There are a tremendous number of monsters that are out for human blood in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, therefore Geralt needs all the help he can get against the many forces from another existence. Stellar swordplay and effective use of the signs are essential to success in this game. Thankfully, players have lots of options. The more directly offensive signs, like Igni and Aard, usually get used the most due to their simplistic effectiveness.
Exactly the kind of combat that they were designed for, being very simple spells adapted for non-mage usage. However, the less spectacular ones also hold great benefits. Yrden allows Geralt to trap and plague foes with debuffs of all kinds, though needs to be set up on a solid surface instead of directly cast at an enemy. Since it goes mostly unnoticed due to being sometimes outperformed by Moon Dust, there are a few things about it that some witchers may not be aware of. Facts that could be essential to victory.
10 Casting Gesture
As with the other signs, Geralt must slightly contort one of his hands into making his fingers align in the correct position for the magic to come forth and be bent to his will. He must do so on the ground in front of him and then lure in his prey somehow.
The White Wolf can also boldly run directly up to a monster and quickly plant an Yrden trap at their feet before slashing at them in their weakened state.
9 Wreck Some Wraiths
Yrden is most famous for being the most straightforward way to take out wraiths, whether it be the night or noon variety. When these incorporeal fiends enter Yrden's field of effect, they become susceptible to physical attacks. However, due to the knockback done to these now weakened enemies, they usually get sent flying out of the trap's area.
Because of this, the Moon Dust bomb is more helpful against them, since it forces them to stay in their vulnerable state regardless of where they are, albeit for a period of half a minute or so.
8 Slow Speedy Foes
This magical trap is useful against more foes than just wraiths. Against the majority of the more hideous threats that Geralt will encounter, this sign can slow them down immensely, making it feel like fighting adversaries stuck in slow motion.
Quicker, more nimble fiends are the best target to use this tactic against. Nekkers warriors and Katakans can be tricky foes with respective agility that surpasses most, but against a force that combines all of the elements, they are held down, as if by the will of the world itself. A world they don't belong in and is aiding a witcher in repelling their existence.
7 Fifth Element
All magic in the world of The Witcher draws power from the natural elements of the planet. Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water comprise the source of all spells, simple or supreme. Although, a few races, such as humans, elves, and unicorns, have found ways to combine multiple, or all, of these elements to form new ways to manipulate the world's energy.
When all four elements are combined, the disciplines and schools of magic that came about referred to this magical mixture as the Fifth Element. In addition to Yrden, there are also a few other notable examples of this kind of magic, such as Teleportation, Geralt's hated Portals, and the mysterious divination rituals of Astromancy.
6 Shockingly Effective Alternate Mode
Every sign has an alternate mode that can be unlocked at Tier 2, which offers more options in combat, particularly for sign-oriented magic builds. Yrden's Magic Trap alternate mode lets players launch a bolt of purple lightning from Geralt's hand, which massively slows down enemies struck.
This has all the benefits of regularly casting Yrden but none of the weaknesses. It even still affects wraiths and other incorporeal monsters.
5 Yrden In Gwent
Like many of the signs, Yrden has made it into a side-game for The Witcher series, Gwent. Similar to how it appears in gameplay from The Witcher 3, this sign evens the playing field when applied in the right circumstances.
It returns all of the units that are on a row to their original power, making it useful against foes like monsters that have been boosted. Ending such strategies can lead to a victory over even the craziest unit-boosting tactics.
4 Used As A Ward
In addition to being used in direct combat, Geralt has employed the use of Yrden as a ward against foes while he rests or waits. The witcher once inscribed this sign on the inside of a sarcophagus that he was waiting in before his confrontation with a striga.
This is a reference to an old Slavic tale where a character does something similar, though with a Christian cross instead of the sign for Yrden. As The Witcher series is full of European folklore, it makes sense that tales from such origins would make it into Geralt's adventures.
3 Block Projectiles
Geralt is not the only one with projectile attacks. Both humans with their armaments and certain monsters can assail the White Wolf with all manner of arrows, bolts, and magical missiles.
Thankfully, Yrden's Magic Trap alternate mode destroys projectiles that come into contact with it, allowing clever witchers to avoid injury.
2 Make Enemies Lose Health Over Time
This sign also has an ability called Supercharged Glyphs, which causes all enemies under its influence to slowly die from having their health pulled out by Fifth Element magic. This can be upgraded to the point where adversaries lose a whopping 50 points of health or essence per second.
A useful way to add additional damage per second to any battle, especially over a wide area that can affect multiple foes. It would also help to chip away at the health of stronger monsters and bosses if more direct strategies are not available.
1 Helpful In Killing A Kayran
Certain monsters can get massive, which makes slaying them particularly difficult. One of the hugest and most hideous foes that Geralt has ever faced is the gigantic insectoid beast known as the Kayran.
During the witcher's battle with this grand and grotesque enemy, he was able to use Yrden to trap each of the fiend's tentacles so that he could cut them off, which led to the defeat of his colossal adversary.