The Witcher Quests That Are Practically Impossible

"The Witcher" has become one of the premiere fantasy RPG franchises in the video game industry thanks to its dark fantasy setting filled with horrifying creatures, complicated politics, loads of interesting details, and layered characters. This has helped the adventures of Geralt of Rivia gain a following across multiple systems and led to a sizable community of supporters. However, those fans are well aware that the series isn't always smooth sailing. In fact, numerous troublesome boss fights and quests throughout the core entries and spin-offs have seared themselves into the memories of disgruntled gamers.

"The Witcher" fans may expect the difficulty to stem from fighting terrible monsters or powerful sorcerers. This is the case much of the time, with players forced to invest hours into overcoming monster contracts, side quests, and bosses. However, other elements, such as unclearly explained mechanics, minigames, and time-based requirements, have also led to problems. Players have even found certain quests and encounters scattered across the franchise nearly impossible to complete.

"The Witcher 1" served as the first original project from Polish developer CD Projekt Red. As a result, some of the game's elements haven't aged well, leading fans to eagerly await "The Witcher" remake. One of the most chronic pain points is the title's combat mechanics. Players have complained across hundreds of forum posts about the game's rhythm-based combat system. Incredibly difficult bosses that can kill players for a single mistake further exacerbate this problem.

The primary antagonist, Azar Javed, has claimed a spot at the top of the list of the most brutal "The Witcher" bosses. An original character from CD Projekt Red, the sorcerer's abilities focus on conjuring and controlling fire. During their final encounter with Javed, an NPC accompanies the player. Even on normal difficulty, the NPC does little to help, as Javed can kill him in just a few seconds. 

Javed's blinding attack, which has a large area of effect, and his ability to lock Geralt in an attack loop that continually knocks him down number among the top complaints. These two elements of his kit combined make learning the fight hard for new players, especially given how much his high damage attacks punish them for every misstep. You can make the battle easier by preparing the Willow potion ahead of time, but new players who don't take advantage of a guide rarely know to do so before taking Javed on.

The Bloody Baron is a standout character introduced in "The Witcher 3." He comes with lots of layers and complications, as players interact with him in an effort to track down his missing wife and daughter, only to discover that they fled his frequent nights of drunken abuse. The quest culminates in the Bloody Baron attempting to convert his dead child, a Botchling by this point, into a Lubberkin. 

Geralt leads the Baron through the process and finds himself having to defend them both from numerous waves of Wraiths. The fight is especially hard and annoying because of how many Wraiths the player has to take on at a time. "The Witcher" fans will know that when fighting Wraiths they can only damage them when they are inside the ring of the Yrden sign, which is placed on the ground. This is difficult to do, however, when multiple Wraiths pile up on the player at a time, leaving them to react to several attacks at any given moment.

The first act of "The Witcher" culminates in a fight between Geralt and a terrifying monster known only as the Beast. While the main story and numerous side quests build up to the battle, it represents a large difficulty spike. The encounter tests everything a player has learned regarding the game's combat mechanics up to that point, making it a frustrating moment for new players. 

First, the fight throws a large number of enemies at Geralt. The Beast spawns waves of Barghests to fight alongside it, which can overwhelm those who don't excel at dealing with groups. The combat system relies on the player performing strings of attacks by striking at a certain rhythm, a challenge made all the more difficult when the player has to do so against a small crowd of foes.

Contributing to the threat level, the Beast can cast a devastating effect known as "Pain." This momentarily stuns Geralt and wipes out half of his health, leaving him vulnerable to a quick death if any of the Barghests remain alive.

During the first act of "The Witcher 2," players run across a couple of belligerent guards about to execute an elf woman named Malena. Geralt can intervene in an attempt to save her, which kicks off a very trying quest. To clear Malena's name, Geralt has to delve into a nearby cave and find evidence of a dead man there. Of course, nothing is easy, so the cave also happens to be home to a nest of Nekkers. 

This early in the game, players possess limited resources to draw on, which makes dealing with crowds of enemies especially difficult. Players have few healing options, almost no buffs, and likely weak gear. As a result, the Nekkers have an easy time swarming Geralt and delivering quick blows that can erase his entire health bar before players have the opportunity to react. Countless people have grown frustrated with the "Malena" side quest, especially given where it falls in the story.

The "Blood and Wine" expansion for "The Witcher 3" introduces players to Toussaint. A nation based on fairy tales and folklore, Toussaint finds itself at the center of a vampire crisis that Geralt naturally gets involved with. While playing through the main questline of the expansion, players make numerous choices that have an impact on how the story unfolds. One possible consequence of those decisions is a boss fight against the higher vampire Dettlaff during the quest "Tesham Mutna."

Given Dettlaff's status as a higher vampire, it comes as no surprise that defeating him requires a great deal of skill and persistence. He possesses high mobility, heals whenever he hits the player, and deals tons of damage to boot. The fight also unfolds over three different phases, which forces the player to adapt to new attacks and effects that maintain the difficulty throughout the encounter. It is no wonder than many fans consider it the hardest fight in the entire game.

Mobile spin-off "The Witcher: Monster Slayer" takes cues from the break-out success of "Pokémon Go." The game allows players to make their own witcher who they can then play as while walking around in the real world to complete narrative quests, fight monsters, and upgrade their gear depending on their geographic location. While the game will shut down in June 2023, the quest "Sword and the Stone" has ensured it will have at least some legacy. 

One of the most difficult quests in the game, frustrated players have fully documented "Sword and the Stone." The mission sees the player working to get their hands on an iconic sword that grows more powerful when used during the night. A challenging aspect of this stems from the narrow timeframes players have to complete the requirements. The first objective only has a 40-minute window at dusk, followed by a 40-minute window at dawn to complete another objective. 

Players actually have to go out into the world to complete these objectives during the specific timeframes, requiring them to get up early or adjust their schedules. After satisfying both requirements, players also have to fight a Stone Golem that deals extreme amounts of damage even to high level players with fully upgraded gear.