Until The Witcher 2, I’d never played a game where characters actually looked like they were wearing clothing. Of course game characters aren’t usually naked; they’re drawn or modeled with a stylish everyman hoodie or blinged out power suit. But that clothing never felt like something the character was wearing; it always seemed too form-fitting, like an inseparable part of the character model. When Mario switches from his blue to red overalls with a fire-flower pick-up, it doesn’t seem like he’s changing his wardrobe. His entire character design is changing in an instant.
Then I played The Witcher 2. The Witcher 2 has real clothing and armor: it looks layered, chunky, with stitching and patterning and fluffy collars. Leather straps crisscross woven fabrics which cover thick chainmail. At the time, I was wowed by the graphical detail, but that was about it. Now, after three months and 85 hours invested in The Witcher 3, I can’t stop thinking about how great Geralt’s vast, evolving wardrobe is. Geralt’s armor is even more detailed and varied than in The Witcher 2, but I came to appreciate it for more than looks.
Geralt’s clothing in The Witcher 3 helps sell the authenticity of the world and the epic, months- and miles-spanning story it has to tell. If you’d told me three months ago that I’d finish The Witcher 3 and reflect more on its armor than its ending, I would’ve been skeptical. But here we are.
Threads of fate
I used to get a little thrill out of RPGs, mostly Japanese RPGs, that actually showed my character wearing the new armor or wielding the new blade I’d found in the last treasure chest. Seeing that new equipment contributed greatly to the sense of progression over dozens of hours, making new armor more significant than a mere stat boost. It was a rare thing: most games stuck with a static character design for the duration, or only changed what the characters were wearing at key narrative moments. Even as modern 3D games made unique armor models less novel, I enjoyed them as symbols of progress: in Oblivion, I switched to the awkward third-person camera for a couple hours each time I crafted a new armor set (the Daedric armor was obviously the best).
The Witcher 3 more thoroughly integrates clothing into its progression arc and its narrative than any other RPG I’ve played. As rewards for completing quests, exploring the world, and collecting crafting diagrams, each new piece of armor is lusciously detailed. Witcher 3’s gambesons and brigandines are the big-budget, artists-gone-wild descendents of those little pixelated chestpieces and helms I used to fawn over.
CD Projekt Red’s artists show a unique talent for turning real textiles into natural-looking digital textures. Layering is the key, as any hip San Franciscan with a plaid button down, hoodie, coat, and cashmere scarf will tell you. Most games don’t do a great job of this. Let’s look at Skyrim as an example from a few years ago.
On the left is Skyrim’s light leather armor, and on the right is the Stormcloak armor. I think both are cool designs, and Bethesda’s artists used some smart texturing to convey the different pieces of cloth meant to make up each piece of armor. But you can see how the layers don’t feel very three dimensional. Outside the leather armor’s pauldrons, the material mostly looks flat, especially the straps along his thighs. Darker shading around edges can only do so much.
The same goes for the strap along the Stormcloak armor’s chest, and the chainmail layered underneath the vest. They look like different materials, but they still look conjoined, not like one is placed atop the other, and the whole thing is skintight on the model.
Inquisition
For something a bit more contemporary to the right is some armor from Dragon Age: Inquisition which runs on the much more detailed Frostbite engine.
Inquisition’s armor is definitely a big step up over Skyrim’s. The creases and light patterning make the fabrics look more realistic, and from the front, the jerkin (I think that’s a jerkin? We’ll call it a jerkin) looks like it’s actually layered over the purple leather. From the side, that depth mostly disappears. The straps don’t look like separate objects, and the jerkin, leather and chainmail all look like one form-fitting piece.
There’s doubtless armor in Inquisition (like In Death, Sacrifice) with more detail and more prominent layering, but it’s hard to beat The Witcher 3. Most of Geralt’s armor truly looks like it’s made from a collection of real materials woven together by someone within its own world (although most of the blacksmiths in the Northern Kingdoms don’t quite look like fine armor artisans).
Still, look at this shit. This is Geralt’s starting armor, a Skellige Gambeson, and an Angrenian Cuirass, all equipment you can wear early in the game. The detail is on another level.
The starting armor is an amazing combination of chainmail and leather, and there are tons of little touches of three dimensionality. The raised pauldrons. The gloves sticking out at the elbows. The belts curling outward. The other two armor sets aren’t nearly as badass—I think most Witcher 3 players remember the amusing moment they put on a Skellige Gambeson and wondered why they’d just exchanged chainmail for a puffy sweater—but I still love how much this piece of armor looks like real clothing. The sleeves are loose, demonstrating Geralt’s pro layering skills. And with both the gambeson and the cuirass, you can see how the tops are separate articles of clothing that don’t connect seamlessly with the trousers, like your typical video game bodysuit.
