Witcher 3: Every Mutation, Ranked By Their Usefulness

The Blood and Wine expansion added a lot to The Witcher 3, including new characters, the Skellige Gwent deck, and one of the most beautiful locations in the game, Toussaint. Another excellent addition, though, was the mutations. These powerful new abilities became the focal point of every The Witcher 3 character build going forward, and it's easy to see why most players barrel through the DLC until the moment they unlock this quest.

There are 12 mutations in total, which all have their own distinct ways of improving the player. But they are not created equal. Some of them are far more useful than others. And as players can only equip one at a time, it's important to know which are the best mutations in The Witcher 3, but players shouldn't feel pressured into choosing the outright best mutations they can get their hands on. Some builds are meant to be fun instead of efficient, and players should mold Geralt in their image instead of letting other people sway their decisions.

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Updated September 3, 2024, by Ritwik Mitra: The Witcher 3: Blood & Wine is one of the greatest expansion packs in gaming history for many reasons. Along with adding a brand-new region and numerous quests for players to pursue, the DLC also lets players engage with a gameplay system that helps strengthen Geralt's build. Such is the case with the various mutations that players can mess around with after completing the quest that unlocks these new passive buffs for Geralt. Each mutation feels unique and goes a long way in helping Geralt take out the tough threats in this DLC. The Witcher 3's best mutations are a treat to explore, as long as players have the mutagens to spare.

Strengthened Synapses

Strengthened Synapses is a mutation that improves as Geralt researches the active mutations. As such, it is not comparable to the other ones, even though it is arguably the most important in the grand scheme of things. Strengthened Synapses allows Geralt to equip more abilities, although they would need to be of the same type (color) as the equipped active mutation:

Green	Alchemy
Blue	Signs
Red	Combat

Some mutations have a mix of colors, allowing a wider range of abilities to be equipped. If Second Life or Metamorphosis is active, any ability can be chosen.

12 Adrenaline Rush

For 30 Seconds, Combat Damage Increases By 30% For Each Foe, Then Decreases

Type	Combat & Signs
Ability Points Required	5
Mutagens Required	3 Greater Blue 2 Greater Red
Mutations That Must Be Unlocked	Piercing Cold Bloodbath

The main issue with Adrenaline Rush is how long it takes to unlock. Players need to have Piercing Cold and Bloodbath simply to get their hands on this one. Many feel it's not worth the effort, especially given the mutagens and ability points it costs. Unless players want to blitz through every encounter, they should think twice before opting for this expensive mutation.

The mutation increases the player's attack power and sign intensity by 30% per enemy. So, if they're taking on five foes, their damage will be boosted by 150%. But the catch is that it only lasts 30 seconds. After that, it becomes a hindrance, as players' damage drops by 10% per foe instead.

11 Mutated Skin

Damage Decreased By 15% For Every Adrenaline Point Generated

Type	Combat & Alchemy
Ability Points Required	5
Mutagens Required	3 Greater Green 2 Greater Red
Mutations That Must Be Unlocked	Euphoria

With Mutated Skin, each adrenaline point decreases damage received by 15%. So, in total, players can improve their defense by 45%. This makes it one of The Witcher 3's best mutations, even if there are multiple basic skills that players can pick up to increase their survivability.

The argument can be made that players shouldn't have to rely on their mutation and adrenaline points to keep them safe during the most difficult battles in the game. Beyond making Geralt tougher, Mutated Skin doesn't bring a lot to the table, but players who just want Geralt to tank through most attacks will find this mutation to be right up their alley.

10 Toxic Blood

Damage Attackers After Each Hit They Land, Based On Geralt's Toxicity

Type	Alchemy
Ability Points Required	2
Mutagens Required	2 Greater Green

Considering Toxic Blood is one of the cheapest mutations, it's not that bad. Every time Geralt takes a hit in combat, the attacker will receive 1.5% of damage for every point of toxicity the Witcher has. Therefore, if their toxicity bar is full (before it's enhanced with skills or certain armor), then the people who strike the player will take 150% damage.

That's a lot of punishment to deal out just by getting attacked. However, that's the problem, players need to take a beating to use it, which on harder difficulties is dangerous.

