The Witcher 3: The 16 Most Difficult Boss Fights, Ranked

Highlights

• The Witcher 3 features a variety of challenging enemies that test players’ combat skills.
• Players must utilize their signs and memorize attack patterns to defeat difficult bosses.
• Perseverance is key to overcoming tough enemies in the game.

The Witcher 3 is a lot of things, but easy definitely isn’t one of them. As well as a somewhat complicated combat system that incorporates both magic and physical attacks, The Witcher 3 also features a wide variety of enemies that can each provide their unique challenges and problems. Some, however, are a lot more difficult than others.

Throughout the game, players will come across some incredibly fearsome foes that have been specifically designed to test players’ mastery of the game’s combat mechanics. Many will require players to fully utilize their signs while others will instead call for them to memorize attack patterns and movements. With enough perseverance though, they can be defeated.

Updated February 6, 2024 by Ritwik Mitra: The Witcher 3 continues to hold one of the top spots as one of the greatest Western RPGs ever made. CD Projekt Red went all out in the development of this title, with Geralt’s journey ending on a satisfying note as he saves Ciri after a long and grueling quest.

The expansion packs add a ton of quality content to the game, including a wealth of tough bosses that address the complaints players had about the combat not being all that challenging.

16 Jenny O’ The Woods

A Wraith Encountered Early On That Can Throw Players In For A Loop

• Class: Specter
• Weakness: Moon Dust, Specter Oil, Yrden

One of the earlier monster contracts that players can get in the game, Geralt can ask around to discover that a wraith named Jenny has been plaguing villagers. The story surrounding her death is tragic, leading to her becoming a powerful Nightwraith.

At this point, most players aren’t too accustomed to battling specters, making Jenny a pain to deal with. As long as players rely on the Yrden sign and have a strong silver sword, they should be able to take care of this wraith with enough perseverance.

15 Griffin

Fought At The End Of Geralt’s Adventures In White Orchard

• Class: Hybrid
• Weakness: Grapeshot, Hybrid Oil, Aard

The griffin is the first major boss that players will come up against in The Witcher 3 and therein lies its difficulty. Were it to arrive a little later on in the game then it would be a lot easier, but, as most players are still learning how to play the game when they first encounter it, it can be quite the challenge.

The battle takes place in White Orchard as part of the main quest “The Beast of White Orchard” and can very easily catch players unprepared. Thankfully, however, the Aard sign is particularly effective against the griffin, as too is the crossbow that Vesemir conveniently gives to Geralt just a few minutes before the fight begins.

14 Ulrich, The Fallen Knights Grandmaster

A Fight Against The Leader Of The Fallen Knights And His Henchmen

• Class: Humanoid
• Weakness: Igni, Hanged Man’s Venom

Ulrich, the grandmaster of the Fallen Knights, is one of the many characters who don’t like Geralt and blame him for their problems. Once Geralt enters the Fallen Knights’ hideout and the cut-scene starts playing, it’s impossible to stop the fight from happening. The good news is that even though Ulrich has a lot of men at his disposal, by this point in the game, the player has most likely fought a larger number of enemies and survived.

Geralt can increase his chances by using bombs and signs against his enemies, separating them into smaller clusters, and not letting himself be backed into a corner. It can be a tough fight but not so much for the experienced The Witcher 3 players.

13 Nithral

The First Member Of The Wild Hunt Who’s Fought Along With Keira Metz

• Class: Humanoid
• Weakness: Thunderbolt, Elementa Oil

Nithral is the first member of the Wild Hunt that players will come up against and is fought in Velen as part of the “Wandering in the Dark” main quest. Like many of the bosses in The Witcher 3, he has two phases that he’ll shift between, so his being down once doesn’t mean that he’s down for the count.

While still challenging, the fight is made quite a bit easier thanks to the assistance of Keira Metz. She doesn’t deal much damage, although by putting some distance between Geralt and the Wild Hunt member, it’s possible to make Nithral target the sorceress instead, thus giving players a little extra breathing room.

