Upgrades | The Witcher 3 Wiki

Upgrades in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt refer to enhancement stones that can be slotted into Weapons and Armor with sockets. These primarily come in the form of Runestones for Weapons and Glyphs for Armor. There are several a variety of Upgrades of each type, providing different passive effects such as adding a chance of burn or freeze opponents or deal increased damage, as well as giving a boost to Sign intensity. Furthermore, each type of Upgrade stone has three tiers, with the higher tiers increasing the potency of the effects granted. Runestones and Glyphs are typically found as loot from Monster Nests but can also be purchased from Merchants or crafted via Blacksmithing and Armorsmithing.

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The Witcher 3 Upgrades List

The Witcher 3 Upgrades Overview

Runestone and Glyph Usage

equipment upgrade slot sample witcher 3 wiki guide Some Weapons and Armor can come with up to 3 Upgrade Slots which can be socketed with Runestones and Glyphs, respectively. Rarer equipment will tend to have more of these Upgrade Slots available at once.

Runestones and Glyphs are special items that grant various bonuses to Weapons and Armor.

perun greater runestone upgrades witcher 3 wiki guide morana runestone upgrades witcher 3 wiki guide dazhbog greater runestone upgrades witcher 3 wiki guide lesser glyph of aard witcher 3 wiki guide glyph of axii witcher 3 wiki guide greater glyph of igni witcher 3 wiki guide

These bonuses include granting a chance to burn opponents on hit, increase the intensity of Geralt's Signs, increase the rate at which adrenaline is gained and more. Each type of Upgrade stone comes in 3 tiers: Lesser Runestone/Glyph, Runestone/Glyph and Greater Runestone/Glyph, with higher tiers increasing the potency of the bonus granted.

Runestone and Glyph Socketing

Runestones can be socketed onto your Weapons by Blacksmiths for a small fee and the same is true for Glyphs but with Armorers. Similarly, only Blacksmiths and Armorers can remove your socketed Runestones and Glyphs. However, this process will destroy them while keeping your equipment intact. On the other hand, if you wish to reacquire your upgrades, you can have them dismantle your equipment.

While higher tier Runestones and Glyphs can be found as loot or purchased from Merchants, they can be quite rare. An alternative to acquiring these higher tier upgrades is to have a Blacksmith or Armorer craft them for you using two units from the previous tier of the same type, provided you have found the appropriate Crafting Diagrams. For example, you can craft a Chernobog Runestone using two Lesser Chernobog Runestones. In turn, you can then use two Chernobog Runestones to craft a Greater Chernobog Runestone.

Runewords and Glyphwords

The Hearts of Stone DLC introduces new upgrade types in the form of Runewords and Glyphwords. These are essentially Weapon and Armor Enchantments that grant more substantial effects than those of Runestones and Glyphs. Only one Runeword can be imbued onto each Steel Sword and Silver Sword, and only one Glyphword can be imbued onto Armor. This is only applicable to equipment with 3 empty slots as these upgrades will use up all 3 slots, preventing you from socketing more Runestones or Glyphs onto the same piece of equipment. Naturally, this makes the Chest Armor piece the only valid candidate for Glyphwords. However, these Runewords can often change your playstyle drastically or complement your preferred skillset, making them well worth the exchange.

In order to unlock Runewords and Glyphwords, you must first embark on a quest to help the Runewright in Upper Mill in Brunwich. Afterwards, they can be crafted by the Runewright by using varying amounts and types of Runestones or Glyphs, with more powerful Runewords and Glyphwords requiring more materials as well as a monetary investment for the Runewright's services.

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All Upgrade Items in The Witcher 3

