Witcher 3 rune words what to choose. Where to find a rune master. Small Glyph of Defense

Have you heard of geomancy or rune-making?

They say that a word can hurt. Many northerners would categorically disagree with this statement - a sword, battle axe, mallet, hammer, ax, arrow or crossbow bolt, magic charge or fisstech used in excessive quantities can injure. But for a traveler from distant Ophir, who has mastered the knowledge of magical runes, there is nothing strange in this. With the release of the add-on " Stone hearts"The gray-haired witcher of the Wolf school, Geralt from Rivia, had the opportunity not only to meet with the overseas rune master, but also to use his services for enchanting weapons and armor, which will be discussed in this guide

Enchantment: starting capital

Ophir camp at the Upper Mill

Having found himself during his wanderings at the Seven Cats inn, located near Novigrad, and having examined the notice board, the monster slayer could have learned about the arrival in the local region of an Ophir wizard who could improve the witcher's uniform with the help of magic. The sorcerer lives near the village of Bronovitsy, in a camp near the Upper Mill. Players who have already managed to hunt for Ophir armor, weapons and horse harnesses will be very familiar with this place.

I am a scientist and an artist. A bit of a craftsman, and a bit of a magician

Go inside the tent and talk to the man blithely praying to his gods inside. The Ophir will politely greet Geralt, while glorifying the “eternal work of creating the world.” The witcher will hasten to convince the overseas guest that there is nothing to glorify in this world, while upsetting the sorcerer with a display of typical northern hospitality. Undoubtedly, the mentality of the inhabitants of Ophir and the Kingdoms of the North is categorically different from each other due to too great a difference in the philosophy and culture of these peoples. And if we know the morals of the inhabitants of the North from the literary “Saga of the Witcher and the Witcher” and the game series, then a little information about Ophir can be learned from the story of the rune master. The peoples inhabiting the territory of these distant lands have several gods. Where the rune master himself comes from, it is customary to believe in the One God, whose words are capable of endowing a person or objects with unknown power and energy. That is why the Ophirite was always interested in the possibility of using these words, which were reflected in geomancy, or rune-making. Unfortunately, at the moment, the rune master is tied hand and foot, because the ship on which he sailed sank on the open sea, along with the tools necessary to create runic glyphs and finances. It will no longer be possible to return them from the bottom, but absolutely all the lost goods can be acquired again... For just a measly 5,000 Novigrad crowns. If Geralt has such a sum in his wallet, he will be able to invest it in the activities of a rune master; if not, then the monster slayer will have to go in search of income and return to the artisan magician later.

Enchantment: Pay for Quality

Jade deposits northeast of Novigrad

However, gold alone is not enough to work as a rune master. He will also need jade stone, and the great honor of obtaining it, of course, will fall to Geralt. Pick up the pick from the barn of a small hut nearby and head northeast of Novigrad. The Witcher knows of three places where the necessary pebble can be obtained. The first is located near the Velen analogue of Stonehenge, but alas, it is not enough. It is noteworthy that on one of the large stones, laid out in the shape of a peculiar arch, there is an example of medieval graffiti depicting the hanging of a witch. A very progressive execution for that era, especially considering the love of the inquisitors in the person of the Witch Hunters, it is significant to burn sorceresses alive. The next supposed jade deposit is located nearby, but again by: mining stone from here is a waste of time. There is only one thing left - to climb into the gloomy cave Poisonous Vylom, teeming with arachnomorphs greedy for human flesh... Eh, why does it always have to be some kind of monsters or thugs hostile to the witcher, and not harmless little animals?

An arachnophobe's worst nightmare

Arachnomorphs are arachnid monsters belonging to the “insectoid” class. Therefore, anti-insectoid oil applied to a silver sword works well in battle with them. In addition, arachnomorphs are sensitive to fire, which means it is worth paying special attention to the witcher's Igni sign, the "Dragon's Dream" and "Dancing Star" bombs. It is worth noting that there is no need to completely clear the cave - it is enough to deal with the arachnomorphs in the first “room”. Having hidden his trusty blade in its sheath, Geralt will discover jade deposits in the center of this very room and, with the help of a pick, will extract the gem. Before returning to the rune master, the witcher can complete the secondary task “Sentenced to Drakenborg,” but that’s a completely different story. Once again at the Upper Mill, the gray-haired monster killer will find the artisan at work. Give him the jade you found, listen to sincere gratitude and complete the task.

Level 1 Words of Power

First level workshop

Now get ready to receive the reward for your work and investment - the opportunity to improve your weapons and armor with runic words of power. Level 1 upgrades become available immediately after completing the quest "Enchantment: Pay for Quality", along with a small runemaster shop. At this stage, the assortment of Ophir is limited and consists of small rune glyphs, as well as recipes for their creation. Such glyphs are necessary for enchanting objects, and it is the words of power of the first level that we will now consider.

