The world of “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” is vast and filled with countless adventures and treasures to uncover. Among the notable gear sets available to players, the Viper School Gear stands out for its unique attributes and the relatively early point in the game at which it can be acquired. The Viper School Gear set, especially the silver and steel swords, offers a significant advantage to players starting their journey in the White Orchard region. These weapons come in regular and poisoned variants, which enhance their effectiveness in combat. Below is a comprehensive examination of these swords, detailing the quests required to obtain them, their crafting requirements, and the strategic advantages they offer.
Understanding the Viper School Swords
The Viper School study of swordsmanship is renowned across the Northern Kingdoms for its efficacy against both human adversaries and the monsters that roam the land. The School of the Viper, notable for its ruthless approach, produced gear that mirrors its founders’ cold and pragmatic ethos. Viper swords are famed for their ability to inflict poison on adversaries, an attribute that can significantly tilt the balance of a fight in the Witcher’s favor.
The Scavenger Hunt: Viper School Gear
The quest known as “Scavenger Hunt: Viper School Gear” facilitates the acquisition of the Viper School swords. Located in the White Orchard region, this treasure hunt begins when players inadvertently stumble upon one of two critical diagrams that instruct Geralt in crafting these potent swords. This region, teeming with life and latent danger, serves as an introductory playground for new witchers testing their mettle.
The quest to complete the Viper School Gear is interwoven with the initial stages of the game’s main plot. Players who seek to enhance their arsenal early on will find pursuing this gear immediately rewarding. Each sword requires a diagram, and once obtained, players can engage in crafting these weapons with the help of a competent blacksmith.
Locating the Diagrams
The journey to obtain the Viper swords begins with the collection of their respective crafting diagrams.
- Serpentine Steel Sword Diagram: This diagram is found in a Bandit Camp located west of the Ransacked Village in White Orchard. The player must navigate their way past a group of deserters to loot a chest containing the precious blueprint. The camp, replete with makeshift barricades and a fallen brick wall, requires keen observation and precision in overcoming its defenses. Navigating the terrain involves some strategic climbing, culminating in a successful acquisition from a chest in the camp’s eastern echelons.
- Serpentine Silver Sword Diagram: The diagram for this sword resides in a more spectral haunt. Found in a graveyard north of the Mill, players will encounter a place of power, guarded by a formidable level 7 Wraith. Employing the Yrden Sign and Specter Oil proves valuable as players overcome this adversary. Upon besting the Wraith, players can access a crypt where the diagram rests amidst the skeletal remains and assorted treasures.
Crafting the Viper Swords
Once the diagrams are obtained, crafting these weapons requires a visit to a skilled blacksmith. Understanding the component requirements for each sword is critical to ensuring a smooth crafting process.
Serpentine Steel Sword Crafting
The crafting of the Serpentine Steel Sword demands several specific resources. Players must prepare:
- Leather Straps: Obtainable through vendors or crafting using leather scraps.
- Iron Ingot: Purchasable from blacksmiths, craftable from raw iron ore, or lootable in White Orchard.
- Emerald Dust: A rarer find but obtainable from monster loot, especially the Noonwraith found during the “Devil by the Well” contract.
- Venom Extract: Can be looted from beasts such as ghouls and other poison-associated creatures found in the vicinity of White Orchard.
Serpentine Sliver Sword Crafting
For the Serpentine Silver Sword, similar diligence must be applied in resource gathering:
- Leather Straps: As noted above, they are commonly available from blacksmiths.
- Silver Ingot: Requires crafting from silver ore or purchasing directly if economically viable, an endeavor that involves thorough exploration and economic management.
- Venom Extract: Ensure ample supply by combating relevant creature encounters.
Table of materials for a quick overview:
| Item | Source |
|---|---|
| Leather Straps | Vendors, Crafting |
| Iron Ingot | Vendors, Crafting/Exploration |
| Emerald Dust | Monster Loot, Vendors |
| Venom Extract | Monster Loot |
| Silver Ingot | Crafting, Exploration |
Combat Advantages and Usage
Both swords confer a measurable advantage to players, especially in the early stages of “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.”
Strategic Combat Benefits
The Serpentine Steel Sword bolsters the Witcher’s potential in dealing with human foes. Its ability to poison adversaries marginally increases in combat utility due to the nature of prolonged engagements, particularly in crowd-control situations against bands of marauders or soldiers.
The Serpentine Silver Sword, contrariwise, focuses on creature combat. Its enhanced interactions with spectral and vile adversaries ensure that players can remain competitive against opponents with substantial resistances and hit points. The silver sword also amplifies the Aard sign’s effectiveness by 10%, thus broadening Geralt’s strategic arsenal in battle.
Poison Variant and Effects
The poison variants of these weapons heighten their lethality. Poison status inflicts ongoing damage, skewing longer fights in Geralt’s favor and allowing for tactical retreats and healing where necessary. This additional damage factor compares favorably against typical arms, providing extended offensive capability beyond immediate strikes.
Conclusion
In “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt,” the Viper School’s Silver and Steel swords stand as testament to the power of preparation and inquisitive gameplay. By securing these weapons early on, players garner an edge that facilitates the engagement with the richly detailed world CD Projekt Red has crafted. The located and crafted Viper weapons not only enhance Geralt’s combat performance but also immerse players deeper into the lore and strategic layers the game offers. Through calculated exploration and resource management, equipping these deadly blades exemplifies the resourceful heart of a true Witcher.
