There are a lot of monsters you’ll encounter in Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and many pose significant challenges to the unwary witcher even if they have a powerful silver sword. There are also many that, even if they don’t pose a threat, will leave you deeply disturbed long after you’ve closed the game for the day.
Unfortunately, you’ll be tasked with going up against many of these fiends in some of the most terrifying contracts in the game. Whether it’s undead monstrosities that feast on dead flesh, demons from the beyond, or terrifying forest guardians, here are some examples of true nightmare fuel in The Witcher 3.
10 Grave Hag
Grave Hags are a higher form of ghoul that take up residence wherever an abundance of dead bodies are found such as cemeteries or battlefields and burrow themselves in. They are very territorial and aggressively fight anyone who poses a threat.
The reason they don’t rank higher is they only target living humans if their territory is encroached upon or they’ve run out of dead corpses to feed on. But they make the list for their long poisonous tongues and the fact that once they do attack a human they’ll bury them in the field to rot before eating them.
9 Hym
Hyms are one of the most powerful forms of demons found in The Witcher 3. They are specters that latch onto a person, gradually and secretively feeding off their essence. The victims will be the only one that can hear their whisperings and will be driven mad until they end themselves or die, at which point the Hym will move on to another.
They are very hard to kill and can teleport around the room to catch their assailant by surprise. Light to keep them in physical form is necessary and evading their long reach is key to not dying.
8 Foglet
These small creatures have the terrifying ability to create a fog to hide in and separate travelers from each other. Their bodies will then glow and lure lone victims away to cliffs, swamps, caves, or other areas where they can set up an ambush.
Even worse is the fact they can turn invisible to sneak up on their prey. If the victim has the ability to make them visible again with Moon Dust or Yrden then they create mirror images of themselves that are capable of doing damage and distracting their opponent. Travelers have been known to hide in swamps until dawn to avoid drawing these creatures’ attention.
7 Rotfiend
Rotfiends are a form of Necrophage that look like rotting corpses without skin. Their stench is said to be horrendous and they have a voracious appetite for human flesh, living or dead. Their decomposing bodies exude toxic fumes that can poison even witchers.
Apart from the skinless corpse-like appearance what makes Rotfiends terrifying is that they’re rarely alone and frequently hunt in packs. Their speed is incredible allowing them to chase down a horse at full gallop. When you finally do come close to killing one their bodies explode violently.
6 Crones
These three sisters are terrifying figures that the player must contend with. Since man’s earliest days these witches have been accepting sacrifices in exchange for favors, one common sacrifice they accept as payment are severed ears.
They can take on the appearance of beautiful women, but their true forms are far different. Weavess has an eye infested with an insect nest and legs (not her own) are sewn into her stomach, Whispess has made a necklace of the severed ears they collect, and Brewess is very obese with oily looking skin.
5 Plague Maiden
These wraith-like beings are found wherever disease and pestilence ravage humanity. It’s unclear whether they create the plagues or if they are drawn to plague, but either way, their presence is a bad sign.
Their rotting corpses emit a cloud of noxious fumes and a swarm of plague-ridden rats follow them wherever they go. In battle, they can summon a cloud of infested insects to harass and kill their opponents. Even witchers risk becoming diseased when fighting these plagued spirits.
4 Ethereal
Many fans are convinced these beings are an homage to the creatures found in the Silent Hill series and are described as the child of a Nurse and Pyramid Head union. These shapeshifters are found in the nightmarish realm created by Iris Von Everec.
Humanoid, but severely scarred and mutilated they stand still until the player gets close and attack with a ferocity. When they move it’s done in twitches and jerks. They’ll make horrible moaning sounds and shriek whenever they attack. It makes you wish they kept their burlap sacks on.
3 Leshen
The Leshen is the guardian of the forest, an ancient forest spirit that has taken physical form to punish humans who venture too deep into the woods. With a humanoid body made of twisted roots and a deer skull for a head they are a fearsome sight to behold and a good reason not to anger the forests.
In combat, they are ferocious enemies that can summon animals to their aide and vanish like smoke. Nearly every player who tackled the side quest Abandoned Sawmill has been startled by the sudden appearance of this ancient spirit.
2 The Caretaker
Cited by many fans as one of the most terrifying foes in the game it’s not hard to see why. Initially, it appears as a mysterious man in a hood standing guard over the Von Everec Estate. Upon further observation the truth is revealed.
It’s no ordinary man but a type of demon summoned from another realm to watch over the estate. Underneath the black hood is a bald head with no face. Instead of eyes, ears, and nose is a patch of smooth flesh sewn into place with only a mouth visible. It’s unclear if this was a man twisted into demon form or a demon who attempted to mimic human form and failed, but it’s disturbing in any case.
1 Botchling
By far the most horrific creatures in The Witcher 3 are Botchlings. Deformed fetuses that were either abandoned by their mothers or stillborn they were given life after being improperly buried. Rising from the earth they crawl under the beds of pregnant mothers and feed off their essence until the woman is weak and the Botchling can drain them of blood.
Once gorged on blood it can morph into the size of a man and prove to be a fierce opponent. In the sidequest Family Matters it’s revealed they can be buried properly via a naming ritual and turn into a benevolent spirit called Lubberkin. A Lubberkin will haunt the home of its original family, watching over them. Which is about as terrifying as its original form.