Weapon upgrades

• Calm. To create this magical word of power and apply it to a weapon, the rune master will have to combine the small runestones Devan, Maren and Stribog. If the adrenaline scale reaches its maximum, the witcher will sacrifice it in order to accelerate the restoration of health and energy, as well as reduce the level of intoxication. Highly recommended for players relying on the Alchemist skill line, which can effectively compensate for the reduction in damage after depleting the adrenaline gauge with the Witcher Elixir Thunder.
• Vareniki. One of the funniest, according to the author of the guide, joke from the developers in the entire game. The fact is that to create a magic word you need the rune stones Pie and Curd. There are no such stones in the rune master's shop, nor are there any recipes for them. You can find them only during the clearing of the camps of the “red knights”, and along with the recipe for the Pie in the container there will be one dumpling, and next to the Curd there will be cow’s milk, which are the direct components for making rune stones. The owner of a weapon enchanted with this word restores twice as much health when eating food, but all food tastes like dumplings. This is probably a nod to the master gunsmith Eivar Hattori, who retired from his craft and began selling delicacies made from dough and cottage cheese.
• Consolidation. This word combines the small rune stones Svarog, Devan and Maren, and consolidates the effects of using a sharpener and a workbench, which increase the base indicators of weapons and armor, respectively, and under normal conditions last for 15 minutes of real time.

Armor upgrades

• Usurpation. By combining the small glyphs of binding, enhancement and Axii, Geralt will acquire the ability to transfer the effect of the witcher sign Axii from one enemy to another in the event of the death of the first. This applies to both the normal mode of the sign, which stuns enemies, and the alternative mode, which forces the enemy to temporarily go over to the side of the gray-haired one and fight against his comrades.
• Reflection. To create this magic word, you need to combine the small glyphs of Aard, defense and improvement. In this case, all enemy arrows flying at the witcher will bounce off the armor without causing any damage. An excellent analogue to the skill from the defense branch "Reflecting Arrows".
• Burning. This word requires the combination of the small glyphs Igni, Yrden and defense. If you set an enemy on fire with an Igni sign or a Dancing Star bomb, then with a 25% chance the fire will spread from the burning enemy to an adjacent one standing within a radius of two meters. The word "Burning" works very well in confined spaces such as caves or houses.
• Heaviness. To create a magic word, you will have to combine the small glyphs of Quen, recovery and improvement. By wearing at least one piece of armor that has this enchantment, Geralt will “deceive” the game and force it to regard even light armor as heavy. On the one hand, heavy armor guarantees increased survivability, but on the other hand, it slows down the rate of energy recovery.
• Exhaustion. If you sacrifice the minor glyphs of Aard, Axia and enhancements, each time you successfully use the Aard sign, half of the enemy's stamina bar will be taken away. However, do not forget that only people have such a scale and this word will not be of any use in the battle with monsters.

  Level 2 Words of Power

Second level workshop

To gain access to more advanced improvements, you will have to fork out as much as 10,000 Novigrad crowns. In return, the rune master will be able to provide the witcher with new runestones and glyphs, which he will happily sell, and will also offer to enchant Geralt’s equipment with magic words of level two power.

Weapon upgrades

• Triumph. To obtain this rune word, you need to combine the rune stones Dazhdbog, Veles and Devan. As a result of enchanting the witcher's blade with this word, each fatal blow to the enemy will increase the adrenaline level by 0.1-0.25 scale.
• Update. Combining the rune stones Perun, Svarog and Stribog will allow you to restore a quarter of the energy scale after each fatal blow to the enemy.
• dissection. Rune stones Zorya, Veles and Perun, after connecting, will increase the radius of the whirlwind and rupture. Whirlwind is a special attack and character skill of the same name, designed for combat against several opponents. Rip is also a special skill that allows you to unleash an incredibly powerful but slow attack at the expense of depleting your stamina bar.

Armor upgrades

• Shield. To create, you must use the glyphs of Quen, Yrden and defense. Then, at the beginning of each battle, the witcher will apply the protective Quen sign to himself without spending any stamina level. An incredibly useful improvement at absolutely all stages of the game and for all Witcher builds.
• Balance. By combining the glyphs of Axia, recovery and improvement, and then donning enchanted armor, Geralt will automatically turn all pieces of armor into medium armor. They protect worse than heavy ones, but better than light ones. Also, while wearing medium armor, energy is restored faster than if the witcher were dressed in full heavy armor.
• Ring. If the Rune Master combines the Igni, Binding, and Enhancement glyphs, using the Igni Sign will cause fire to hit all enemies around, similar to the Aard Sign's alternate mode, but will remove the ability to cause combustion.
• Charm. By combining the glyphs of Axii, Igni and recovery, it will be possible to enchant an item of clothing, after which the effect of the alternative mode of the Axii sign will be extended every time the enemy, under the influence of suggestion, makes a successful attack on his ally. Please note that for obvious reasons this effect does not apply to normal Axia mode.
• Fetters. But if you merge the glyphs of binding, Yrden and Axia together, then each enemy who falls under the influence of the Yrden trap sign will create a glyph in its place that stuns the approaching enemy.

