How to Find Aerondight in The Witcher 3 Remaster (PS5/XSX/PC)

Witcher 3 is back with a new coat of paint and a lot of quality-of-life changes. The next gen version of The Witcher 3 is available for PS5, Xbox Series X and PC with higher frame rates and ultra HD textures. There is no better time than now to revisit this masterpiece and we are here to help you with finding the best weapon this game has to offer. Witcher 3 Remaster comes with both the expansions, including Blood and Wine. Our guide mainly focuses on Blood and Wine DLC as the sword of legends can only be obtained from it.

Aerondight is a sword of legend in the Witcher series. It is the only sword that has made an appearance in all three games, though Geralt loses it early in the second game during his battle with the dragon. The sword once again made an appearance in the Witcher 3 expansion, Blood and Wine, and is THE most powerful weapon in the whole game.

A True Beast Slayer

Before we dive into our guide, here is a brief summary of Aerondight sword stats and why it is actually the best and most powerful sword according to our claims. Aerondight is a silver sword that belongs to the Relic category, which means it can only be used against monsters and is practically useless against human enemies. It is the only sword that gets more powerful with every strike. The sword attack increases by 10% with each strike and once it reaches its full charge at 100%, the sword glows golden. The sword comes with zero slots but can be upgraded to unlock 3 rune slots, making it even more devastating. Aerondight has only one drawback: it loses its charge if you get hit by an enemy attack. This includes physical attack or projectiles like acid spits. It also loses its charge if not used over the time.

The best thing about the sword is its ability to deliver a critical attack when it is fully charged. If you kill an enemy when the sword is fully charged, its permanent damage output is increased to a certain extent. The amount of permanent damage increment depends on the character level, so this sword scales with character progression, making it the best choice for NG+.

Best things in life are never free

Aerondight can’t be crafted or found in the game. It can’t be looted or purchased either. In order to obtain the best weapon in the game, you have to do something extraordinary and prove your worth. The only way to obtain Aerondight is to complete a side-quest called “There can be only one” in the Blood and Wine expansion. Going through the quest makes the reward much sweeter.

To start the quest, you need to accept it as a Witcher contract from a board in Beauclair. The quest can be found on several boards in Beauclair, but it is guaranteed to be on the quest board in Gran’Place. You can also do the quest if you go directly to a place called Lake Calevy, which is to the East of Corvo Bianco. There you will find a hermit on a small island in the middle of the Lake. Talking to him will start the quest.

Simplicity in Complexion

The quest for Aerondight is both simple and complex. Let’s talk about the latter part first. The Hermit won’t just hand the sword over. He will tell you that in order to obtain the sword, one must possess five chivalric virtues.

1. Honor (can be obtained in three different ways)
2. Valor (can be obtained in three different ways)
3. Generosity (can be obtained in three different ways)
4. Wisdom (can be obtained in four different ways)
5. Compassion (can be obtained in five different ways)

This all seems like a daunting task at first and can put anyone off from finding the sword. But this is where the complex part ends. The game does an excellent job of keeping track of the virtues you possess and the ones you don’t. If you talk to the Hermit again, he will tell you which ones you are missing.

Obtaining all the virtues seems like a difficult task, but it is very well done by the game design. It takes some time to reach this particular quest and you’ll be doing a lot of other stuff in the meantime including side quests. You can earn these virtues through those quests. So when you start “There can be only one” to obtain Aerondight, you most probably have already acquired a few virtues along the way.

Choices maketh a man

These virtues are related to the choices you make in the game, specially during particular side quests, so there is always a chance to miss them depending on your decisions. Once again, the developers come to your rescue as there is more than one way to obtain those virtues and get your hands on Aerondight. The following guide will help you obtain all of the chivalric virtues whether you are starting the DLC anew or are already halfway through it. There is no particular order for obtaining these virtues, so we will start with one you can obtain right after starting Blood and Wine DLC.

Compassion

As the name suggests, you can achieve this virtue by being compassionate towards other NPCs. There are five ways to complete this task.

1. During the main quest, “Beast of Toussaint”, Geralt comes across a beast named Shaelmaar. The beast, Shaelmaar, is a mini boss and is a great introduction to the Blood and Wine DLC. After the fight, players are presented with a choice to either kill or spare the beast. If you choose to spare Shaelmaar, it will automatically grant you Compassion. If you somehow decided to kill Shaelmaar, then you will have to look at other options to earn Compassion.
2. Another opportunity to earn Compassion arises during a side-quest called “The Big Game Hunter”. You need to complete three steps. First you need to let go of the panther caught in the trap. During the next part you need to learn about the health of Count’s daughter, who is extremely ill. This can be done by talking to the people. The final step involves asking the count about her daughter when you are invited to the gathering. Doing all these steps will result in you earning the Compassion.
3. “La Cage au Fau” is the fourth main quest of the Blood and Wine DLC. This quest is a long one and you need to lift the Wight’s curse. After lifting the curse, the Wight will change into a woman named Marlene. She will then return to the vineyard and stay there. You need to visit her after a few days in the game. Talk to her and ask her to stay at the vineyard. Doing all those compassionate acts will make you one step closer to the ultimate reward.
4. During the side-quest “The mutual of Beauclair’s Wild Kingdom” let the basilisk known as “Locaste” live. If you spare Lacoste, it will earn you Compassion.
5. During the eighth main quest of the Blood and Wine expansion, “Capture the Castle”, talk to Rodrick after defeating his guards. If you decide to help him, it will count towards Compassion.

