No Secondary Weapon in Witcher 3 surpasses Geralt’s Steel Swords, that’s a given. You got to keep in mind that these weapons provide different bonuses than the swords. Among them are: axes, maces, hammers, and even a fireplace poker.
The Wild Hunt warrior axe can deal a juicy amount of critical damage, while the Caretaker’s spade actually heals Geralt whenever he lands a hit. Let’s see what the other Secondary Weapons are like and where we can find them.
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What Are Secondary Weapons in The Witcher 3?
Despite the name, Secondary Weapons aren’t extra weapons you can carry in a separate combat slot. Geralt can only use them instead of his Steel Swords. There are several important differences between secondary weapons and regular swords:
- They are usually found or purchased. There is no conventional secondary-weapon crafting and upgrade system like the Witcher School gear.
- They use the steel weapon slot. I’m sad to inform you that you can’t just dual-wield a secondary weapon alongside a Steel Sword.
- They have no runestone sockets. You can’t install runestones or apply runewords to them.
- You can’t apply blade oils. This removes an important source of bonus damage against specific enemies.
- Their damage depends on their level. The same type of weapon can have different damage values depending on when and where it was found or bought.
Crossbows don’t count as a Secondary Weapon. They are in their own category.
All Witcher 3 Secondary Weapons & Their Stats
The Secondary Weapons are divided into axes, maces, hammers, pokers, and a warhammer.
| Secondary Weapon | Rarity | Special Effects | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battle Axe | Master, Magic | Random bonuses, depending on rarity | Base game |
| Blunt Axe | Common | No fixed special effect | Base game |
| Dwarven Axe | Relic | +100 armor piercing, +25% critical hit damage | Base game |
| Hatchet | Common | No fixed special effect | Base game |
| Heavy Mace | Common, Master | +25–45 bludgeoning damage; Master adds a random bonus | Base game |
| Mace | Common | +10–30 bludgeoning damage | Base game |
| Nazairi War Hammer | Master | No confirmed fixed bonus | Blood and Wine; normal acquisition unverified |
| Pickaxe | Common | +10–30 piercing damage | Base game |
| Poker | Common, Master | Bludgeoning damage; Master can have an extra random bonus | Base game |
| Small Blackjack | Common | +10–40 bludgeoning damage | Base game |
| The Caretaker’s Spade | Relic | Heals 10% of damage dealt | Hearts of Stone |
| Toussaint Knight’s War Hammer | Master, Magic, Relic | Master/Magic have random bonuses; Relic has powerful fixed bonuses | Blood and Wine; Relic version not normally obtainable |
| Velen Axe | Common, Master, Magic | Master/Magic versions have random bonuses | Base game |
| Wild Hunt Warrior Axe | Relic | +200 armor piercing, +50% critical hit damage | Base game; quest-dependent |
Nathaniel Pastodi’s Iron Poker
This Poker is different from the rest, and no, we’re not talking about the card game. During the Novigrad quest “Carnal Sins,” you encounter Nathaniel Pastodi at Crippled Kate’s. He carries a very unique glowing iron poker. Unlike the average pokers available from merchants, this is a quest-specific weapon. If you kill Nathaniel, you can loot this poker.
Be careful with the quest dialogue, though. Killing him before questioning him can prevent Geralt from discovering information needed to identify the actual murderer. If you want to complete the investigation correctly and still obtain the weapon, question Nathaniel first before… dealing with him, “peacefully.”
Best Secondary Weapons in The Witcher 3
I would pick four weapons as the best Secondary Weapons.
| Weapon | Best for |
|---|---|
| The Caretaker’s spade | Damaging & healing during combat |
| Wild Hunt warrior axe | Armor piercing and critical hits |
| Dwarven axe | Armor piercing and critical damage |
| Toussaint knight’s war hammer | Highest Random Secondary Weapon Bonuses |
The Caretaker’s Spade: Best for Healing
The Caretaker’s spade is my favorite and the most interesting secondary weapon in the game. It comes from Hearts of Stone DLC. Geralt takes on the Caretaker miniboss in the “Scenes From a Marriage” at the Von Everec Estate’s backyard. The weapon restores 10% of the damage you deal as Vitality. Unlike a normal axe or mace, the spade gives you an actually useful bonus that at least makes it somewhat equal to a good Steel Sword. If your attack deals 200 damage, for example, its effect would return 20 Vitality. The healing depends on the damage inflicted, not Geralt’s maximum health.
