Of course, it is an indisputable fact that the mutations witchers undergo influence their temperament, immune system, strength and endurance, yet one cannot consider then unthinking beings forged only for killing as a result. In fact, witchers cultivate a unique culture, a specialized body of knowledge, an effective training system and even a code of honor. They know an incredible amount about the effects of ingesting various organic and inorganic substances, and also a small amount, but but nevertheless something, about the fundamentals of magic (by which I mean the simple spells they call "Signs"). ~Witchers: Not Quite the Devils You Thought
Within the Witcher series Geralt has ever tried to remain neutral in all things yet rarely does he succeed. By having people in his life who he cares about and being a man of scruples, the neutrality he aspires to is rarely obtainable. He is truly a hero, despite his protestations in the trailer above. Yet despite all that he is still a Witcher, seen as heartless and cold to the people of the Continent, professional monster slayer, paid in coin of gold.
My goal with this build was to create a witcher character who is truly versatile and has many approaches to combat depending on how you wish to deal with each situation. Enjoying the use of powerful signs without activating a single Sign skill or sacrificing swordsmanship; using both Whirl and Rend without being devoted to either Fast or Strong attacks; and still able to use potions and alchemy without draining health all the while remaining true to the idea of what a Witcher is. To that end my skill focus revolved around the accumulation and expenditure of Adrenaline Points and the wonderful Flood of Anger skill.
It might seem excessive to take three General skills, but the key here is synergy. It is a word used a lot in builds but in this case it is definitely the best word to use as each of these skills will set you up for a great deal of options in combat which compliment each other perfectly. In the Ability Tree's mutagen slot I chose to place a Greater Blue Mutagen for a flat +10% to Sign intensity.
Griffin School Techniques:Each piece of medium armour increases critical Sign intensity by 5% and Stamina regeneration by 5%. Medium armour is the Path for this character as that boost to Sign intensity coupled with Master Crafted Griffin Armour will put you at a cool +70% with further boosts available thanks to Runestones, Glyphs and mutagens. Personally, though, I favoured Master Crafted Wolf gear and it's bonus to Adrenaline Point gain and Attack Power.
Adrenaline Burst:Increases Adrenaline generation by 5%. Using Signs now generates Adrenaline Points. This is the centre pin of this build which revolves around the generation of Adrenaline Points in order to make use of Flood of Anger's ability to upgrade a Sign to the highest level along with all those bonuses, as well as to make maximum use of Whirl and Rend. With this skill active in the Ability Tree you can guarantee you'll be accumulating AP very swiftly indeed.
Trick Shot:Shoot two bolts before needing to reload. This is a pretty nifty little skill when combined with the Cold Blood skill from the combat tree. By taking these skills the role of the crossbow becomes a means of guaranteeing a constant supply of adrenaline points even if a creature is not in melee range. This skill requires the Hearts of Stone dlc. A good substitute if you haven't got that content is Steady Shot, a general skill which increases crossbow damage by 25%
Combat Skills
Cold Blood 5/5 (Marksmanship):Each bolt that hits its target adds 0.04 (increasing to 0.2 at rank 5/5) Adrenaline Points. This is a skill about synergy. By using your crossbow coupled with DOT bolts whenever there is a break in combat you can ensure you are doing constant damage, build up your AP pool ready to unleash your Flood of Anger, Whirl or Rend moves and increase the chance to instantly kill your target thanks to the awesome Deadly Precision skill.
Deadly Precision 2/2 (Defense):Each Adrenaline Point adds 1% to the chance of killing an opponent instantly (increasing to 2% at rank 2/2. This is always cool when it procs as it slows down time for a moment allowing you to revel in it's glory. Because it affects both melee and crossbow attacks as well as benefits from the amount of AP points you have accumulated, the synergy of this skill should be obvious.