Valor

This is one of the easiest virtues to obtain. Valor can be obtained by fighting a lot of enemies or killing a very strong foe but there are three ways that will earn you valor with guarantee.

1. Valor can be proved by completing a side-quest called “The Warble of a Smitten Knight”. This side-quest is about you entering a tourney and winning it. The main focus here is to complete the quest as you will get an option halfway to abandon the tournament. If you decide to call it quits, don’t worry. The game offers you another chance to prove your valor.
2. “Fists of Fury: Toussaint” is a side-quest where you have to fight three opponents using your fists only. This means you can only use melee attacks, and the use of your steel sword is prohibited. After you win all three fights, a new quest will appear, called “Raging Wolf’. You have to defeat the Maestro in this quest to prove your valor.
3. If by any chance, you manage to mess up these quests, you can still earn valor by completing “Feet as Cold as Ice” side-quest. After killing Grottore, give the monster trophy to Francois instead of taking it with you.

Honor

There are four quests with choices that can earn you honor in return. You need to be extra careful when making those choices.

1. During the side-quest “The Warble of a Smitten Knight” enter the tourney with the name Geralt. The next stop involves accepting a duel before third trial. You need to win the mounted duel. The last step involves keeping a secret close to your heart. When you learn about Vivienne’s secret, don’t tell anyone about it. Doing all these steps will make you honorable and worthy of claiming Aerondight.
2. During the end of a side-quest “Till Death do you part”, don’t be greedy and tell Charles the truth. It will count towards achieving the honor.
3. Another side-quest named “Goodness, Gracious, Great balls of Granite!” can help you achieve honor. This quest can be obtained from a quest board or by talking to the art curator. He is a person shouting about the art exhibition being cancelled. Completing his request and returning Reginald’s jewels to him will let you earn honor.
4. During the side-quest “Father knows worst”, after finding the still filter from the bottom of a hot water spring, return to Hugo and hand over the filter to him. It will make you honorable and will count towards achieving the virtue.

Generosity

Rule of thumb, don’t be a miser. Money is hard to come by in a Witcher’s life and profession, but sharing it with people who are less fortunate, makes you a worthy contender for the ultimate prize, Aerondight. The virtue of generosity can be achieved in three different ways.

1. “Blood Run” is a main quest in the Blood and Wine DLC. After completing the quest, you’ll meet a boy who will deliver you a letter from either Triss or Yennifer. In order to earn the virtue of generosity, you need to tip the boy for his service.
2. During the main quest “When Children toil, toys waste away” you will meet a shoeshine boy who will offer you the information on Detlaff in exchange for 500 coins. You will have three options. Haggle for a lower price, use Axii sign to make him tell you everything without paying a single penny. Or you can simply help a poor boy by paying the full 500 coins. Choosing the last option will show your generosity towards the poor and will earn you the virtue.
3. During the side-quest “Mutual of Beauclair’s wild Kingdom” let the Basilisk live and refuse the extra payment offered to you by the nobles. An important note: doing this will show your Compassion and generosity, resulting in you earning two virtues at the same time.

Wisdom

What is a Witcher if not a wise man. To get your hands on Aerondight, you need to prove your wisdom as such a remarkable treasure can’t be given to some dimwit person. There are four ways to complete this task.

1. During the main quest, “The Beast of Toussaint” you will have to find three pieces, which will give you hints about Milton’s hiding place. He is hiding in greenhouse, so going with this option will show your wisdom and earn you the virtue.
2. During the main quest, “La Cage au Fou”, lift the Wight’s curse and don’t attack it. When presented with the choice to eat dinner, make sure to not eat with the spoon. This will earn you two virtues at the same time.
3. In the end of the side-quest “Father knows worst”, pick the choice for making peace among the brothers.

Now we come to the part of the whole process being complex. This seems like a lot of options to choose from but there is simplicity in complexion. Devs at CDPR have arranged the quests in a way which makes you earn multiple virtues in one go. And even if you miss something, you can always earn it in another quest. After earning all those virtues, you need to return to the Hermit in the lake and complete one last step to earn the ultimate prize.

A Dance for the Lady

After telling the Hermit about your adventures and achieving all chivalric virtues, he will give you one last task. Defeating him in a battle. This boss fight is pretty straight forward and can be completed easily even on Death March difficulty. Hermit uses water attacks that can be dodged easily. After defeating the Hermit, the lady of the lake will appear and present the sword as a reward.