The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine – How to Get and Use Mutations

One of the brand new components of Blood and Wine, the newest expansion to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, is Mutations. This is a mechanic used to further augment Geralt’s Witcher abilities. However, in order to put it to use, you must first unlock the ability to do so.

Shortly into the Blood and Wine expansion, players will receive a hand-delivered letter from Yennefer, informing them of a mysterious professor who did research on the Mutations that give Witchers their abilities. She’ll provide you with a map leading you to his secret laboratory’s entrance. This begins the secondary quest “Turn and Face the Strange.”

The quest itself is pretty straightforward, if not a little dangerous. You’ll have to deal with some of a new enemy type, giant centipedes, a bit of swimming with Drowners, and a risky experiment. As long as you remember everything that’s kept you alive this far, you should have no problem dealing with any threats that may be thrown at you.

After completing the myriad objectives, you’ll unlock an entirely new skill tree that can help you become the most powerful warrior out there. Humans will cower in your presence and monsters will avoid you like the plague (or at least die a bit easier).

You can access this new tree by entering the Character menu (where you normally assign abilities) and hitting the appropriate button (Triangle on PlayStation 4, “Y” on Xbox One). This will bring up the new abilities available to you.

To use a Mutation, simply “Research” (the term used for unlocking each) one by paying the appropriate amount of Ability Points and Mutagens necessary. The first level requires two of each, and the price increases as you move up. After unlocking one simply select it to make it active. You can only have one Mutation active at a time, so swap them whenever you need a different approach.

Of course, it would help to know what each one does so you can save up your Ability Points for the ones that suit you most. 

Mutations

Magic Sensibilities

Signs can deal critical hits. Their critical hit chance and damage increase with Sign Intensity. Opponents killed by critical hits from Signs Explode.

Piercing Cold (Requires Magic Sensibilities)

When the Aard Sign is cast, it additionally has a 25% chance of freezing opponents. Opponents knocked down and frozen simultaneously die immediately. Opponents who are not frozen are dealt an additional amount of large damage.

Conductors of Magic (Requires Piercing Cold)

When drawn, magic, unique, and Witcher swords increase Sign damage dealt by 50% of their own damage dealt.

Adrenaline Rush (Requires Piercing Cold and Bloodbath)

At start of combat, sword Attack Power and Sign Intensity increase for 30 seconds by 30% for each foe (after first). So, when fighting 11 foes, the bonus is 300%. Once it wears off, sword Attack Power and Sign Intensity drop by 10% for each participating foe after first (modifier cannot exceed 70%).

Second Life (Requires Adrenaline Rush)

When Vitality reaches zero, you become temporarily invulnerable and regenerate 100% vitality. This effect can only be triggered once every three minutes.

Deadly Counter

Sword attacks deal 25% more damage to human opponents immune to counterattacks and monsters. In all other cases, if the attacker’s Vitality is less than 25%, a counterattack immediately triggers a finisher.

Bloodbath (Requires Deadly Counter)

Each fatal blow dealt by a sword dismembers the enemy or activates a finisher. Each blow dealt by a weapon in melee combat increases Attack Power by 5% until combat ends (to a maximum of 250%). The bonus is lost if you take damage (not including damage from Toxicity).

Cat Eyes (Requires Bloodbath and Euphoria)

Crossbow damages is drastically increased, and crossbow critical hit chance is increased by 50%. Crossbow bolts pierce and knock down or stun opponents. Opponents struck when they have full Vitality lose 15% of Vitality.

Metamorphosis (Requires Cat Eyes)

Applying critical effects to opponents activates a random decoction for two minutes with no Toxicity cost. The maximum number of decoctions that can be activated simultaneously by this Mutation is three. Witcher Senses help you see better in dark places as well.

Toxic Blood

Each time you are injured in melee combat, the attacking opponent receives damage in the amount of 1.5% of damage dealt for every point of your Toxicity level.

Euphoria (Requires Toxic Blood)

Each point of Toxicity increases damage dealt by swords and Sign Intensity by .75% (to a maximum of 75%).

Mutated Skin (Requires Euphoria)

Each Adrenaline Point decreases damage received by 15% (to a maximum of 45%).

Strengthened Synapses

Improve by researching mutations. Each state unlocks an addition Ability slot.