The Witcher 3 — Wild Hunt may be almost a decade old now, but this critically acclaimed beast of an open world game's popularity has showed no signs of slowing down. Most likely due to a mix of the Witcher TV series, the Next Generation patch, the announcement of Witcher 4, and the launch of mod support, Geralt's adventures have never really come to an end, and players roam through the world to this very day.
Key to a witcher's life is his collection of swords. Steel for men, silver for monsters, a witcher's swords come in two types: steel swords for whacking humans, and silver swords for thumping monsters. There are a massive number of swords in the world of the Witcher, and here are a number of the best ones to keep an eye out for on your monster-slaying journey.
1. Aerondight (silver)
Pros
- Levels up with you
- Damage boost mechanic
Cons
- Damage boost a little fiddly to use
A series mainstay, Aerondight has made appearances in every main Witcher game thus far — though its strongest iteration is most likely in the Witcher 3. Awarded during the Blood and Wine DLC, Aerondight is a silver sword of near unparalleled strength. Not only does it level up alongside your character, as long as you keep it in your inventory, it can gain damage every time it hits an opponent. Hit an opponent enough times and the damage bonus will become permanent. Add the fact it has some extremely strong bonuses to inflicting status effects as well, and you have an exceptionally strong weapon that every Witcher 3 player wants to get.
2. Gesheft (silver)
Pros
- Enormous damage
- Buffs Witcher Signs
Cons
- Can be easily confused with crafted version with same name
Another silver sword, this version of Gesheft is one of two in the game, and was apparently mislabelled at some point. Supposedly meant to be called Stigsel, Gesheft has definitely stuck to the sword, and is unlikely to be renamed.
But what makes this sword so strong? Like Aerondight above, Gesheft does an enormous amount of damage, but it also buffs your Witcher Signs, increasing their intensity by 20% across the board. As a fun note, it's seemingly also a reference to Dark Souls, given the Germanic name and the fact Geralt kneels before taking it.
3. Toussaint steel sword
Pros
- Exceptional armor-piercing
- Looks great
Cons
- Needs DLC
The first steel sword in our list, and it comes from fair Toussaint, the land of knights and honor. As befits this saintly realm, the Toussaint steel sword is an extremely powerful piece of kit that can either be found or crafted.
Of the two, the crafted version is likely the most desirable. Not only does it add an ungodly amount of armor piercing to every hit, but it also increases your critical hit damage bonus, and adds a big chance to status effects when hitting enemies. Plus, it looks really cool.
4. Bloodsword (silver)
Pros
- Awesome name
- Amazing damage bonuses
Cons
- Easy to outlevel
Found through a treasure hunt in Skellige, the Bloodsword doesn't just have a great name. While it lacks some of the pop of the other special swords above, the Bloodsword shines because of quite how much damage it can do. It boosts your critical strike damage, but also the chance that you'll hit a critical hit too. Plus, it has a chance of causing bleeding, and dismemberment — and it has three slots, so you can tune it up even further. The name is cool, but also fitting, as the Bloodsword can inscribe a truly bloody arc across any monsters you come across.
5. Manticore set
Pros
- Huge armor-piercing bonus
- Upgradeable
Cons
- Needs DLC
The sets of Witcher gear are some of the best combinations of weapons and armor in the game, and some of the best looking too — the Forgotten Wolven set being a standout in terms of pure, brutal style. But when we're talking about swords, the Manticore set from the Blood & Wine DLC really takes the biscuit.
Like most Witcher gear, the Manticore swords are upgradeable, and can be pumped up to truly huge levels of strength. Due to being from the last DLC, the Manticore swords start at a higher base, so can't be upgraded quite as far — but if you've spent time and money tracking down and upgrading all of your other Witcher gear in Witcher 3, you're probably happy about that. Like other Toussaint swords, the Manticore swords have a lot of armor-piercing, as well as other stats that make them perfect for slaughtering monsters and bandits alike.
6. Viper set (honorable mention)
Pros
- Excellent early game swords
- Poison damage
Cons
- Outlevelled quickly
How could we not mention the humble Viper set? Introduced during the game's very first area, the Viper swords are some of the most powerful swords you can get in this tutorial area, and if you're anything like us, they're a big part of the reason why you were able to complete so much of that early area.
Looking back on them, there's nothing all that special about the two swords, especially when compared to the sword sets you'll get access to later on in the game. But at the time, they're exceptional pieces of gear. They do great amounts of damage, increase the experience you gain, and have a sizeable chance to poison enemies when hit.
These two swords don't have any upgrade diagrams in the base game, but the DLC, Hearts of Stone, changes that. That DLC adds a full and upgradeable armor set, as well as more diagrams for the swords themselves, which was a fitting swansong for the swords that got us through the early game.
