The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings Achievement Guide & Road Map

The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings
The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings Achievement Guide

Overview:
-Estimated achievement difficulty: 5/10
-Offline: 50 (1000)
-Online: 0
-Approximate amount of time to 1000G: 25-50 hours
-Minimum number of playthroughs needed: 2
-Number of missable achievements: 34
-Does difficulty affect achievements: Yes
-Glitchy achievements: None

Introduction:
This is my Witcher 2 roadmap to help you plan to get your 1k in 2 playthroughs. It’s not an achievement guide, but I did add small descriptions on how or what. The list is in order when you can first get them or when I got them. I also broke it down in the 2 different paths.

General info:
This game requires 2 playthroughs to 1k it. (~1.75 actually if you start on Dark). Reason is, near the end of Chapter 1 you have to pick a path (Iorveth or Roche).

I suggest to start on easy/normal on your first, because Dark can be very annoying/unforgiving if you start here right away. Since you have to play it twice anyway, easy/normal is a good way to start and enjoy the game. Then you can rush through Dark in ~10 hours if you want.

I also suggest going with Iorveth on your first normal/easy playthrough, cos I found it easier than Roche's path. The steps to 1k are easy enough and they are:

Step 1: Normal/easy playthrough with Iorveth and kill the trolls.

Step 2: Dark playthrough with Vernon Roche and spare the trolls.

Step 3: Finish 30 arena rounds.

Preparations/tips:
-Arena is separate from the game, handy to get to fight 30 to try out skills and the fighting.
-For your first playthrough, kill all (3) trolls. Trollslayer will pop during chapter 2.
-Spare all 3 on your second (there’s actually a 4th with Vernon, not sure if he counts)
-Read this WIKI and try to get as many abilities as you can on your Dark playthrough.
-Try do do most of the quests on your first playthrough to reach level 35 for Guru.
-I went 95% magic on my Dark playthrough, once Igni is upgraded the game becomes a lot easier.
-Perfectionist is easy to get at the start of chapter 2, when you are under a magical umbrella. Just tag 10 enemies without getting hit.
-Miser, this is not cumulative, you need 10k at once and it’s easy if you loot/harvest a lot.

Skill tips:
-Try to save up some points during chapter 2 (8-9 I think), make a save and get the mutant ability. Then reload and spend them like you want to.
OR
For getting the 3 adrenaline ability achievements (the mutant/heliotrope/group finisher) It's much for practical to instead do the quest From a Bygone Era as you are able to fully respec, simply make a save before you talk to the Operator. This is just easier than holding onto points imo.
-Ricochet and Focus need to be unlocked in the trees. Once unlocked, hold block when you isolated some archers and it pops when you killed 1. For Focus, lock on to an enemy and press A when indicated.

Note: some achievements take a few seconds to unlock.

Prologue missable:
-Eagle Eye, when the king asks you to aim the ballista, look for a small character in the distance.

Chapter 1 missables:
-Librarian, just keep your eyes open during the asylum quest. Last of the 4 pages is in the wraith room.
-Man of the Shadows, during Indecent Proposal. Take your time and don’t get detected, stun all the guards you can. Make sure to find the kayran trap part at the end outside or you will miss Artful Dodger later!
-Artful Dodger, just press A where it shows you to plant the trap to instakill a tentacle when it hits. (must craft kayran trap beforehand ofcourse)
Important: finish the nekker and endrega quests for Pest Control in chapter 3!

Chapter 2 general missables:
-Friend of Trolls/Trollslayer, just either kill or spare trolls during an entire playthrough.
If you want to save them, you will have to finish their quests and save the last troll from enemies.

Chapter 2 Iorveth missables:
-Blackops, don’t get detected while trying to sneak through the Kaedweni camp.
Important: finish the harpy nest quest for Pest Patrol in chapter 3!

Chapter 2 Vernon Roche missables:
-Tourist, just follow Zyvik around.
-Gladiator, don’t forget to drop by here and win all 4 fights. (Talk to Proximo)
-Heartbreaker, for free eboobs, after you defeated Ves, go visit her at Roche’s camp. Pick the right options (very obvious) and do what you want.
-Necromancer, there's 5 (6) easy parts you need to complete.
-Reasons of State, just pick the right option to get this bleepie. It’s during the cutscene after you fight the king.
Important: finish the rotfiend quest for Pest Patrol in chapter 3!

Chapter 3 general missables:
-Pest Control, this pops after you turn in the gargoyle quest.
-Sensitive Guy/Witch Hunter, make a save when you are heading to the tower with the dragon. Pick either to remove or leave the diamond when you meet up with Síle and reload.
-Avenger/Old Friends, make a save before you walk up to Letho, reload and pick other option.

Chapter 3 Iorveth missables:
-Spellbreaker, start by helping Philippa out of the prison. Don't go rescue Triss!
-Dragonheart, choose "Walk away".

Chapter 3 Vernon Roche missables:
-Kingmaker, don't go rescue Triss!
-Being Witcher George, choose "Kill the dragon".

credit:
JuSt BLaZe
gazmaster1
BloodGodAlucard
ChaosTheoryV2X
ryanclive

[XBA would like to thank rokkyrok for this roadmap]

Threesome

15
Kill three foes at once by performing a group finisher.
To be able to perform a group finisher you need to upgrade unlock Combat Acumen in the Swordmanship Skill Tree (see “Swordmaster”). This will allow you to build a meter which. Once it’s full you can execute a finishing move by pressing up on the d-pad.