Anatomical Knowledge 5/5 (Marksmanship):Increases crossbow critical hit chance by 5% (increasing to 25% at 5/5). This skill is the complimentary synergy skill for Crippling Shot. Critical hits mean more damage and more chances of disabling a monster's special abilities. Despite it's low damage output, using Exploding Bolts or Broadhead Bolts to deal damage over time with either fire or bleeding will still keep the crossbow viable at high levels.
Crippling Shot 5/5 (Marksman):Critical hits dealt with the crossbow disable monster special abilities for 5 seconds (increasing to 25 seconds at rank 5/5). This odd skill seems to disable one special attack per enemy type. A griffin for example, will still fly and spit acid but loses it's vocal stun ability, foglets won't fog etc... This makes Crippling Shot a situational ability that I have found both useful and fitting for the Professional Witcher theme of the build.
Razor Focus 5/5 (Battle Trance):Instantly gain one Adrenaline Point when entering combat. The Adrenaline Points generated by sword blows are increased by 5% (increasing to 25% at rank 5/5). Have I mentioned synergy yet? I think you can see the value of this skill - entering combat with one AP already in your pool and generating points quicker with every sword blow? Yes please! This means that less time is needed before Flood of Anger, Whirl or Rend can be used most effectively.
Flood of Anger 5/5 (Battle Trance):When casting a Sign, 3 Adrenaline Points (if available) will be consumed to upgrade the Sign to the highest level (unlocking all bonuses) and increase Sign intensity by 25% (raising to +125% intensity at rank 5/5). With a steady stream of AP always being generated and an already impressive boost to Sign intensity thanks to armour and skill choices, the most powerful of Signs are available several times per battle. Be it using Quen for healing or Axii to gain a temporary ally, the options this skill provides are too god to pass up.
Whirl 5/5 (Fast Attack):Spinning attack that strikes all foes in the surrounding area. Maintaining the attack consumes Stamina and Adrenaline (consumes 50% less Stamina an AP atrank 5/5). Arguably the most fun to be had in W3 is in unleashing Whirl against a horde of enemies, sything through them like a dance of death. Using Whirl drains your stamina before consuming AP so the bigger your AP pool the longer Whirl will last.
Rend 5/5 (Strong Attack):Deals additional damage in proportion to the Stamina consumed. Ignores enemy Defense and increases critical hit chance by 10%. Adrenaline Point increase total damage by 33% (raising to 50% crit chance at rank 5/5). Rend is also pretty fun against shield-bearing or pike-wielding opponents as it ignores their feeble attempts at blocking. Notice how the amount of AP points increase the damage dealt per blow? Synergy.
Acquired Tolerance 3/3 (Alchemy, Mutagen):Every known level 1-3 alchemy formula increases maximum Toxicity by 1. Potion duration time: +5%-15%. This skill will allow for a high tolerance to potion toxicity allowing you to chain your favourite potions and decoctions without fear of depleting health. A true professional witcher will use oils and potions in battle, the more the merrier when this skill is activated.
Witcher Gear. Wolven or Griffin?
Both of these Mastercrafted Witcher gear suit The Professional as both have similar bonuses making the choice between armours come down to three factors, aesthetics, Attack Power and Adrenaline Points vs Sign intensity.
A complete set of Griffin School armour will suit those who are happy to generate Adrenaline Points slower but enjoy the extra power of al that bonus to Sign intensity when using Signs or unleashing Flood of Anger.
The Mastercrafted Griffin School gear will grant the following bonuses:
+50% Resistance to damage from monsters +50% Sign intensity +30% Resistance to piercing damage +20% Resistance to bludgeoning damage +35% Resistance to slashing damage +40% Resistance to elemental damage
Silver Sword:
410 Damage
Chance to Critical +5%
Critical Damage +25%
Chance to Dismember +10%
Bonus experience from Monsters +20%
Sign Intensity +15%
Steel Sword:
281 Damage
Crit Chance +5%
Crit Damage +15%
+5% Bonus experience from humans and nonhumans
Sign Intensity +20%
The Wolven Gear gives you less Sign intensity but compensates this loss with faster accumulation of Adrenaline Points and attack power.
