There are many great things Geralt of Rivia can do in The Witcher series. Each game has Geralt standing against a different set of opponents. His choices determine the lives of those around him, and sometimes the destiny of the entire world. That's a lot of responsibility for one person, albeit a Witcher.
So when the time comes to take a break from all of this drama, Geralt goes and fights a monster. After all, it's his job. Geralt faces plenty of enemies in the games, some of them are fairly easy to defeat, others extremely dangerous. And then there are those who most players don't end up fighting - either because they don't meet them or because they make the choice not to engage in a fight with them.
Updated October 2, 2021, by Kat Leroy: For the players that like to discover even more content in the game, The Witcher 3 offers more possibilities. Other than following the main storyline as well as the side quests and doing Witcher contracts, Geralt can discover multiple unmarked quests that are easy to miss. Some of these feature villains that don't appear in any other part of the game which makes them unique. There are also a few curious details about The Witcher 3 well-established villainous characters that even more seasoned players might not know about. All the new information might be enough to make the players reconsider replaying The Witcher 3 again and trying out doing things in a new way.
15 Morvran Voorhis
Even though Geralt and Ciri aren't a biological family, Geralt sees Ciri as his daughter and is highly protective of her. So much so it would make sense for him to punch Morvran who thinks that one day, he'll become Ciri's husband.
While not a typical enemy, Geralt can actually punch Morvran in the face when he meets him in Novigrad. Accidentally, this moment follows right after when Morvran announces his father will choose Ciri's husband. Even though Geralt punches Morvran, he doesn't fight back and even the guards standing nearby don't react to Geralt's outburst, which makes for a hilarious scene. So even though Morvran can't technically be defeated or kill, Geralt can at least calm his temper by hitting him.
14 Witch Hunters
While Geralt is in Novigrad looking for Ciri, he comes across his old friend Triss Merigold. He has the option to help Triss save the mages persecuted by witch hunters. Two of such opportunities aren't marked quests and are therefore easy to miss, especially for a first-time player of the game.
In one instance, Geralt can save a mage and his family in their house. That will pit him against the witch hunters and he'll have to kill them. The guards are human so fighting them is fairly straightforward. Just make sure you dodge their attacks and use a combination of fast and strong attacks.
Geralt can also save Triss's mage friend Moritz from being burned alive at a stake. To do that, he will once again have to fight and kills the witch hunters and guards. It's important to remember that these two quests are timed and if Geralt doesn't finish them before a certain moment, they'll become unavailable.
13 Fake Basilisk
The Witcher 3 contains a lot of book references and clever Easter eggs. An unmarked quest near Novigrad sees Geralt come across a captured wyvern that her owner is showing off for money as a basilisk. Geralt first states the wyvern is no basilisk and then has to fight the creature when it breaks out of its cage. Or he can simply step away and let the soldiers fight the wyvern.
The quest is easy to miss since there's very little reason for Geralt to come to this part of the map at this point in the story. However, if the players do go there and fight the fake basilisk, they will know what Ciri went through since something very similar happened to her in the books when she was still a child.
12 The Skellige Werewolf
The isles of Skellige have many formidable enemies, such as the murderous cursed werewolf Morkvarg. However, there's another werewolf that the players might very well miss since it only appears at night. The unmarked quest takes place near Arinbjorn.
Geralt comes across a large pack of white wolves in the forest, and if he goes to the exact location at night, a werewolf will be with the wolves. While not as exciting as other unmarked quests, it's still a pity to miss out on this one, especially since selling the white wolves' fur brings Geralt quite a lot of money. But first, he has to defeat the werewolf and stay out of the reach of the beast's claws since those can do a lot of damage.
11 Simun Brambling
To even meet Simun Brambling, let alone fight him, means the player has to fulfill a lot of previous requirements. They have to finish the Skellige contract The Phantom of Eldberg before the coronation feast. Geralt will then get imprisoned and he can make a deal with Simun to help him get out of the prison. However, if Geralt uses the Axii sign on the guard instead, he can skip talking to Simun altogether.
If Geralt does talk to him, Simun will make him promise he will later repay his debt. Later on, Geralt can come across Simun and Simun will ask him to kill a man for him. But only if Geralt refuses to do what Simun is asking of him, will the two fight. Plus, it's easy to avoid Simun after getting out of prison, so fighting him is something only very few players get to do. But if they do get this far, Simun is a human so defeating him is easy, just stay out of his reach and use the signs against him till he succumbs to the injuries.
10 The Unseen Elder
Geralt meets plenty of vampires in the DLC Blood and Wine. But the unseen elder is by far the scariest one. He's a very old and powerful vampire who can kill Geralt in a blink of an eye. Even Geralt's good friend Regis is no match for the unseen elder.
Geralt only encounters the unseen elder if he chooses to go see Orianna. If Geralt instead travels to the magical Land of a Thousand Fables, his and the unseen elder's paths won't cross. Unfortunately, there's no way how to kill the powerful vampire but Geralt doesn't have to. If he chooses the right answer when speaking to the unseen elder about Dettlaff, the vampire won't attack him.
9 The Djinn
Unlike some other creatures, the djinn only appears once in The Witcher 3. It happens during the quest 'The Last Wish'. If Geralt decides not to help Yennefer, the quest will end and the player won't encounter the djinn. As a result, it's quite easy to miss out on the fight. This might happen especially to those players who picked Triss as Geralt's romantic interest.
