Summary

  • Silver swords in The Witcher 3 are essential for slaying creatures, while steel swords are best for human enemies.
  • By utilizing the right silver sword for the job, players can easily tackle tough creatures without breaking a sweat.
  • The variety of silver swords available in the game offer unique boosts and abilities, allowing players to tailor their weapon to their play style.

Of all the weapons players use in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt perhaps most useful are the silver swords. These weapons are intended for the slaying of mythical, mystical, and magical beasts. While steel swords will carve through human enemies, silver swords will cut down any fearsome creature of legend. These two swords are the bread and butter of a witcher's trade, and no self-respecting monster slayer would travel without covering all their bases.

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There are a lot of silver swords to choose from, and the best option will vary depending on playstyle and enemies. For general use, however, players should strongly consider the best silver swords in The Witcher 3 to fulfill their contracts. Without these swords at the player's disposal, high-level monsters will cut Geralt into ribbons because of how ineffective his blade is.

Updated on December 27, 2024, by Gerardo Molina: The concept of silver swords being necessary to hunt down monsters is very interesting. And while silver weapons and monster-hunting isn’t something that The Witcher invented, this universe did perfect the concept. As they progress through the base game and the two DLCs available, players will be able to come across various side quests that will reward them with great silver swords that can give them an advantage in difficult battles. Although some have really high base damage, others trade a bit of that for better status effects or additional critical hit bonuses. At the end of the day, the best silver sword will be greatly determined by players’ playstyle and build.

28 An’ferthe

Great Critical Hit Damage Bonus

The Witcher 3 An'Ferthe
  • 319-391 Damage
  • +50% Critical Hit Damage Bonus
  • 2 random Magic effects

Like a few other silver swords in the game, An’ferthe can either be found as random loot or purchased from various merchants throughout Novigrad, Oxford, and Skellige. This weapon features outstanding critical hit damage bonus and some other very interesting effects that make it an all-around great choice for slaying monsters.

If players don't want to look around for this weapon, one of the easiest ways to get it is to complete the “Of Swords and Dumplings” quest in Novigrad, purchase An’ferthe’s diagram from Hattori and have him craft it with the right ingredients (2x Leather Scraps, 2x Meteorite Silver Ingots, 2x vials of Monster Blood).

27 Addan Deith

Outstanding Base Damage

The Witcher 3 - Addan Deith
  • 810-990 Damage
  • +30% Bleed
  • +4 Damage Dealt To Wraiths
  • Adrenaline Generation On Hitting Foe +2
  • Chance Of Instant Kill +2%

Addan Deith is arguably one of the best silver swords in the entirety of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Not only does it have very high base damage, but it also adds a 30% Bleed status effect increase and deals an extra 4% damage to wraiths. At the higher character levels, players can expect to do upwards of 800 points of damage, which is formidable.

This weapon can be obtained from a chest during “The Gargoyle Contract” and, since it’s an all-around powerhouse, every player should swing it at least once.

26 Bloodsword

Complete The Quest 'Inheritance'

Witcher 3 Bloodsword
Witcher 3 Bloodsword
  • 310-380 Damage
  • 5-20% Critical Hit Damage
  • 1-4% Critical Hit Chance
  • 9% Bleed
  • 1-2 % Dismember

Found as hidden treasure in Boxholm, the Bloodsword is a solid choice for taking down tough beasts or if under-leveled for the challenge ahead. It deals 227 to 277 damage every hit and raises critical hit damage and the chance of landing a critical.

But the sword’s main benefit is the added chance of causing bleeding and dismemberment. Bleed will deal damage over time, making foes fall faster, and dismemberment is always helpful. It’s a great sword that can be used to attack a few times until the bleed effect kicks in. Geralt can then back off and play defensively while the bleeding does its work.

25 Naevde Seidhe

In The Ancient Ruins Under The Mountains Of Ard Skellig

Witcher 3 Naevde Seidhe
Witcher 3 Naevde Seidhe
  • 363-443 Damage
  • 8-15% Igni Sign Intensity
  • 8-15% Yrden Sign Intensity
  • 10% Stagger

There are three ways to obtain this sword. The first is by finding it in a Monster’s Den in Kaer Gelen near the Miner’s Camp. The second is by completing the quest "For Fame And Glory." Finally, players can find one in the Ancient Crypt at Ard Skellig.

It’s the ideal sword for players that rely heavily upon signs as it boosts the intensity of Igni and Yrden signs. It also has a chance of causing stagger, which can be useful for getting some distance to cast signs or retreat if need be.

24 Manticore Silver Sword

Craftable Weapon Introduced In Blood & Wine

Witcher 3 Geralt On Roach Holding Manticore Silver Sword
Witcher 3 Geralt On Roach Holding Manticore Silver Sword
  • 335 – 409 Damage
  • 250 Armor Piercing
  • 50% Critical Damage
  • 5% Critical Hit Chance
  • 10% Bleed
  • +5% Experience From Humans/Nonhumans

The Manticore Silver Sword is obtained from a diagram hidden in a cave beneath the Palace Gardens. It’s guarded by gas and a mysterious stranger, but it’s worth the effort. The sword comes with some powerful stats.

