Witchers can easily be identified as they all typically have a few things in common. To start, witchers carry two swords, a silver sword, and a steel sword. They also have cat-like eyes and wear a Witcher medallion. If you are saying to yourself, “then why did Geralt only have one sword in the Netflix series?” Well, check out this article that covers why he actually had two instead of one.
The Steel and Silver Swords of the Witchers
While it’s true that witchers are more than able fighters even without a weapon or two, they do have worthy adversaries that will need them to be at their top game. Against thugs or even a handful of regular people, witchers can easily win against them.
But against griffins, higher vampires, bosses and other opponents of that calibre, witchers need to use everything in their arsenal to have a chance at winning. When it comes to combat, witchers can either use a silver sword or a steel sword. If you want a steel sword for yourself, check it out here on Amazon. If you want a silver sword, go here.
It’s not enough to have just one of the two or to have two of the same kind. Although witchers are extremely skillful warriors, they still rely on the effectiveness of their weapons. Especially against strong opponents.
Using the wrong type of sword for a certain type of enemy may still result to victory. However, it could also mean death. Being very knowledgeable with the different types of entities that are on the continent, all witchers know just how crucial their weapons and items are against fighting each one.
There are different types of gameplay or fighting styles that a Witcher can use. More than the swords, witchers also make use of potions and signs to help them out in combat. There are also runes and glyphs that can be synthesized to weapons and armors to make them have more use.
All those factors combined can help you as a player to have different options to figure out your best or most comfortable fighting style or “build,” if you are playing the games. Going back to the swords, there’s not just one steel sword nor is there just one silver sword.
There are different swords that you can find and craft within the games and we shall share with you how you can have the best ones in this article. But first, let’s get to know more about steel and silver swords.
The steel sword is structurally stronger than that of the silver sword. It’s ideal to use the steel sword against humans, non humans and other non magical creatures. Those that are shelled or have armor must also be fought with the steel sword.
It can be crafted and is traditionally made out of magnetite or meteoric iron. Steel swords are great for striking armor and parrying weapons as it has the durability to withstand those types of damages.
On the other hand, silver swords are much more delicate but are more effective against supernaturals and magical beings such as wraiths, necrophages, shapeshifters, vampires and more of this kind.
If a silver sword is used against armor or to parry against an enemy’s weapon, it can easily be damaged. This is because of the nature of silver being a softer material than that of steel. Silver swords are of course not made of pure silver, otherwise, it will not be an effective weapon even against magical creatures because of how fragile it would then become.
Silver swords still have an iron core. Traditionally, meteoric iron is used to create the core of a silver sword. It would then be plated with silver and be inscribed with magical runes. Being plated with silver, witchers need to be careful when using their silver swords so it isn’t totaled.
Silverswords typically have a Y-shaped crossguard. This is to make it easier to identify the two different types of swords.
What is the Best Silver Sword in Witcher Games?
Again, there’s more than just one silver sword in the games. But for this article, we’ll only be sharing with you the best one. The best silver sword in Witcher 3 is called the Aerondight. If you’ve played the first Witcher game, this sword might be familiar to you.
In fact, you can import your saved file from the first witcher game and bring the Aerondight sword to Witcher 3. That’s one of the two methods on how you can be able to get the best silver sword in the game.
The other method is through a quest. Specifically, through the “blood and wine” side quest. But before that, let’s first know just how and why the Aerondight is the best silver sword in the game. The Aerondight is a relic silver sword that has a charge system.
What this means is that whenever you land an attack with the Aerondight and don’t get hit yourself, you generate a charge that increases the sword’s damage by 10%. When fully charged, the sword does critical damage with every hit.
The charges deplete over time but whenever an opponent is killed with a fully charged Aerondight, the damage of the sword is increased permanently depending on your level. With the Aerondight, you get an extremely powerful weapon that grows along with you.
To get the Aerondight sword, you need to complete a secondary quest called “There Can Only Be One”. You can get this quest in two ways. Either take its notice from the notice boards located in Toussaint or by going to the lake west of Corvo Bianco.
There, speak with the hermit and he should initiate the quest. The Aerondight can be likened to the Excalibur of King Arthur. It’s found on a stone and can only be taken by someone who has proven himself worthy by being a chivalric individual.
There are five chivalric values and to be able to get the sword, you must have all five. The five chivalric values are; generosity, honor, compassion, valor and wisdom. You can have all those five by choosing the right decisions that coincide with those values while you are in Toussaint.
For each virtue, you have multiple chances to prove yourself if incase you made the wrong decisions with some quests. A good thing to note about the sword if you’re not able to import it from a saved file is that it can still be acquired relatively early.
Knowing how the sword works, you would want to do that. One of the values you can work earlier on in “blood and wine,” is compassion. In the main quest line, after the arena battle, to show compassion, all you have to do is to spare the life of the Shalamaar.
