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With The Witcher: Monster Slayer a few weeks out from its initial launch, many witchers are just starting to accrue enough coins to begin upgrading their gear. But although there are several familiar pieces from The Witcher 3, the equipment found in the new AR title don’t all serve the same functions.
So before you drop all of that hard-earned coin in the wrong place, take a minute to familiarize yourself with the buffs and effects provided by the new equipment in The Witcher: Monster Slayer.
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Steel Swords
Steel Swords are the marginally cheaper blades in The Witcher: Monster Slayer, though no witcher gear comes cheap. Luckily, the game will arm you from the start and even rewards players with a second steel blade for free as they set out on the path.
| Sword | Effects | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Witcher’s Steel Sword | This is a starter sword with no additional buffs or effects. | N/A |
| Kaer Morhen Steel Sword | This sword is awarded to witchers early on in their gameplay and grants +10% Experience gain from slaying monsters. | N/A |
| Feline Steel Sword | +15% Fast Attack damage. | 1,600 |
| Ursine Steel Sword | +15% Strong Attack damage. | 1,600 |
| Wolven Steel Sword | Each melee strike will raise the Critical Hit Meter 10% more than usual. | 3,200 |
| Griffin Steel Sword | +30% Sign intensity. | 3,200 |
| Manticore Steel Sword | -30% Sign casting cooldown. | 3,200 |
| Caerme | +50% Critical Hit damage. | 6,400 |
Silver Swords
One of the game’s most glaring oversights was the omission of a starter silver sword. A witcher is known to always carry a steel sword and a silver sword. While there is technically a base Witcher Silver Sword, it is only available through the Starter Pack; a microtransaction bundle offered on the Main tab of the Shop page.
Despite the price lock on a basic witcher essential, it's actually a great deal for a starter bundle given the wealth of other tools included. But if you weren't looking to spend your real-world currency, there is the option to buy or craft Dimeritium Bombs as an alternative, rendering these silver-weak beasts susceptible to strikes from a steel blade until you can afford to buy one of these silver swords.
| Sword | Effects | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Witcher Silver Sword | This is a starter sword with no additional buffs or effects. | Bundle Exclusive |
| Feline Silver Sword | +15% Fast Attack damage. | 1,800 |
| Ursine Silver Sword | +15% Strong Attack damage. | 1,800 |
| Wolven Silver Sword | Each melee strike will raise the Critical Hit Meter 10% more than usual. | 3,600 |
| Griffin Silver Sword | +30% Sign intensity. | 3,600 |
| Manticore Silver Sword | -30% Sign casting cooldown. | 3,600 |
| Melltith | 15% chance to inflict additional Fire damage. | 7,200 |
| A’Baeth | +25% Experience gain from slaying monsters. | 12,000 |
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Armor
Witcher Gear has also been incorporated into The Witcher: Monster Slayer, but you won't have to go on any drawn-out scavenger hunts to find each entire set.
Witcher Gear has been simplified to different cuirasses modeled after the various witcher school gear found in The Witcher 3, and it is readily available in the in-game shop — albeit lavishly priced. You'll also find that the familiar chest pieces provide different benefits from their main series counterparts.
| Armor | Effects | Price |
| Adept's Armor | This is starter armor with no additional buffs or effects | NA |
| Feline Armor | -15% damage from Unparried incoming hits. | 3,400 |
| Ursine Armor | -80% depletion of the Critical Hit Meter upon taking damage. | 3,400 |
| Wolven Armor | 50% chance of increased Alchemy drops from slain monsters. | 6,800 |
| Griffin Armor | 10% of damage from successfully parried hits will be reflected onto the assailant. | 6,800 |
| Manticore Armor | This armor is imbued with the White Gull potion, automatically applying the potion’s effects before each fight when wearing it. When active, White Gull amplifies any other Witcher Potions currently active, effectively doubling the active potion buffs. | 6,800 |
| Kaer Morhen Armor | +25% Experience gain from slain monsters. | 12,000 |
Best Equipment in The Witcher: Monster Slayer
It’s implausible to try and acquire all of this pricey gear on a meager witcher’s salary, so you’re going to want to make some discerning choices.
Fortunately, due to the outrageous pricing and frankly banal buffs and effects, it’s fairly easy to narrow your sights to select pieces of equipment based upon your personal playstyle.
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Steel Swords
As far as the steel variety goes, you may not even deem the costs worth buying a new sword after obtaining the Kaer Morhen Steel Sword early on.
On the other hand, the combat system is heavily sword-based, so investing in a blade such as the Wolven Steel Sword to fill the critical hit meter faster with each strike is a great choice.
If you find yourself proficient in swordcraft and landing regular critical hits, then you may consider going all-in on Caerme later down the path to bring a quick end to the battle with one finishing blow.
Silver Swords
Silver Swords are a different matter, as the game doesn’t start you off with one like the Witcher’s Steel Sword. This may drive you to buy one of the cheapest silver blades, which isn’t a bad call.
At 1,800 coins, neither the Feline nor Ursine Silver Swords can be considered cheap. However, the consistent 15% boost to melee damage can make one of these purchases worthwhile. You’ll have to choose which blade strike is best suited to your playstyle or the style best matched against the threats in your area.
Grab the Feline variant for sharpening your fast strikes and the Ursine for enhancing the power of Strong Attacks.
If you are among the more patient witchers, you may deem it worth holding off for the silver variant of the Wolven Sword. With the same effects as its steel counterpart, this sword can speed up your battle finishers with monsters of the magical variety as well.
Armor
The Adept Starter armor offers no additional defense, vitality, or any other buff to speak of — essentially making it a cosmetic (and not an especially stylish one). With that in mind, you’re likely going to want to upgrade to one of the witcher gear chest pieces that translated over from the main series.
In light of the various lag issues associated with the AR genre and spotty connections, it’s a smart idea to put some extra defenses in place. With its 15% defensive increase against unparried blows, the Feline armor is a great option to fill that role.
On the contrary, the Ursine armor, valued at the same price of 3,400 coins, cushions the depletion of your Critical Hit Meter by 80%, which is not a perk to brush off lightly. A Perfect Critical Hit can be the difference between life and death in any given encounter.
The Manticore armor stands out as the single most original chest piece currently available in The Witcher: Monster Slayer. While the validity of its effects is completely dependent on your playstyle, witchers that regularly rely on potions will want to save up for this unique piece of armor.
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