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It comes short of the Grandmaster gear from other schools, but it is more than capable of doing the job. The armor-piercing combined with bleed makes it ideal for tough targets. The experience gain bonus is also handy when facing humans and nonhumans alike.

23 Sarrim

Craftable Weapon Introduced In Hearts Of Stone

Witcher 3 Geralt On Roach Holding Sarrim
Witcher 3 Geralt On Roach Holding Sarrim
  • 418 – 512 Damage
  • 15% Aard Sign Intensity
  • 15% Igni Sign Intensity
  • 15% Axii Sign Intensity
  • 75% Critical Hit Damage
  • 10% Critical Hit Chance

To wield the mighty Sarrim, players must find its diagram located at a bandit camp in the Kilkerinn Ruins. The sword provides a number of boosts in addition to great damage.

This puts the Sarrim ahead of many of the Mastercrafted Witcher school silver swords in terms of raw damage output. The Sign intensity perks are helpful for just about any build, and the almost doubled Critical Hit Damage is nice. It is certainly one of the best silver swords in The Witcher 3.

22 Harpy

Random Loot In The Caves Of Velen And Skellige

Witcher 3 Harpy Sword
Witcher 3 Harpy Sword
  • 427 – 523 Damage
  • 14% Bleed

The Harpy sword is very simple compared to others on this list, but that simplicity is one of its greatest strengths. It has an incredible base damage of 427, making it a powerful sword on that fact alone and capable of tackling most foes in the game.

But it also has the benefit of providing a 14% chance of causing Bleed. A dozen or so swings, and if the enemy is still standing, they have a good chance of being inflicted with Bleed, which will siphon off the last of their health points. This sword is great for long, brutal fights with tough foes. The Harpy sword can be found at a bandit camp near the Bloody Baron's compound.

21 Dahlia (Relic)

Looted From The Slyzard Matriarch In "Contract: Bovine Blues"

Dahlia (Relic) in The Witcher 3
  • 441 – 539 Damage
  • +150 Armor piercing
  • +20% Igni Sign intensity
  • +50% Critical hit damage bonus
  • +10% Critical hit chance
  • +10% Chance to poison

The Slyzard Matriarch is one of the most powerful monsters in Blood & Wine, which is par for the course in a DLC that ramps up the challenge significantly. Players must bring their A-game and use a combination of signs, oils, potions, bombs, and sword attacks to take down this foe. This is far from easy, but players who have mastered the combat skills will be able to make quick work of this dreadful foe.

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Not only will players stop the villagers' cows from being devoured, but they can also loot the powerful Dahlia from this monster's corpse. It's a great sword that enhances Geralt's Igni, enhances his critical hit effectiveness, and can also poison foes. It's one of the best silver swords in The Witcher 3 that is perfect for players who love debilitating their foes by any means necessary.

20 Fen'aeth (Craftable)

Fen'aeth, a silver sword in The Witcher 3
  • 454 – 554 Damage
  • +26% Aard Sign intensity
  • +85% Critical hit damage bonus
  • +11% Critical hit chance
  • +15% Chance to poison
  • +5% Bonus experience from monsters

It's only a given that the last DLC to come for The Witcher 3 features some of the strongest equipment in the game that players can get their hands on. This can become a necessity in certain cases because of the high difficulty of the many monsters players can encounter in the region of Toussaint, making it important for players to have the best silver swords in The Witcher 3 at their disposal to make quick work of these challenging enemies.

With a crafting recipe, players can form Fen'aeth, a silver blade that's no joke. Players who love using Aard and want their critical hits to land for serious damage should prioritize crafting this weapon the moment they hit Level 39.

19 Gesheft (Land Of A Thousand Fables)

Follow A Will O' The Wisp After Defeating The Cloud Giant

WItcher-3-Gesheft
  • 459 – 561 Damage
  • +20% Aard Sign intensity
  • +20% Igni Sign intensity
  • +20% Quen Sign intensity
  • +20% Yrden Sign intensity
  • +20% Axii Sign intensity

The Land of a Thousand Fables is one of the most beautiful locations players can find in the entire game, showing off Blood & Wine's many strengths. Players can get whisked onto a wild adventure that features some dark twists on popular fairytales, with this world being a safe space for Syanna. Geralt finds her in this magical realm, and they encounter a Cloud Giant during their adventures here.

Players who follow a Will o' the wisp right after this giant is done away with will find the Gesheft. This sword is obtained as a part of an elaborate Dark Souls reference coupled with a bonfire and enhances the intensity of Geralt's Signs, making it one of the best silver swords in The Witcher 3.