A full set of Wolven Armour will grant the following bonuses:
+20% Adrenaline Point gain +25% Resistance to piercing damage +20% Resistance to bludgeoning damage +40% Resistance to slashing damage +50% Resistance to damage from monsters +40% Resistance to elemental damage +20% Attack power +20% Sign intensity
Wolven Silver Sword:
+10% Sign intensity +10% Adrenaline Point gain +10% Critical hit chance +10% Chance to cause bleeding +20% Bonus experience from monsters
Wolven Steel Sword:
+10% Sign intensity +10% Adrenaline Point gain +10% Critical hit chance +10% Chance to cause bleeding +5% Bonus experience from humans and non-humans
Roleplay
Like Three Brynn Dog's awesome School of the Wolf build which established the template and format for this build to follow, The Professional is a good guy and will generally help others if he comes across them in need. However he is a witcher first and will always want payment for taking on contracts. The distinction is that one is a spur of the moment choice while the other is a business transaction. Ultimately how far you go with the latter is, of course, down to you.
Combat:
I've pretty much said it all in the Skills section but the idea in a nutshell is to be actively generating Adrenaline Points by attacking with your swords, crossbow and signs. The more AP you have the more powerful you become, able to cast stronger signs in a Flood of Anger, do more damage with Rend, be able to Whirl for longer and increase your chances of instantly killing an opponent with Deadly Precision.
In the video below I tried, albeit poorly, to show many of these things in a short story. It was hard work and the outcome less than stellar, but I think I've dotted all the "I"'s in this build.
This has been a blast to play, even more so in that it is part of the General Group's Hero event. So thanks Spookyborn for this event and giving those of us who are not in a TES or Fallout place right now something to contribute to this site.
Thanks to Brynn Three Dog who's build format and template I have shamelessly copied and embellished.
And thank you for reading.
Of course, it is an indisputable fact that the mutations witchers undergo influence their temperament, immune system, strength and endurance, yet one cannot consider then unthinking beings forged only for killing as a result. In fact, witchers cultivate a unique culture, a specialized body of knowledge, an effective training system and even a code of honor. They know an incredible amount about the effects of ingesting various organic and inorganic substances, and also a small amount, but but nevertheless something, about the fundamentals of magic (by which I mean the simple spells they call "Signs"). ~Witchers: Not Quite the Devils You Thought
Within the Witcher series Geralt has ever tried to remain neutral in all things yet rarely does he succeed. By having people in his life who he cares about and being a man of scruples, the neutrality he aspires to is rarely obtainable. He is truly a hero, despite his protestations in the trailer above. Yet despite all that he is still a Witcher, seen as heartless and cold to the people of the Continent, professional monster slayer, paid in coin of gold.
My goal with this build was to create a witcher character who is truly versatile and has many approaches to combat depending on how you wish to deal with each situation. Enjoying the use of powerful signs without activating a single Sign skill or sacrificing swordsmanship; using both Whirl and Rend without being devoted to either Fast or Strong attacks; and still able to use potions and alchemy without draining health all the while remaining true to the idea of what a Witcher is. To that end my skill focus revolved around the accumulation and expenditure of Adrenaline Points and the wonderful Flood of Anger skill.
It might seem excessive to take three General skills, but the key here is synergy. It is a word used a lot in builds but in this case it is definitely the best word to use as each of these skills will set you up for a great deal of options in combat which compliment each other perfectly. In the Ability Tree's mutagen slot I chose to place a Greater Blue Mutagen for a flat +10% to Sign intensity.
Griffin School Techniques:Each piece of medium armour increases critical Sign intensity by 5% and Stamina regeneration by 5%. Medium armour is the Path for this character as that boost to Sign intensity coupled with Master Crafted Griffin Armour will put you at a cool +70% with further boosts available thanks to Runestones, Glyphs and mutagens. Personally, though, I favoured Master Crafted Wolf gear and it's bonus to Adrenaline Point gain and Attack Power.
