Witcher 3 BEST Crossbows & How To Get Them
Our Witcher 3 best crossbow guide entails a list of crossbows that Geralt can use in the game to hunt down beasts, monsters and more easily.
At the start of The Witcher 3, you won’t be given the crossbow, but as you progress the story further a bit, you will be given this weapon in the game. You have to follow the main quests, and then Geralt will be given a crossbow by Vesemir when you go hunting a monster together with him.
- Crossbows in Witcher 3 are mechanical ranged weapons, shooting arrows quicker than regular bows and offering zoom functionality.
- There are a total of 17 crossbows available in the game I’ve listed the 11 best.
- They can shoot different types of bolts, with two firing methods: quick shot by clicking the action key and manual aim by holding the action key.
- The game features a variety of crossbows obtainable through crafting, buying, or looting.
- Crossbow types include Standard Crossbow, Master Crossbow, Legendary Feline Crossbow, Skellige Crossbow, and many more.
- Author’s Note: I’ve played Witcher 3 for over 87 hours via Xbox, experiencing every mechanic and element the title offers.
Let’s quickly compare each crossbow in Witcher 3:
| Weapons | Best Of | Tier | Source | Weight | Base Value | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Crossbow | Best Early-Game Bow. | Common | The Beast of White Orchard | 0.77 | 22-28 | 101% Attack Power |
| Master Crossbow | Best Master Tier Versatile Bow. | Master | Loot | Varies | 42.0 | 103-190% Attack Power |
| Relic Crossbow | Best High Attack Power Relic Tier Bow With Bonus Effects. | Relic | Loot | 1.25 | 73.0 | 200% Attack Power |
| Elven Crossbow | Best Effective Master Tier Bow. | Master | Purchase | 4.01 | 200.0 | 165% Attack Power |
| Feline Crossbow | Best Bow For An Immersive Gameplay Experience. | Witcher Item | Craft | 1.68 | 79.0 | 225% Attack Power |
| Ursine Crossbow | Best High Damaging Bow For Return On Investment. | Witcher Item | Craft | 1.81 | 94.0 | 210% Attack Power |
| Nilfgaardian Crossbow | Best Bow For Optimizing Character Performance. | - | Purchase | 4.01 | 300.0 | 125% Attack Power |
| Skellige Crossbow | Best High Damaging Bow With A Low Level Requirement. | Relic | Purchase | 4.01 | 418.0 | 145% Attack Power |
| Ofieri Crossbow | Best Master Status Bow With A Low Level Requirement. | Master | Purchase | 1.33 | 73.0 | 165% Attack Power |
The standard crossbow that you will get early in The Witcher 3 might not be very powerful, but you don’t have to worry about that, as throughout the game, you will find plenty of crossbows that’d be far better and more useful than this one.
Best Crossbows In Witcher 3
Now let’s discuss the specifications of the best 11 crossbows in the game. I have discussed the prices, weight, components, acquiring sources, and the overall attacking power each crossbow offers to the table.
Standard Crossbow
| Source | Weight | Base Value | Effects | Tier |
| The Beast of White Orchard | 0.77 | 22-28 | +101% Attack power | Common |
- Why I Chose This: The importance this bow provides during the early-game stages on top of the affordability.
Players can get the Common or standard Crossbow, one of the Witcher 3 early crossbows, either by looting or by purchasing. Now talking about the attacking power, an ordinary crossbow has decent attacking power. Furthermore, its components include Hardened timber, String, and Steel ingot.
- Easily available.
- Affordable and provides good damage output.
- A common weapon with limited customizations.
Master Crossbow
| Source | Weight | Base Value | Effects | Tier |
| Loot | Varies | 42 | +103-190% Attack power | Master |
- Why I Chose This: A significant upgrade as compared to the lower level bows with greater attack power and a master tier status.
