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
Today, we’re discussing a set of equipment in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt that’s unlike any of its cousins. Every other witcher school has some upgrade tiers, even the erratic Viper set.
The Manticore set was introduced with Blood and Wine and contains only the grandmaster level armor and swords, and (if you ratchet things up to NG+) the Legendary Manticore Armor set and its accompanying weapons.
The search will be shorter and more straightforward than other scavenger hunts, but does this make the journey less worthwhile? Read on to find out.
Witcher 3 Scavenger Hunt: Manticore School Gear
To acquire the Witcher 3 Manticore School gear quest, you’ll need to head to Beauclair, the capital of the duchy of Toussaint. Unlike other treasure hunt quests in the game, no Witcher 3 Manticore School gear maps exist. Instead, a grandmaster armorsmith named Lazare Lafargue resides in the city, and he will give you the quest “Master Master Master Master!” This leads into your true quest — “Scavenger Hunt: Manticore School Gear.” Now it’s time to saddle up, ride out into the open country, and begin the hunt.
South of the Fort Astre Ruins are the Bastoy Prison Ruins. This location coincides with The Toussaint Prison Experiment (sick reference) and is guarded by an alp. These vampires are susceptible to Yrden, Vampire Oil, Moon Dust, and the Black Blood potion, so it shouldn’t be difficult to fight and defeat them. At the northeastern bounds of the prison stands a tower. Climb up and enter the cell, looting one of the loose bricks therein for the steel sword diagram.
Next, head southwest of the Termes Palace Ruins and southeast of Gélenser Farm, where you will find a cave. A panther is likely to ambush you near the cave’s entrance. Quen and Beast Oil are good proofs against the creature. Within the cave, you’ll find walls plastered with prayers — including that of Merten, former witcher and newfound disciple of the Prophet Lebioda. Included in the prayer is the Witcher 3 Manticore Armor diagram, oddly enough.
A temple to Lebioda stands near the feet of the Prophet’s statue (marked “Prophet Lebioda Statue” on your map), wherein you must seek further diagrams. A weakened wall can and should be blasted apart by Aard. Enter. The Great Beggar’s Ghost will attack you — he is considered a specter, so fetch the corresponding oil and put the spirit to rest. Opposite the entrance is a table beside a staircase and upon the table is a small container. Take the trousers and boots diagrams from within.
Your journey will now carry you to Murky Delve, a cave south of the Palace Gardens and northwest of Seidhe Llygad Amphitheater. A hallucinatory crucible awaits, filled with tests reflective of the moralistic worldview of the adherents of Lebioda. Two nude women are meant to lead you astray, turning into bruxae if you approach. Yrden, Vampire Oil, Moon Dust, and Black Blood are all helpful countermeasures. If you’d prefer to avoid a fight, skirt them and continue deeper into the cave system.
Your next test takes the form of five beggars to whom you must give alms if you wish to avoid a fight. Fifty Crowns (or whatever currency you happen to be carrying) will cover the lot. Otherwise, prepare to do battle with an archespore. Cursed Oil, Aard, and evasive tactics will help destroy the damnable plant.
Moving on, you will encounter an illusory townsman attacked by three kikimora workers. Ignoring him in favor of illusory treasure will only spawn another kikimora. Quen, Igni, and White Honey all counteract kikimoras nicely (rather than attacking with traditional poison, they raise your Toxicity drastically). You will come to a weak wall — blast it with Aard and face the last illusion, Lebioda himself. He will merely rise and disappear, allowing you to loot the container nearby for the silver sword diagram.
Northeast of the Basane Farm is the Lake of Cleansing. Travel there and slaughter the bandits you find. Hanged Man’s Venom, Quen, Aard, bombs, and parries all work well against human opponents. Blizzard is also an excellent way to manage crowds, slowing down time whenever you land a kill. Then mount the pier and dive into the water, using your witcher senses to suss out the gauntlets diagram, rounding out the set.
Back to the Workshop
Now it’s time to return to Lafargue and get your very own Witcher 3 Manticore Armor crafted. If you haven’t invested much time, money, or effort into any of the witcher school sets, the manticore set is a very solid choice. It’s the only witcher gear to have no upgrade tiers, only armor and swords at the grandmaster level. Consequently, it’s much more cost-effective than trying to build a school’s entire grandmaster set from the ground up.
As mentioned in other gear articles, pay close attention to whether a given crafting component can be acquired at less cost than other acquisition methods. For example, it is usually much more cost-effective to dismantle an item for its components than to buy those ingredients directly, especially if they’re rare. Generally, crafting and dismantling are your friends, and purchasing materials should be a matter of necessity.
Witcher 3 Manticore School Gear: On the Path
In truth, one of the Witcher 3 Manticore Armor set’s main bonuses (letting you get critical hits with grenades) isn’t much to write home about. Bombs aren’t a particular priority in terms of their damage output. Rather, the utility of burning or freezing an enemy or forcing an ethereal being into corporeal form constitutes the primary benefit of a witcher’s bombs.
That’s not to say you should never use bombs for damage purposes — far from it — but it pays to note that this bonus isn’t likely to be a game-changer.
The full set bonus, however, is a nice workhorse ability. It imparts an additional charge for your alchemy items, making your forays into the wild more effective with less need to meditate and devote resources to rest and resupply. The armor also boosts your maximum toxicity, meaning that you can have even more buffs active at a given time, you drug-addled maniac. Overall, the Manticore set is more of an endurance runner than a sprinter. Consequently, its benefits are more readily apparent over time, and that is not something to be underestimated.
Finally, check out this violent back-and-forth between Geralt and a slyzard.
Master Manticore
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With that, good luck on the Path!
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