  Level 3 Words of Power

Fully upgraded workshop

However, the above words of power are not the limit. There are several more improvements, much stronger and more useful than their predecessors... But before you try them yourself, you need to replenish the rune master’s piggy bank with some 15,000 Novigrad crowns. This investment will increase the witcher's level of investment in the sorcerer's craft to an unheard-of 30,000 crowns - no less than the treasury of a small settlement. What will he get in return? Well, first of all, even more rune stones and glyphs, this time - large ones. And the icing on the cake will be completely unique enchantments worthy of their price.

Weapon upgrades

• Extension. To create this enchantment, you must give the rune master the large rune stones Maren, Perun and Svarog. The result of the work of the artisan magician will be the extension of the effects of all active elixirs by half a second after each successful hit on the enemy. In fact, this is the best choice for players who prefer to invest skill points in the alchemy tree.
• Inspiration. Combining the large runestones Devan, Zorya and Perun ensures that the health points accumulated after increasing health to maximum will be converted into additional damage on the next attack. For example, if, when using the Swallow elixir, health is restored before the potion ends, then the subsequent blow will cause damage directly proportional to the amount of overtime health.
• Filling. Imagine being able to cast a Witcher's Mark using one adrenaline meter, just like using the Anger Management skill, but also charging your sword with the power of the applied sign. Introduced? Now combine the large rune stones Triglav, Maren and Dazhdbog and your dreams will turn into reality.

Armor upgrades

• Explosion. Large Igni, Quen and upgrade glyphs, when combined by the skilled hands of a rune master, will cause enemies set on fire by Igni to explode upon death, setting nearby enemies on fire in the process. This enchantment goes very well with the first level "Burning" power word, but is completely incompatible with the second level "Ring".
• Possession. Combining the large Axii, Aard and binding glyphs will allow you to combine the properties of the words "Usurpation" of the first level and "Charm" of the second, transferring the effect of the applied Axii sign from one enemy to another in the event of the sudden death of the first, as well as extending the duration of mind control by two seconds each times when a bewitched enemy successfully attacks someone.
• Ease. If the Rune Master connects the large glyphs of Aard, recovery and enhancement, then all elements of the equipped armor will turn into light armor. They provide poor protection from damage, being much inferior to medium and heavy armor, but they guarantee quick recovery of stamina.
• Retribution. To create the last one in the list, but not according to the meaning of the word of power, you need to combine the runic glyphs of Quen, Igni and improvements. In this case, there will be a 20% chance of returning part of the damage to the enemy who caused this damage.

  Other rune master services

Sorcerer, traveler and master of his craft

Although applying magical effects to witcher equipment is the primary task and source of profit for the rune master, he can provide services of other kinds. As you might have guessed, the Ophirian does not hesitate to display his creations in the form of rune stones and glyphs for sale, being completely confident in their quality. He also sells recipes, after studying which Geralt will be able to create the same stones and glyphs with his own hands. Since the work of an overseas traveler directly depends on the number of cells allocated for inserts, he can increase their number in any element of armor, up to three. Well, don’t forget that the sorcerer is also a master artisan, capable of forging both weapons and armor of the highest quality.

I hope that the guide to rune words was useful to you, dear readers. Enjoy your game and good luck on your journey, young witchers!

Rune stones in the game The Witcher 3 serve as weapon upgrades. They do not affect basic characteristics, such as damage, but can add a certain bonus to you, the strength of which will depend on the size of the stone.

Where to find rune stones:

You can find rune stones, which are used to improve swords, completely by chance while wandering around the world of the game. Some of them can be found in places marked “Hidden Treasures” when searching a chest, others will be found in completely ordinary-looking barrels or boxes. You can also get a number of different rune stones for completing quests, even for completing story tasks.

It will also be very useful for you to know that rune stones can be bought from various blacksmiths-gunsmiths, which are located in large and small cities. The price for them is not that high, but for a novice player it will be almost a fortune. Therefore, you should not immediately try to fill your sword with rune stones, since soon you will still have to change your weapon to something more serious.

How to use rune stones:

In order to use the runestone you like, you first need to insert it into the sword. But if this one must have a slot for a rune, it usually makes sense to insert rune stones into relic weapons, or into weapons of some witcher school.