Adrenaline Burst:Increases Adrenaline generation by 5%. Using Signs now generates Adrenaline Points. This is the centre pin of this build which revolves around the generation of Adrenaline Points in order to make use of Flood of Anger's ability to upgrade a Sign to the highest level along with all those bonuses, as well as to make maximum use of Whirl and Rend. With this skill active in the Ability Tree you can guarantee you'll be accumulating AP very swiftly indeed.
Trick Shot:Shoot two bolts before needing to reload. This is a pretty nifty little skill when combined with the Cold Blood skill from the combat tree. By taking these skills the role of the crossbow becomes a means of guaranteeing a constant supply of adrenaline points even if a creature is not in melee range. This skill requires the Hearts of Stone dlc. A good substitute if you haven't got that content is Steady Shot, a general skill which increases crossbow damage by 25%
Combat Skills
Cold Blood 5/5 (Marksmanship):Each bolt that hits its target adds 0.04 (increasing to 0.2 at rank 5/5) Adrenaline Points. This is a skill about synergy. By using your crossbow coupled with DOT bolts whenever there is a break in combat you can ensure you are doing constant damage, build up your AP pool ready to unleash your Flood of Anger, Whirl or Rend moves and increase the chance to instantly kill your target thanks to the awesome Deadly Precision skill.
Deadly Precision 2/2 (Defense):Each Adrenaline Point adds 1% to the chance of killing an opponent instantly (increasing to 2% at rank 2/2. This is always cool when it procs as it slows down time for a moment allowing you to revel in it's glory. Because it affects both melee and crossbow attacks as well as benefits from the amount of AP points you have accumulated, the synergy of this skill should be obvious.
Anatomical Knowledge 5/5 (Marksmanship):Increases crossbow critical hit chance by 5% (increasing to 25% at 5/5). This skill is the complimentary synergy skill for Crippling Shot. Critical hits mean more damage and more chances of disabling a monster's special abilities. Despite it's low damage output, using Exploding Bolts or Broadhead Bolts to deal damage over time with either fire or bleeding will still keep the crossbow viable at high levels.
Crippling Shot 5/5 (Marksman):Critical hits dealt with the crossbow disable monster special abilities for 5 seconds (increasing to 25 seconds at rank 5/5). This odd skill seems to disable one special attack per enemy type. A griffin for example, will still fly and spit acid but loses it's vocal stun ability, foglets won't fog etc... This makes Crippling Shot a situational ability that I have found both useful and fitting for the Professional Witcher theme of the build.
Razor Focus 5/5 (Battle Trance):Instantly gain one Adrenaline Point when entering combat. The Adrenaline Points generated by sword blows are increased by 5% (increasing to 25% at rank 5/5). Have I mentioned synergy yet? I think you can see the value of this skill - entering combat with one AP already in your pool and generating points quicker with every sword blow? Yes please! This means that less time is needed before Flood of Anger, Whirl or Rend can be used most effectively.
Flood of Anger 5/5 (Battle Trance):When casting a Sign, 3 Adrenaline Points (if available) will be consumed to upgrade the Sign to the highest level (unlocking all bonuses) and increase Sign intensity by 25% (raising to +125% intensity at rank 5/5). With a steady stream of AP always being generated and an already impressive boost to Sign intensity thanks to armour and skill choices, the most powerful of Signs are available several times per battle. Be it using Quen for healing or Axii to gain a temporary ally, the options this skill provides are too god to pass up.
Whirl 5/5 (Fast Attack):Spinning attack that strikes all foes in the surrounding area. Maintaining the attack consumes Stamina and Adrenaline (consumes 50% less Stamina an AP atrank 5/5). Arguably the most fun to be had in W3 is in unleashing Whirl against a horde of enemies, sything through them like a dance of death. Using Whirl drains your stamina before consuming AP so the bigger your AP pool the longer Whirl will last.