A secondary quest called “Big Game Hunter” is another opportunity for you to be compassionate by deciding not to kill the panthers. After deciding not to kill the panthers, ask about the count’s life with the “New life? Something wrong before” option.
If he makes the offer to go to an exhibition, accept it and actually attend the exhibition. Next is generosity which is a virtue that can easily be proven. You pretty much just have to avoid being selfish and greedy.
After completing the Blood Run in the main quest, roam around Beauclair for some time and a child should approach you with a letter. Tip the kid and that should be enough to prove your generosity.
Giving the child a tip is the easiest way to prove your generosity. If you missed that opportunity or just want to be even more generous, you can go to the painter in Beauclair and have him paint you a portrait.
After he’s done, purchase the portrait for a thousand crowns and you are good. For honor, begin the quest “Warble of a Smitten Knight”. You can do this by speaking to Guillaume who is by the medical tent at the tourney grounds.
Do the quest until you finish the horse race. You are going to be challenged to a duel and to prove yourself to be honorable, you have to win it. Another quest for honor is a side quest called “Til Death Do You Part”.
Do your investigation and return to the tavern and say that the situation was just a marital spat. For valor, continue to play the Warble of a Smitten Knight quest and decide to fight at the tournament.
To prove your valor, you need to win the tournament. The fight can be tough and you might want to have a save ready in case you get defeated. Another way to prove your valor is through a quest called “Feet as Cold as Ice”.
Finish the quest by defeating the beast then tell the knight to take the trophy with him. For wisdom, you can fulfill this through a main blood and wine quest called “La Cage Au Fou”. Explore the wight’s lair and hide inside the cabinet at the right time.
Decide to try and lift the curse instead of attacking the monster. Once you made the decision, Geralt will have dinner with the wight and to lift the curse, choose to eat without using spoons. Once you have completed all five chivalric values, return to the hermit at the lake.
You have one final challenge before you can have the Aerondight. This is to fight with the hermit. He uses very strong water magic but you can defeat him by getting in close and attacking him with your sword.
Once you are victorious, the lady of the lake will appear and hand you the Aerondight. With the Aerondight, you can become unstoppable if you use it along witcher abilities that can help further boost the usage of the sword.
What is the Best Steel Sword in Witcher?
There are two steel swords that players tend to use in the games. Depending on your personal preference it can either be the Belhaven blade or the Toussaint Knight steel sword.
The Belhaven blade is a very powerful weapon that you can have crafted. This means that you still need the diagram for the sword and the necessary materials to forge it. More than that, of course you also need a blacksmith to create the sword for you.
To get the diagram for the Belhaven blade, you need to travel to eastern Toussaint. It’s located where the marker is placed above. Upon getting there, you’ll need to kill a few bandits. After killing all the bandits, look for a stool that is near a campfire.
Upon examining the stool, you’ll find a key and a journal. Read the journal and it will activate a new quest called “Waiting for Goe and Doh”. The objective isn’t far from where the stool is located.
However, it is found in the middle of the river. Upon getting there, you’ll be able to find a shipwreck and a chest. Open the chest and you’ll be able to acquire the diagram for the Belhaven blade inside.
The Belhaven blade is a top tier steel sword. While the sword may be powerful, you’ll still need to incorporate it with other equipment, abilities, and items. This way, you can maximize the sword’s potential.
The Toussaint Knight’s steel sword diagram can be found on the central ruined tower of the Arthach palace ruins. It’s located on the upper floor. Once you see a ladder, climb it and continue heading your way up until you see Antoine “Starling” Straggen.
Near him should be his notes along with the diagram for the Toussaint Knight’s steel sword. What makes the sword incredibly strong is that it has extremely high armor piercing, critical hit chance, critical hit bonus damage, and also has a chance to cause burning.
Like the Belhaven blade, once coupled with the ideal build, the Toussaint Knight’s steel sword can make Geralt an unstoppable force.
Summary
Steel swords are used against non magical beings while silver swords are used against magical foes. In time, the monsters they were designed to kill grew little in numbers. However, as the world grew in turmoil, there became hate for the witchers.
This lead to the secrets of creating witchers being lost. With monsters nearly gone and the process of creating witchers being lost, the number of witchers also dwindled. They became outcasts.
Being mutants and not being purely human, they were hated. With all the chaos and danger that is still present on the continent, witchers still try to get by. In exchange for gold, they still try and help out those in need especially those having problems with monsters.
As with Geralt, the main protagonist of the witcher games, everything is yet to be known to him as he tries to recover lost pieces of his memory. The witcher is a masterpiece and the monster hunters having the need for two different swords is a brilliant idea.
Not only does it make the lore more felt but also creates an enjoyable gaming experience. With this article, we hope you learned something new about the witchers and their swords.