To insert a rune stone into a sword, you do not need to go to a blacksmith; you can do it yourself. First, equip a sword with an empty slot in a weapon slot; you can do this from your inventory. Then you need to double-click on the rune stone, and then on the sword itself, also twice with the left mouse button. The rune stone will appear in your sword and in battle with a certain chance it will produce a certain effect, depending on the type of stone.

How to create a runestone:

If you don’t want to spend money on buying rune stones, but still want to have one, you have the opportunity to make a stone yourself.

To create a runestone, you will need a blueprint, which you can purchase from a blacksmith-gunsmith; the higher his skill level, the better recipes you can purchase from him. In order to make a small (initial) runestone of a certain type, you will need two ingredients, one of them is permanent - “Small Runestone”, you can purchase it from a blacksmith named Hattori in Novigrad, you can also buy from him a drawing for creating this stone (Drawing of a small rune stone). To create you will need: black pearl dust and smoky crystal. But first you will need to complete his task. The second component is different for each stone, mainly it is some kind of dust, almost all types of which can be bought from alchemists.

And so, having received all the ingredients, simply contact the blacksmith, and in the “Craft” tab (hereinafter referred to as “Improvements”), select the stone you need, and then click the make button. Please note that you will have to pay for the work.

How to improve a rune stone:

In order to improve a rune stone, that is, to make better ones from small ones, you should also contact a blacksmith. In his “Craft” tab (then “Improvements”) you need to select the stone that you want to create and click the “Craft item” button. To upgrade a runestone, you will need two small ones. That is, from two weak ones, you will make a stronger stone.

Where to buy drawings of rune stones:

You can buy drawings of rune stones from any gunsmith. The higher his skill level, the better the drawing he will sell you.

The best rune stones:

The best among rune stones are those that have the word “Big” at the beginning of their name, which means that it is of the maximum level. Each of the stones has its own peculiarity, so it makes no sense to decide which one is the best. Since each feature is important for the execution of certain battle tactics. You will have to decide for yourself which stone to choose based on your fighting style. You can buy large rune stones, as well as their drawings, from all the blacksmiths you meet on the Skellige Islands.

How to remove rune stones from a sword::

Sometimes there are moments when you find a better sword than the one that already has rune stones inserted into it. In order to get them out of the sword, you need to go to the blacksmith and disassemble the old sword in which your runes are located. If you want to free up the cells in the sword in order to replace the runes that are already in it, then you will have to select the “Remove Improvements” tab from the blacksmith, and all the cells in the weapon will be freed, but the stones that were in it will be lost forever.

List of rune stones, as well as their id:

Small/Regular/Large Veles runestone - Sign power + 2/3/5 percent. This runestone will be useful for those who use a large number of witcher signs in battles.

Small/Regular/Large Dazhdbog runestone - Chance of causing combustion + 2/3/5 percent. This runestone will be useful against monsters vulnerable to fire.

Small/Regular/Large runestone Chernobog - Attack power + 2/3/5 percent. This rune stone will be useful for those who are accustomed to relying only on physical strength and the power of their weapons.

Small/Normal/Large Triglav Runestone - Chance to cause stun + 2/3/5 percent. This runestone will be useful in protracted battles with serious opponents, as you can deal a large amount of damage while your enemy is immobilized.

Small/Regular/Large Stribog runestone - Chance to knock off balance + 2/3/5 percent. This runestone will be useful in protracted battles with serious opponents, as you can deal a large amount of damage while your enemy is immobilized.

Small/Regular/Large Perun runestone - Adrenaline gain + 2/3/5 percent. This runestone will be useful in protracted battles with a large number of opponents, since adrenaline increases your attack due to the “Battle Trance” skill.

Small/Regular/Large Zorya Runestone - Chance to cause freeze + 2/3/5 percent. This runestone will be useful against enemies vulnerable to this effect.

Small/Normal/Large Madder Runestone - Chance of causing poisoning + 2/3/5 percent. This runestone will be useful against enemies vulnerable to this effect, gradually causing poison damage.

Small/Normal/Large Devan Runestone - Chance to cause Bleeding + 2/3/5 percent. This runestone will be useful against enemies vulnerable to this effect, gradually dealing damage caused by injury.

Side quests in the Hearts of Stone add-on are not so numerous, or rather, there are very few of them. This is understandable, the whirlpool of events during the passage of the main plot draws you in, and you don’t want to be distracted from the most fascinating story. However, they still deserve our attention, because completing some will allow you to get some good things at your disposal, as well as improve your existing equipment. Therefore, let's see what side tasks this add-on offers us.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

RACING: FAST AS THE WEST WIND

Let's start our consideration of side tasks, perhaps with the simplest. While walking around the village of Bronovitsy on the western shore of the lake the witcher will be called out by a man of clearly foreign appearance.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

He will be an Ophir merchant who came to the Northern Lands to see the world and show himself off. During the conversation, the witcher will turn his attention to an excellent stallion that belonged to the merchant and offer to organize horse races. Horse racing is one of the favorite pastimes not only in the North, but also in distant Ophir. Therefore, there is no need to persuade the merchant. He will gladly agree to the competition. And this means: “Move, Roach!”

