The Witcher 3’s gameplay is all about hacking, slashing, and pirouetting through monsters and human baddies. Those new to the game may notice that Geralt, the player character, always carries two swords with him — one in steel and another in silver. While it does make him look cool, Geralt has more practical reasons for using two different sword materials.
Geralt carries both swords on his back in the games, which makes it easy for players to swap weapons mid-fight. In the show and novels, however, he keeps his steel blade on his person and stores his silver sword in a scabbard attached tohis horse Roach. This indicates that Geralt reserves his silver blade for specific types of enemies.
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Why Witchers Swear by Steel Swords
InThe Witcher 3, Geralt uses his steel sword on human, nonhuman, and beast enemies. Nonhumans refer to elves, dryads, dwarves, and other intelligent humanoid creatures, while beasts refer to animals like bears and wolves. Players can hurt monsters with steel, but the damage is meager. Even if they use the Black Unicorn, the most powerful steel sword in the game, they’ll struggle against even the weakest Drowners.
In the TV series and books, Geralt uses steel for almost all enemies, regardless if they’re human, beast, or monster. He even brought down a Kikimora using his steel sword in the pilot episode of the Netflix show. There are different reasons as to why the Rivian prefers to have a steel blade at the ready. For one, steel is strong and durable, especially when properly cared for. These qualities make it the perfect sword material for the practical and self-sufficientWitchers of Kaer Morhen. Steel is also easy to work with, so swords made from this material are affordable to repair and replace.
The Witcher’s Silver Sword: A Potent Tool Against Special Opponents
When Geralt encounters a monster inThe Witcher 3, he automatically swaps to his silver sword. According to the game’s lore, this material islethal to magical beasts, a description that applies to most monsters. He also deals with flying enemies with a crossbow equipped with silver bolts.
In the books and show, Geralt uses his silver blade, along withWitcher potions and oils, against cursed ones, vampires, and other creatures born of magic. He rarely comes across these monsters, so he stashes his silver sword with Roach. Silver blades are lighter and more compact compared to their steel counterparts, so Geralt can effectively use them with one hand. This makes the Witcher more nimble in combat, while also freeing his secondary hand for sign casting, potion guzzling, and bomb throwing.
One might think it’s better for Witchers to just carry a silver sword since it’s effective against any creature. However, silver is significantly softer than steel, so it wears out faster. This material is also rarer than iron, making silver blades more expensive to repair and replace than their steel counterparts. Plus, a Witcher’s silver sword is their only reliable tool againstpowerful monsters like Bruxas and Djinns, so when it breaks mid-fight, they’re defenseless. For these reasons, Geralt only brings out his silver blade when it’s his only option to defeat a monster.
One could see Witchers as everyday contract workers who treat their swords as tools that get the job done as efficiently as possible.Steel swordsare durable and cheap, making them the perfect weapons for usual enemies, like humans and beasts. Silver, on the other hand, has special properties that are best reserved for tougher opponents like Strigas, Vampires, and Specters. However, it’s also valid to just think that carrying two swords makes Geralt look a lot more intimidating.
The Witcher 3: Wild Huntis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
