Upgrading Geralt’s armor and weaponry isn’t always as simple as refining the original piece with more crafting materials for an all-around stat boost. In fact, there are multiple ways to make gear more effective in The Witcher 3.

This guide will cover the how-tos of enhancing socketed equipment, along with the ins and outs of Witcher Gear and what sets of armor are best suited for various playstyles.

Upgrading Gear

Outside of witcher gear, there are two means of upgrading gear in The Witcher 3. Witcher gear is the only armor that can be upgraded in the traditional sense. Other pieces can only receive minor enhancements by way of runestones and glyphs.

Socketing Runestones and Glyphs

Some weapons and pieces of armor will have sockets on them — indicated by at least one empty circle — in which runestones and glyphs may be fitted. Runestones and glyphs may only be socketed in gear that is currently equipped. By selecting a runestone or glyph, some text will appear prompting the player to socket the item. They may then choose a compatible piece of equipped gear in which to fasten the runestone or glyph.

Runestones fit into weapon sockets and generally provide some sort of additional damage or a greater critical hit ratio.

Glyphs are fastened to pieces of armor and increase the power of Geralt’s signs. The various glyphs boost the intensity of each sign, respectively.

TIP: Players can reclaim socketed runestones and glyphs from outdated gear by dismantling the equipment as opposed to selling it.

Upgrading Witcher Gear

The other form of upgrading is by tiering up the basic quality Witcher Gear, obtainable through quests known as Scavenger Hunts. Scavenger Hunts can be found by chance during Geralt’s travels, or more reliably by buying them from Merchants. These quests serve as maps leading to a set of diagrams, which Geralt can bring to a smithy to craft the corresponding equipment. The collections of Witcher Gear correlate to various witcher schools. Each school set has an individual string of scavenger hunts to complete in order to upgrade the gear fully.

There are five levels of Witcher Gear:

  • Basic Enhanced Superior Mastercrafted Grandmaster.

The base sets must be upgraded through the tiers to reach the final Grandmaster tier. If the process didn’t seem long enough, the Mastercrafted and Grandmaster tiers are quest-locked. Additionally, the Grandmaster tier is locked behind DLC.

Tier Level Requirements

Basic - Level 11

Enhanced - Level 18

Superior - Level 26

Mastercrafted - Level 34, Quest-locked

Grandmaster - Level 40, Quest-locked

Unlocking Mastercrafted Gear

There are two quests that unlock Mastercrafted armor and Mastercrafted weapons respectively. We won’t go into full quest guides here, but below are the requisite quests and where you can pick them up.

Mastercrafted Armor - Requires completion of the secondary quest, “Master Armorers.” (To start this quest, speak to Fergus Graem at the armorer’s stall in Crow’s Perch in Velen.)

Mastercrafted Weapons - Requires completion of the secondary quest, “Of Swords and Dumplings.” (To start this quest, speak to Hattori at his shop in Novigrad, just North of the Portside Gate and Glory Gate fast travel markers.)

Warning: “Master Armorers” and “Of Sword and Dumplings” are recommended for level 24, meaning you shouldn’t attempt them any lower than level 20 if you’re not an expert at the game.

Unlocking Grandmaster Gear

Like Mastercrafted witcher gear, the Grandmaster tier is also quest-locked, however, it is also an expansion exclusive. The Witcher 3’s Blood & Wine DLC includes the quest “Master Master Master Master” which Geralt can pick up from Lazare Lafargue at his workshop in Hauteville. Additionally, the five corresponding Scavenger Hunts are only bestowed by the Mastercrafter smithy in Toussiant.

The tedious questing is worth the payoff, though. Grandmaster sets are a bonus in themselves, granting an additional perk with 3 Grandmaster pieces of the same set equipped simultaneously and a second perk when Geralt is wearing the complete set.

Warning: The game suggests a minimum level of 40 before attempting “Master Master Master Master,” meaning it is definitely too tough for any newcomers below the level of 35 or even 36.

The “Best” Armor Sets

While Witcher Gear isn’t the end all be all, the various witcher sets are many players’ go-to equipment. All Witcher Gear is pretty even in terms of base armor and damage, so it’s the buffs and debuffs players should pay attention to. Different gear is going to be better for various skill builds.

Griffin (Sign Build)

The Griffin School gear is attainable earlier on, proving to be the best option for Geralt in the early game. Additionally, the Griffin Gear is best suited for Sign builds given the gears’ Sign intensity buff and additional Grandmaster perks.

Grandmaster perks

  • After using stamina to cast a sign, a consecutive sign won’t cost stamina. Geralt casts a larger Yerden circle that enables stamina regeneration, an increase in sign intensity, and a decrease in incoming damage within its boundaries.

Ursine (Tanky Sign Build)

The Ursine Gear correlates with the Witcher School of the Bear. As such, it is quite a tanky set capable of keeping Geralt well protected. Players should keep in mind heavy armor slows stamina regeneration. But the equipment’s Grandmaster perks account for that shortcoming by focusing on aggressive defense and incorporating a stamina buff.

Grandmaster Perks

  • Shattered Quen signs may automatically cast another without using stamina. Damage dealt by the Quen sign is increased by 200%.

Feline (Tactical Swordmaster Build)

The Feline Gear is built on prowess and is excellent for players who rely primarily on their swords and tactical maneuvers. However, this set is very unforgiving of any missteps.

  • Successful Strong attacks boost the damage of Fast attacks that land within the following five seconds. Sword attacks from behind have an additional chance of stunning the opponent.

Manticore Grandmaster (Alchemy/Bomb Build)

The Manticore set is excellent for a bomb build, which can be immensely helpful later in the game. Additionally, this set offers an increased toxicity threshold. Unlike the other Witcher School Gear sets, it’s only available at the Grandmaster tier.

  • Critical hit chance and critical damage apply to bombs as well. The max stockpile of each alchemy item is increased by one.

Witcher Gear is undoubtedly beneficial when looking to specialize. But bear in mind that the additional perks do not take effect until three or more equipped pieces of the set have reached the Grandmaster tier.

Lower-tiered Witcher Gear is not the end all be all, and Geralt may be better off in something else if the player doesn’t lean heavily towards one set of skills. The Tesham Mutna Armor set, for example, doesn’t boast incredible base armor or damage. Still, it offers a restorative vitality perk — an advantage Geralt can utilize no matter his battle strategy.

The best gear in The Witcher 3 is going to depend on the player’s personal preference for skill builds. If a player’s not keen on any single specialization, Runes and Glyphs are a great way to customize gear upgrades while utilizing gear that may have more base armor or damage value than Witcher Gear. To that end, unsure players should take some time to test out various battle tactics and see which style suits them best, before investing time and resources into any lengthy upgrades.

NEXT: The Witcher 3: Complete Guide And Walkthrough