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

Roach will move until the victorious finish, for which he will receive new “clothes” for himself, namely "Ophir Nomad's Saddle" with energy 85 units. From the same merchant you can replenish our horse’s Ophir wardrobe blinders And saddle bags(100 kg).

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

However, life works in such a way that where you can win, you can also lose. And losing in horse racing is quite possible. But this shouldn't upset you. Although in case of defeat the task will be considered failed, you can approach the merchant again at any time and demand revenge. The failed task will again be active. And this can be repeated until victory.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

SPELL: STARTING CAPITAL

Our roaches are now wearing new clothes, so why shouldn’t the witcher take care of his equipment? From the announcement at the Seven Cats tavern we know that he has arrived in the northern lands rune caster and he is located very close to the Ophir merchant-rider, in a tent.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

It is not necessary to inspect the notice board for this task to be available for completion. Simply find the tent and contact the Ophir with bushy eyebrows, and the task will be activated.

So, during a conversation with the witcher, the Ophirian will tell about his craft and the misfortune that befell him on the way to the Northern Lands. All the tools with which he applies runes and glyphs ended up in the depths of the sea due to a shipwreck and there is no way to get them out of there. And new ones cost incredible money.

The story that you can enchant armor and weapons, thereby giving the equipment new properties, will interest Geralt. You can fork out money for this. To begin with, the rune master will need “just” 5000 CZK. But that's not all. The master will ask you to bring him an impressive size piece of jade. Only then can he begin his work. As soon as the money is in the hands of the Ophir, the task “Spell: Starting Capital” will be considered completed, and the next task related to the rune master will be immediately activated.

ENCHANTING: PAYING FOR QUALITY

The rune master is still provided with finances, but the lack of jade will not allow him to begin his craft. Geralt knows that north of Novigrad you can pick out this very jade.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

But before you go looking for a stone, you need to acquire a mining tool. After all, a piece of jade will not just lie on the ground. For this we need Kylo, which the witcher requisitions from the local residents who live next to the mill.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

Now all that remains is to find a piece of jade and bring it to the rune master. Of the places offered by the game, a piece of the appropriate size can be found in only one place. This place will be cave, which was chosen by arachnomorphs for housing. They will not allow the witcher to calmly search for jade, so pest control in the cave is simply necessary. After the sanitary procedure, we get to work: the jade will not end up in the witcher’s hands by itself.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

The jade stone brought by the witcher will finally allow the rune master to do what he loves. He will thank Geralt for his help and task "Enchantment: Pay for Quality" this will end.

From now on, the Rune Master will be available as a universal artisan, from whom you can not only repair equipment and disassemble junk, but also craft weapons and armor. However, this is not the main advantage of the master. He can enchant any piece of equipment that has three slots for runes or glyphs. By the way, the rune master, of course, for a fee - and not a small one - can add slots to all items of equipment (armor, weapons), except for witcher equipment. He will also have new glyphs on sale (as well as drawings for their manufacture), which will be needed to enchant armor glyphic words. These glyphs can also be used as regular glyphs and placed in upgrade slots.

After completing the task, we will only have access to level 1 enchantment

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

Pie runestone blueprint location

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

Location of the drawing of the rune stone Curd

Even though the task has ended, you can make the rune master rich again already 10000 CZK. After an infusion of money, he will have higher-level glyphs and runestones (as well as drawings for them) for sale, as well as the ability to cast level II enchantment. The rune master himself will develop from a student into a journeyman.

This is what new enchantment rune master can offer us.

And finally, a master-level enchantment

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

WITHOUT A TRACE

Arriving in the next village, the witcher never misses the opportunity to inspect the local notice board. And now, being in village of Bronovitsy, Geralt turned his attention to the advertisement for the search for a missing person. And since they offer a reward for the search, it would be a sin not to take advantage of this opportunity.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

To talk with the customer, we go to the hut to the herbalist, which is near Oxenfurt. You may have already been there as part of the story mission of the “Open Sesame!” add-on. .

The herbalist will ask the witcher to find his apprentice Folkert, who went to Corpse Thicket for hemp fiber and still hasn't returned. It's worth looking for him there. However, this is not enough, we also need signs of the missing person, otherwise you never know. According to the herbalist, Folkert is short, like him, and even blonde. For such an experienced tracker as Geralt, this is enough to start searching.