If you execute a finisher amidst three or more human enemies, then a cut-scene will begin showing Geralt pull off a flowing three kill attack. The achievement will then unlock. Beware, this will only work if you are surrounded by human enemies. If there is a creature in the group, Geralt will only attack the creature.
To Be Continued…

50
Finish the game at any difficulty level.

See "Madman."
Swordmaster

10
Acquire the Combat Acumen ability.
This is the second to last skill in the swordsman path. It unlocks group finishers, and it requires at least eight talent points to unlock. First off, you'll need this skill for another achievement ("Threesome"), and secondly, I would strongly recommend keeping this ability, as it's a lifesaver. However, if you don't want it then make a save before spending the talent points and then reload the save once the achievement unlocks.

The achievement will unlock upon exiting the upgrade screen after purchasing the skill.

You can get the "Swordmaster", "Mutant", "Master Alchemist", and "Master of Magic" achievements in one go, by using the From a Bygone Era side mission on Iorveth's path in the correct manner. Follow the walkthrough here.
Ricochet

10
Kill a foe by deflecting his own arrow at him.
(3)
To be able to unlock this achievement you have to upgrade the Arrow Redirection ability in the Training tree to level 2. This will allow you to hold in order to deflect arrows back at the shooter.

Once this is done you have to find an enemy armed with a bow or a crossbow. Many enemies carry them, but Bandits are often equipped with them so explore the forests around Vergen.

Bear in mind that this achievement may not unlock first time. If it doesn’t, swap swords and try again. This should do the trick.
The Fugitive

5
Complete the Prologue.
Story related, can't be missed.
Tried-and-True

10
Survive your 5th fight in the Arena
See "Last Man Standing"
Poker!

30
Roll five-of-a-kind at dice poker.
Aside from the method below (which only some have found useful), this is purely based on luck. However, there a few things you can do to make your task a little easier.

First off, you are advised to try and earn the achievement at the earliest opportunity. That means playing the opponent in Foltest's camp at the very beginning of the game. This is preferable because later, better opponents are more likely to fold if your first roll contains three or more of-a-kind.

The most straight-forward approach is simply to hold any duplicates over for your second roll, even if you have just two matching dice.

Be aware that the achievement is based on you having five-of-a-kind at the end of your hand, not after your first roll. If you are lucky enough to roll five-of-a-kind first time, merely hold all of your dice.
Perfectionist

15
Kill 10 foes in a row without losing any Vitality.
(1)
You can save to protect your progress in this achievement. So after you’ve defeated a few enemies without losing any vitality, save your game. Then if you get hit, you can simply reload. You do not have to earn this achievement during a single encounter.

The easiest place to get this is during the prologue, before and after you fire the Ballista. In these encounters, small, manageable waves of enemies will attack. Remember, this doesn’t have to be done in one encounter, so the Ballista firing section will not impede your progress. Make sure to make liberal use of your block.
Last Man Standing

15
Survive your 30th fight in the Arena
This is a completely separate mode from the main game (not to be confused with the Kaedwini arena, which has its own achievement). It is started at the main menu under New Game selection. There are actually much more than thirty rounds, but round thirty is the highest you must reach in terms of the achievements. You start at level one, but you will level up in between rounds, earning a talent point for every wave completed. As you complete the waves, you can pick what you're reward is going to be (armor, weapon, enhancement, or mutagen). I personally didn't bother with the mutagens or the enhancement, and I only picked the armor when it started offering +20 protection, and once you get one chest piece that has those stats, I recommend that you keep picking the weapons. My Steel Sword did around 55 damage, and my silver sword did around 38, so I'd suggest using that as a template for how you select your gear.

Some tips or things to consider:
- Don't bother with the Alchemy skill tree. Focus on upgrading Quen, Igni, and Vigor in the magic tree. Then focus on vitality, damage reduction, dodge distance, group finishers (!!!), etc.
- Don't buy a helper every round, if at all. They usually tend to get themselves cornered and killed very quickly.
- Set the difficulty on easy (it's still somewhat challenging towards the end, so don't punish yourself if you don't need to).
- You can die as many times as you need until you complete around. I died on round 22 and 30 (the hardest ones) and still got the achievement. The only thing dying does is stopping you from earning leaderboard points, which aren't required for any achievements.
The orens and talent points you earn here do NOT count towards the "Miser" and "Guru" achievements, respectively. Furthermore, you can not earn any combat related achievements (deflecting arrow for a kill, for example) in the arena. These achievements must be completed in the main story.

Once you complete round thirty, you will unlock your achievement.
Mutant!

30
Enhance abilities using mutagens at least five times.
To mutate an ability, you need mutagens. Mutagens can be picked up throughout the game or bought from merchants. Picking up mutagens is preferred because they can be expensive when bought, and they do not weigh very much, meaning you can carry them without getting over-encumbered.

Only certain abilities can be mutated and they have to be reached in the skill tree before you can mutate them. The list of mutate-able abilities can be found below. Enhance your abilities with mutagens five times to unlock the achievement.

Training Tree
- Fortitude
- Arrow Redirection
- irreversible
Swordsmanship Tree
- Combat Acumen
- Whirlwind
Magic Tree
- Enhanced Yrden Sign
- Sense of Magic
- Control over the Power
Alchemy Tree
- Condensation
- Metahesis
- Berserker
- Mutant
- Amplification
You can get the "Swordmaster", "Mutant", "Master Alchemist", and "Master of Magic" achievements in one go, by using the From a Bygone Era side mission on Iorveth's path in the correct manner. Follow the walkthrough here.
Master of Magic

10
Acquire the Sense of Magic ability.
To earn the Master of Magic Achievement you need to unlock the Sense of Magic ability. It’s the penultimate ability on the Magic Skill Tree. You need 8 talent points to unlock it. If you don't want to invest in this skill, make sure you save before you spend the talent points. Then you can go back to your save with the talent points intact. You cannot earn this while playing the arena mode. You can get the "Swordmaster", "Mutant", "Master Alchemist", and "Master of Magic" achievements in one go, by using the From a Bygone Era side mission on Iorveth's path in the correct manner. Follow the walkthrough here.
Guru

50
Achieve character level 35.
This isn’t easy, but there are a few ways to make the journey a little quicker.

One of the most important methods is to gain the Experienced perk which offers a +10% XP boost. This is achieved by destroying 10 different training dummies. You can do this across a number of locations in the game, but it is best to do it as soon as possible.