9 Cat Eyes

Crossbow Bolts Do Extra Damage To Enemies With Full Health & Knock Them Down

Type	Combat & Alchemy
Ability Points Required	5
Mutagens Required	3 Greater Green 2 Greater Red
Mutations That Must Be Unlocked	Euphoria Bloodbath

Every player knows that unless they're underwater, the crossbow is pretty useless. However, that changes once Cat Eyes is equipped. The mutation gives a significant increase to the effectiveness of the ranged weapon by boosting its power and critical chance.

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In the right hands with some strong bolts, one of The Witcher 3's best mutations can turn the crossbow into a deadly part of a player's arsenal. While it may not help with the game's many close-quarters fights, other abilities can help on this front. However, given the limited applications of ranged combat in the game, it's easy to see why people may not consider this particular mutation to be their priority.

8 Deadly Counter

Trigger Finishers With Counterattacks; 25% Higher Damage Against Monsters

Type	Combat
Ability Points Required	2
Mutagens Required	2 Greater Red

The Deadly Counter mutation is fun and deadly at the same time. With it, finishers become a lot more prevalent, as counterattacking anyone whose health is below 25% immediately triggers one.

It also gives a 25% boost to sword strikes against those immune to counterattacks as well as all monsters, no matter how strong they are. Those are some decent bonuses, but they aren't as impressive as what some of the best mutations have to offer.

7 Bloodbath

Each Successive Blow Increases Damage By 5%

Type	Combat
Ability Points Required	3
Mutagens Required	3 Greater Red
Mutations That Must Be Unlocked	Deadly Counter

For every melee strike players land with the Bloodbath mutation equipped, they get a 5% boost to their attack power. Hit enough people, and players can obtain an amazing 250% increase in damage.

While it seems incredibly deadly, there is a major drawback. Once players get hit, the boost resets. Thus, reaching the maximum damage output is rare. But those skilled in the art of dodging and parrying can inflict a lot of pain with this mutation.

6 Second Life

Every 180 Seconds, Geralt Can Come Back To Life With Full Vitality

Type	Combat, Signs, & Alchemy
Ability Points Required	7
Mutagens Required	3 Greater Red 2 Greater Blue 2 Greater Green
Mutations That Must Be Unlocked	Adrenaline Rush

Second Life is like a safety net (albeit one with a 180-second cooldown). Once players die, the mutation makes them invulnerable as their health regenerates back to 100%.

The usefulness of this depends on the player. A revival power is pointless for those who rarely die. Yet, for the players who struggle to contend with all the creepy monsters roaming around in The Witcher 3, this mutation is a literal lifesaver.

5 Magic Sensibilities

Signs Can Deal Critical Hits

Type	Signs
Ability Points Required	2
Mutagens Required	2 Greater Blue

Despite being one of the cheapest mutations, Magic Sensibilities is up there with the best. It gives players the chance to get a critical hit with their magical signs. The frequency and damage of those criticals improve based on the sign intensity of the player.

As signs are a significant part of a Witcher's arsenal, this mutation is a nice way of making them more useful on harder difficulties. The simplicity and usefulness of this buff make Magic Sensibilities one of The Witcher 3's best mutations for players who don't want their build to get too complicated.

4 Metamorphosis

Critical Attacks Activate A Random Decoction Without Any Toxicity Cost

Type	Combat, Signs, & Alchemy
Ability Points Required	7
Mutagens Required	3 Greater Green 2 Greater Blue 2 Greater Red
Mutations That Must Be Unlocked	Cat Eyes

Metamorphosis is an interesting mutation. Once equipped, every time players apply a critical effect, it randomly triggers a decoction without causing any toxicity. So it's possible to stack a bunch of the most powerful ones together.

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There is a random element to what decoctions are consumed, but it's only between those that players have previously brewed. Therefore, as long as players aren't making pointless decoctions (they can also drop the useless ones), Metamorphosis can be very useful. As a bonus, the mutation also gives players better vision in the dark, meaning there's no need for cat potions or torches.

3 Conductors Of Magic

Relic Weapons In Action Increase Sign Intensity By 50%

Type	Combat & Signs
Ability Points Required	5
Mutagens Required	3 Greater Blue 2 Greater Red
Mutations That Must Be Unlocked	Piercing Cold

For players who want to make their signs as powerful as possible, Conductors of Magic is a necessity. Conductors of Magic adds 50% of their equipped sword's damage to their sign damage. Although, on the condition that it's either a magic, unique, or witcher sword.

That requirement isn't much of an issue, as those are the best in the game. When the mutation is paired with a sword that has a very big damage output, signs become a lot more lethal than usual.