12 The Bruxa Of Corvo Bianco

A Powerful Vampire That Lurks In The Cellar Of Corvo Bianco

• Class: Vampire
• Weakness: Moon Dust, Black Blood, Vampire Oil, Yrden

The bruxa Geralt encounters in the cellar of his new home ends up killing several humans. However, Geralt has the added advantage of his superior skill as well as witcher potions and signs. The most dangerous power the bruxa has is her sonic scream. It has a limited range and Geralt can avoid its impact by rolling out of the way or using the Quen sign.

He should also drink the potion Black Blood so that his blood hurts the bruxa if she tries to drink from him. The bruxa looks scary but since it’s possible to one-shot her under the right conditions, she’s not the most powerful villain in the Blood and Wine DLC.

11 Olgierd

Geralt Engages In Battle With Him If They Choose To Honor Gaunter O’Dimm’s Wishes

• Class: Humanoid
• Weakness: Hanged Man’s Venom, Bombs

When Olgierd is first introduced during Hearts of Stone, he’s presented as a potential friend or ally. It quickly becomes apparent, however, that the stone-hearted immortal is a powerful adversary and definitely not one to be trifled with. Geralt can find this out for himself during the “Evil’s Soft First Touches” quest.

Olgierd is considered by many to be the toughest human boss in the game, so most players will need to have reached at least level 30 to stand a chance. The fastest way to defeat him is to counter his critical hits, although this can be a little risky. Signs can also be incredibly useful here, particularly Quen.

10 Iris’ Greatest Fear

Takes On The Shape Of Olgierd In Her Nightmares

• Class: Specter
• Weakness: Specter Oil, Blizzard

Defeating one Olgierd is difficult. Defeating six of them, however, is damn near impossible. Granted, the Ethereals are not quite as powerful as the real thing, but their fighting style is similar, and together, they can be just as deadly, as players will find out during the “Scenes From a Marriage” quest in Gustfields.

The trick to defeating them is to only attack the Ethereal that’s targeting Geralt. Many players find this fight extremely difficult because they try to attack all of them at once, but only targeting one of them will lead to the others hanging back. It requires quite a bit of patience, but taking them on one by one is the best approach for this fight.

9 Caranthir

A Lengthy Battle Where Both Ciri And Geralt Participate To Great Effect

• Class: Humanoid
• Weakness: Dimeritium Bomb, Igni, Elementa Oil

The fight with Caranthir isn’t particularly hard, but it can be a very, very long battle and requires a lot of concentration. The cool thing is though that players start off fighting him as Ciri, which should provide quite a bit of satisfaction given what he did to her earlier in the game.

The fight takes place in Skellige as part of the “On Thin Ice” main quest and is one that requires an awful lot of patience. Quen, Yrden, and the Magic Trap ability can be incredibly useful for surviving it, as well as positioning Geralt in such a way that Caranthir’s attacks will damage the Ice Elementals that he calls in to assist him.

8 The Crones

Three Horrible Monstrosities Who Are Given Their Just Desserts By Ciri

• Class: Relict
• Weakness: Relict Oil, Quen

Individually, the Crones aren’t as hard to fight and defeat as other bosses in The Witcher 3. The problem is they fight together. So when Ciri takes them on deep underneath the Bald Mountain, she doesn’t fight just one opponent but three, and she’s not as strong as Geralt, nor she can cast any signs.

Ciri’s teleporting ability comes in handy but the limited space in which the battle takes place makes it difficult to use it. Overall, it’s best to avoid the biggest Crone and go for the smaller ones first. Ciri should kill them one by one, always focusing on only one Crone and dodging the others until she’s finished with her current target.

7 Eredin

The Final Boss Of The Base Game’s Narrative

• Class: Humanoid
• Weakness: Samum, Yrden, Igni, Elementa Oil

Players will encounter the King of the Wild Hunt almost immediately after the fight with Caranthir and can expect an equally challenging duel. Defeating him provides an incredibly satisfying cutscene though and will finally bring an end to Geralt’s battles against the Wraiths of Morhogg.

The best way to approach the fight with Eredin is to avoid counters and parries and instead focus on continuously dodging and hitting him. It can be a long and difficult encounter, but as is the case with the other Wild Hunt fights, patience is key and the best way to avoid unnecessary restarts.