Dress to impress
OK, so that’s more nerding out about textiles and fashion than I’ve ever done in my life, but there’s a point to it all in The Witcher 3, for me. It adds up to something more significant. As I mentioned before, the attention devoted to each piece of armor made them feel especially rewarding to craft or earn as rewards for completing quests. I looked forward to leveling up just to be able to check out a new piece of armor I’d been toting around for three hours. But that level of detail also justified the most involved quests in the game: hunting down the Witcher school gear crafting diagrams, which were scattered around Witcher 3’s giant game world.
Completing a perfect set of Witcher armor from one of the schools (Wolf, Cat, Bear, Griffin, Viper) is a serious undertaking, but it pays off with armor that looks cooler than anything else in the game (and has better stats, naturally). The treasure hunt begins with a quest to find individual crafting diagrams for steel and silver swords, gauntlets, armor, trousers, and boots. Once you’ve found them all, you can start a new quest for Enhanced Armor. And then Superior Armor. And, finally, Mastercrafted armor, which you’ll only be able to craft if you’ve gone through a separate pair of lengthy quests.
The stat payoff isn’t really worth it unless you’re playing on the hardest difficulty—I blasted through the endgame with my Mastercrafted Wolf gear. It’s the artistry devoted to the armor that makes each upgrade feel worthwhile. Just look at how the Wolf armor improves with each upgrade.
That is some awesome armor, and I worked hard to earn it.
Over the 85 hours or so I played The Witcher 3, Geralt’s progression through weapons and armor felt like a natural extension of the time that passed in-game. I was covering long distances and traversing different cultures, and could see my own armor choices reflected in the people of that region. I felt a little sheepish talking to folks in the Northern Kingdoms wearing my Nilfgaardian Guard Armor with its prissy neck thing. I also felt uncomfortable wearing some great heavy armor I earned when I realized it was the same uniform as the witch hunters who were hounding Triss.
I slaughtered an entire barracks of witch hunters at one point. It was a bad scene.
The point is, all that armor feels real enough to convey something about one of the cultures in The Witcher 3. This was even reinforced by a couple great scenes where Geralt’s companions encourage him to dress up for a party. Geralt hates dressing up. But swapping out of a layered suit of armor for a cushy doublet adds so much to the authenticity of Geralt’s world as a real place.
It’s not that changing outfits makes the game feel more immersive. I don’t feel like I’m there. But I feel like the characters are; they’re people in an intricately realized world with regional accents and decor and fashion, not a two-dimensional film set that falls apart if you peer behind the scenes.
I've mostly focused on Geralt, here, but dozens of other characters in the game have amazingly detailed outfits as well; they just don't benefit from changing clothes the way Geralt does. But look at this lady!
Now that's a dress. And look at this guy! Zoom in on that leather texture. Dang.
The Witcher 3’s clothing may have only played a small part in bringing that world to life, but it’s the ingredient that pushed me over the edge into adoration. I spent five hours upgrading the Wolf school gear, just so I’d have Geralt in the coolest armor I could for the game’s ending cutscenes. It was his big moment, after all. He’d want to be prepared.
And yeah, that one time I accidentally got drunk and had my armor stolen? You bet your ass I tracked down the thieves and got it back.
Collection of all my video and written guides to the Witcher 3 Legendary Armor Sets available in New Game Plus (NG+) of The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt
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The New Game Plus (NG+) mode of The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt and its 2 expansions – Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, allows the player to replay the game from the very beginning with the same or different choices, while keeping almost all of their progress, such as Geralt’s level, learned alchemy recipes, obtained gear and more.
The NG+ offers a high level with higher stats versions of the Witcher gear sets. Here they are called “Legendary”. This article is a collection of all my video and written guides to the Legendary Witcher Armor Sets available in New Game Plus (NG+) of The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt. The guides show you how to start the quest, find the locations of the diagrams, craft the armor pieces, stats balance, set bonuses and appearance/design.
Below you will find links to the detailed guides. They all open in a new tab for your convenience.
