Witcher 3 has a huge world filled to the brim with tons of content like sidequests and map markers that hide all kinds of goodies and monsters to slay. Speaking of monsters, a Witcher is trained to be a bonafide monster hitman, and the plethora of monsters that inhibit this land pose a constant threat to Geralt. Some of these monsters are your basic enemies but some are huge freaks of nature that can very easily crush the Witcher.
To stand a chance against the likes of such monsters, the Witcher needs to hone their skills and level up to be able to stand toe to toe. Leveling up also helps unlock skills and powers that are used to create unique builds that push the Witcher to the next level of monster hunting. As with any RPG, in Witcher, you get Experience Points (XP) to level up which you get from killing monsters or completing quests and the more you progress your levels the more XP is required to reach the next level.
So to gain as much XP as you can to level up faster, we have put together this article that guides you with multiple ways and methods of gaining XP quickly and ultimately leveling up faster. It will cover different methods of acquiring XP depending on whether you are in the early game or late game.
Related: Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Witcher 3
Leveling Up In Witcher 3
Witcher 3 is an RPG and following in the steps of this genre there is a huge emphasis placed on leveling and XP. Depending on your level you will be able to do all kinds of things that you weren’t able to before like:
- Equipping better high-level gear like armor and weapons
- Accept and/or complete high-level main quests and side quests
- Take on harder high-level enemies
Many activities, if not all, reward Geralt with XP points so it is better that you indulge and take part in all of them. Not only will they give XP but there are other rewards that will benefit your playthrough as well.
Basic Tips For Gaining XP
There are a lot of ways you can get XP in Witcher 3 and if you are a vigilant player who travels the land checking off everything on the map then there will be no issue for you to consistently level up. Though there are some tips that you can utilize to boost the XP you gain while you are adventuring.
Quests
As a Witcher roaming the lands, you will be bombarded with all kinds of quests along your journey. Your monster-hunting and detective prowess are in great demand wherever you set foot. From the main quests which you get from the very beginning to the ones you get from bumping into quest givers, you will be swimming in many jobs to do. These quests are the best method for getting a good sum of XP as a reward.
The quests will be stored in your Quests tab in the options menu and from there you can track them and also see what is the suggested level for the quest. It is recommended that you complete quests that are close to your current level otherwise if you level up too much and complete lower-level quests then you won’t be rewarded much XP.
Trophy
When you defeat noteworthy monsters or bosses you will sometimes receive a Trophy. This trophy is usually the head of the monster that Geralt hangs on the side of his horse (Roach) to show off his badassness. Not only are the trophies there for bragging rights but they also provide some sort of a perk to the Witcher. Simply go to the Inventory section in the options and equip the trophy onto Roach. there are many trophies that will give bonus XP from killing enemies. Check the details of the perk/bonus in the inventory and equip the one that suits your current enemy type or situation.
Related: Best Ways to Make Money in The Witcher 3
Witcher Gear
There are distinct Witcher armors and swords that belong to the many Witcher schools in the world. These gears are the best in the game and can even be upgraded over time to increase their effectiveness. Many of these swords will also have a bonus XP perk on them so we advise that you equip one of these Witcher swords to gain as much XP as you can.
Explore The Map
When you open the map in Witcher 3 you will see a crap ton of question marks (?) all over it. These markers hide all kinds of activities and some of them are a good source of getting loot and some even reward a good amount of XP to complete like destroying monster nests. Following these markers will also reveal some hidden quests that can eventually lead to rewards and XP too. Instead of looking for farming methods, this clearing marker way is your best choice as it will lead to more rewards and all help explore the vast world of Witcher 3.
Enemy Upscaling
In the settings menu under Gameplay options there is an option for Enemy upscaling, turn it on if you think the enemies are becoming relatively easy and you prefer a bit of a challenge. With this option on, the enemies will be scaled in relation to your current level providing a good challenge while also rewarding more XP upon defeat. Even if you are doing a low-level side quest the enemies will scale to your level.
Axii – Delusion
Geralt has many skills at his disposal to tackle the challenges presented to him. The most prominent are the Signs that he can cast to perform special acts like burning enemies or putting up a shield to negate damage. One of these Signs is Axii which allows the Witcher to essentially Jedi-mind control enemies to influence them.
There is a special upgrade to Axii called Delusion that opens up new dialogue options where Geralt can mind control out of sticky situations or even get some hidden information that the other person is hiding. You can level up this skill to control even the toughest of minds and each time you use this particular Axii option in conversations you get some XP. It is a great tool in your arsenal as it provides unique gameplay options and rewards.