6 Imlerith

Without Quen, This Boss Fight Is A Nightmare

• Class: Humanoid
• Weakness: Grapeshot, Golden Oriole, Aard, Elementa Oil

The fight with Imlerith takes place in the Velen region as part of the “Bald Mountain” quest, but getting to him will not be easy. Players first need to fight their way through some difficult enemies, including a rather difficult encounter with three Crones. Compared to Imlerith himself though, this is all child’s play.

Imlerith is arguably the trickiest of the Wild Hunt, although the strategy for defeating him remains largely the same; dodge, roll, hit. Players should avoid attempting to parry or counter him and instead focus on slowly chipping away at his health. He might look bulky and slow, but he’s far from it, and there’s no blocking his powerful lunges.

5 The Wraith From The Painting

The Remnants Of Iris Von Everec

• Class: Specter
• Weakness: Specter Oil, Yrden

The wraith from the painting might not initially look like much, but it’s one of the toughest bosses Geralt encounters in the Von Everec abandoned manor when he goes looking for Iris. The space in which Geralt can maneuver is limited during the fight. As such, the wraith can easily strike Geralt down if the player isn’t fast enough and fails to use Yrden at the appropriate times.

Speed is the most important factor in this fight. If the player doesn’t burn the paintings before the wraith can escape into them, the wraith will renew its health, and it’ll be like Geralt has made no progress at all. This can make fighting this boss a very long and tiring affair.

4 The Caretaker

Its Healing Powers Make The Monster A Force To Be Reckoned With

• Class: Relict
• Weakness: Relict Oil, Quen

The Caretaker is part of the Hearts of Stone expansion and is encountered during the “Scenes From a Marriage” quest. At first glance, he might not seem like a particularly difficult enemy, although he can cause a lot of problems for players who charge into the fight headfirst.

Quen is an absolute must for this one, as too is killing the spirits that he summons as soon as possible. What makes this a particularly frustrating fight though is that each hit that the Caretaker lands on Geralt will heal him fairly significantly, so dodging is also incredibly important for those hoping to avoid a never-ending duel.

3 Aamad, The Ofieri Mage

A Powerful Mage With Damaging AoE Attacks And Some Annoying Lackeys To Boot

• Class: Humanoid
• Weakness: Aard, Hanged Man’s Venom

After Gaunter O’Dimm summons a storm that saves Geralt from being imprisoned by the Ofieri, he lands on the shores of the world map along with a mage and his lackeys. Thus commences one of the hardest boss fights in the game.

The mage’s lightning spells hit like a truck and his lackeys cause no end of problems. One thing fans may not be aware of is that they can just run away from this battle and come back after getting stronger to dispose of this foe, which is a nice detail in a game full of these small, logical inclusions.

2 The Toad Prince

A Deceptively Tough Boss Whose Death Kickstarts The Events Of Hearts Of Stone

• Class: Cursed One
• Weakness: Northern Wind, Golden Oriole, Cursed Oil, Yrden

The Toad Prince is another powerful foe encountered in the Hearts of Stone expansion. He shows up in Novigrad in the “Evil’s Soft First Touches” quest and can cause a lot of grief for those who head into the fight unprepared and unawares. Thankfully though, there is an effective strategy for taking him down.

Golden Oriole is incredibly useful in this fight, as too is Yrden. Liberally casting the latter will provide plenty of opportunities for free attacks, while using Cursed oil can greatly increase the damage that Geralt can dish out. The primary aim should be to prevent the enemy from hopping around too much, so Magic Trap, Igni, and Northern Wind can also be helpful.

1 Dettlaff

The Hardest Boss In The Witcher 3 By A Country Mile

• Class: Vampire
• Weakness: Black Blood, Quen, Vampire Oil

Also known as The Beast of Beauclair, Dettlaff van der Eretein is a higher vampire that shows up in the Blood and Wine expansion and is considered by many to be the game’s toughest enemy. He can be fought as part of the “Tesham Mutna” quest in the Caroberta Woods region and has some incredibly frustrating attack patterns. What’s more frustrating, however, is that Geralt doesn’t even get to land the final blow due to Regis stepping in at the last moment and stealing the win.

Dettlaff has three phases, but it is the second one that most players will struggle with. His bat attack can be incredibly tricky to dodge due to how many of them there are. It is possible, but players should aim to roll right before the bats hit Geralt rather than the initial moment that they are summoned.