In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, some of the most important tools you have at your disposal are Geralt's special Witcher potions. While they are not necessary for your survival in the beginning of the game, they definitely become more vital as the game progresses. This is why it's a good idea to start farming items in the game's first area, which is filled with an abundance of ingredients you can find and use to craft the game's earlier potions.

So What are Witcher Potions?

• Witcher potions are items that can grant you enhancements to your statistics, give you special abilities, and even nullify the effects of status ailments. They can be bought or found in the world of The Witcher, but you ideally want to craft them yourself.
• In order to craft Witcher potions, you need each of a potion's required ingredients. These are specified in the game's crafting screen and mainly consist of herbs and other assorted items, such as alcohol and monster body parts.
• Witcher potions can be used anytime, but they are best used before the beginning of a fight for maximum efficiency. In order to equip them, you must go into the items menu and assign them to their quick-action consumable slots. Keep in mind, only two can be equipped and be actively used during a battle at a given time.

• Each potion has something called a toxicity amount indicated in its stats. Taking a potion will contribute this amount of toxicity to Geralt’s overall toxicity level, which totals 100. If you take too many potions and exceed Geralt’s toxicity level, he will be poisoned and his vitality will start to gradually decrease. A way to cure this is by taking the White Honey potion, which will reset your toxicity level to zero. Regardless, always be mindful of how many potions you consume to avoid getting poisoned!

Quick Tips

• Collect all the herbs: Using your Witcher senses will help you spot any nearby herbs in the environment. As a rule of thumb, you should always do your best collect as many herbs as you possibly can.
• The Herbalist's stash: There is a goldmine of free herbs that you can collect just outside of the herbalist's cottage. Seriously, don't hesitate to pilfer everything she owns. She won't mind it at all.
• Farm the farmer's crops: Another solid location to pick herbs is the farmland in the village located to the left of the Woesong bridge. Same rule from the herbalist applies. Nobody will care.
• Secrets always hold rewards: Make sure to scour the area for any secret caches or treasure chests as they will usually contain high priced ingredients, such as Dwarvin Spirit and Water essence. These are typically marked on the map and are often located under bridges or found in secret bandit hideouts.
• Drunk Restoration: If you meditate and have any kind of hard liquor in your inventory, any low stock of potions you have will fully replenish. Doing this also replenishes any oils or bombs in your inventory. This is a good way to reduce how much you need to go back and farm crafting materials.
• Craft your own booze: You can buy a manuscript from the herbalist for 62 coins that gives you the ability to craft Dwarven spirit, an item that is essential in crafting Witcher potions. It's a handy way to save your coins. Its ingredients appear below:
  • • White Myrtle Petals (1): A super common herb that can be found all throughout the environment. It can also be bought from the herbalist for five coins.
    • Empty bottle (1): Can be bought from the herbalist for three coins.
    • Mahakaman Spirit (2): This can only be bought by the Tavern merchant for 19 coins.

List of Potions

A list of all the potions you are able to craft in the beginning of the game and their required ingredients appear below:

Swallow

Main Function: Accelerates Vitality regeneration. Vitality regeneration pauses for 2 seconds upon receiving damage.

Description: Swallow is an essential potion to take into battle when you are caught in a sticky situation. Its effect lasts for 20 seconds and it has 20 toxicity. You get a stock of three upon crafting.

Here's what you need:

• Drowner brain (1): This ingredient can be found by killing Drowners, which are blue humanoid sea monsters that are usually be found near water. Common locations in White Orchard include the southern shoreline near the ransacked village, the swamp lands to the south of the Nilfgaardian garrison, and along the shoreline to the left of the Ford signpost.
• Dwarven Spirit (1): This alcohol can usually be found in Smuggler caches and treasure chests or bought from any White Orchard merchant for 149 coins.
• Celandine (5): This herb is super common and can be easily found in the environment. An easy place to find them is outside the herbalist's cottage. They can also be bought from the herbalist for 5 coins each.

Cat

Main Function: Grants complete sight in darkness.

Description: Cat doesn't serve any particular use in the beginning but the sooner you can stockpile ingredients for it, the better. Its effect lasts for 240 seconds and it has 15 toxicity. You get a stock of three upon crafting.

Here's what you need:

• Dwarven Spirit (1): This alcohol can usually be found in Smuggler caches or bought from any White Orchard merchant for 149 coins.
• Berbecane fruit (4): This is a common herb you can find around the environment. A key location is nearby the herbalist's cottage. They can also be bought from the herbalist for eight coins.
• Water Essence (2): You can find some in the Smuggler cache under the river bridge just southwest of the ransacked village. You can also locate some in treasure chests just south of the Nilfgaardian garrison. And you can purchase some from the herbalist for 149 coins.

Thunderbolt

Main Function: Increases Attack Power.

Description: You are granted access to crafting Thunderbolt right before the Griffin fight. It is a handy potion that gives a nice added offensive edge against any foe. Its effect lasts for 30 seconds and it has 25 toxicity. You get a stock of three of them upon crafting.

Here's what you need:

• Cortinarius (2): Mushrooms can be found mostly anywhere. There are some growing outside the tavern by a fence. You can buy some from the herbalist for 13 coins.
• Dwarven Spirit (1): This alcohol can usually be found in Smuggler caches and treasure chests or bought from any White Orchard merchant for 149 coins.
• Endrega Embryo (1): You receive one upon being given the in-game tutorial of how to craft potions. It's not clear if this item can be found in White Orchard during this segment of the game.

White Honey

Main Function: Clears Toxicity and cancels all active potion effects.

Description: White Honey will basically clear you of all built up toxicity resulting from drinking too many potions. The more potions you consume, the more essential it becomes. It has no toxicity and you get only one upon crafting.

Here's what you need:

• Dwarven Spirit (1): This alcohol can usually be found in Smuggler caches and treasure chests or bought from any White Orchard merchant for 149 coins.
• Honeysuckle (1): You can buy these from the herbalist for 20 coins a piece.