The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is one of the most acclaimed RPGs ever made, but CD Projekt Red built a game that doesn't hold your hand. First-time players routinely make the same Witcher 3 mistakes, stumbling into underpowered builds, missing critical quests, and burning through resources before the real challenges begin. This guide covers the ten most damaging errors so you can hit the ground running.
Many newcomers to the witcher game default to "Story and Sword" thinking it's the casual option, while veterans who want a real challenge pick "Death March" immediately. Neither extreme is ideal for a first playthrough. The "Blood and Broken Bones" difficulty is the sweet spot — it forces you to use oils, potions, and signs meaningfully without punishing every minor slip. Combat in the Witcher series is designed around preparation, not button-mashing, and a moderate difficulty teaches those systems properly.
This is arguably the single most damaging of all Witcher 3 mistakes. The game's main quest scales loosely, but many secondary quests lock out permanently once you advance certain story beats. More importantly, side quests in this game are not filler — they contain some of the richest storytelling in RPG gaming. "Bloody Baron," "Ladies of the Wood," and "Hearts of Stone" side content rival any main-story moment. Complete quests in your current region before moving on, and always check your notice boards when entering a new area.
Looting random swords from enemies and equipping whatever has the highest damage number is a classic beginner trap. The witcher series is built around specialized gear sets — Wolven, Griffin, Ursine, and Cat school sets — that dramatically outperform generic loot at equivalent levels. Witcher gear scales with your level when you craft it, meaning a diagram found early can produce endgame-quality equipment. Hunt down every Witcher Gear diagram you can find and visit craftsmen regularly. Ignoring the crafting system is one of the most punishing Witcher 3 mistakes in the mid-game.
Geralt is a professional monster hunter, and the game expects you to act like one. Every major monster type has a corresponding oil that increases your damage against it by 20–50%. Potions like Swallow (health regeneration) and Thunderbolt (attack power boost) fundamentally change how fights feel. Beginners who skip preparation then complain that bosses feel unfair are missing the core loop CD Projekt Red designed. Check your Bestiary entry before every contract — it tells you exactly which oil and signs to use.
The skill tree in The Witcher 3 rewards specialization. Spreading points across Signs, Combat, and Alchemy equally produces a mediocre Geralt who excels at nothing. Pick one or two branches and commit. A pure Alchemy build with the right mutations is arguably the most powerful in the game. A Sign-focused build centered on Igni or Aard can trivialize most encounters. The worst Witcher 3 mistakes often stem from indecision at the character screen — plan your build before you start spending points.
Early in the game, money feels tight and every piece of junk seems worth selling. Resist the urge to offload alchemy ingredients, monster parts, and crafting components. Drowner brains, harpy feathers, and dwarven spirit are used in potion and oil recipes you'll desperately want later. Monster parts in particular are irreplaceable for certain Witcher Gear upgrades. Sell armor, weapons, and jewelry — keep anything tagged as a crafting or alchemy component.
Gwent, the in-game card game, has a full collection quest tied to it. Many of the best cards are sold by merchants who disappear after specific story events. If you have any interest in completing the Gwent questline — and it's one of the most rewarding side activities in RPG gaming — start buying cards from every innkeeper and merchant you meet from the very beginning of the game. Cards missed in White Orchard and early Velen cannot always be recovered later.
The world of The Witcher 3 is enormous. Beginners often walk everywhere, burning time and missing the signpost fast travel system entirely. Discover signposts actively as you explore — they unlock fast travel points that save enormous amounts of time in the late game. Roach is also faster than she appears; use the road bonus (she gallops faster on roads) and whistle her with the button prompt rather than searching on foot.
The auto-save system in The Witcher 3 is not reliable enough to be your only backup. Story decisions, dialogue choices, and combat outcomes can all go in unexpected directions. Manual saving before major conversations, boss fights, and quest decision points takes ten seconds and can save hours of frustration. On PC especially, the game can crash during intensive areas. Make manual saves a habit from your very first session.
Unlike many RPGs where choices are cosmetic, The Witcher series has always built real consequences into its dialogue system. Agreeing to certain terms, dismissing characters, or being reckless with your words can close off quests, affect endings, and alter NPC relationships in ways you won't notice until much later. Read dialogue options carefully. When a choice feels significant, it probably is. The multiple endings of The Witcher 3 are shaped by dozens of small decisions made across 100+ hours of play — none of them should be taken lightly.
Avoiding these common Witcher 3 mistakes won't just make the game easier — it will make it richer. The Witcher 3 rewards players who engage with all of its systems. Take your time, prepare thoroughly, and let the world of the witcher series unfold at the pace it was designed for.
Handpicked Gaming Entertainment partners and resources — explore our trusted recommendations.
Disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you make a purchase through these links, at no additional cost to you.
Handpicked resources from across the web that complement this site.