through the battle in one go.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

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