Armor is an important part of your strategy in The Witcher 3. You need to choose a set that complements your playing style, which means compromising.Do you go for better defense, adrenaline point generation or stamina regeneration? Before you start thinking about that, you need to find good armor or diagrams for crafting it. In this guide, we’re going to show you sets of the best armor in The Witcher 3, their locations and stats.New Blood and Wine Armor Sets
Blood and Wine expansion introduces new armor sets Tesham Mutna Armor (heavy armor set for level 39), Manticore Armor (medium set) and a new level – Grandmaster for Bear Ursine, Feline Cat, Wolf and Griffin Witcher Armor. Grandmaster Feline Cat Armor is the only hooded armor in the game! Take a look at our guide for newBlood and Wine armor sets.Superior Wolf Gear
The Superior Wolven Gear is the third tier of upgrade for the Wolf School armor. Even more attack power and sign intensity than the enhanced version, with better protection. You’ll have to be level 29 if you want to use it.Mastercrafted Wolf Gear
The Mastercrafted Wolf Gear is the final upgrade for the Wolf School armor. It offers great bonuses to attack power and sign intensity, a moderate amount of protection and greatly increased critical hit chance. You need to be level 34 in order to wear it.Griffin School Gear
The Griffin Armor Set diagrams can be found in Velen, in Dragonslayer’s Grotto, north of Crookback Bog. It’s a medium armor set that requires level 11 to use, and provides increased sign intensity. It’s a great choice for anyone who opted for a Sign build.Enhanced Griffin Armor
Enhanced Griffin Gear is an upgraded version of the basic Griffin Set. This is the second out of four (Basic, Enhanced, Superior and Mastercrafted) upgrade levels available for Griffin Sword and Armor Set. Diagrams for enhanced Griffin Set versions are found all over Velen (No Man’s Land). This is a level 18 weapon and armor upgrade of the basic Griffin School Gear Set.Superior Griffin Gear
Superior Griffin Gear is the level 3 upgrade for the Griffin School Set. Before you can upgrade your set to superior, you need to boost it to Enchanced Griffin first. In order to wear this armor your character must be level 26.Mastercrafted Griffin Gear
Mastercrafted Griffin Gear will give you an amazing increase in elemental damage resistance and sign intensity. Since it’s so good, you’ll need a level 34 character for the armor, as well as the swords.Cat (Feline) School Gear
The Cat Armor Set diagrams can be found in a cave underneath Novigrad, and are pretty tricky to get. The set is light-weight, and requires a level 17 character (the crossbow requires level 29). It’s biggest strengths are the increased attack power and stamina regeneration – it’s meant for agile swordsmen.Enhanced Cat (Feline) Gear
Enhanced Feline Gear is level 2 update of the basic Feline / Cat School Gear. This set is best for mid-level players because both the swords and the armor require level 23 to use. Six set diagrams are scattered all over Novigrad and Velen.Superior Feline Cat Gear
In order to apply Superior Feline Cat Gear diagrams, you’ll first need the Enhanced Cat Gear. This set is suited for players at level 29. Superior Feline diagrams are scattered around Velen (No Man’s Land). There are powerful enemies (level 18-27) guarding some of these diagrams.Mastercrafted Cat Feline
Mastercrafted Cat Gear is one of the best light armor sets in the game – it massively improves stamina regeneration, adrenaline point generation and provides an immense increase in attack power. Level 34 is required to wear the armor and wield the swords.Bear School Gear
The Bear Armor Set diagrams can be found in Skellige, on An Skellig, just north of Urialla Harbor. It’s a heavy set which provides amazing protection, but tones down stamina regeneration. As such, it could be of great use to either dedicated alchemists or sturdy tanks. You need to be level 20 to wear it (except for the crossbow, which is level 29).Enhanced Bear (Ursine) Gear
Enhanced Bear Gear is the second level of upgrade for Bear School Gear armor and weapons. There are six diagrams you need to find in order to upgrade the whole set. You need to be level 25 to wear it.Superior Bear (Ursine) Gear
Superior Bear Gear is the third tier upgrade for Bear School Gear. In order to get it, you must first have Enhanced Bear Gear. You need to be level 30 to wear it.Mastercrafted Bear Ursine Gear
Mastercrafted Bear Ursine Gear is the best version of the Bear Gear set – it provides amazing amounts of armor, much improved adrenaline point generation, while crippling your stamina regeneration. In order to use it, you’ll need to be at least level 34.One of the most iconic games out there, The Witcher 3's popularity stems first and foremost from its vivid world and compelling story line, and second from the freedom the player gets when it comes to Geralt's growth as a character.
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Every player will have a different way of completing the game, depending on the choices they make in shaping Geralt's skills and expertise in Signs, Combat, Alchemy and General skills. While there's no orthodox way of building your skill tree, there are some combinations that when focused will make Geralt into a powerful opponent no matter what one's approach is.