The earliest place to get this is in Foltest’s Camp. There are 5 dummies in the area that respawn. Destroy 10 and you’ll earn the perk.

I strongly advise doing this on your easy playthrough. This achievement requires you to complete pretty much every quest as well as kill just about every monster you encounter. If, like me, you missed or failed some quests here and there, or you think you aren’t going to hit level 35 by the end of the game, fear not. First off, the last quest, A Summit of Mages, will net you 1000XP for completing it, so you have to be level 34 before you go through with it (make a save before you do it just to be safe) if you want to get this achievement. Most importantly, there is actually a spot in Chapter III that will allow you to easily grind for XP.

The spot is located just outside the Loc Muinne city, in the camp of the Knights of the Order. These knights wear red armor and you will be able to kill them indefinitely for about 5XP every kill. They respawn almost instantly and most of the time they don’t even fight back, making it ridiculously easy to farm here. Grind here until you reach level 34, and then proceed to complete the last main quest.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Many people have reported not being able to attack the Knights at all, hence not being able to kill them. If you followed Iorveth’s path, you should be able to do this automatically, and they will actually attack you on sight. On Roche’s path, you must help Roche rescue Anais La Valette from Dethmold, and tell him to reconsider giving her to the Order, and to consider his other options. Make a save before you talk with him here, just to be safe. You’ll know you did it right if Roche says he has other plans when the Order confronts him outside of Dethmold’s hideout, because after the dialogue, a combat encounter will occur, and you’ll fight the order. After fighting them here, return to the camp outside Loc Muinne and start killing them.

To minimize the grinding, I would recommend taking on as many side quests as possible and fighting every enemy you encounter without running past it. However you decide to go about doing this, the achievement will unlock once you hit level 35.
Journeyman

10
Achieve character level 10.
This will come naturally as you progress through the game.
Madman

100
Finish the game while playing at the Dark difficulty level.
(Strongly recommend Iorveth's path)

This is by far the hardest achievement in the game. It requires a lot of patience, but even then you will be very frustrated at some points. Each chapter has a unique armour set as well as some high damage weapons. Each chapter’s gear is listed below:

Chapter I: Blasphemer Set + Anathema/Ultimatum

The diagrams can be purchased from the blacksmith in Flotsam and the total price of buying the diagrams (as well as actually crafting it) tally up to 2511 orens. This will be more if you decide to buy the items from merchants.
- 4x Amethyst Dust
- 5x Diamond Dust
- 5x Endrega Hide
- 2x Endrega Venom
- 16x Hardened Leather
- 16x Iron Ore
- 8x Nekker Claws
- 9x Nekker Teeth
- 20x Robust Cloth
- 12x Silver Ore
- 20x Studded Leather
- 5x Timber
- 4x Twine
- 2x Yellow Meteorite Ore
Chapter II: The Oathbreaker’s Set + Virgin/Black Unicorn

The diagrams for this as well as actually crafting it can be purchased from Lasota in the Kaedwini Camp (Roche’s path) or Mael in the market in Vergen. The diagrams cost up to 5026 orens in total.
- 7x Amethyst dust
- 2x Blue meteorite
- 3x Diamond dust
- 1x Draugir armor fragment
- 4x Essence of death
- 18x Hardened leather
- 6x Harpy feathers
- 16x Iron ore
- 20x Robust cloth
- 14x Silver ore
- 20x Studded leather
- 5x Timber
- 10x Twine
Chapter III: The Kinslayer's Set + Weeper/Mourner

The diagrams for this set (I would personally only make the chest piece as the sword has a side effect that reduces your health gradually) can be boughten from Bras of Ban Ard for a total of 7931 orens. This does not include the price of the ingredients, which are listed below:
- 2x Blue Meteorite
- 1x Dragon scales
- 4x Elemental Stone
- 2x Essence of death
- 9x Gargoyle dust
- 28x Hardened leather
- 8x Harpy feathers
- 2x Harpy saliva
- 18x Iron ore
- 4x Leather
- 26x Robust cloth
- 14x Silver ore
- 8x Studded leather
- 4x Timber
- 1x Troll tongue
- 12x Twine
Now, I can tell you right now that you probably won't want to grind for orens nearly that much, so I would recommend doing what I did (described below).

In Chapter I, buy the diagram for the Blasphemer's armor (chest piece) and craft that. You will want to buy the materials from Fiorvanthi in the main square by the inn. Nekker claws and teeth can be farmed from the Nekkers outside Flotsam. Don't bother with the other pieces as you won't need them. Now, turn your attention towards crafting, looting, or purchasing a Superb Silver Sword. This will tide you over for the chapter in terms of monsters. As for steel swords, focus on crafting the Sword of Caingorn (diagram boughten from the dwarf as with the other sets), as this does a good amount of damage for the human enemies in this chapter. As for upgrades, focus on Quen and Igni. Quen is a lifesaver throughout your playthrough and will make it a lot easier. Igni starts off weak, but it becomes a handy backup tool in case you need to do some AoE damage. This set up will minimize the frustration in this chapter.

In Chapter II, because it is so long, the enemies will become significantly stronger as you go along. Because of this, I farmed the Harpies in the chasm for their feathers, eyes, etc. When you become near over-encumbered, head back to Vergen to sell your harpy loot and buy these weapons from the mysterious merchant (by the Inn; marked on map): Robust Yellow Meteorite Sword (silver) and Poisoned Zerrikanian Saberra (steel). You can buy the armor if you want, but it's not totally necessary, but I would recommend upgrading your Blasphemer's armor if you can. These weapons will last you most, if not all of chapter 2.