The game will tell you that it is best to look for it near Erde village.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

The Witcher's sense will help the Witcher to detect cart herbalist, and near her bloody trails leading to the village.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

It seems that Folkert was attacked by someone, and he decided to take refuge in the village. And what’s strange is that immediately at the entrance to the village the tracks will end, as if the apprentice had gained wings. Therefore, you just need to look around here. The village will look completely abandoned, but the witcher will be lucky to meet a couple of inhabitants. This is a married couple of quite advanced age. Only they remained in the village to live out their lives, not wanting to leave their homes.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

They will tell the witcher that they saw Folkert. He was attacked by wolves, so he decided to find shelter in the village. However, for some reason, he soon decided to go into the forest for herbs again, and never returned. Apparently, the second time fate was not so favorable to the underling, and he found his death from wolf fangs.

In principle, you can go to the herbalist right now to tell him about the fate of the apprentice, and receive as a reward 200 CZK, apparently, for your efforts, and finish this task.

However, something is wrong in this village. We should sniff around here. The first strangeness will appear in next door. There, the entire floor at the entrance will be covered in blood that is already several months old, and a bloody handprint will be clearly visible on the wall.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

Let's ask the couple about this find. Their explanation will seem quite plausible: the old man is cutting up game there.

The second oddity will be the smell of rotting flesh. The Witcher will smell it to the left of the hut old people.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

This smell will lead us to a pile of boxes, and under them something like hatch. Aard will help get rid of the obstacle in the form of boxes, and all we have to do is go down to the cellar. There the witcher will see a picture that clearly does not contribute to the appearance of appetite, but rather the opposite. Animal carcasses will be hung under the ceiling, and a gutted animal will be on the table. herbalist's apprentice.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

Looks like old people are real cannibals, and they cannot avoid a serious conversation with the angry witcher. After hearing the excuses, the time will come to decide whether to execute or pardon.

In the end, no matter what choice you make, it’s time to go to the customer. The apprentice is dead, so the herbalist has no reason to wait for him in vain. Of course, the lowlifes will want to know what the cause of Folkert's death was. Whether you tell him the original version about wolves or tell him the harsh truth is up to you.

If the version with wolves seems more appropriate to you, then we will receive a reward from the herbalist and you can go for a walk. This will complete the task.

If honesty does not allow you to lie, then the herbalist will ask whether you have brought justice to the murderers of Folkert. The news of the death of the cannibals will calm the herbalist’s soul, and he, thanking the witcher, will give him the full reward. But the customer will be dissatisfied with the pardon of the murderers. He will give us a reward and promise to find these human eaters and avenge Folkert.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

CRY AND PAY

The witcher barely had money in his pockets (more 35000 CZK), when he was stopped by a stranger at the entrance to the market square in Ochsenfurt. He will introduce himself as a tax inspector and regretfully tell the witcher about his undeclared income.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

The taxman will ask the witcher three questions:

1. Was the witcher selling raw cow hides in the White Garden?

2. Did the witcher buy sea shells and then resell pearls from these shells?

3. Has the witcher ever had to break into someone else’s house and take something from there without permission?

Well, everything is clear with the third question, but what the first two are for is not entirely clear. However, those players who have been playing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt since early versions will immediately understand the vile hint of the developers. There were times when in the White Garden, with a certain patience and endurance, it was possible to become indecently rich to such an extent that it would be enough for lifelong residence in the most elite brothel of Novigrad, “Passiflora”. Or make a fortune the size of the imperial treasury in Nilfgaard, just by buying sea shells from merchants for pennies, which could be dismantled from some artisan and sold to him for pearls at a much higher price. Later, this shop of “cunning” enrichment was closed down and such a hint task was filed.

Decide for yourself how to answer the questions; the inspector will take the witcher’s word for it. If the witcher confirms his illegal actions in at least two cases out of three, the tax officer will issue him an invoice for payment.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

This is such a fun task. It will end upon receipt of a diploma, or upon payment of a bill at Vivaldi Bank.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

The tasks discussed above did not in any way affect the main plot of the add-on. But the following side quests can only be obtained by completing quests in the main storyline.

ROSE ON A RED FIELD

As you remember, as soon as the witcher received the task from Olgerd von Everec to kill the beast in the Oxenfurt canals and set out to carry it out, he was stopped at the threshold of the estate by a shocking mamzel named Adele Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

The village will greet the witcher with silence. Only a draft will creak the uncovered shutters in abandoned houses, and ghouls walking around the village like a boss will complete the gloomy picture. Well, the witcher has a short conversation with ghouls. Only corpse eaters would not just come to the village. They probably smelled the smell of rotting flesh. Therefore, we should take a closer look here.

Witcher sense- best friend and assistant (along with Roach) - will help the witcher this time too. However, instead of the sickening aroma of decaying carrion, the smell of some kind of reagents will hover throughout the village. The witcher's sensitive nose will lead him to one of the huts equipped for the production of fisstech.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

Some of the equipment had clearly been removed. But by whom and for what is unclear. Perhaps the piece of paper lying on the table will shed light on what happened here.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

Our guess turned out to be correct, Kluivert was in danger. Not surprisingly, drugs are a dangerous (and extremely harmful) business. And their production even more so.