Rend 5/5 (Strong Attack):Deals additional damage in proportion to the Stamina consumed. Ignores enemy Defense and increases critical hit chance by 10%. Adrenaline Point increase total damage by 33% (raising to 50% crit chance at rank 5/5). Rend is also pretty fun against shield-bearing or pike-wielding opponents as it ignores their feeble attempts at blocking. Notice how the amount of AP points increase the damage dealt per blow? Synergy.
Acquired Tolerance 3/3 (Alchemy, Mutagen):Every known level 1-3 alchemy formula increases maximum Toxicity by 1. Potion duration time: +5%-15%. This skill will allow for a high tolerance to potion toxicity allowing you to chain your favourite potions and decoctions without fear of depleting health. A true professional witcher will use oils and potions in battle, the more the merrier when this skill is activated.
Witcher Gear. Wolven or Griffin?
Both of these Mastercrafted Witcher gear suit The Professional as both have similar bonuses making the choice between armours come down to three factors, aesthetics, Attack Power and Adrenaline Points vs Sign intensity.
A complete set of Griffin School armour will suit those who are happy to generate Adrenaline Points slower but enjoy the extra power of al that bonus to Sign intensity when using Signs or unleashing Flood of Anger.
The Mastercrafted Griffin School gear will grant the following bonuses:
+50% Resistance to damage from monsters +50% Sign intensity +30% Resistance to piercing damage +20% Resistance to bludgeoning damage +35% Resistance to slashing damage +40% Resistance to elemental damage
Silver Sword:
410 Damage
Chance to Critical +5%
Critical Damage +25%
Chance to Dismember +10%
Bonus experience from Monsters +20%
Sign Intensity +15%
Steel Sword:
281 Damage
Crit Chance +5%
Crit Damage +15%
+5% Bonus experience from humans and nonhumans
Sign Intensity +20%
The Wolven Gear gives you less Sign intensity but compensates this loss with faster accumulation of Adrenaline Points and attack power.
A full set of Wolven Armour will grant the following bonuses:
+20% Adrenaline Point gain +25% Resistance to piercing damage +20% Resistance to bludgeoning damage +40% Resistance to slashing damage +50% Resistance to damage from monsters +40% Resistance to elemental damage +20% Attack power +20% Sign intensity
Wolven Silver Sword:
+10% Sign intensity +10% Adrenaline Point gain +10% Critical hit chance +10% Chance to cause bleeding +20% Bonus experience from monsters
Wolven Steel Sword:
+10% Sign intensity +10% Adrenaline Point gain +10% Critical hit chance +10% Chance to cause bleeding +5% Bonus experience from humans and non-humans
Roleplay
Like Three Brynn Dog's awesome School of the Wolf build which established the template and format for this build to follow, The Professional is a good guy and will generally help others if he comes across them in need. However he is a witcher first and will always want payment for taking on contracts. The distinction is that one is a spur of the moment choice while the other is a business transaction. Ultimately how far you go with the latter is, of course, down to you.
Combat:
I've pretty much said it all in the Skills section but the idea in a nutshell is to be actively generating Adrenaline Points by attacking with your swords, crossbow and signs. The more AP you have the more powerful you become, able to cast stronger signs in a Flood of Anger, do more damage with Rend, be able to Whirl for longer and increase your chances of instantly killing an opponent with Deadly Precision.
In the video below I tried, albeit poorly, to show many of these things in a short story. It was hard work and the outcome less than stellar, but I think I've dotted all the "I"'s in this build.
This has been a blast to play, even more so in that it is part of the General Group's Hero event. So thanks Spookyborn for this event and giving those of us who are not in a TES or Fallout place right now something to contribute to this site.
Thanks to Brynn Three Dog who's build format and template I have shamelessly copied and embellished.
Hmm, a marksman witcher. This seems really interesting and worth a try.
You know what´s best about Witcher 3? That you can test other people´s builds anytime you want. I´ll give this a spin once I find some time to play Witcher!
Though I want to ask. Is that +300 vitality really worth it? Wouldn´t it be better to put Red Mutagen there to get 30% Attack Power?
