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To know what a monster in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is weak to, work through three checks in order: the sword cue on the health bar, the oil that matches the creature’s class, and the Sign, bomb or potion listed for that specific entry. The game’s Bestiary entry is the final authority. Class-level oils and item patterns are a reliable starting point, but they are defaults, not guarantees.
Start with the Bestiary entry
PlayStation’s beginner guide for the game puts it plainly: “The key to success in monster hunting is preparation, and knowing your enemy will make all the difference.” In practice, that means opening the creature’s Bestiary entry before you engage, because it is the only place where the individual vulnerabilities for that creature are shown in the game’s own terms.
Prima Games’ Bestiary guide explains how these vulnerability lists should be read. A listed weakness is a helpful tactic, not a complete list of everything that can work. If an item you have is not on the list, it is not necessarily useless. Test it, and rely on what the creature actually does in the fight.
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Sword choice is not universal. According to PlayStation, the colour of the health bar tells you which sword to use:
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- Grey health bar: use a silver sword. PlayStation describes silver as suited to monsters such as griffins, wraiths and werewolves.
- Red health bar: use a steel sword. PlayStation describes steel as suited to bandits and wild animals.
Many monster-class reference entries specify silver. Beast entries commonly list steel, with named exceptions. The Beast of Beauclair is one of those exceptions in AllThings.How’s table, which lists it with silver swords. If a named creature is not covered by these rules, check its Bestiary entry instead of assuming the class default.
Use the class oil as your default
AllThings.How’s Witcher 3 Bestiary table, updated September 28, 2026, groups creatures into 11 classes, and each class has a matching oil. The table below lists the class oil and the Sign, bomb or potion patterns that recur across that class. These are patterns from the table, not universal rules for every creature in the class.
| Class | Class oil | Recurring items in the table |
|---|---|---|
| Beasts | Beast Oil | Steel is the usual sword. Quen and Yrden appear on some entries, and Igni on others. |
| Cursed ones | Cursed Oil | Moon Dust and Devil’s Puffball recur. Igni appears on some entries. |
| Draconids | Draconid Oil | Aard and Grapeshot are common on flyers. Golden Oriole appears on some. |
| Elementa | Elementa Oil | Dimeritium recurs across the class. Northern Wind, Quen, Igni and Axii appear on some entries. |
| Hybrids | Hybrid Oil | Grapeshot is common. Aard appears on some entries, and Igni on others. |
| Insectoids | Insectoid Oil | Golden Oriole is common on poisonous species. Yrden and White Honey appear on some entries. |
| Necrophages | Necrophage Oil | Igni, Quen, Yrden, Northern Wind and Black Blood appear on different entries. |
| Ogroids | Ogroid Oil | Quen appears on several giant and troll entries. Northern Wind and Igni appear on others. |
| Relicts | Relict Oil | Devil’s Puffball is common. Dimeritium and Igni appear on forest spirits. |
| Specters | Specter Oil | Yrden and Moon Dust recur, but not on every entry. Blizzard and Igni appear on some. |
| Vampires | Vampire Oil | Moon Dust, Black Blood, Yrden, Devil’s Puffball and Igni vary by vampire. |
Reading the Sign, bomb and potion patterns
Items appear in patterns across classes. The examples below come from AllThings.How’s table and show how the same item can work on very different targets. Always confirm the item against the creature’s own entry.
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Yrden and Moon Dust against specters
Yrden and Moon Dust recur across the specter class, but the table does not list them on every specter. Hyms are listed with Igni, and Ethereal with Blizzard. The entry-specific combination is the one to follow.
Aard against flying draconids and hybrids
Aard appears on many flying draconids and hybrids. Erynias and griffins list both Grapeshot and Aard. Harpies list Grapeshot but not Aard, so the flying class default does not hold for every flyer.
Dimeritium against elementa and forest relicts
Dimeritium recurs across the elementa class and appears on forest spirits such as leshens and spriggans, which also list Igni. Pixies are listed with Elementa Oil only.
Quen, Igni and Northern Wind on the ground-based classes
Quen appears on several giant and troll entries and on Gargoyles. Igni shows up on many entries, including Drowners, werewolves, Hounds of the Wild Hunt and sirens. Northern Wind appears on Fire Elementals, nekkers, Hagubman and water hags. Water hags also list Quen and Igni.