But let's not be distracted from examining the hut. On the bed someone will be found near the window footprints. And since the man climbed out of the hut through the window, it means he was taken by surprise. Behind the house there will be more footprints that will lead the witcher to a body with a crossbow bolt sticking out of its back. Using signs, the witcher will determine the identity of the murdered person - Kluivert.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

They were obviously shooting from the direction of the village and at close range. Traces near the fence on the outskirts of the village will fully confirm our assumption.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

The marks will be deep, such as could be left by a man in heavy armor. Kluivert's killer, judging by the tracks, returned back to the village and rode on horseback to a hillock to a lonely hut. Let's follow him too. On a hillock near the hut, the witcher will be lucky enough to meet five knights of the Order of the Flaming Rose, only if you have not been there earlier to wrest the Ophir blueprint from them for the task “From Distant Ophir”

So-so. So, behind all this fuss around the laboratory is Order of the Flaming Rose. It looks like the brothers have sunk to the very bottom since they started producing drugs.

From the note it is clear that the Order's laboratory is somewhere in the northwest of the village of Bronovitsy. This will be our next destination. Map

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

Of course, the entrance to the laboratory will be guarded, and the guards will not be in the mood for a peaceful conversation. There are three ways to enter the laboratory: firstly, simply kill
The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

Ulrich, the one in charge of the knights will be peaceful, and will even answer the witcher’s question: “Why would the knights of the order suddenly engage in robbery and drug production?” But the leader’s revelations will always end one

Introduction

This guide is intended for high-level characters. Closer to the middle of the game, I realized what I wanted to get from my character, what style of play I liked and suited best. Witcher Assassin: the main emphasis is on damage, debuffs (poisoning, bleeding, freezing, igniting) and evasion.

I didn't pump to the top character for other Schools and didn't compare with your build. Of course, each of the schools and tactics has its own strengths, but the Cat School seemed to me the most interesting, high-quality and convenient for playing on the “To Death!” difficulty. However, I will try to give some choice in some aspects rather than promoting one single option.
I am well aware that builds with an emphasis on pure damage, alchemy or something else may have better performance. For example, a pure swordsman will have more damage and kill all opponents in 1-2 hits. But he does not forget that at the same time they will lose in terms of sign power, HP or other indicators. We play for the Witcher and for me personally, it’s just boring to pump everything into damage and go through the game on the easy way. Playing as Herald, I also want to use signs, decoctions and oils, and use bombs. This is more interesting. That's why my build is kind of general and affects all sides, I tried my best to develop every Witcher ability (without compromising the others) and get a sufficient build. Here you will not receive the maximum possible damage or maximum HP, but what I have proposed should be enough for you to comfortably complete the game.

If you are just starting to conquer the world of The Witcher, then perhaps this guide will give you an answer to what may await you ahead.

I’ll try to tell you in detail what came out of this below.

Leveling up your character

Let's start with pumping.
In total, our character can initially use 12 skills simultaneously. Plus 4 more when you complete the mutation quest in the Blood and Wine add-on.
First, I recommend leveling up your skills for the initial 12 slots, and then deal with mutation, since it requires a lot of skill points and mutagens (you need a lot of large mutagens, collect them at once).

4 regular blocks of 3 skills + 1 mutation block of 4 skills, so we need to decide what we need, what we want to get and what we will use.
Our build will consist of quick attacks, Quen (for defense) and Igni (for attack) signs and a little alchemy. As a result, we get ~2 blocks for Fencing, 2 blocks for Signs and a mutation block for alchemy.

Note: The Blood and Wine expansion made a lot of changes and the build changed significantly, bringing new skills to replace the old ones.

Let's start with this skill tree.

In my build I use fast attacks and the Cat School set (light armor). Actually, here we need only one single skill - the Cat School Technique.

The remaining skills, in my opinion, do not deserve attention and we do not improve them.

Fencing

These are our 2 main skills. Why did I give up leveling? "Whirlwind" And "Shrinking blows"? To save skill points that you spent on opening additional cells in the mutation block. You need a lot of skill points, spend them wisely.

Very useful skills that will help you survive faster.

Strangely enough, I chose the last 5th skill

Now we start our attacks with this skill. In the Blood and Wine add-on, some changes were made to the characteristics of armor. Now the Cat School armor has the following properties:

But we’ll talk about this when we disassemble the armor.

To choose from Instead of the 5th skill, I might recommend Whirlwind or one of the following:

Additionally You can upgrade the skill "Reflect arrows"

It is only needed if you want to get this achievement

If you don't need it, then you don't need to download it. A useless skill and unlikely to be useful to you.