How to get the Caretaker’s spade:
- Progress through the Hearts of Stone expansion until the main quest “Scenes From a Marriage.”
- Enter the grounds of the von Everec estate and reach the back garden.
- Defeat the Caretaker, the enemy carrying the spade.
- After the fight, look for the weapon on the ground beside his body and pick it up.
Wild Hunt Warrior Axe: Best for Offensive Bonuses
The Wild Hunt warrior axe has two excellent fixed effects: +200 armor piercing and +50% critical hit damage bonus. Those are much better bonuses than the Dwarven Axe, making it a particularly interesting weapon against armored human enemies. The actual problem with this weapon is that you usually can obtain it through two quests: “The Sad Tale of the Grossbart Brothers”: The axe can be found on Djenge Frett’s body if he dies during the quest. “An Eye for an Eye”: One of Ves’s Blue Stripes comrades can carry the axe if they die during the encounter.
Both sources involve NPC deaths and are dependent on how the quests play out. Don’t treat them as guaranteed rewards for completing those quests normally. The axe can also spawn with a level requirement higher than Geralt’s current level.
Dwarven Axe: Best Accessible Relic Secondary Weapon
The Dwarven axe offers: +100 armor piercing and +25% critical hit damage bonus. This is only half the fixed armor-piercing and critical-damage bonuses of the Wild Hunt warrior axe, but ironically, it has one major advantage: you don’t need an NPC to die to get it.
Besides getting it through ordinary loot from the game’s RNG, you can quickly and directly buy it from two merchants in the game:
- Hierarch Square, Novigrad
- Fyresdal, Skellige
Toussaint Knight’s War Hammer: Best Random Bonuses
This warhammer is different from the normal hammers. You can get it in the Blood and Wine DLC. Its Master and Magic tiers give us randomly generated bonuses, sometimes good, sometimes bad. You can buy these variants from blacksmiths in Toussaint (with the exception of the blacksmith at Ardaiso Quarry).
You can get the warhammer in two variants and five locations overall. Unfortunately, the super awesome Relic variant of this weapon unfortunately only exists in the game files and can’t be found through conventional means in the game.
Master version:
- Ducal Guard Post
- Tourney scribe’s tent at the Tourney Grounds
- A chest above the Abandoned Storehouse east of Tesham Mutna Ruins
Magic version:
- A chest near the knight errant in distress south of Seidhe Llygad Amphitheater
- A guard’s corpse encountered during The Night of Long Fangs
Secondary Weapons vs. Steel Swords
For most playthroughs, I would stick with a good steel sword.
| Feature | Secondary Weapons | Steel Swords |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment slot | Steel weapon slot | Steel weapon slot |
| Blade oils | No | Yes |
| Runestones | No | Available on swords with sockets |
| Runewords | No | Available on eligible swords |
| Witcher School weapon upgrades | No equivalent upgrade chain | Yes |
| Special effects | Some Relics have useful fixed bonuses | Many swords offer bonuses and special effects |
| Dedicated sword skill synergy | Limited for sword-specific bonuses | Better compatibility |
| Appearance customization in Remastered | Reforge options within secondary weapons | Reforge options within compatible swords |
If you’re going for a normal Witcher build, Secondary Weapons are typically better as collectibles, or if push comes to shove, as alternatives for a particular fight. The Caretaker’s spade is the most obvious exception because its healing ability gives it a nice edge.
Can You Craft, Upgrade, or Reforge Secondary Weapons?
No. That’s one of the main reasons why players (including me) prefer Steel Swords.
What Is the Best Secondary Weapon in The Witcher 3?
The Caretaker’s spade, and all because of its life-steal bonus.
Can You Apply Oils to Secondary Weapons Like Axes & Maces?
None of the Secondary Weapons can be oiled.
Can You Put Runestones on Secondary Weapons?
No. Not one Secondary Weapon can receive Runestones.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