In Chapter III, since you won't be killing that many human enemies, I personally stuck with my Poisoned Zerrikanian Saberra throughout the chapter, but I crafted the Superb Yellow Meteorite sword. Stock up on oils and potions (not totally necessary but it helps a lot with the dragon fight). In terms of armor, try and craft the Kinslayer's armor, as that will provide a LOT of protection. Keep this gear for the rest of the game and you should be set.
- Prologue
  - The entire thing. This is the hardest part of the game, due to not having many upgrades and barely average gear. The best strategy is to keep rolling around with and focusing on the enemies one at a time. The part that I specifically struggled with was the ballista and the part where you have to cross the bridge with the dragon while hiding under the wooden structures. The best piece of advice I can give other than to just be careful and use Quen often, and follow Foltest when he goes in between the structures, to minimize cheap deaths.
- Chapter I
  - Kayran Fight and the fight with Letho in the chamber. The Kayran fight is relatively straightforward if you follow my guide on its defeat (see "Kayranslayer"). Letho's fight is incredibly difficult, especially if you find yourself stuck with weak weapons. First off, craft the Sword of Caingorn at the blacksmith in Flotsam as it does a decent amount of damage to Letho and will carry you through the rest of the chapter. You'll want to stick close to him as often as possible, just so he doesn't throw bombs or use Aard too often, and keep Quen on pretty much at all times. Dodge behind him and get two strong attacks with and then roll away. Repeat until his health is around halfway, because the fight stops for a cutscene, and you'll be done.
- Chapter II
  - The Eternal Battle (before the Draug boss fight). This is difficult because of the fact that you don't control Geralt until the boss, so you can't use signs or roll during these fights. The best strategy is to charge in and kill the normal soldiers as fast as possible before turning your attention to the shielded enemy. He will block your attacks frequently, so stay behind him by running around him to bait his attacks and get a couple of strikes in.
- Chapter III
  - Honestly this chapter isn't too difficult except for the Dragon boss fight at the end. See "Dragonslayer" for an effective strategy. Letho's fight is also tough if you decide to kill him here, but repeat the steps listed in the Chapter I bullet point and you can consistently take him down.
The achievement won't unlock straight away, but once the credits start rolling, you're achievement will unlock so long as you didn't change the difficulty at any time during your playthrough.
Gladiator

15
Defeat all opponents in the Kaedweni arena.
(Only on Roche's path; Chapter 2)

This achievement is best done on Easy, but it's attainable on Dark (although you will have a much, much harder time). In the Kaedweni camp, you will notice a large arena in the middle of the area. To actually be able to participate, you need to complete the "Butcher of Cidaris" side quest.

To begin this quest, approach the arguing father-son pair in front of the canteen, and a small cutscene of their argument will ensue. Approach the father after the cutscene, Manfred, who is drinking vodka alone. Hear his story out and agree to help him. You will be tasked with assisting his son, Sven, in an arena fight against Letande Avet, the Butcher of Cidaris. Upon following through with the quest and killing Avet in the arena, speak to Manfred. He will offer you information to continue the main story, give you a square coin, and complete the quest.

Sven can actually die in the arena, and although Manfred will be very upset, he will still give you the information about the "Conspiracy Theory" main quest as well as the square coin. Needless to say, the arena will also still unlock.

After the quest is done, speak to Proximo (he will stand right by the arena during the daytime) about participating. Accept the rules and the fights will start. The fights are all pretty straightforward, but if you're playing on Dark, follow the strategies you've been using up to this point (Quen, Igni, roll around, etc.) and you should be able to clear the arena without much issue. The last opponent, Ves, is much harder than the other opponents, so keep that in mind. Upon defeating her, talk to Proximo for your reward, where your achievement will finally unlock.
Gambler

15
Win an arm wrestling match, a dice poker game and a fist fight.
Most easily achieved in the main inn Flotsam. Go into the bar and you will find all three activities. This is a very simple achievement.

Arm Wrestling - Move the analog stick slowly in order to keep the reticle within the moving yellow bar. Watch out, it shrinks as it gets nearer to the end.

Dice Poker - Rules are simple for anyone familiar with poker, but a full run down can be found here.

Fist Fight - Simply follow the on-screen button prompts to victory!
Torn Asunder!

15
Kill more than one opponent using a single exploding bomb.
You might actually get this in the Prologue. You must have a bomb (grapeshot, Samum, etc.) equipped in your quickfire slots. Once the enemies are grouped together, throw it with . The bomb will likely damage multiple enemies, but it might not kill them. Keep throwing your bombs at the group and you will get the achievement.

Aforementioned above, you can actually get this in the prologue. At the end of the section where you hide from the dragon's breath in the wooden structures, you will be fighting two groups of knights in front of the gate. Throw bombs into the group here and you will almost definitely get it.