The Witcher can use the following signs: Quen, Axiy, Aard, Yrden. But we will only upgrade 2 main ones.

As stated above, we will spend 2 blocks of cells on signs, i.e. 6 skills.
The first sign will be Quen. This is a must have. Without Quen, you can’t even count on adequate completion of the game.
The following are mandatory:

I think everyone should decide for themselves with the second sign, but I recommend Igni. Almost everything burns and burns well. And all sorts of corpse eaters are especially notable. For Igni we download the following skills:

There are 5 skills in total. Sixth we will take the “Deception” of the Axiy sign

A very useful skill both in dialogues and in combat, especially against all kinds of shields and two-handers.

A little about other Signs

Yrden. To be honest, I didn’t understand the point of upgrading this sign. For all sorts of ghosts and middays, the unpumped version is also suitable + there are bombs. The damage is small, and reflecting arrows is not worth it, especially since there are rune words. We will have to dodge enemy attacks a lot and constantly try to stay close to the imposed Yrden sign.

Aksiy. Further leveling of Asiya, namely in control, is a little awkward. To be honest, the control is very good and should not be underestimated. Enemies knead each other with special fervor. But after playing a little, I became bored, because part of the time we just stand on the sidelines and watch the enemies kill each other. Sign imba, but boring, try it yourself.

Last, but not least, we will be pumping up alchemy.

Alchemy is useful and can make your life much easier, but I recommend leveling it up last, since we will be placing the skills in the mutation block, and it must first be opened and leveled up.
The skills we will need are:

(new addition to "Blood and Wine")
We gain access to the mutation after completing a quest that we receive from a boy in the main city of Toussaint. The mutation window looks like this:

A little theory

In total, we have 12 different mutations available to us, by pumping them up we will get 4 additional slots for skills. Upgrading mutations costs a lot of skill points and large mutagens, so you won’t be able to upgrade everything at once. Although there are 12 mutations, we can only use one at a time. The peculiarity of each mutation is not only the unique property inherent in it, but also the “color” of the skill slots that open. All this is indicated in the description of the mutation. Eg:

By choosing this mutation, we will be able to insert only blue skills, i.e., sign skills, into new mutation slots. A mutation

will allow us to use red, blue and green slots, i.e. signs, fencing and/or alchemy.

There is no mutation for yellow skills. Additional slots for skills open as you level up mutations; to open all 4 slots you need to level up all 12 mutations.

Now about pumping mutations:

Since we will only insert alchemy skills into the slots, our choice of 12 mutations is, unfortunately, reduced to 6. And there are even fewer really good ones. Personally, my choice fell on only 2 and I haven’t even decided which one is better yet and sometimes I change them. It depends more on what you need.

The first mutation is "Euphoria":

A very useful skill that significantly increases your damage. By the way, she is the first one also because you can pump her up almost immediately. I recommend using it right away.

The second mutation of my choice is “Metamorphosis”:

It is quite more difficult to pump it up, but it has its advantages:
1. Three options for “colors” of slots. If you decide to replace some alchemy skills with signs and/or fencing, then "metamorphosis" is what you need. This is one of only 2 mutations that open all 3 “colors”, the rest are either 2 or even 1 (like euphoria).
2. Activating random decoctions without intoxication is great and useful, and if you also level up the “tissue mutation” skill (as I recommended above in the alchemy section), then for each such decoction you will receive 1000 HP, which seriously increases our survivability.
3. The last plus is that it is better to see in the dark. It's a small thing, but nice.

I think everyone has to decide for themselves what to choose: damage or health. I alternate between these two mutations from time to time.

Note:

To reset all skills and level up in a new way, you can use the “Elixir of Purification”

and to reset skill points invested in mutations - “Lapel Potion”

Mutagens will not return, I advise you to use the lapel potion wisely. There are no mutagens lying around on the road.

The final pumping option

Since we did not pump up the increase in the level of intoxication, you can use 1 decoction at the same time (70 intoxication out of 100) and still have a little left, if necessary, for some elixir such as Swallow, Thunder or Raff the White’s Potion.
Yes, elixirs are very useful and on the one hand you could raise the intoxication limit by leveling up, but in my opinion, if you need to throw Swallow and other potions on CD, then just don’t force yourself and lower the difficulty level of the game.

Additionally

Difficulty of the game "To Death!" not particularly conducive to tanking with armor, HP or pouring elixirs into three throats. So I tried in the guide to focus specifically on the offensive properties of the Witcher. And for protection we always have Quen.

Rebounding on alt/counterattack, constantly maintaining Quen - these are the two main actions that you should always pay attention to.
Quen must always be active! This needs to be remembered. Even worthless bandits in the forest can easily one-shot you, you shouldn’t rely on the skill, only on Quen.

I didn't cover oils and bombs in the guide, but they are also very important. Everything is simple with them - use them actively and you will be happy.