Brandon Curran 
Brandon is our resident RDR2 specialist and indie game reviewer. He studied the art of the written word in college.
Reviewed by Benjamin Barr
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt doesn’t operate like any basic cookie-cutter RPG. While you do have the option to customize Geralt’s specialties to a certain extent, you’re never going to see him rocking a flowing robe and twirling twin staves instead of swords. Hell, Geralt’s best armor for spellcasting (or sign usage, depending on how lore-friendly you want to be) becomes goddamn plate mail at its highest upgrade levels. But don’t let that stop you from dreaming a dream of incineration and enchantment — it’s all possible with the Witcher 3 Griffin armor!
While Geralt may never be a bona fide sorcerer, there’s no denying that he can pack a magical punch when he sets his mind to it. If that’s the mindset that appeals to you, stick around and learn how to acquire the necessary diagrams to craft the Griffin School gear, from its most basic form to the grandmaster-level diagrams of the endgame. We’ll also touch on combat tips for the sort of resistance you’ll encounter along the way. Without further ado, let’s jump in.
The Witcher 3 Griffin School Gear Scavenger Hunt
Follow the below to acquire the fully upgraded Griffin armor and weapons.
Basic Griffin Gear
The first two Witcher 3 Griffin School gear maps can be purchased from the armorer at Midcopse. Beginning the Witcher 3 Griffin School gear quest in earnest, the steel sword diagram is located at Hindhold, northeast of Codger’s Quarry. Endrega workers and warriors lurk about the place, so pack your Insectoid Oil and Golden Oriole, the latter of which will cause their poisons to heal you. A situational potion, but one that essentially neutralizes the Endregas’ most dangerous attacks.
A harpy nest is also at the top of the fort. Aard is an effective countermeasure to the little flying pests, knocking them down and allowing for a quick coup de grâce. Be sure to bring along your Hybrid Oil and some Grapeshot. The Grapeshot bomb is decent against the harpies, but more importantly, it can be used to destroy their nest. Facing the nest and the ruined gates, head through the ramshackle door to your left, looting the chest and skeleton you find inside.
Next, head to Lornruk, the location of some Witcher 3 Griffin gear, a lighthouse, and the roost of an irritable wyvern. You’ll want to be prepared to use Draconid Oil, Golden Oriole, Grapeshot, and Aard on account of that last part. Upon the beast’s demise, leap from the bridge to the water below (pictured is a safe place to do so from), draw from the Place of Power nearby, then be prepared with some Killer Whale as you go for a nice swim.
Shoot the drowners you encounter, swim into the underwater cave entrance, and eventually surface. Clamber up the ledges and ladder within until you reach the other side of the bridge. Exiting the building, turn around and climb the ladder to the right of the door. Loot the area. This will net you the Griffin silver sword diagram and send you on your way.
All of the basic Witcher 3 Griffin armor diagrams are located at Dragonslayer’s Grotto. Endrega workers and warriors can be found near the grotto’s entrance — prepare for said encounters as described above. It’s also worth noting that wolves and wargs roam the area, so keep some Beast Oil and your trusty Quen sign handy. Down and inside, wraiths will offer resistance to your entry. They are vulnerable to Specter Oil and Moondust Bombs — which will force them into their corporeal form — and their attacks are slowed and mitigated by Yrden and Quen.
Enhanced Griffin Gear
The first of the Witcher 3 Griffin gear locations for the enhanced diagrams will be on a peninsula along the western coast of Velen, southwest of the Refugees’ Camp. Pirates abound in the area. Quen will help (as it does in most situations), as will Hanged Man’s Venom and judicious use of parries and dodges. Within the ruins is a small flight of stairs leading to a chest. This contains the enhanced steel sword diagram.
The quest “Contract: Shrieker” will bring you to the area you’ll need to access to acquire the enhanced trousers diagram, so you can knock both objectives out nigh-simultaneously. Head to the Burned Ruins. If you do tangle with the Shrieker itself (a particularly nasty cockatrice), Draconid Oil, Grapeshot, and liberal use of Aard are all effective countermeasures.
Head to Mudplough next (that would be the island with the Inn at the Crossroads) and make your way towards the northern half. A set of ruins there is the favored haunt of a prickly forktail. Grapeshot, Aard, Draconid Oil, and Golden Oriole will frustrate the beast. Kill it, and nothing will stand between you and the enhanced Griffin boots diagram.