If you don't get it in the prologue, fear not. There are many more opportunities to get this throughout the game. Pretty much any area with a group of enemies will suffice.
Pest Control

20
Finish all quests involing the destruction of monster nests.
There are a total of four quests that involve the destruction of monster nests throughout the three chapters. You can buy a book or series of books to complete the knowledge portion of the contracts, or simply keep killing the enemies you need to gain knowledge on them. The one in Chapter II varies depending on whether you sided with Roche or Iorveth, but either path will net the achievement. I will break down the contracts in each chapter:

Chapter I
- The Nekker Contract (click to see a map of the nests)
- The Endrega Contract (click to see map of the cocoons)
Chapter II
- The Rotfiend Contract (Roche's path) (click to see map of the corpses you need to inspect)
- The Harpy Contract (Iorveth's path) (location of the lair is at the bottom of the chasm near Vergen, near the hut housing the guy who wants you to bring him harpy feathers)
Chapter III
- The Gargoyle Contract (click to see a video walkthrough of the locations of the runes as well as how to solve them within Loc Muinne)
Once you complete "The Gargoyle Contract" in Chapter III, no matter what path you take, the achievement will unlock.
Craftsman

10
Hire a craftsman to create an item.
You can get this achievement during Chapter 1. Once you reach Flotsam, head to the Non-Human District. Here you will find two dwarves in an alley working at a forge. You should already have the recipe for a silver sword. Just buy the necessary ingredients from the dwarf and ask him to forge the item for you. Once done the achievement should unlock.
Focus

30
Perform three successful ripostes in a row.
The first thing you need to do is unlock the riposte ability from the swordsman path. To actually execute the ability, you must first be blocking with , and be in front of an enemy wielding a sword. Then wait until the indicator appears above your opponent (it looks like a sword with lightning around it) and press either or . Do this three times in a row and the achievement will unlock. Ripostes don't have to result in a kill to unlock the achievement.
Miser

10
Collect 10000 orens.
This is the big achievement that you must prepare for. First off, this is NOT cumulative, meaning you need to have 10000 at one time. There's a few different ways of making this easier.

One way is to just stockpile items, making sure to store anything unneeded in the chests found across each chapter. Then when you think you have enough; save, then sell everything. You can go back to your save once you've unlocked the achievement.

Chest Locations:

Chapter 1 - Southwest area of the lower level of the Flotsam inn, near the door to the brothel.
Chapter 2 (Roche's Path) - Outside the encampment by the brothel tents.
Chapter 2 (Iorveths Path) - Talk to the innkeeper and use the storage chest in his room at the Cauldron.
Chapter 3 - Inside the ruined building used as an inn southwest of the notice board in Loc Muinne.

On Iorveth's path (this can be done on Roche's path too, but you will have to progress in the chapter a bit before you can go to the area), you can farm the harpies in the canyon for their feathers and other items, and kill them over and over again for lots of orens. Harpy feathers weigh 0.1 lbs, so you can carry many, many of them before you're anywhere near the carry limit. After you kill them (there are approximately 15-20 in this area), return to the hut that overlooks the canyon and wait twenty four hours (meditate with + and then select "wait time") to repeat the process. This is also a decent XP farming method.

On Roche's path, this is honestly easier. In the Kaedwini camp, there is an opponent who will arm wrestle for 100 orens every single time and is there indefinitely. You will likely have a decent amount of orens already, so just keep arm wrestling him and betting the max amount and you'll have enough orens to buy or craft just about anything.

If you're really close to hitting the 10K mark and you don't want to grind, make a save in front of a merchant. Proceed to unequip everything and then sell your entire inventory to any merchant. The achievement will unlock after you hit 10000 orens, after which you should definitely reload your save to get all of your inventory back.
The Butcher of Blaviken

30
Kill 500 foes.
Should come naturally towards the end of Chapter 2. Can also be boosted by hanging around in the mists and defeating Wraiths during the "The Blood Curse" misson or you can farm the Knights of the Order in Chapter 3 (see “Guru” to see how to get this spot to work).
Master Alchemist

10
Acquire the Mutant ability.
To earn the Master Alchemist Achievement you need to unlock the Mutant Ability found towards the end of the Alchemy Skill Tree. You need 8 talent points in order to unlock the Mutant ability. If you don't want to invest in this skill, make sure you save before you spend the talent points. Then you can go back to your save with the talent points intact. You cannot earn this while playing the arena mode. You can get the "Swordmaster", "Mutant", "Master Alchemist", and "Master of Magic" achievements in one go, by using the From a Bygone Era side mission on Iorveth's path in the correct manner. Follow the walkthrough here.
Apprentice

10
Use alchemy to brew five potions or oils.
This can be done during the Prologue. Press to scan the area for herbs and items, pick up as many as you can, and you should have enough to brew five potions before you reach the monastery.

Press and then to meditate, then select Alchemy. From there look through the different potions, press to see how many you are allowed to make and select one that allows 5 or more. Brew 5 or more at once to earn the achievement.
Once Ain't Enough

15
Complete Chapter 3.
Story related, can't be missed.
Alea Iacta Est

10
Complete Chapter 2.
Story related, can't be missed.
To Aedirn!

5
Complete Chapter 1.
Story related, can't be missed.

Witch Hunter

10
Leave Síle to die in the unstable portal.
After running to the top of the tower at the end of Chapter 3, you will encounter Sile trying to teleport away.

After the discovery that the crystal in the portal is flawed, you will be given the choice of either letting Sile die or removing the crystal. Allow Sile to die and earn the "Witch Hunter" achievement.
Trollslayer

30
Kill all the trolls in the game.
Again, there are three trolls in the game. Obviously, you can't just ignore them, you have to seek them out to kill them. Instead of helping them you can kill them on the spot.

Chapter I

There is one troll in this chapter. First off, you can't just ignore him and get the achievement. You must participate in his side quest to count for the achievement. You can always find it by the ruined bridge, but just to make it easier, take the quest "Troll Trouble" on the noticeboard outside of the inn. Upon going to the troll, you will fight it a little bit, but the fight will stop when the troll's health is about halfway down. Instead of continuing the conversation, tell him that he needs to die and finish the fight (turn in the quest back in Flotsam for your reward, but it's not necessary).

Chapter II

Towards the end of the chapter (regardless of whose side you're on), you will encounter two trolls. The first is a she-troll being attacked by some mercenaries, so kill them. A dialogue will occur, but instead of helping her find her husband, initiate a fight and kill her. Go down the path some more to encounter her husband, who will ask you where she is. Tell him you killed her, and he will understandably fight you. Unfortunately, you will need to kill him.

