Crafting & Upgrading Gear — The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Guide

Improve your gear in The Witcher 3 by understanding crafting recipes for potions, oils, bombs, armor, and weapons using alchemy ingredients and monster parts.

Mastering crafting and upgrading in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is crucial for Geralt's survival and effectiveness. This involves gathering a wide array of alchemical ingredients, monster parts, and crafting components to create powerful potions, oils, bombs, and, most importantly, superior armor and weapons. Understanding the crafting system allows you to tailor your gear to your playstyle and overcome the toughest challenges the Continent throws at you.

The crafting system in The Witcher 3 is divided into several key areas: Alchemy, Armorsmithing, and Bladesmithing. Each requires specific diagrams (recipes) and materials found throughout the world, often dropped by monsters, looted from chests, or purchased from merchants.

Alchemy: Potions, Decoctions, and Bombs

Alchemy is vital for survival, providing temporary buffs and powerful offensive tools. Potions like Swallow and Thunderbolt are essential for healing and combat prowess. Decoctions, unlocked through specific recipes, offer potent, long-lasting effects derived from monster essences. Bombs provide tactical advantages, such as blinding enemies or dealing area-of-effect damage.

Key Alchemical Components:

• Herbs: Found growing in the wild, these are the base for most potions.
• Monster Parts: Dropped by defeated monsters, these are crucial for advanced potions and decoctions.
• Alcohol: Used as a base for all alchemical creations.

Mutagens:

Mutagens are special items that can be slotted into Geralt's abilities to enhance his combat effectiveness. There are three types: red (attack), blue (s intensity), and green (vitality). Each ability slot can hold one mutagen, and matching the mutagen color to the ability's color grants a bonus. Four ability slots are available, with new ones unlocking at character levels 7, 14, 21, and 28. Filling all four slots with any mutagens unlocks the 'Mutant' achievement/trophy.

Mutagens for Crafting Decoctions:

Powerful decoctions often require specific Greater Mutagens. These rare items are typically obtained by defeating unique or powerful monsters, often found during Witcher Contracts or as boss encounters. Prioritize these hunts to unlock the most potent alchemical concoctions.

Crafting Gear: Armor and Weapons

Armor and weapons are crafted by skilled craftsmen, known as Armorsmiths and Bladesmiths, respectively. You'll need to find diagrams for the gear you wish to craft, along with the necessary crafting components. Witcher Gear sets, in particular, are highly sought after for their unique bonuses and excellent stats, and they can be upgraded through multiple tiers.

Crafting Components:

• Metal Ingots: Iron, Steel, Silver, etc., form the base of weapons and armor.
• Leather and Hides: Used for various parts of armor.
• Gems: Can be incorporated into high-level gear for stat bonuses.
• Monster Parts: Some monster parts are required for specific, high-tier armor and weapon crafting.

Upgrading Gear:

Many pieces of gear, especially Witcher School sets, can be upgraded through several tiers (e.g., Basic, Enhanced, Superior, Mastercrafted, Grandmaster). Each upgrade requires a higher level of crafting skill and rarer components, but significantly boosts the item's stats and often unlocks new bonuses. Always check the crafting menu to see if your current gear can be improved.

Finding Diagrams and Components

Diagrams are often found in treasure chests, as quest rewards, or purchased from merchants. Keep an eye out for question marks on your map, as these often lead to hidden stashes containing valuable diagrams and crafting materials. Dismantling unwanted items at a craftsman can also yield useful components.