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10 Alchemist Build
Those looking for a more strategic approach to combat the alchemist build might be just the challenge for you. In the Alchemy tree the most useful choices right off the bat will be Oil and Bomb preparation skills, which will allow you to use powerful poisons on your blade, some of which certain enemies will be weak to, as well as craft bombs. The real challenge for this build comes from the fact that it will affect Geralt's toxicity levels, and also keep you busy foraging and gathering for ingredients.
9 Signs-Alchemy Build
All about outwitting your enemies, this combination of Alchemy and Signs makes Geralt the perfect magician and brewmaster. This build takes into account the individual weaknesses of each enemy and exploits them to the fullest degree.
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To really make this combination work, opt for Rage Management from General skills which will allow you to use adrenaline to cast signs and Refreshment from Alchemy to ensure you'll always have some extra vitality at hand. Finally, your main damage will come from Firestream in Signs skills, which is by far the most effective source of strength.
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8 Combat-Signs Build
The perfect balance between swordplay and the magic practiced by Geralt, this build is ideal when making the choice between the two seems impossible. Here the focus should be on your Igni Sign to melt the enemy defense and Quen Sign for protection and shield, as they will continue to be useful even against high level enemies. If you have the Blood and Wine expansion, we recommend opting for one Alchemy skill, Euphoria, which will boost your swordplay and Sign intensity. Here, Griffin or medium armor is the best choice since you will be utilizing Signs so much.
7 Full Hybrid Build
The most balanced form of Geralt is taking skills from all the categories. While generally spreading out skills in such manner is not advised, for players wanting to experiment with a bit of everything it's a great option. Some of the objectively best skills in the game to opt for are Armor Techniques from General Skills, Active Shield under the Quen Sign, Firestream from Igni, Muscle Memory and Precise Blows from Combat and Refreshment from Alchemy.
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Depending on what your preferences are, we recommend building your hybrid around these skill choices.
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6 High Defense Build
If your play style is waiting for that perfect moment to strike while keeping your enemies at bay, then going for a basic high defense hybrid build is a great idea. From the Signs you should grab crowd control abilities like Yrden to slow down your enemies and Quen to shield and protect yourself. Aard is also useful for pushing away enemies when Geralt gets clumped up. For combat the choice is entirely yours, but if you want true defense then go for Strong Attacks, paired with the Bear School heavy armor to give you that extra protection.
5 Full Sign Build
We're not going to lie, a pure magic user in The Witcher 3 is going to be hard to pull off especially in the late game. That being said, nothing is impossible and the challenge can be surprisingly rewarding. Even for this build you still want to Muscle Memory from Combat skills and Rage Management from General skills. After that, it's up to you which Signs you focus on. The objectively best choices tend to be Melt Armor, Firestream and Active Shield to really give you that 'oomph' as Magician Geralt.
The Witcher 3 Best Armour
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4 High Offense Build
The opposite to the high defense build, whether you're more of a mage or a swordsman, the idea here is to dish out as much damage as possible. Depending on whether you go for Fast or Strong attacks, we recommending opting for Muscle Memory or Strength Training. From the Signs, Aard and Igni will be your best friends, with Firestream still being one of the best damage dealers.
3 Agile Build
If you rather stay light and swift on your feet, the agile build might be more up your alley. Still heavily combat focused, you want to focus most on Fast Attack skills. One of the most notable skills is Whirl, which will allow you to control the battle when multiple foes are attacking you, and Muscle Memory which will boost the damage done for fast attacks.
Consequently you'll want to opt for light armor, preferably the Feline armor and the rest of the Cat School gear that will convert Geralt's kit into that of a quick rogue like fighter.
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2 Tank Build
For players looking to deal some serious damage in combat, the mostly combat focused tank build is most ideal. The Strong Attack skills are your friends here in the combat tree, to build up high damage. Couple that with the Bear School Techniques skill from the General skills that will boost your attack and health pool with each piece of heavy armor you equip, as well as preferably Ursine armor, and Geralt will turn into a demolishing tank capable of taking any battle head on.
1 Combat-Alchemy Build
By far the best build in the game this hybrid of Combat and Alchemy is widely used in The Witcher 3's Death March difficulty due to its sustain. Unlock the Heightened Tolerance from Alchemy so you can consume more potions, and Refreshment to help you heal more from them. From Combat, go for Fast Attack with Muscle Memory and Whirl, and from Battle Trance pick Resolve to ensure you lose less adrenaline points when taking damage.
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