Once you kill the last troll in Chapter II, the achievement will unlock.
Friend of Trolls

15
Spare all trolls in the game.
There are a total of three trolls throughout the game. For this achievement (I'd recommend doing this on Dark difficulty, just to avoid any frustration), you are going to need to not kill any of them. Completely ignoring them will not net you the achievement.

Chapter I

There is one troll in this chapter. First off, you can't just ignore him and get the achievement. You must participate in his side quest to count for the achievement. You can always find it by the ruined bridge, but just to make it easier, take the quest "Troll Trouble" on the noticeboard outside of the inn. Upon going to the troll, you will fight it a little bit, but the fight will stop when the troll's health is about halfway down. He will tell you that if you help him find out what happened to his wife, then you will be able to pass. Agree to this, and it will start a subplot about finding the wife. Talk with Zoltan and Sile at the inn in Flotsam, and you will then be tasked with searching Sendler's house (close to where Cedric is located). He will tell you he was sold the head of the she-troll to him by a bandit named Dmitri. He will tell you that the bandit is located at the cemetery which is right by his house. Kill the bandits and then return to the troll telling him about his wife's fate. He will let you through after that.

Chapter II

Towards the end of the chapter (regardless of whose side you're on), you will encounter two trolls. The first is a she-troll being attacked by some mercenaries, so kill them to help her. Follow the path a little further and you will meet her husband, who is looking for her. Obviously, don't attack the husband or select the dialogue that prompts a fight. Agree to help him and go back to the she-troll to tell her to go back to her husband. Convince her to go back to her husband to complete the subplot.

The achievement will unlock after you help the last troll in Chapter II.
Tourist

10
Tour the camp with Zyvik.
When you enter the camp in Chapter Two, Zyvik will escort you around, showing you the sights. You will be given the opportunity to skip the tour. DO not do this.

Follow Zyvik through the entire tour for the achievement to pop. It only takes a couple of minutes.
Artful Dodger

30
Cut off a tentacle using the kayran trap.
This is an easily missable achievement. First off, you'll want to be aware of how to craft the trap. The diagram is boughten from Cedric outside of Flotsam. The only missable ingredient is the Iron Frame (found in the chest at the end of Loredo's garden, but ONLY during the quest "Indecent Proposal". If you go back after finishing the quest, you won't find anything). The other ingredients are as follows:
- 1x Iron Frame
- 1x Iron ore
- 1x Silver ore
- 2x oil
Take the ingredients to Cedric or the dwarf and have him craft the trap for you. Then, during the fight with the kayran, run to the left side, towards the outline of the trap. Press the button prompt to deploy the trap, and then bait the attack into the trap. The trap will cut off the tentacle by itself, and the achievement will unlock.
Kayranslayer

10
Kill the kayran.
Story related, and cannot be missed. The Kayran is the first main boss in the game, and it really isn’t too difficult if you know what to do. You can use the trap you crafted for the ”Artful Dodger” achievement, but it isn’t necessary if you already have the achievement or don’t care about it. Here’s how to beat him without using the trap on Dark:
- Immediately cast Quen whenever you’re hit and right when the fights starts.
- Cast Yrden to put down a magic trap (do this a decent distance away, but not at the edge of the map) and stand on it.
- When you see the monster raise its tentacle, dodge out of the way (left or right on the analog stick + ) and attack the orange spot that sticks out clearly.
- Rinse and repeat for all of the tentacles that have weak spots.
- Follow the QTE button prompts when they’re shown ( to mount, mash to attack, and press to dismount).
- Take cover behind the piece of debris and wait for an opening right after the boulder lands.
- Run up the structure on the left to the top, dodging the tentacles along the way and watch the cutscene, follow any QTE prompt if you see any).
The achievement will unlock after its defeat.
Reasons of State

15
Stop Roche from killing Henselt.
Towards the end of Chapter 2, you will run into a house and see a sorceress leaving through a portal. Following this you'll fight against King Henselt. After the fight, Roche enters and locks the door, with the intention of killing the king. It's your job to make sure he doesn't.

This one's nice and easy. Just pick the dialogue options that discourage Roche from killing the king.
Spellbreaker

15
Help Iorveth find the dagger needed to free Saskia from the spell that holds her.
Obviously, this achievement can only be obtained on Iorveth's path during Chapter III. When you are given the choice to rescue Phillipa or Triss Merigold during the quest "The Spellbreaker", you must choose to rescue Phillipa. You will have to help Iorveth escort her through the sewers, defeating Rottfiends along the way, to the top of the tower which contains the chest holding the dagger. You will have to face a Draug mini-boss battle, but fear not as it is not nearly as hard as what you're expecting. Quen and place Yrden when you need to, hitting the mini-boss when you get the chance, and you will take the mini-boss down very quickly.

The achievement will unlock upon finishing the quest completely, so don't freak out if it doesn't unlock right away upon obtaining the dagger.
Black Ops

20
Sneak through the lower camp without raising the alarm.
This is only on Iorveth's path of the game. Towards the end of chapter II, during the main quest line, you will be tasked with crossing the mist and infiltrating the Kaedwini camp. Roche will talk to you after you cross the mist and tell you about a couple of options for sneaking. Personally, I recommend going around the back of the camp so you can climb the rocks to show up close to the canteen. Describing what to do in text would only confuse you, but rest assured it's basic stealth. Below is a video detailing exactly what you need to do for achievement. Be sure to save when you feel it's necessary, but you are given checkpoints throughout to make it easier.
Man of the Shadows

15
Successfully sneak through Loredo's garden and find the component of the kayran trap.
(1)
This is in Chapter I, and in fact can be missed entirely if you don't follow Roche into Loredo's quarters. Go around the back when Roche tasks you with doing so and you will be stopped by a guard. Go back to Roche and speak with him about the guard. Roche will distract him, allowing you to get in. There is one guard next to a rock, so sneak over and hide behind it. Wait for him to turn around and knock him out with (if you don't knock this guy out, the other guard urinating by the door will always around and notice you). Upon knocking out the guard by the rock, go to the one urinating and knock him out too. Look to your right to see a rock that you can climb to get over the locked door. Once you drop here, make a save and just use common sense for the remainder and you'll be fine.

