Potions are a vital component of the gameplay in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. They can not only heal Geralt when he is injured or afflicted by some sort of ailment but can also enhance his battle potential in a variety of ways. At the beginning of the game, the player won't have access to very many, though they will find recipes while exploring the world and looting various containers. Quite a few potion recipes, as well as those for the Enhanced and Superior upgrades of known potions, can also be purchased from merchants found in the world that specialize in alchemy like local herbalists. One big change from how potions are used in previous games in the series is that they can now be quaffed on the fly, meaning that one does not need to meditate to use them.
It should be mentioned, however, that meditation is still required to replenish potions with a source of alcohol. Besides potions, there are a few pheromones and many decoctions that add to the arsenal of helpful fluids that the White Wolf can consume, however, these vary quite a bit from true potions and should be used sparingly. There are 12 types of true potions that Geralt can bring along on his journeys, all of which can be very handy in numerous situations, though how useful depends on the circumstances.
Black Blood
This is a potion meant specifically to counter the attacks of vampires and necrophage monsters that manage to slip by a witcher's defensives. Since many of these foes can be quite speedy, it is not always possible to dodge the slashes of their long claws or the bites from their sharp teeth, though, with a Black Blood potion, this usually best-avoided situation can be a boon for a witcher.
Vampires and necrophages that land melee hits on a witcher with Black Blood coursing through their veins will take damage from their own attack from consuming the toxic substance. The base version lasts for 30 seconds and returns 15% of damage taken back to the attacking monster. The Enhanced version persists for 45 seconds and reflects 20% of the damage as well as knocks back the foe. The Superior upgrade remains active for 60 seconds, returning 30% of damage taken, and in addition to hurting and knocking back the adversary also causes them to start bleeding when they are near the witcher.
Blizzard
Much like walking through a literal snowstorm, the Blizzard potion can slow things down a great deal. It is best used when dealing with many foes with less than average health, for that is when its effects truly shine. Blizzard slows down time when Geralt slays an enemy, meaning that it is pretty much useless when combating a singular strong foe.
The base form of this blue potion slows time down by 50% for 15 seconds, allowing a witcher to deal out a lot of slashes against sluggish foes, letting them kill another enemy and restart the time-slow effect. The Enhanced version drops the speed of the situation by 55% for 20 seconds. At the Superior level, Blizzard slows everything down by 60% for 30 seconds and also allows Geralt to deliver attacks that don't cost stamina if the player has 3 or more adrenaline points, which grant the capability to become a literal storm of steel and silver in the eyes of enemies.
Cat
Aside from being named after their effects, potions are sometimes titled for the relation they have to animals in the world that naturally possess the traits that they grant to witchers who consume them. The most well known of these kinds of potions is Cat, which bestows the ability to see in much darker conditions than usual to those who quaff the feline-monikered substance.
Regular Cat potions grant Geralt sight in near-complete darkness, allowing him to explore at night and in dank caves much easier at a range of 25 for 60 seconds. Enhanced Cat offers the same range and dark-piercing gaze, though also comes with immunity to hypnosis and lasts for 120 seconds. Superior Cat works identically to the Enhanced version, though lasts for 180 seconds: plenty of time to make use of its helpful effects.
Full Moon
This potion references the different phases that one can be in, similar to how the moon can appear fuller at certain times from the eyes of those who walk the world. Full Moon temporarily increases a player's maximum health, which differs quite a bit from healing potions. Although it raises both the max and current health, it should not be used in place of ones that restore it (unless fully upgraded), as when the effects fade it can leave a witcher with very few hit points. It is ideally used prior to a tough fight so that Geralt can take more hits.
The base form of Full Moon grants 300 additional vitality to the player for a period of 60 seconds and Enhanced Full Moon bestows 1100 more vitality for 90 seconds. The Superior version, as opposed to prior forms, can also be used to heal depending on how much toxicity is within a witcher's body because, in addition to granting a huge 1500 boost to max health for 180 seconds, it heals the user for a value equal to one's current toxicity.
Golden Oriole
This golden draught is highly recommended for a witcher to bring along, and use, when matters of poison and noxious fumes are concerned. It neutralizes the effect of such harmful chemicals and can even turn them to a witcher's advantage in the right circumstances. It can be particularly useful against tougher monsters who can cover entire areas with disgusting, caustic clouds.