Great job, Phil.
Hmm, a marksman witcher. This seems really interesting and worth a try.
You know what´s best about Witcher 3? That you can test other people´s builds anytime you want. I´ll give this a spin once I find some time to play Witcher!
Though I want to ask. Is that +300 vitality really worth it? Wouldn´t it be better to put Red Mutagen there to get 30% Attack Power?
Hmm, that's actually my place holder picture from an incomplete build. If you look closely you can see some of those skills aren't 5/5 - I will correct now, thanks for the spot. I can't recall whether I stuck with the green mutagen or not but you're right, 300 vitality is pants
Thanks for the kind words Karves, This guy is probably not as durable as your tank alchemist but I think it makes up for it by being versatile.
Edit: I remember why now, I didn't have another greater red mutagen. Because this was from the first version of the game in which mutagens didn't work as intended until patch 1.08 or whatever, I didn't bother with them All fixed now, although I still only use a regular Griffin mutagen.
Hmm, that's actually my place holder picture from an incomplete build. If you look closely you can see some of those skills aren't 5/5 - I will correct now, thanks for the spot. I can't recall whether I stuck with the green mutagen or not but you're right, 300 vitality is pants
Thanks for the kind words Karves, This guy is probably not as durable as your tank alchemist but I think it makes up for it by being versatile.
Edit: I remember why now, I didn't have another greater red mutagen. Because this was from the first version of the game in which mutagens didn't work as intended until patch 1.08 or whatever, I didn't bother with them All fixed now, although I still only use a regular Griffin mutagen.
I´ll have to make that build one day. Maybe I should do it in the next 10 days before Fallout 4 will be out...Still considering if I should do that build with heavy armor (which has same armor rating as medium, but has more resistances) or with medium armor for more universal approach.
But anyways, I don´t think you really need to be a tank with this build, where you can damage enemies from afar with ease. Especially when you build your Adrenaline and then use Advanced Yrden. That spell can turn the combat into shooting range, where you can snipe your enemies with crossbow, because they´re not able to get to you.
I´ll have to make that build one day. Maybe I should do it in the next 10 days before Fallout 4 will be out...Still considering if I should do that build with heavy armor (which has same armor rating as medium, but has more resistances) or with medium armor for more universal approach.
But anyways, I don´t think you really need to be a tank with this build, where you can damage enemies from afar with ease. Especially when you build your Adrenaline and then use Advanced Yrden. That spell can turn the combat into shooting range, where you can snipe your enemies with crossbow, because they´re not able to get to you.
Great build Phil, I like the combination of Archery and Melee combat, though I swear I have never seen that Trick Shot talent/skill before. Is it a new one from a recent update or am I just blind? Either way this seems like a really interesting combat style, and a pretty damn cool build.
Though, I do want to pass thison. A handy Witcher 3 skill calcutlor that might make some of the display a little easier. Though I think the amount of information you went into does really show off the build...Ah well, there it is anyway.
An easy +1 from me Phil, and thanks for participating in the Event.
Great build Phil, I like the combination of Archery and Melee combat, though I swear I have never seen that Trick Shot talent/skill before. Is it a new one from a recent update or am I just blind? Either way this seems like a really interesting combat style, and a pretty damn cool build.
Though, I do want to pass thison. A handy Witcher 3 skill calcutlor that might make some of the display a little easier. Though I think the amount of information you went into does really show off the build...Ah well, there it is anyway.
An easy +1 from me Phil, and thanks for participating in the Event.
Ah, that explains it, I won't be getting HoS for a while, nor have I played 1.10 yet, apparently it's from HoS if that helps, so I'd add a little on it being necessary for that particular skill (and add a possible alternative skill).
Ah, that explains it, I won't be getting HoS for a while, nor have I played 1.10 yet, apparently it's from HoS if that helps, so I'd add a little on it being necessary for that particular skill (and add a possible alternative skill).
All fixed now, although I still only use a regular Griffin mutagen.