There’s no denying that The Witcher 3 one is the hottest role-playing games to land in recent years. A big reason for its continued popularity, apart from its expansive gameplay, is the support for multiple consoles and formats. In fact, they also released a Nintendo Switch version in 2019.
The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine expansion was met with critical acclaim as it introduces a new set of skills called Mutations which work independently of the existing skills. These are available once Geralt completes the “Turn And Face The Strange” quest. Although there’s no specific notification within the game, the mutations are then available in the character tree upon completion of this quest. This article discusses the 10 things that you didn’t know about mutations in Witcher 3: Blood and Wine.
10 Three Categories Of Mutations
Mutations are classified under 3 categories, namely Red, which is used for Combat-based skills; Blue, employed under signs-based skills and finally Green which represents Alchemy-based skills. Note that mutations aren’t cheap to acquire. You need 21 additional ability points and 21 mutagens to be able to unlock all the mutations.
Though you should be careful when assigning these valuable points as it will greatly influence the ease or difficulty of your gameplay.
9 Advanced Mutation Acquisition
The Yellow category, or advanced mutations, requires multiple tops of mutagens which are varied combinations of Red, Blue and Green mutations. A great way to gain additional skills early in the game is through the “5 Places Of Power” quest which rewards Geralt with 5 free ability points.
You can use this along with the alchemy labs to create lesser mutations, which can be dismantled for mutagen points.
8 Gain Passive Abilities
Another hidden feature of Witcher 3: Blood and Wine is that as you keep unlocking mutations, you also gain hidden passive abilities. There are 12 mutations in total along with 3 extra slots for abilities.
These specific ability slots unlock at 2, 4, 8 and 12 mutations respectively. These passive abilities are present in the middle of the skill tree and their effect are active at all times assisting Geralt on his adventure.
7 Compliment Your Build With Abilities
A large part of making the most out of mutations is complimenting your build. For instance, if you are looking for a combat-heavy build, you should start with the deadly counter mutation and add skills such as muscle memory, sunder armor, counter-attack, cat school techniques, and strength training.
This build will enable you to get stacked benefits from these skills to make you an unstoppable force during battle.
6 The Archer
Cat eyes are great for crossbows, for people who prefer fighting from a distance, and like to play stealthily to catch an opponent off guard.
In fact, if you combine Cat eyes with exploding bolts, you can take down your foes with incredible ease. It boosts crossbow damage by an incredibly 700% and increases critical hit chance by 50%. If the enemy is at full health, being hit makes them lose 15% of their total health bar.
5 Dodge Using Deadly Counter
Deadly counter is great for people who are looking to engage in more sword fights and melee combat in general. Since it gives 25% damage boost along with an instant finisher when the opponent is below one-quarter of health, it’s a great way to dispose a bunch of enemies.
When you add skills on top of deadly counter which boosts your armor, attacks, and strength, you will find that finishing off enemies is a breeze.
4 The Relentless Bloodbath
The Bloodbath is a combat-based mutation that gives Geralt the ability to dismember or trigger a finisher on the enemy with each fatal blow. Each melee attack that lands on the target boosts Attack Power by 5%. This bonus can be accumulated up to a whopping 250%, however in case Geralt is hit, the bonus is lost and you have to start over.
So if you are planning to take the Bloodbath mutation, remember to up your dodging skills, they will make your life a lot easier.
3 Shatter Your Enemies with Piercing Cold
A fan favorite, the piercing cold skill provides an innate satisfaction of seeing your foes explode in a wonderful display of flying limbs.
This skill gives Gerald a 25% chance that the enemy will freeze. Additionally, if the enemy is already knocked down when frozen, they instantly perish. In case they don’t, they will still receive high bonus damage.
2 Dispose Hordes Of Enemies With Adrenaline Rush
This ability is attack-based. It provides Gerald and increased Attack Power and Sign intensity by 30% for each additional enemy for a duration of 30 seconds.
Although a downside is once this duration expires, both parameters will reduce by 10% up to a maximum of 30%.
1 Resurrect Geralt With Second Life
Though a lot of mutations provide a seemingly unfair advantage to Gerald in battle, this one seems like plain cheating. It comes into play when Geralt loses all his health. When activated, second life makes Geralt invincible and regenerate all his health.
Though there’s a limit to this ability, you can only use it once every three minutes. Still, it makes the game skew heavily in your favor.
NEXT: 15 Awesome Areas In The Witcher 3 You Had No Idea About