You can find the enhanced gauntlets diagram in Frischlow. Wraiths and a noonwraith occupy the area, so Moon Dust, Specter Oil, and Yrden are your friends for this particular foray. Use Aard to blast your way into a nearby cave, where the aforementioned diagram awaits you. The Scavenger Hunt’s next destination coincides with “Contract: Patrol Gone Missing,” in a cave to the east of the Crossroads. The enhanced silver sword diagram is at the end of the cave.
The diagram for the enhanced chest armor is at White Eagle Fort. The quest “The Volunteer” will bring you right to it. Within is Trollolo, a rock troll who wants nothing more than to serve in His Majesty Radovid V’s army. You do not have to kill him, but if you feel a murderous compulsion (you monster) — or are concerned that ol’ Trollolo might accidentally kill a couple more people — be sure to bring some Ogroid Oil and shield yourself with Quen. Looting his camp will reveal the diagram for the chest armor.
Superior Griffin Gear
The next maps associated with diagram locations can be purchased from the armorer in Hierarch Square, in Novigrad. Part Three of the Scavenger Hunt will bring you to the Skellige Isles. The superior silver sword diagram is located around the Elverum Lighthouse on the southern end of Ard Skellig. Enter a large cave in the area, to the west and slightly south of the lighthouse.
A path leads to the left from the antechamber. You will come across a turn to your right while the cavern continues onward. The turn will take you out of the cave system, so ignore it for now. Continuing onward will take you to a tomb. Behind it is an area crammed with chests and valuables. Loot them and then backtrack until you return to the fork, this time taking it to the outside world, emerging with your new diagram in hand.
Head to the northeastern edge of Ard Skellig next. From the Fast Travel marker at Giants’ Toes, head north along the coast, mopping up any pirate resistance along the way (extermination methods for pesky humans are detailed above). At the last campfire is a chest containing all of the superior Witcher 3 Griffin armor diagrams.
The superior steel sword diagram is located to the northwest on the island of An Skellig. If you’re traveling from the harbors to the south, make your way north along the road until you come to three houses at a crossroads. Take the road north once again until you come to a stone marked with the Griffin School’s symbol. On the opposite side of the stone is a chest containing the diagram. You can also travel directly west from Yngvar’s Fang until hitting the road mentioned above.
Mastercrafted Griffin Gear
The fourth and final map is sold by Éibhear Hattori in Novigrad. It will reveal all of the locations of the mastercrafted upgrade diagrams.
East across the water from Fornhala are the ruins of Kaer Dhu. Your journey intersects with the flight patterns of a cockatrice, and what self-respecting witcher would balk at such a challenge? Come prepared with Draconid Oil, Grapeshot, and don’t be shy to either shoot your crossbow or toss an Aard out at the beast — either will cause it to plummet earthward, your cue to start slicing and dicing. Repeat as needed or two-shot it with Aerondight, depending on whether you’re level-appropriate and need to upgrade your armor, or you’re the savior of Beauclair trying out a new build. Either way, finish the cockatrice, cross the swamp, make your way to the ruined tower, then loot the chest within. Therein lies the mastercrafted silver sword diagram.
The quest “Contract: Missing Son” coincides with the area where the steel sword diagram is located. If you’re feeling enterprising, you can travel from the last gear location to said area, Boxholm. The woods are teeming with wolves, so be sure to keep both Quen and Aard handy. The Blizzard potion and the Northern Wind bomb also offer great crowd control options — undeniably useful, given the wolves’ tendency to use their numbers to outflank you.
Coming to a patchwork bridge, you’ll notice devourers stalking about the ruined village across the water. If they threaten to attack as a group, hurling some Dancing Star is an effective way to disable them and goad them onto the bridge, making it easier for you to dispatch them one-by-one. Then you can isolate and destroy the stragglers in the village. Necrophage Oil, Black Blood, and liberal use of Quen will all come in handy to that end. It’s also worth keeping in mind that the devourers will begin rupturing when their health reaches a certain threshold. It would be wise to avoid the ensuing violent burst of necrotic flesh.
From the Fast Travel Post, take the rough country track due east. It will take you to some ruined fortifications, and opposite the path’s end is a half-buried staircase and a ledge. Climb it, turn left, and loot the chest sitting under a heap of fallen timber. At long last, the Mastercrafted Griffin Steel Sword upgrade diagram is yours.
