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The Witcher 3 Guide

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Imlerith
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Caranthir

By Max Roberts, Jack K., Jon Ryan, +35.8k more
Updated: Mar 27, 2025 3:55pm UTC

Caranthir is the third member of the Wild Hunt crew that you will face. Caranthir is a two part boss battle with both Ciri and Geralt. With control of Ciri, the first part of this fight is rather simple. Caranthir will teleport behind Ciri frequently and swing his staff. He does not cast any magic. Simply use your rage mode to dash toward him and slash at him.

When you whittle down roughly 1/3 of his health an epic cutscene will happen where Ciri destroys Caranthir’s staff. This breaks the ice curse that has frozen Geralt. Ciri is knocked out by this powerful blast, but Geralt walks down to finish off Caranthir.

This half of the fight is different than Ciri’s half. Caranthir will use magic predominantly during this fight. He has three specific attacks. The first is a row of five ice balls that he will fire. Simply roll beneath it to stay safe; better yet roll toward Caranthir so you can be within striking distance. His next attack, which follows the row, is three more percise ice blast shot one at a time.

You’ll need to dodge out of the way of each blast. Again, try and roll toward Caranthir. When you are close enough, you have enough time to strike him once or twice before he teleports away. Repeat this attack pattern of dodging blasts and striking.

When Caranthir is near half health, he will summon an Ice Elemental. Don’t fret though! Instead of fighting it, let Caranthir take it out. Keep the Ice Elemental between you and Caranthir. When Caranthir shoots his magic at you, it will hit the Ice Elemental first and kill it after three hits.

Then close the gap between you and the Huntsman and strike. Remember to use Igni on Caranthir if he has an ice shield surrounding him. If you keep dodging the ice blasts and use them to kill any Ice Elementals, this fight will be over before you know it.

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In This Guide

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3: Wild HuntCD Projekt Red
Initial Release: May 18, 2015
ESRB: Mature
PlayStation 5Xbox Series X/SNintendo SwitchXbox One
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