If they did, they might not want to complete the Yennefer quest since Geralt's already linked to Triss by then. However, the players that do end up fighting the djinn, should try and stay out of the reach of the beams he sends at Geralt because those can weaken Geralt significantly or even kill him, depending on the game's difficulty level.
8 The Novigrad Succubus
Not every quest has to end with Geralt killing the monster in question. When Geralt takes a contract for the creature who killed a group of soldiers, he finds a succubus in a local brothel. She reveals the soldiers attacked her, wanted to kill her, and she killed them in self-defense.
The succubus is sympathetic and a lot of players will choose the option to let her go. If they do, they miss out on the potential fight but Geralt will still get his money for completing the contract. In case the player fights the succubus, the best way how to approach the fight is to stay out of the way of her beams and use fast attacks against her.
7 The Ofieri Mage
Sometimes the best course of action is not to fight but run. Geralt rarely ever gets this option in the game. The one time he does happens in the DLC Hearts of Stone.
After being captured by the Ofieri for murdering their prince, Geralt frees himself (thanks to Gaunter O'Dimm's assistance). He can either fight the powerful Ofieri mage or he can run away and save himself the trouble.
The Ofieri mage is a challenging opponent. It's almost impossible to defeat him without rolling out of the way of the magical attacks he sends against Geralt. At the same time, Geralt has to be fast to avoid getting hit by the mage's helpers (who are much weaker than him). Overall, the fast attack and a lot of dodging work wonders in this case.
6 The Protector Of The Gold
Once Geralt arrives in the Land of a Thousand Fables, his task is to find the three magical beans. But if the player chooses to explore everything the magical land has to offer, they're in for a surprise. One of the rarest enemies guards a pile of gold at the end of the rainbow.
If Geralt travels all the way to the rainbow's end, he will have the chance to engage the gold's protector in a fight. Unlike some other opponents, this fight is fairly straightforward and some fast attacks and quick dodging should kill the animal.
5 The Cow Protector
Speaking of secret protectors, there is one in White Orchard as well. If Geralt decides to kill three cows three times, a chort will appear and attack Geralt. The chort has a much higher level than Geralt, at least if the player has just started the game. As a result, it might be very difficult to defeat him. The best way to approach the fight is to lead the chort to the Nilfgaardian soldiers guarding a nearby bridge who will engage in the fight and help Geralt kill the powerful beast.
The CD Projekt Red added the chort as a clever way how to deal with greedy players. Some of them kept killing the cows and looting them for merch to sell over and over again until the chort came along.
4 Letho's Enemies
Letho of Gulet is a Witcher as well, just like Geralt. Letho plays an important part in The Witcher 2. He might also make an appearance in the subsequent game but only if he survived in The Witcher 2.
Another option how to bring Letho back is to choose the right dialogue option while Geralt's in Vizima. But if Letho's dead, Geralt won't get to meet him and face Letho's enemies. Luckily, defeating them is fairly straightforward. They're all human so Geralt can use his superior strength to defeat them or burn them with the Igni sign. Letho also helps in the fight so Geralt can always try and leave some opponents to his fellow Witcher.
3 Annabelle
Many The Witcher 3 players don't even realize it's possible to fight Annabelle. The reason is that if they're just starting the game, they might not be as experienced and know there are sometimes multiple potential outcomes. Annabelle lies to Geralt and if the player believes her and helps her, she will leave the tower and kill many people.
Alternatively, Geralt can call her out on her lies, she will turn into a Plague Maiden and a fight ensues. Defeating Annabelle can be a proper challenge but it can be done. It's good to invest in developing the Yrden sign before the fight. And if Geralt's getting into problems, he can always run a bit further away from Annabelle (she shouldn't follow him around the tower) and heal himself by eating or drinking potions.
2 Hubert Rejk
Another villain that many players miss out on is Hubert Rejk. The quest Carnal Sins has Geralt investigating the murders of a serial killer. Eventually, Geralt confronts Reverend Nathaniel whom he believes to be responsible for the murders.
It's very easy to choose the wrong dialogue option and kill Nathaniel before he tells Geralt the truth. If Nathaniel doesn't tell Geralt about Hubert and Geralt kills Nathaniel, the quest will end right there and then. Geralt won't get the chance to fight the real murderer and Hubert will escape.
If Geralt confronts Hubert, he's in for a difficult fight. The vampire moves very fast and can turn invisible (but still leaves a trail). The best bet is to dodge him and not allow him to hit Geralt. Geralt can also slow him a bit by using the Yrden sign but the player should use this option wisely since it gives him a limited space to move in.
1 The Cave Of Dreams Visions
Finally, there are the Cave of Dreams visions that many players don't get to fight. Not everybody knows it's important to do this quest before the Skellige coronation feast. If the player goes to the coronation first, the quest won't be available afterward. And to do Cave of Dreams, one has to complete the Phantom of Eldberg first.
Once in the cave, Geralt will encounter multiple visions personifying the greatest fears he and the men in his team have. The good news is these visions aren't all that dangerous. They don't require a special strategy to defeat, just a careful dodging and Geralt working alongside his fellow warriors.