To acquire all of the Witcher 3 Griffin armor upgrade diagrams, take the road northeast from Redgill. Harpies plague these slopes — treat them as described above, and this is another situation where throwing out potshots with your crossbow could give you a free wing-clipped harpy to skewer. Using the Blizzard potion also slows down time when you kill an enemy, making it easier to respond to another flier if they, say, try to claw your back open while you’re skewering their friends.
You’ll eventually come to a set of ruins, the sole denizen of which happens to be a cantankerous cyclops. Quen is your friend, as one wallop from the guy could result in you being flung through the air, landing either mildly dazed or with every bone in your body broken, depending upon whether the sign is active. Don’t forget the Ogroid Oil, and Axii is also a decent way to sneak in a couple free hits. Upon slaying the one-eyed giant, examine the boulders on the left side of the northern entrance. The Griffin School symbol leads the way.
Clamber up the boulders and the ledges you find, ascend to the top of the ruins, then enter a cavern containing two chests and a Place of Power for the Aard sign. Having looted the place, all that remains is to head to Toussaint for the crowning glory of the Griffin School gear.
Grandmaster Griffin Gear
Go ahead and pick up Contract: Bovine Blues, as its objectives will bring you to the Fort Ussar Ruins and the diagrams. Doing so will lead to an encounter with a slyzard matriarch and her young. Draconid Oil, Aard, Quen, Grapeshot, and maybe a crossbow bolt or two are what the witcher prescribes for such troubles. Insert swordplay where appropriate and have done with the matter. Then, on the eastern side of the ruins in this area, locate a staircase and a crate, the latter of which will contain diagrams for the steel sword, gauntlets, and boots, along with your next lead.
Mont Crane Castle is your next destination, and it presents something of a complication. It is a hanse, which means it is home to an unreasonably large group of bandits, who can even call in reinforcements if they need. It helps to be level-appropriate, have a solid build, on-par gear, and fully-upgraded items. Bombs are incredibly useful in hanse fights, particularly crowd control titans like Northern Wind and Dancing Star. As mentioned concerning other group fights, the potion Blizzard is your friend in these situations. Once you have eliminated the bandits, search the area.
You will come across a hidden area in which Geralt can use the Eye of Nehaleni to dispel an illusion. Within is a workshop. You’ll need the power crystal on the table to open a portal. A hidden button will reveal said portal (use your Witcher Senses to find it, go figure), and once the crystal is in the mechanism, Aard will activate it. A golem awaits you on the other side, so come prepared with Elementa Oil, Quen, and Dimeritium Bombs.
Explore the rest of the cave to uncover the diagrams. The trousers diagram is in a sack on a chair, the Witcher 3 Griffin armor diagram is in a small box beside the stove, and the silver sword diagram is on a table. A nearby illusion leads back to the outside world, albeit carrying the risk of attack by vampire. A garkain and fleder are nearby, and you’ll want to counter them with Vampire Oil, Black Blood, Quen (counter everything with Quen. Cast Quen before every fight — just do it), Moon Dust, and Samum. It’s worth noting that the last two are only effective on the garkain in particular.
On the Path to Witcher 3 Griffin Armor
So now you’ve picked up all the diagrams for Witcher 3 Griffin armor, what next? For one, you’ll need to forge them. Tips for this are detailed in our other armor articles, and these include ways to keep your crafting cost-effective and efficient. And once you finally have the armor, what then? What’s it good for?
Essentially, any build heavily emphasizing signs opts for Griffin armor. Between the extra free spell every time you cast and the improved utility of Yrden for the full set bonus, it’s a must for anyone who yearns to be capable of unspeakable arcane devastation.
In terms of actually unleashing said power, how should you operate? For one, take full advantage of your double-casting. Drowners melt twice as quickly if you two-tap them with Igni, crowds are blasted back like men and elves in the wake of Sauron’s mace, and once you have the full set bonus, your Yrden traps will provide you with extra stamina regen and sign intensity. It may be a bit more complex to make a Signs build work than the Euphoria builds out there, but once you don your armor and nail your methodology, you’ll be immolating monsters in true Griffin School style.
Griffin School’s in Session
That’s it for our guide on finding the Witcher 3 Griffin armor! For more tips on builds, armor sets, and all things Witcher 3, follow High Ground Gaming and subscribe to our newsletter for updates.
Happy gaming!
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