Once you get the kayran trap fragment (iron frame) from the chest at the end and eavesdrop on Loredo (climb the ladder and shimmy next to his window to trigger a small cutscene), climb the ladder on the roof to drop down by the campfire, where you're achievement will unlock.
Intimidator

15
Intimidate someone.
This achievement is technically missable, but you are given many opportunities to do this. First off, the dialogue option that is considered an intimidation is signaled by a red eyeball with a lightning ball through it. You can get this in the prologue, by slapping the guy next to the monk before you escort Foltest across the bridge with the dragon. The achievement will unlock after any successful intimidation, however.
Sensitive Guy

10
Save Síle from dying in the unstable portal.
After running to the top of the tower at the end of Chapter 3, you will encounter Sile trying to teleport away.

After the discovery that the crystal in the portal is flawed, you will be given the choice of either letting Sile die or removing the crystal. Remove the crystal to earn the "Sensitive Guy" achievement.

Once the achievement pops, immediately reload your last auto-save and you can allow Sile to die and earn the "Witch Hunter" achievement too.
Old Friends

30
Finish the game by sparing Letho.
As the achievement states, this is at the very end of the game. You will engage in a dialogue with Letho, who will offer a toast to the end of their grievances. After there will be another choice in the dialogue to either fight Letho or to let him walk away. For this achievement (you will absolutely want to do this on Dark), you will need to spare him and let him walk away.

For "Avenger", you will need to kill him. I'd suggest doing this on easy, just because the fight is incredibly difficult on Dark, but it's identical to what it is in Chapter I.
Necromancer

50
Relive all of Auckes's memories in Dethmold's vision.
This is on Chapter II on Roche's path. At a certain point in the story (it's scripted so don't worry about missing the encounter), two assassins will show up at Henselt's tent to assassinate him. A fight scene between Geralt and the assassins will ensue. After defeating them, Dethmold will perform a ritual to relive their memories. You will be scripted to go into the memories, so follow the quest through until you are about to enter their memories. Then I would suggest MAKING A SAVE. If you hit a trap, get spotted by guards, or die in any of the memories, the achievement will be missed. Make saves periodically to help you out. The memories are all pretty straightforward, but on the second one with the traps, follow your comrade's path exactly, as he walks in between all of them. After getting to the end, you will have a fight with Geralt, but as you know, it doesn't end well. A video for further assistance can be found here. Credit to "Lead Example" for the video.

The achievement will unlock before fighting Geralt, as you will always lose here no matter how well you do.
Librarian

30
Find all additional information about the insane asylum's history.
This achievement is tied in with the In the Claws of Madness side quest.

Once in the asylum in the forest outside Flotsam, your main task will be to locate Gridley. That’s your main objective. This achievement is for finding four hospital files scattered around inside, telling the history of the asylum.

Hospital File 1

Enter the building and walk until the ghost sets the asylum on fire. Continue on until you reach an area where you can jump down. Once down, turn to your right you’ll see a chest. The first hospital file is in there.

Hospital File 2

Keep on walking until you reach a spot where you can jump down again. Once down, kill the wraiths then look for the chest. It’s to the right of the spot that jumped down into.

Hospital File 3

Talk to Gridley and head towards the fire. On your right hand side is a doorway where you will find the medicine needed. Just to the left of the room with the medicine, you’ll see another doorway. It’s difficult to see, but it’s there. Inside will be another chest, inside which is the third hospital file.

Hospital File 4

The last hospital file is found at the back of the room in which you talk to the ghost.
Dragonheart

20
Spare or save Saskia.
The opportunity for this achievement comes towards the end of the game, after the dragon impales itself on the tree. There are two different ways to get it, depending on whether you chose Roche or Iorveth's path.

Roche's path -

Just spare the dragon and walk back to Loc Muine.

Iorveth's path -

Will automatically unlock as you progress through the later stages of the game.
Kingmaker

15
Help Roche rescue Anais from the Kaedweni camp.
This is only obtainable on Roche's path of the game, so keep that in mind.

Towards the end of Chapter 3, before the last quest, you are presented with another choice: to rescue Triss Merigold, or to meet up with Roche to kill Dethmold and rescue Anais La Valette. I strongly advise doing this anyway, especially if you think you may not hit level 35 by the time you do the "A Summit of Mages" main quest (if you convince Roche to take Anais to Temeria rather than giving her to the Order, they will attack you and then you can farm them in their camp outside Loc Muinne).

The mission is fairly straightforward but there is a lot of combat. You will be fighting a lot of fully armored knights, and you will also want to use Quen and Igni to keep them at bay while also doing a fair amount of damage. When you get to Dethmold's quarters, Roche will kill him and you will proceed to take Anais. After you return to the starting point of this quest (whether you fight or are escorted by the Knights of the Order), the achievement will unlock.
Heartbreaker

10
Seduce Ves.
This achievement is available on the Roche path in Chapter 2, during the Ave Henselt! side quest.

Begin by completing the The Butcher of Cidaris quest in the Arena. As you win fights, Ves will volunteer herself as your opponent. If you defeat her she’ll invite you back to her tent in the Blue Stripes’ camp.

Go and visit Ves in the camp and give the following responses during conversation:
- That was a great duel
- I also feel like using this opportunity
- She’s both brave and beautiful
- I like that idea
The achievement should pop as soon as you pick the last dialogue option.
Eagle Eye

10
Hit Count Etcheverry using the ballista.
This is the first achievement you can pick up in the game and is missable, so follow the guide carefully.

