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The fastest way to answer “What is this monster weak to?” in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is to open that creature’s Bestiary entry before the fight. It lists the individual vulnerabilities and immunities that matter, including exceptions to the usual monster-class rules. Read it, check the sword icon beside the health bar, apply the appropriate oil, and equip the listed Sign, bomb, or potion.
Use class rules as a starting point, not as a guarantee. A grey health bar normally calls for a silver sword against a monster; a red bar normally calls for steel against a human or wild animal. Named creatures can break either expectation, so the entry for the exact enemy always takes priority.
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How the Bestiary determines a monster’s weakness
Every creature entry gives you a compact preparation plan. It identifies the enemy’s category, the effects that can interrupt or expose it, and tools that counter special behavior such as regeneration, phasing, poison, or flight. The information is qualitative rather than a promise of a fixed damage percentage: difficulty, Geralt’s level, equipment, and the encounter still affect how quickly a weakness pays off.
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Read the individual entry first
Open the menu’s Bestiary section, select the creature, and read every listed vulnerability and immunity. The entry for a named monster outranks its class default. This matters when a familiar category behaves differently from its neighbors, or when a story boss has a specific counter that ordinary members of the class do not share.
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Use the health-bar sword cue
A grey health bar indicates a monster and normally means silver. A red health bar indicates a human or wild animal and normally means steel. Treat the icon as a confirmation rather than an excuse to skip the entry: unusual encounters can override the normal color rule.
Sword and oil rules
Oil should match the creature class shown in the entry. Beasts generally use a steel sword and Beast Oil. Nearly every other monster class uses a silver sword with its matching oil. Applying the oil before drawing the sword avoids entering the fight without the bonus prepared.
| Enemy category | Usual sword | Default oil | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beasts | Steel | Beast Oil | The Beast of Beauclair is a notable silver-sword exception. |
| Cursed Ones | Silver | Cursed Oil | Named entries can add anti-regeneration tools. |
| Draconids | Silver | Draconid Oil | Flying targets often need an opening tool as well as damage. |
| Elementa | Silver | Elementa Oil | Dimeritium is a recurring answer to elementals and golems. |
| Hybrids | Silver | Hybrid Oil | Many flying hybrids are easier after being grounded. |
| Insectoids | Silver | Insectoid Oil | Poison and burrowing behavior determine the best secondary tool. |
| Necrophages | Silver | Necrophage Oil | Some entries require space for a death-triggered explosion. |
| Ogroids | Silver | Ogroid Oil | Quen is especially useful against their heavy blows. |
| Relicts | Silver | Relict Oil | Several powerful forest creatures list bombs and Signs together. |
| Specters | Silver | Specter Oil | Yrden is the core answer to enemies that turn ethereal. |
| Vampires | Silver | Vampire Oil | Phasing and biting attacks call for different preparation. |
The table is an efficient default loadout. If the Bestiary entry lists a different sword, oil, Sign, bomb, or potion, follow that specific instruction instead.
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Beasts
Use steel and Beast Oil for ordinary wolves, dogs, and similar animals. Bears list Quen as a valuable answer because their attacks are heavy and difficult to trade with safely. The Beast of Beauclair is the notable exception: despite belonging to a beast-like encounter, it calls for a silver sword. Check that entry rather than relying on the class label.
Cursed Ones
Cursed Oil and silver are the normal pairing. Werewolves and Ulfhedinn can regenerate, so Moon Dust is the key preparation when the entry lists it: it suppresses that regeneration. Devil’s Puffball and Igni recur as additional ways to pressure werewolves, but do not assume every cursed creature responds identically.
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Draconids
Draconid Oil and silver cover the basic damage setup. Aard can knock flying draconids out of the air, creating a safer attack window. Grapeshot is a common bomb choice, while Golden Oriole is useful when a basilisk, wyvern, or similar creature relies on poisonous spit. Ground the target first when the encounter makes sustained melee difficult.
Elementa
Equip Elementa Oil and silver. Dimeritium is the recurring counter for elementals and golems, whose defenses make ordinary attacks feel inefficient. Depending on the individual entry, Northern Wind, Quen, Igni, or Axii may provide the better opening. Read the listing for the specific elemental instead of treating all of them as interchangeable.
Hybrids
Hybrid Oil and silver are the standard setup. Grapeshot appears frequently in hybrid entries. Aard can ground griffins and other flyers; sirens and melusines also list Igni, making fire a useful way to force pressure when they are within range. The goal is to remove their mobility before committing to a long attack string.
Insectoids
Use Insectoid Oil and silver. Golden Oriole is a common answer to poisonous spiders and endregas. Yrden helps against giant centipedes and pale widows by controlling the space in which they approach. Kikimores can list White Honey and Igni, so check whether your target is one of those entries before choosing a potion.
Necrophages
Necrophage Oil and silver are the default. Igni helps against drowners and some wights. Moon Dust is useful against foglets, whose concealment makes an ordinary melee exchange unreliable. Grave hags can list Black Blood, turning their bite attempt into a liability. Rotfiends are a positioning test: when one is near death, retreat from the blast instead of standing over it for a final hit.
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Ogroids
Use Ogroid Oil and silver. Quen absorbs a heavy blow from trolls and giants, buying time to disengage rather than trading damage. Northern Wind appears against nekkers and Hagubman. Cloud Giant entries can list Dancing Star and Igni, giving you a way to maintain pressure while avoiding the creature’s large attack arcs.
Relicts
Relict Oil and silver are the normal pairing. Devil’s Puffball is listed for chorts and fiends. Leshens, spriggans, and woodland spirits repeatedly point toward Dimeritium together with Igni. Shaelmaars can list Aard and Samum; these tools are more valuable than trying to win by standing directly in front of the rolling creature.