Quick Search of All Upgrades in The Witcher 3

Name	Type	Effect
Lesser Dazhbog Runestone	Runestone	2% Chance to cause burning
Dazhbog Runestone	Runestone	3% Chance to cause burning
Greater Dazhbog Runestone	Runestone	5% Chance to cause burning
Lesser Chernobog Runestone	Runestone	+2% Attack Power
Chernobog Runestone	Runestone	+3% Attack Power
Greater Chernobog Runestone	Runestone	+5% Attack Power
Lesser Stribog Runestone	Runestone	+2% Chance to cause stagger
Stribog Runestone	Runestone	+3% Chance to cause stagger
Greater Stribog Runestone	Runestone	+5% Chance to cause stagger
Lesser Svarog Runestone	Runestone	+10 Armor piercing
Svarog Runestone	Runestone	+20 Armor piercing
Greater Svarog Runestone	Runestone	+30 Armor piercing
Lesser Triglav Runestone	Runestone	2% Chance to cause stun
Triglav Runestone	Runestone	3% Chance to cause stun
Greater Triglav Runestone	Runestone	5% Chance to cause stun
Lesser Perun Runestone	Runestone	+2% Adrenaline point gain
Perun Runestone	Runestone	+3% Adrenaline point gain
Greater Perun Runestone	Runestone	+5% Adrenaline point gain
Lesser Veles Runestone	Runestone	+2% Sign Intensity
Veles Runestone	Runestone	+3% Sign Intensity
Greater Veles Runestone	Runestone	+5% Sign Intensity
Lesser Morana Runestone	Runestone	2% Chance to cause poison
Morana Runestone	Runestone	3% Chance to cause poison
Greater Morana Runestone	Runestone	5% Chance to cause poison
Lesser Zoria Runestone	Runestone	2% Chance to freeze
Zoria Runestone	Runestone	3% Chance to freeze
Greater Zoria Runestone	Runestone	5% Chance to freeze
Lesser Devana Runestone	Runestone	2% Chance to cause bleeding
Devana Runestone	Runestone	3% Chance to cause bleeding
Greater Devana Runestone	Runestone	5% Chance to cause bleeding
Pyerog Runestone	Runestone	None; used in crafting the Dumplings runeword
Tvarog Runestone	Runestone	None; used in crafting the Dumplings runeword
Lesser Glyph of Aard	Glyph	2% Aard Sign intensity
Glyph of Aard	Glyph	5% Aard Sign intensity
Greater Glyph of Aard	Glyph	10% Aard Sign intensity
Lesser Glyph of Axii	Glyph	2% Axii Sign intensity
Glyph of Axii	Glyph	5% Axii Sign intensity
Greater Glyph of Axii	Glyph	10% Axii Sign intensity
Lesser Glyph of Igni	Glyph	2% Igni Sign intensity
Glyph of Igni	Glyph	5% Igni Sign intensity
Greater Glyph of Igni	Glyph	10% Igni Sign intensity
Lesser Glyph of Quen	Glyph	2% Quen Sign intensity
Glyph of Quen	Glyph	5% Quen Sign intensity
Greater Glyph of Quen	Glyph	10% Quen Sign intensity
Lesser Glyph of Yrden	Glyph	2% Yrden Sign intensity
Glyph of Yrden	Glyph	5% Yrden Sign intensity
Greater Glyph of Yrden	Glyph	10% Yrden Sign intensity
Lesser Glyph of Binding	Glyph	+2% Resistance to Bleeding
Glyph of Binding	Glyph	+3% Resistance to Bleeding
Greater Glyph of Binding	Glyph	+5% Resistance to Bleeding
Lesser Glyph of Mending	Glyph	+1 Vitality regeneration
Glyph of Mending	Glyph	+2 Vitality regeneration
Greater Glyph of Mending	Glyph	+3 Vitality regeneration
Lesser Glyph of Reinforcement	Glyph	+33% reduction in item durability loss
Glyph of Reinforcement	Glyph	+50% reduction in item durability loss
Greater Glyph of Reinforcement	Glyph	+100% reduction in item durability loss
Lesser Glyph of Warding	Glyph	+1% Resistance to elemental damage
Glyph of Warding	Glyph	+2% Resistance to elemental damage
Greater Glyph of Warding	Glyph	+3% Resistance to elemental damage
Dumplings	Runeword	Any food consumed regenerates 100% more Vitality, but everything tastes like pierogies.
Elation	Runeword	Fatal blows dealt with your sword give 0.1 to 0.25 Adrenaline Points.
Invigoration	Runeword	When at maximum Vitality, any Vitality regeneration turns into added damage (up to +50%) on your next strike.
Placation	Runeword	Once they reach their maximum level, Adrenaline Points steadily decline until they reach 0. During this time Vitality and Stamina regeneration are accelerated and Toxicity declines more quickly.
Preservation	Runeword	Armorer's Table and Grindstone bonuses never expire.
Prolongation	Runeword	Each unblocked blow increases potion duration time by 0.5s.
Rejuvenation	Runeword	Each fatal blow dealt restores 25% of your Stamina.
Replenishment	Runeword	After you cast a Sign, an Adrenaline Point is consumed and your next sword attack is charged with the power of that Sign.
Severance	Runeword	Increases the range of Whirl by 1.1 yards and Rend by 1.9 yards.
Balance	Glyphword	All equipped armor items are treated as Medium Armor.
Beguilement	Glyphword	Enemies affected by Axii will be affected for 2s longer for each blow they land.
Deflection	Glyphword	Armor deflects all arrows.
Depletion	Glyphword	Hitting enemies with Aard reduces their Stamina by 50%.
Entanglement	Glyphword	When a trap set by Yrden hits an enemy, an Yrden glyph is placed at that position.
Eruption	Glyphword	Enemies set alight by Igni explode when they die and ignite nearby foes.
Heft	Glyphword	All equipped armor items are treated as Heavy Armor.
Ignition	Glyphword	Enemies set alight with Igni have a 25% chance to ignite other enemies within a 2 yard radius.
Levity	Glyphword	All equipped armor items are treated as Light Armor.
Possession	Glyphword	When an opponent influenced by Axii dies, the effect transfers to a nearby target. The effect's duration increases by 2 seconds for each blow the affected target lands.
Protection	Glyphword	When you enter combat, there's a 100 percent chance you will automatically get a Quen shield without using any Stamina.
Retribution	Glyphword	Gives a 30% chance of returning a portion of damage received to the attacker.
Rotation	Glyphword	Igni's basic attack strikes all opponents in a 360-degree radius, but no longer applies the Burning effect.
Usurpation	Glyphword	When an enemy affected by Axii dies, the effect transfers to the nearest target.