The source of Crossbow Master is also by loot or purchasing. The buying price is 88 crowns and the price to sell is 14 crowns. Its weight is 1.97. Crossbow Master has good attack power. The master crossbow can be obtained by dismantling, Hardened timber, String, and Steel ingot.
- A master-tier weapon with high attack power.
- Versatile.
- Higher weight and base price.
Relic Crossbow
| Source | Weight | Base Value | Effects | Tier |
| Loot | 1.25 | 73 | +200% Attack power | Relic |
- Why I Chose This: The top tier attack power on top of the different bonus effects it provides.
The player needs to attain level 30 to get Crossbow (Relic). You can get it by loot. The price to buy is 152 Crowns. And the price to sell is 13 Crowns. It has high Attack power, +1 – 2% Adrenaline Point gain, +1 – 10% Bonus experience from monsters, and +1 – 10% Bonus experience from humans and nonhumans.
- A relic tier bow with exceptional attack power.
- Provides bonus effects.
- High purchase price and level requirement.
Elven Crossbow
| Required Level | Weight | Base Value | Effects | Tier |
| 21 | 4.01 | 200 | +165% Attack power | Master |
- Why I Chose This: The exceptional attack power it provides on top of its effectiveness in battle.
It is a part of an elite crossbow set. The level required to have an Elven Crossbow is 21. The source of the Elven crossbow is a Merchant at Aeramas’ Shop in Gilsdorf. It is included in the best Witcher 3 crossbows.
- Part of an elite set.
- Master tier with high attack power.
- Limited availability.
- High weight and buying price.
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Feline Crossbow
| Source | Weight | Base Value | Effects | Tier |
| Craft | 1.68 | 79 | +225% Attack power | Witcher Item |
- Why I Chose This: The immersive and cohesive gameplay experience this bow provides.
In Witcher 3 the Feline Crossbow is a one-handed crossbow, it is a very convenient projectile weapon. It is a Gabriel-type crossbow, included in the category of Witcher gear. The level required to have this crossbow is 29. The source of this crossbow is crafting. The price to buy is 267 – 399 crown(s).
The price to sell is 33 crown(s). Feline Crossbow has +10 Armour-piercing, +1 – 2% Adrenaline Point gain, +2% Critical hit chance, and +15% Bonus experience from monsters. The components of this crossbow are 2× Hardened timber, Monster bone, Monster hair, Wax, and Dark iron ore.
- Armor-piercing effect with increased critical hit chance.
- High attack power with bonus experience.
- High crafting cost.
- Limited availability.
Legendary Feline Crossbow
| Weight | Base Value | Effects |
| 1.68 | 79 | +225% Attack power |
- Why I Chose This: Not only does this bow provide exceptional attack power but also provides a great return on investment.
The price to sell for this crossbow is between 6-18 crowns. It has high Attack power. Its components include Hardened timber, Monster bone, Monster hair, Wax, and Dark iron ore.
- High attack power with a great return on investment.
- Moderate weight.
- Limited availability.
- Requires a lot of resources for crafting.
Ursine Crossbow
| Source | Weight | Base Value | Effects | Tier |
| Craft | 1.81 | 94 | +210% Attack power | Witcher Item |
- Why I Chose This: Contender for the best crossbow in the game with versatile bonuses.
The Ursine Crossbow is easy to use and a very strong weapon in Witcher 3. It is part of Bear School Gear in the game. The source of this crossbow is crafting. The price to buy this weapon is 318-475 Crowns.
The price to sell is 25-78 Crowns. Ursine crossbow has great high-end Attack power, +1 – 2% Adrenaline Point gain, 2% Critical hit damage bonus, +5% Critical hit chance, and +15% Bonus experience from monsters. Its Components include Hardened timber, Monster bone, Monster hair, Resin, and Dark iron ore.
- High attack power.
- Versatile bonuses.
- The higher price of purchase.