Related: How and When to Upgrade Weapons and Armor – The Witcher 3
XP Farming Methods
Now if you are not interested in taking the traditional route to leveling up and want some other ways of gaining a lot of XP with minimum effort in Witcher 3 then there are a bunch of farming methods that you can take part in. These methods are rather tedious and require you to repeat similar actions to get consistent XP.
Meditate – Kill Monsters – Repeat
There are many dangerous high-level monsters that roam the open world in Witcher 3 and killing these monsters will bank you a good sum of XP. Keeping this in mind you can very easily exploit the Meditation mechanic in the game. Meditation allows you to sit in a spot and from the menus, you can select the number of hours to progress in-game. It helps you change the time of day (like from day to night), restores your health, replenishes any potions or concoctions on you, and respawns monsters in the open world that you recently killed.
You just have to find a spot on the map where there is a monster or a bunch of them that gives a good chunk of XP each time you kill them and just move away from the spot, Meditate (for an hour at least) and return to kill the monsters again. Keep repeating this process to your heart’s content. This method is a very effective way of farming XP and one that will be used in the upcoming farming methods in this article.
Monster Nest Farming
Amongst the many Question Marks on the map, there are Monster Nests (depicted by a monster face icon) that are a good source of XP farming. The typical way you interact with the nest is by killing all the monsters it has spawned and then throwing a bomb inside to destroy them which rewards you with a good amount of XP along with crafting items.
You can use these nests as Meditation farming spots. Just simply kill the monsters, move away and meditate and kill the again. You can even destroy the nests and gain 20 XP then meditate for 3 days and some of the nests will have respawned again. You can very easily gain a larger XP each time you destroy the nest. The location in Velen, marked on the map above, is a good place for this as there are three nests close by so if one doesn’t respawn you can check out the others.
Skellige Giant Farm
Another amazing location to utilize the Meditation method is in Skellige. From the Whale Graveyard fast travel point, travel the path to the southeast and you will come across some ruins with a singular Giant/Cyclops guarding them. The giant will be a level 30 enemy so you have to have leveled up to face him. He is alone and attacks rather slowly so it is easier to fight him, just be careful as his hits are pretty impactful. Kill the giant, get the experience points and meditate for an hour to spawn him again. Repeat the process to farm a lot of XP in quick succession.
Related: How to Get to Kaer Morhen in the Witcher 3
Drowner Farming
This is the most famous way of farming XP in Witcher 3 and one that is by far the most boring of the bunch. All you have to do is get the Crossbow and start taking out an endless supply of Drowners.
Step 1: Go to the area marked on the map above. There’s a small patch of land facing the wrecked ships nearby. There is a hidden treasure on a dead body on the beach that you must not loot as this method stopped working for some players in doing so. Jump into the water and you’ll see 2-3 Drowners coming your way. You can also drink the Killer Whale potion to extend the time you can stay underwater.
Step 2: Shoot the Drowners with your crossbow and it only takes one shot since the Crossbow is very powerful underwater.
Step 3: Once all of them are dead turn around or just turn the camera back and return to where the Drowners came from (basically do a 360-degree turn) and you will now see 2 more Drowners have spawned there. Take them down.
Step 4: Keep killing Drowners and turning around over and over again and you’ll be able to gain one level every 20-30 minutes. Easy peasy!
Of Swords And Dumpling Quest XP Farming
This quest, Of Swords and Dumplings, can be picked up in several ways, usually by asking some blacksmiths if they know how to make master swords or anyone who could, and all will point you to Éibhear Hattori in Novigrad. You can also pick this up by happening across his home there. To use this method of farming you must have fully upgraded your Axii- Delusion skill.
Start this quest and it will take you on a long journey with multiple steps to complete. Continue the quest until you receive this particular task of “Meet Sukrus by van Hoorn’s warehouse after dark”. Once you meet up with him at night he will give you the task to “Get into Ernst van Hoorn’s warehouse”.
When you reach the warehouse it will be guarded by a Dwarf and you start a conversation with him. Soon you will be given multiple dialogue options to choose from, from which you should select the Axii sign option “Oughta let me in”. This option will reward you 40 XP and the Dwarf will move out of the way for you to enter the warehouse.
DO NO ENTER THE WAREHOUSE and instead, run away from this location. After some distance, you will be out of the mission zone and the quest will reset back to “Meet Sukrus by van Hoorn’s warehouse after dark”. Go back to him and begin this process again. Keep on repeating till you are happy!
This article has a bunch of ways that could potentially help you gain a lot of XP and level up faster. Initially, we touched on the many ways you could boost the XP you get from simply playing the game naturally, while in the later section we talked about the different ways you can farm XP which are rather tedious methods but are faster at accumulating XP. Now depending on how you like to play this game, you can opt for the method that is right for you.