The Witcher series is partly based on famous fairy tales, and CD Projekt Red sometimes leaned into this when creating The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the optional area known as the Fablesphere.
If Geralt chooses to find Syanna during "The Night of Long Fangs" in the Blood and Wine expansion, the two will have to escape the Fablesphere together. This task involves several boss battles against famous fairytale creatures, and the last and most dangerous of these battles is against the Cloud Giant of "Jack and the Giant Beanstalk" fame. While the Cloud Giant is more dangerous than other giants in The Witcher 3, he also has several weaknesses that smart players can exploit.
The Setup
Once inside the Fablesphere, Geralt finds Syanna almost immediately. However, the exit is harder to find, and the two must work together to gather three magic beans and recreate the giant beanstalk. This isn't as easy as it sounds, nor is it the end of their troubles. Just like in the fable, the Cloud Giant is waiting at the top and is ready to attack anyone who approaches his castle. This means players should prepare for the fight before planting the beans.
Combat Strategies
- The Cloud Giant moves slowly and telegraphs all his strikes long before they hit, so go ahead and focus on strong attacks.
- When the Cloud Giant dives under the arena floor, he always appears directly under Geralt and follows up with a big downward swing. Keep rolling to avoid these attacks.
- The Cloud Giant is vulnerable to fire, and so both the Igni sign and the Dancing Star bombs are very useful against him.
- Like other giants, the Cloud Giant is an ogroid and thus vulnerable to Ogroid Oil.
- The Cloud Giant's arena contains several piles of cages, spears, and other metal objects, and sometimes these piles build up an electrical charge. Geralt can trick the giant into swinging into these piles, and if a pile is electrified it'll hurt the giant and stun him for several seconds.
- Syanna is present for this fight, but don't expect her to be much help. She's invulnerable, but she doesn't deal much damage and she won't draw the Cloud Giant's attention.
As an extra note, while the Cloud Giant's body doesn't contain any big rewards, players may notice a will-o-the-wisp on the bridge to the castle. By following this wisp off the side of the bridge, players will find a very good silver sword (and a reference to a different game series).
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is available now for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. The PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions launch on December 14.