The Witcher 3's various skills and abilities can be overwhelming for a player that is not used to making their own character builds. What is the best ability can be dependent on whether the player uses more magic or swords in combat. Basically, it can all depend on an individual's play style.
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However, fans have tested out all kinds of builds in the game and have determined what skills and abilities have been most useful to them. These skills help Geralt not only stay alive but thrive on his journey. Some are for combat, some are for healing, and others can help problem solve in various questlines.
Updated on August 4, 2021, by Allison Stalberg: The Witcher 3 is a game that will never go out of style, especially since the Netflix series recently gave it a popularity boost. A fan should know the skill tree well, as there is far more than one right answer to what are the best skills and abilities for Geralt to have. After all, a witcher's life requires many skills that range from alchemy to endurance. Every skill has its use, but some are more highly regarded to players than others. Some are dependent on specific builds while others are a must-have.
16 Sun And Stars
This is a skill useful for all builds, especially ones that dislike investing in alchemy (which means fewer healing items). It slowly regenerates Geralt's health when he is not in combat during the daytime. Some players have argued that regeneration is so slow that the skill is useless. However, it is a good safety net. Many players make the mistake of getting a skill and never utilizing it. But since Sun and Stars is a passive skill, it is always useful.
Even with slow regeneration, the healing can be welcome since the game can have the player travel long distances.
15 Muscle Memory And/Or Strength Training
Another must-have passive skill is Muscle Memory and/or Strength Training. They increase the damage enemies take by Geralt's physical attacks. For playing that prefer fast attacks and light armor, Muscle Memory is best. For those that prefer strong attacks and heavy armor, Strength training should be picked. A lot of players get both though.
If these skills reach level five, additional damage can reach 25 percent.
14 Focus
The base effect of Focus is that Adrenaline Points increase weapon and Sign damage. Due to its versatility, players are recommended to get it for a vast variety of builds. In fact, some would call it a must-have skill for any playthrough.
For those that are struggling in fights, taking up this skill can make all the difference in the world. It is especially useful when dealing with enemies of higher HP values.
13 Strong Back
Natural gamer behavior in any game is to hoard items. After all, everything can seem useful whether it can be used in alchemy or to sell later in town. A severe limiter to players collecting items though is inventory weight. If the player hoards too many items, Geralt will be encumbered and some loot will have to be dropped.
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However, with Strong Back, Geralt will get encumbered way less. Strong Back is a skill that adds the maximum weight capacity by 60.
12 Whirl
Whirl is a favorite attack of many players, as it is a fun way to deal with mobs. It's an attack that basically turns Geralt into a blender, dealing damage to anyone near him in a wide circle. The attack does consume adrenaline and stamina, but it's worth the kinds of hits the player can deal with it.
To even better utilize this skill, some players have attached the rune "Severence" from the Heart of Stone expansion to their sword. It can increase the range of the Whirl attack.
11 Fleet-Footed
Fleet-Footed is a defense-based skill found in the combat branch. It requires eight points, but the payoff is worth the cost. The skill reduces damage to hits received while dodging by 20 percent. The skill can be leveled up to the point of reducing damage by 100 percent.
There are some cons to the skill that are important to know. Some fans have difficulty using the skill, as it is not effective with all kinds of dodging.
10 Delusion
Violence is not always the answer. Sometimes a little touch of mind control can save lives. Delusion is a skill that is more useful in character conversations than in actual combat. The option to use the sign in conversation appears often enough that many players call it a "must-have" skill and recommend leveling it up as fast as possible.
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While mind control is pretty sketchy, it always leads to good outcomes, and the player is even rewarded with some experience points if they use the skill successfully.
9 Melt Armor
Located in the Sign branch under the Igni skill, Melt Armor will make Igni permanently weaken the armor of enemies. This effect scales up with Sign intensity, capping at 75 percent. The skill is loved for its increase in damage output and is cheap to get on the skill tree.
However, there are cons to this skill. Not all enemies in The Witcher 3 possess armor. It is also not the best for every build. Strong attacks bypass armor already, so this skill is best picked up by those that use fast attacks.
8 Gourmet
This ability makes eating food regenerate Geralt's vitality for 20 real-life minutes. With Gourmet, players can make the most out of their consumables. It can especially be helpful for those playing the game on a higher than normal difficulty.
Food is especially less abundant at the beginning of the game, so this ability is recommended for the beginning. It may get less useful as more protective abilities get unlocked, but players are thankful for its existence at the beginning of their journey.
7 Resolve
Adrenaline Points are spent for many of Geralt's skills, so maintaining it is important for a long-lasting round of combat. Resolve is an underestimated skill that lessens the number of points lost when taking damage. Many builds depend on having Adrenaline Point reserves in stock, so this makes Resolve is especially useful.
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Remember — the more adrenaline, the more DPS. If you want to deal more damage per second, then this is the skill for you.
6 Active Shield
For six branch points under the Quen Sign, Active Shield blocks attacks while draining Geralt's stamina. The best part is that the damage absorbed by the shield restores Geralt's vitality. Active Shield can be leveled up so that it drains less and less stamina.
This is a skill that is useful for various builds, especially for builds that also use Exploding Shield, Quen Intensity, and Quen Discharge.
5 Undying
If used in a certain way, this skill can make Geralt un-killable. Basically, if his health reaches zero then this skill automatically will bring him back to life by spending Adrenaline Points. If the player can get the Adrenaline Points back up within 30 seconds (Undying's cooldown time), then congrats, you made Geralt un-killable.
Of course, the skill needs to be developed from level one to level five to actually restore all of Geralt's health. Until it reaches level five, it will only restore a certain percentage.
4 Deadly Precision
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Under the combat branch in the defense skill tree, Deadly Precision makes it so every Adrenaline Point adds a one percent chance of killing an enemy instantly. It can be upgraded once to make the chance two percent. So the maximum of both Adrenaline Points and the upgrade can cap this skill to a six percent chance to kill an enemy instantly.
While the chances are very low, the skill is both fun and useful. It is a must-have for a build that focuses on offensive potential.
2 Crippling Strike
This ability is not for all builds (it is best for light armor and fast attackers), but it does damage over time and certainly won't hurt to have. Damage over time is from a bleed status affliction that is going to chip away at enemy health while Geralt continuously attacks.
As players level up more skills to boost up Geralt's base fast attack, they will find Crippled Strike less useful for smaller enemies. For big fights though, Crippling Strikes will always be useful.
1 Survival Instinct
This skill, just plain and simple, will boost Geralt's health pool. It is useful for any build and is especially nice to have early in the game. For players that are having issues surviving enemies, they should check to make sure they have this skill. Extra health is nothing for a gamer to turn their nose up from.
Alchemist players would argue there are other ways to increase health, but it's not doable around the beginning of the game. Also, this skill plus alchemy creations is all the better than one without the other.
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