Witchers are known for their preparation before a fight against the denizens pouring through the spheres. As with every other Witcher, Geralt too has many deadly things under his belt to take care of these otherworldly baddies. Amongst them are the various bombs he can craft along his journey in The Witcher 3.
These bombs serve many purposes other than direct damage and one should know how to use them effectively. So let us get into how to throw bombs in The Witcher 3.
To throw bombs in The Witcher 3 you need to first craft them and then equip them to the bomb slot from your inventory. Select the bomb using the radial menu by holding Tab on PC or L1/LB on Console. Then either hold the middle mouse button or R1/RB to aim the bomb or press it for quick-firing of the bomb.
Bombs in The Witcher 3
Just like Potions and Concoctions in a Witcher’s arsenal, Bombs also provide the same type of benefit of preparing yourself before a battle. Reading up on your foe through the Bestiary will reveal all sorts of weaknesses and these bombs can help you exploit them to your advantage.
Some deal direct physical damage to the enemy while others are made for specific circumstances. As you progress through the game, different bomb recipes will start to unlock, and further down the line, you can even upgrade them to boost their effectiveness.
There are three upgrade stages for most of each bomb:
- Common
- Enhanced
- Superior
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Crafting Bombs
Before you can go crazy throwing bombs at everything that moves, you need to first craft them. Below we will quickly go over how each bomb works, what items are needed to craft them, and where can you find them. We won’t be going over the advanced levels of the bombs, just the normal initial ones.
| Bomb | Bomb Name | Crafting Material | Effects | Where to find it? |
  | Dancing Star | 1×Saltpeter 2×Sulfur | Produces a fiery explosion that can cause nearby opponents to start burning. Destroys monster nests. 100 Fire damage | Harpy Feeding Ground in Velen or sold at the Herbalist’s Hut in Novigrad |
  | Devil’s Puffball | 1×Saltpeter 2×Sewant mushrooms | Releases a cloud of poison when detonated. 10s Effect duration 100 Poison damage | Sold by the Herbalist in the northeast hut outside of Oxenfurt, Velen |
  | Dimertium Bomb | 5×Saltpeter 2×Optima mater | Releases a cloud of dimeritium slivers that block magic and monsters’ magic abilities. 15s Effect duration | Sold by the Blacksmith in Hierarch Square in Novigrad |
  | Dragon’s Dream | 1×Saltpeter 2×Phosphorus | Releases a cloud of gas that explodes when ignited. 15s Effect duration +300 Fire damage | Sold at the Herbalist’s Hut in Novigrad |
  | Grapeshot | 2×Saltpeter 2×Calcium equum | Inflicts shrapnel damage to foes within its explosion radius. Deals a small amount of fire damage. Destroys monster nests. +350 Physical damage +350 Silver damage +5 Fire damage | Found in the ruins northwest of Oreton in Velen |
  | Moon Dust | 1×Saltpeter 2×Quicksilver solution | Contains silver splinters that temporarily prevent monsters from transforming. 20s Effect duration | Sold at the Herbalist’s Hut in Novigrad |
  | Northern Wind | 1×Saltpeter 1×Ducal water 1×Powdered pearl 2×Allspice | Freezes foes. Blows landed on frozen foes deal additional damage. 4s Effect duration | Sold by Keira Metz outside of Midcopse in Velen or the Halfling Herbalist in Novigrad |
  | Samum | 1×Saltpeter 2×Celandine | Blinds opponents within its explosion radius. Destroys monster nests. | Geralt starts the game with this formula |
Each of these bombs has advanced stages to upgrade to which will add to their overall utility. Check the Witcher 3 Wiki for more details regarding this.
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Throwing Bombs
Now that you have gotten your hands on some bombs, it is time to throw them and watch the fireworks. Although there are a few steps we have to gloss over first.
Equipping Bomb
When you have crafted the bomb and it is sitting in your storage, you need to first equip it to the bomb slot through your Inventory. Follow the steps below:
- Go to the Pause menu and select Inventory.
- Move to the Bombs and Potions tab. The Bombs will be categorized in the third column on the right.
- Move the cursor over the bomb you want to equip and select it.
- You will be given the option to equip it to any of the 2 Bomb slots in your quick inventory.
- Select the slot and confirm your choice to equip the bomb to your quick inventory.
Radial Quick Inventory Menu
Now that the bomb is in your quick menu, you can access it while playing the game by holding the Tab Button on PC or the L1/LB Button on Consoles. This will open the radial quick-access inventory, it is the same menu from where you select your Witcher Signs.
The bombs will be placed in the southeastern slot of this menu. Move the cursor to this slot to equip it for use mid-game. You can scroll through the 2 bombs you have equipped to this slot by pressing the right or left button. Select the bomb of your choice and close the menu.
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Aiming the Bomb
You can see the equipped bomb in your UI in the bottom left corner along with the button you can press to use it. There are two ways you can use or throw a bomb.
You can hold the R1/RB button on Console and Middle Mouse Button on the PC to bring up an aiming reticule. Point the reticule towards your target and release the button to throw it at your desired location. You can use this method to throw the bomb from a distance and weaken your enemy before engaging.
Tap the same button i.e. R1/RB or Middle Mouse, will quick-fire the bomb in the general direction you are looking. This is better when you are in the middle of a fight and want to throw a bomb quickly instead of aiming.
Replenishing Bombs
Each bomb only has a certain number of charges you can use at any given time. If you use them up then you will have to replenish them later on. It is quite simple to do.
Just go to the pause menu and select the Meditate tab. Choose the duration you would like to rest, it doesn’t matter how long you meditate, an hour is enough for the task. Confirm the request and after you wake up from your meditation, all of your bombs will be replenished and ready to be used again.
Do note that, replenishing each bomb does consume 1 Strong Alcohol from your inventory. This won’t be much of a problem if you are looting on a regular basis while playing the game normally.
Using bombs in combination with your signs, potions and general swordplay will allow you to wreak havoc on your enemies in The Witcher 3. Use the appropriate bombs according to the vile beast you are fighting and it will only add to your prowess. Bombs are an amazing tool that you must not forget while readying for combat.