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Nilfgaardian Crossbow
| Required Level | Weight | Base Value | Effects |
| 7 | 4.01 | 300 | +125% Attack power |
- Why I Chose This: The solid attack power it provides on top of the low-level requirement factor.
This crossbow is also a part of the elite crossbow set. Level 7 is required to obtain a Nilgaardian crossbow. And the price to buy this powerful crossbow is 300.
Now the price to sell Nilfgaardian is 27-83 Clowns. It is included among the best Witcher 3 crossbows. So in the game, it will be really helpful in certain situations for fighting against the opponents.
- Low-level requirement.
- High attack power with inclusion in the Elite crossbow set.
- Heavyweight.
- The high price of purchase.
Skellige Crossbow
| Required Level | Weight | Base Value | Effects |
| 14 | 4.01 | 200 | +145% Attack power |
- Why I Chose This: An accessible weapon with great damaging dealing capabilities.
The Skellige crossbow, one of the best-ranged weapons in Witcher 3 is a master item. The source of Skellige Crossbow is Yanne, the Blacksmith at Kaer Trolde keep. The price to buy this crossbow is 418 Clowns. The price to sell it lies between 27-83 Clowns. Also, it weighs 4.01. Skellige Crossbow has decent Attack power and its console ID is DLC13 Skellige Crossbow. This great projecting weapon in The Witcher 3 will help the players tackle many challenging situations.
- Low-level requirement making it accessible early on in the game.
- Master item status.
- High purchase price.
- Heavyweight.
Ofieri Crossbow
| Level Required | Weight | Base Value | Effects |
| 21 | Varies 1.33 | 73 | +165% Attack power |
- Why I Chose This: The convenient acquisition and the higher attack power allow for great damage-dealing capabilities.
This Witcher 3 crossbow can be purchased from the Ofieri merchant in Upper Mill. Level 21 is required to have an Ofieri crossbow. Its source is Ofieri merchant in Upper Mill. It has a buying price of 176 Clowns. And the selling price is between 9-36 Clowns. Its Dismantling components include 2× Hardened timber, 3× String, 1× Resin, 1× Dark iron ore. Ofieri crossbow has a Console ID Ofir Crossbow. So try out this crossbow in the game.
- Reasonable buying price.
- Great attack power.
- The weight of the bow is variable.
- Not such a great selling price.
How To Use Crossbow In The Witcher 3
In your inventory, you can select the crossbows from the Quick Access Menu (either press Tab on a PC or LB/L1 on a controller).
- You will target whatever the Geralt is locked onto by pressing the middle mouse button/RB/R1.
- If you have any specialized ammunition, you can also select that.
- Players can also manually zoom in and shoot a crossbow bolt at a target at will.
A crossbow is a tactical weapon that you can use in many situations. You can also choose different kinds of crossbow bolts. Some of them have special abilities, while at the same time, they are less effective when compared to using swords.
Bolt Types And Firing Modes
In The Witcher 3, crossbows offer versatile combat options, usable underwater, on boats, on horseback, or in regular combat. Geralt can switch between ammunition types, with default bolts for underwater use. Quick shots fire at targeted enemies with a tap, while manual aiming allows precise targeting of specific body parts. The Blood and Wine expansion introduces the cat eyes mutation, enhancing crossbow damage and capacity, and ensuring their relevance in combat scenarios.
Takeaways
In The Witcher 3, players control Geralt of Rivia in an action-packed adventure, navigating through dangerous quests while searching for his adopted daughter. Geralt wields various weapons, including two swords (silver and steel), potions, and a crossbow. Crossbows offer a quicker alternative to bows, firing standard arrows with mechanical assistance. While swords, potions, and witcher sign magic are mainstays in combat, crossbows provide a unique addition to Geralt’s arsenal, offering versatility in battles against monsters.
This is pretty much all about The Witcher 3 best crossbows. Hopefully, Geralt will have the Witcher 3 best crossbows now. Do try it out to have the most thrilling experience and share your thoughts in the comment section below.
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