Golden Oriole, named after one of the very few avian families containing species of real-world birds that have poisonous feathers, can appropriately grant immunity to poison as well as neutralize deadly chemicals that are already within a witcher's body. The base version lasts for 60 seconds while the Enhanced upgrade does so for twice as long at 120 seconds. Fantastically, the Superior Golden Oriole potion not only grants immunity to poison but also causes the normally deadly substances to actually heal Geralt, turning a weakness into a great strength for 180 seconds.
Maribor Forest
Much like when Geralt and Roach are galavanting through the woods at breakneck speeds, the Maribor Forest potion can amp up the adrenaline in one's body. Adrenaline points are used by certain mid and late-game abilities that can be immensely useful as they are a resource that can be funneled into a huge variety of strategies.
Basic Maribor Forest potions grant Gerant an additional 0.15 adrenaline points per each action that naturally generates them, which may not seem like much, however, during the 30 seconds of effect time can add up to quite a bit more adrenaline gain during combat. The Enhanced version does the same, though over a course of 60 seconds, though the Superior upgrade immediately grants one adrenaline point in addition to having an effect duration of 90 seconds.
Petri's Philter
Here's a potion that affects one of the core components of a witcher's combat style: the magical signs. Petri's Philter increases the intensity of the simple magic spells that Geralt can cast, which is something that is always helpful due to how often the player utilizes them.
The base version boosts sign intensity by 15% for 30 seconds while the Enhanced version increases their power by 20% for 60 seconds. The Superior Petri's Philter upgrades one's signs to be 25% more effective over a period of 90 seconds and also guarantees that signs cast activate their special auxiliary effects.
Swallow
The bird that this potion is named after is sometimes used as a symbol for peace and love in the real world, which makes its effects in The Witcher 3 appropriate since it is one of the best healing potions in the game. However, it does not instantly return a big chunk of hit points, but instead massively increases Geralt's natural health regeneration over a short period, meaning that one cannot spam this potion and expect fast results. It should be mentioned that shorter durations for this potion are better since this means that more health is recovered in a smaller window of time.
The lowest level of the Swallow potion restores 80 points of vitality outside of combat (40 within combat) over a course of 20 seconds. Enhanced Swallow restores 100 hit points (65 in combat) over the same time frame. Finally, Superior Swallow retrieves 150 vitality for Geralt (80 in combat) over the same length of 20 seconds, though this final upgrade prevents taking damage from pausing the healing effect.
Tawny Owl
Owls in the animal kingdom are known for being incredibly efficient hunters. Their eyes grant them great vision and their feathers dampen sound and allow them to fly at, and snare, prey without ever being heard. This lets them retain a lot of stamina. It is likely for this reason that this stamina-regenerating potion is named Tawny Owl. It is a very versatile potion that can be quaffed in almost any combat situation to give the player a bit more stamina to use on fighting maneuvers.
The base form of Tawny Owl increases stamina regen by 5% for 20 seconds while the Enhanced version bestows 8% added regen over 45 seconds. The highest tier of Tawny Owl grants a witcher 10% stamina recovery over 60 seconds during the day, however, at night its effects do not expire, allowing the White Wolf to be especially deadly after dusk.
Thunderbolt
As the name implies, the Thunderbolt potion has a dynamic effect upon Geralt's combat performance in that it makes him as deadly as a streak of lightning. It has a simple effect, though one that is immensely useful in all situations where one needs to unleash greater physical damage.
The base form of Thunderbolt boosts attack power by 30% over a period of 30 seconds and the Enhanced version provides the same amount of increased attack power over 60 seconds. The Superior Thunderbolt potion, however, ups the boost to 35% for 90 seconds but also guarantees critical hits if used during a storm.
White Honey
This one is less of a potion and more of an anti-potion. White Honey clears all toxicity and removes the effects of all potions instantly, allowing Geralt to reset himself if he no longer needs his currently active effects or needs to rid himself of toxins built up from excessive potion usage.
There are Enhanced and Superior versions of this anti-potion, though the only difference is the number of charges. The base form has 1 charge, the Enhanced form has 2 charges, and the Superior level has 5 charges.
Killer Whale
The Killer Whale potion is one that is not useful in combat and only allows a witcher to stay underwater for longer periods of time. It offers the player the ability to take bigger breaths that lets them stay under the surface for 50% more time in addition to improving one's vision beneath the waves. Unlike all other true potions, there are no Enhanced or Superior versions of this sea-gifting drink.