Specters
Equip Specter Oil and silver. Yrden is the defining tool because it makes ethereal enemies tangible and gives you a place to fight them. Moon Dust keeps many specters visible. An Ethereal entry can list Blizzard, while hym entries can list Igni. If a wraith keeps disappearing, the answer is usually control and visibility, not a faster series of sword swings.
Vampires
Use Vampire Oil and silver. Moon Dust and Yrden work together against phasing vampires: one limits concealment while the other controls the area in which they reappear. Black Blood punishes a bite attempt. Higher vampires and some ekimmaras list Igni, so fire can be part of the opening when the entry identifies it as a vulnerability.
Choosing the right Sign
Quen for a safe opening
Quen is the safest general defensive Sign. Cast it before entering a crowded group, after a monster closes distance unexpectedly, or whenever the enemy’s heavy attack is difficult to read. It gives you room to reposition; it is not a reason to stand still and absorb a sequence of hits.
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Igni for fire-vulnerable targets
Igni is the pressure tool when the entry lists fire vulnerability. It is particularly relevant to werewolves, drowners, some wights, sirens, melusines, leshens, woodland spirits, higher vampires, and certain ogroid or necrophage encounters. Use the entry to decide whether fire is a primary counter or merely a useful supplement.
Axii for a stun opportunity
Axii can create a stun opening. It is most useful when the entry lists it or when the creature’s attack pattern gives you a clear moment to cast. Treat the stun as a chance to land a short attack sequence, then return to movement.
Yrden for speed and phasing
Yrden slows fast enemies and makes ethereal enemies tangible. It is central to wraith fights, valuable against phasing vampires, and useful for controlling giant centipedes and pale widows. Place the trap where Geralt will fight, rather than dropping it behind a retreat path.
Aard for flyers and positional control
Aard is the practical answer to many airborne targets. Grounding a griffin, draconid, or other flyer turns a difficult chase into a short melee exchange. Shaelmaars and other large creatures can also list Aard when the entry emphasizes interruption or displacement.
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Bomb selection should answer a behavior, not simply add damage. Grapeshot recurs against draconids and hybrids. Dimeritium is the recurring choice for elementals, golems, leshens, spriggans, and woodland spirits. Moon Dust handles regeneration or phasing in the entries that name it. Golden Oriole addresses poison, while Black Blood punishes biting creatures. Devil’s Puffball appears against chorts, fiends, werewolves, and Ulfhedinn; Northern Wind can control nekkers, Hagubman, and some elementals; Samum is listed for shaelmaars; Dancing Star appears for Cloud Giant; White Honey appears for Kikimores.
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These tools are not universal substitutes. If the entry lists an immunity, do not build your plan around that effect. Carry the listed item, make space to use it, and keep enough distance to avoid being caught by the target’s follow-up attack.
A reliable preparation and combat workflow
- Open the Bestiary entry. Read the exact creature’s vulnerabilities, immunities, and special behavior.
- Confirm the sword. Use the health-bar color and the entry together: grey normally means silver, red normally means steel.
- Apply the class oil. Start with Beast Oil for beasts or the matching oil for another class, then override that default only when the entry or encounter provides a specific reason.
- Equip the listed Sign. Put Yrden, Aard, Igni, Axii, or another named Sign in your active setup before the fight begins.
- Prepare the bomb or potion. Choose the listed counter for regeneration, poison, phasing, flight, or elemental defenses.
- Open with control. Cast Quen when the approach is dangerous, Yrden against an ethereal target, Aard against a flyer, or the entry’s named effect when it creates the clearest opening.
- Attack briefly. Land a short sequence, then dodge or roll away. Keep the enemy in front of Geralt and avoid letting a second monster attack from behind.
- Reposition when the arena changes. If the fight becomes crowded, use Quen and move to open ground instead of trading repeated hits.
- Respect the death animation. Rotfiends can explode near death, so retreat rather than standing over one for the finishing blow.
Why common tactics fail
“The class rule said steel, so I ignored the entry”
Class rules are efficient defaults, not final answers. The Beast of Beauclair demonstrates why a named encounter can require silver even when a beast normally suggests steel. Reopen the individual entry whenever the expected sword does not match the health-bar cue.
“I used the right oil but the monster still would not stay vulnerable”
Oil improves the damage setup; it does not replace the control tool. Wraiths need Yrden to become tangible, flyers often need Aard, and phasing vampires may require Moon Dust and Yrden. Solve the movement or state change first, then exploit the oil window.
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Monsters are generally less suited to a parry-focused plan than humanoid opponents. Strike briefly, dodge or roll, and maintain a frontal position. Quen is safer than repeatedly attempting to absorb a monster’s heavy sequence.
“The bomb worked once, so I assumed it was universal”
Named weaknesses belong to the entry that lists them. A bomb that controls one creature may be irrelevant or resisted by another in the same broad category. Check the entry before spending preparation on an effect the target does not use.
What to check immediately before a contract
- The exact Bestiary entry is open and its immunities are understood.
- The sword matches the health-bar cue and any named exception.
- The class oil is applied.
- The listed Sign is selected and ready.
- The bomb or potion addresses the creature’s defining behavior.
- There is room to dodge, roll, and keep the target in front of Geralt.
- A plan exists for regeneration, phasing, flight, poison, or a death-triggered blast if the entry mentions one.
That sequence turns the Bestiary from a lore menu into a combat checklist. Preparation identifies the correct damage type, while the creature’s listed control and survival counters determine how you create a safe attack window.
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