During the Prologue, you’ll be given a spyglass and asked to mark Count Etcheverry. When you gain control of the spyglass, move the center crosshair over the person on the left of the tower opposite you and press "A."

If executed correctly, Geralt will say "one and a half degrees," the Ballista will destroy your enemies and your journal will be updated with Count Etcheverry’s info. If that doesn’t happen then re-load your last auto-save and try again, you will not get the achievement.

The achievement will eventually pop after the entire sequence finishes, by which point the auto-save will have shifted to a later point.
Fat Man

15
Kill the draug.
This boss is toward the end of Chapter II, during "The Eternal Battle" main quest. At the end of the quest, you are faced with killing the general of the =enemy army. You do control Geralt here (contrary to the other spots in this quest where you control a ghoul), so you can cast your signs and roll around, etc. For me, this boss was actually much easier on Dark than on easy.

The way to approach this boss is to keep relatively close to him and bait him into coming at you with Yrden. He will charge, but will get stuck on Yrden, allowing you to get some attacks in. Rinse and repeat and you;ll take him down. On easy, he will resist Yrden twice, but will get stuck a third time, allowing you to once again do some damage. However, on Dark, he doesn't seem to resist Yrden at all, getting stuck on every one that you plant.

If you back up too much, he will hail his archers to rain arrows down on you. These do a lot of damage on dark, so keep rolling for the duration of the attack, and then roll back in close to plant an Yrden to bait him into.

Upon the general's defeat, the achievement will unlock.
Being Witcher George

20
Kill the dragon.
This is is the last boss in the game (end of Chapter III). There are two "stages" to this fight. Each one requires some strategy, but as long as you dodge and utilize your oils and potions (this is honestly the only spot in the game where I would HIGHLY recommend using potions/oils), then this boss shouldn't be too much trouble. On Dark, this is obviously much harder, but the same sort of strategies will apply.

The first stage of the actual fight occurs right after you save Sile or let her die in the tower. You will be in the same room as this encounter with her after you have made your decision. The strategy for both stages basically amount to casting Quen (upgraded REALLY helps here), rolling up to the dragon's face, and then hitting it with a strong attack (), but only hit it like once or twice, because it will lunge or claw. On Easy or the other difficulties, you can get away with getting hit, but on Dark it's a one hit kill no matter what armor you have on, so always keep Quen active (other signs don't really do anything to the dragon).

In the second stage, the dragon will destroy the walls of the room, allowing you to climb to the top. The game thankfully checkpoints you here before you climb the rubble to the roof. In this area where it checkpoints you, you can also meditate, so take that time to drink potions that make you do more damage or anything else that may help you in combat. I'd also suggest coating your silver sword in an oil to make it do even more damage. When you get to the top, employ the same strategies of dodging and hitting with and you'll do sizable damage (so long as you have a good silver sword; I personally used the "Superb Yellow Meteorite Sword" as it does a lot of damage and can be crafted by Bras of Ban Ard in Loc Muinne. He also sells the diagram.). The catch here is that the dragon will duck and circle around and swing his tail, which will pretty much always hit you, so make sure you have Quen. If it goes down, recast immediately. I recommend rolling to where the dragon is taking cover along the roof and then dodge away as this will bait a swing, but you will have a chance to dodge. When he flies up in the air he is either going to breathe fire or fly along the roof to hit you. You can dodge both of these, but the window to dodge is relatively small. After you whittle the monster's health down, a QTE will take place and Geralt will leap onto the dragon and steer it into a tree.

As for this achievement specifically, you're given a choice to kill the dragon after it's impaled or walk away, and you'll need to kill it. After selecting the option to put the dragon out of its misery, the achievement will unlock.

WARNING: - *Only applies to Iorveth's path* During the quest "The Spellbreaker" in Chapter III, you're given yet another choice: to rescue Triss or Phillipa. Rescuing Phillipa will void the achievement, to avoid spoiling too much about the quest.
Backbone

20
Craft a suit of armor from elements of the kayran's carapace.
After you kill the Kayran in Chapter 1, loot its body. There are two locations on the body to loot, so make sure you collect from both. You will need these items to craft the suit of armour.

Once you have the items, return to Flotsam to collect your reward. One of the items will be a diagram to make the Kayran Skin Armor. It will show that you need the following items to craft the armour.

Kayran Armor
- 14x Robust Cloth
- 6x Hardened Leather
- 1 Kayran Skin
- 8x Twine
- 375 Orens
You can buy Twine, Hardened Leather and Robust Cloth from the merchant Fioravanti who is found at the south side of the main square in Flotsam, in front of Louis Merse's house. He’ll also sell you diagrams to make Hardened Leather and Robust Cloth, the ingredients of which are below.

Hardened Leather
- 3x Leather
- 2x Oil
- 5 Orens
Robust Cloth
- 3x Cloth
- 1 Twine
- 1 Diamond Dust
- 5 Orens
Once you have everything you need, travel to the craftsman Berthold Candeleria in the Nonhuman District of Flotsam. He will be able to craft the armor for you.
Avenger

30
Finish the game by killing Letho.
Save your game just before you enter the last door in the “Defeat your opponents. Go find Letho” sub-mission of The Assassins of Kings. Your mini-map will give you a good indication of how close you are.

This is in the epilogue of the game. I HIGHLY recommend doing this on easy, as the fight with Letho is incredibly difficult on the Dark difficulty level. You can do either, but it is advised that you don’t let him walk away. On easy, you can easily stun lock him to death with no issue, but on Dark he will block your attacks and kill you in two hits. Either way, once you slice Letho’s throat at the end, the achievement will unlock.