Named creatures to check individually
The table below collects the named creatures discussed in AllThings.How’s reference. Where the source extract does not state a sword for a creature, the cell says so rather than guessing.
| Creature | Class | Sword | Oil | Listed Signs, bombs and potions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear | Beasts | Steel (AllThings.How) | Beast Oil | Quen |
| Boar | Beasts | Steel (AllThings.How) | Beast Oil | Igni, Yrden |
| Beast of Beauclair | Beasts | Silver (named exception) | Beast Oil | Not stated in the reviewed extract; check entry |
| Werewolf | Cursed ones | Silver (PlayStation) | Cursed Oil | Moon Dust, Devil’s Puffball, Igni |
| Griffin | Hybrids | Silver (PlayStation) | Hybrid Oil | Grapeshot, Aard |
| Silver Basilisk | Draconids | Not stated in the reviewed extract | Draconid Oil | Igni (listed instead of Grapeshot) |
| Drowner | Necrophages | Not stated in the reviewed extract | Necrophage Oil | Igni |
| Grave hag | Necrophages | Not stated in the reviewed extract | Necrophage Oil | Black Blood, Quen, Yrden |
| Water hag | Necrophages | Not stated in the reviewed extract | Necrophage Oil | Northern Wind, Quen, Igni |
| Fire Elemental | Elementa | Not stated in the reviewed extract | Elementa Oil | Northern Wind |
| Gargoyle | Elementa | Not stated in the reviewed extract | Elementa Oil | Quen |
| Hounds of the Wild Hunt | Elementa | Not stated in the reviewed extract | Elementa Oil | Igni, Axii |
| Pixie | Elementa | Not stated in the reviewed extract | Elementa Oil | None listed beyond the oil |
| Chort | Relicts | Not stated in the reviewed extract | Relict Oil | Devil’s Puffball |
| Leshen and spriggan | Relicts | Not stated in the reviewed extract | Relict Oil | Dimeritium, Igni |
| Kikimore | Insectoids | Not stated in the reviewed extract | Insectoid Oil | White Honey, Igni |
| Ethereal | Specters | Not stated in the reviewed extract | Specter Oil | Blizzard |
| Hym | Specters | Not stated in the reviewed extract | Specter Oil | Igni |
| Godling | Relicts | Not applicable | Not applicable | Marked “n/a” in the table; described as not fightable |
Two entries need extra care. Rotfiends explode when they die or when you get close, so do not stand over them with a plan built around prolonged melee. Dettlaff’s vampire entry differs from the usual lesser-vampire pattern, so do not carry lesser-vampire items into that fight without checking his entry.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How complete is the class table?
The AllThings.How table says it covers the base game, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine across 11 classes. GamesLantern’s Bestiary index, labelled version 4.04, reports 126 entries and also shows an Unclassed group that does not map neatly onto those 11 classes. The reviewed sources do not show a reconciliation proving that the 11-class table covers every one of those entries. Treat the class table as a practical guide to common weaknesses, and check the in-game Bestiary for any creature that is missing or unclear.
The 126-entry figure is a count from GamesLantern, a fan reference site, and was not published by the developer.
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- Open the creature’s Bestiary entry from the in-game menu and note its listed vulnerabilities.
- Look at the health bar when the fight starts. Grey means switch to silver; red means steel.
- Apply the class oil from the table above, unless the entry says otherwise.
- Prepare the Signs, bombs and potions listed for that entry, and keep one or two in reserve for listed items that you have not yet tested.
- If a listed item does not seem to work, fall back on what the creature is doing in the fight rather than on the class default.
Keep in mind that the reviewed sources treat the sword rules and class oils as strong defaults. The entry-level Bestiary text remains the final answer for any individual creature.
Sources and currency
This guide draws on three sources. PlayStation’s beginner guide covers the official sword cues, the Bestiary and the use of oils and bombs, but it does not list every weakness. AllThings.How’s Bestiary table, updated September 28, 2026, supplies the named weakness lists and the 11-class groupings. Prima Games’ Bestiary guide, from the Complete Edition guide, explains how to read vulnerability lists. The GamesLantern index, labelled version 4.04, provides the 126-entry count. None of these is a developer-published database, so check the in-game Bestiary whenever a published list and the game disagree.
Where the class table and an individual entry conflict, the entry is the one to follow.
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