Harpies 


Harpies are humanoid bird-monsters famed for their thieving ways. They build nests in mountainous regions and then swoop down on human settlements below, stealing farm animals and shiny objects. Harpies live and hunt in enormous packs, led by more elite members of the species that are larger and stronger than the common harpy. The strongest forms of harpy are said to be intelligent and to possess a certain measure of magical power. Each harpy colony is ruled by a queen, the strongest and smartest member of the race.

Harpies are first encountered in Chapter 2. On Iorveth’s route you can find them thronging the area around the Old Quarry, which is the entrance to a remote area called the harpy lair. These harpies are the subject of the quests The Harpy Contract and The Queen Harpy Contract . You can also find harpies in the forests north of Vergen. On Roche’s route, you encounter a group of rapidly spawning harpies just outside the Visionary’s hut. In Chapter 3, you can encounter harpies in an area north of the town square in Loc Muinne.

Harpies are fliers, much like wraiths, but they are still vulnerable to traps. They tend to use hit-and-run tactics, landing a combo and then retreating slightly. They are best fought using light attacks and are extremely vulnerable to Aard, which knocks them down and leaves them helpless for a few moments. Their feathered bodies are also extremely vulnerable to incineration, making Igni and dancing stars useful when battling groups of them. Often it is best to dispatch ordinary harpies with light attacks, then use your signs and other witcher’s tricks against more elite members of the species. You can read the book Harpies—Daughters of the Gale to gain knowledge of harpies.

The kleptomaniacal nature of the harpy means that it tends to drop a great deal of loot upon death, including a variety of crafting materials and orens. There are five unique materials that only members of the harpy species can drop. Harpy eggs are a relatively rare drop and you should probably keep whatever you get. A harpy egg is required for the quest An Encrypted Manuscript . Most Geralt builds can simply sell off harpy eyes, but alchemist builds may want to keep them. Harpy eyes contain aether, an alchemical substance required in many different bombs and potions but relatively difficult to obtain.

Harpy feathers are perhaps the harpy’s most ubiquitous and valuable drop. They can be sold for 9 orens apiece, making them very useful for generating large amounts of cash quickly. In crafting, harpy feathers are only used to make the steel sword Caerme. In Dark mode, harpy feathers are needed to make the Oathbreaker’s trousers, the Kinslayer’s armor, and the Kinslayer’s gauntlets. You also need to amass a very large number of harpy feathers to complete the quest A Sackful of Fluff .

Harpy saliva can be sold off freely, as it has no role in crafting and contains only caelum, which is easily obtained. Harpy claws contain no alchemical substance and have no real role in crafting, so they can also be sold off freely.

Erynias

Erynias are larger and swifter than common harpies, with more vitality. They wear crude mirrorlike armor and bracers mounted with crystals. Usually you find an erynia or two acting as commander wherever you find a large group of harpies spawning.

Celaeno Harpies

Celaeno harpies are the nobility of the harpy race. They are stronger, swifter, tougher, and, more importantly, more intelligent than the lower orders of harpy. Although not truly sentient, celaeno harpies are much cleverer than the lower members of their species. They take harpy kleptomania to a new level by stealing dreams from members of other races. They encase the dreams in magic crystals. Anyone who holds the crystal can experience the feelings of the dream or view it by inserting it into a special projector. Mages find the power encased on the dream crystals useful in their work and sometimes breed harpies because of that.

Celaeno harpies can only be encountered in Chapter 2, primarily on Iorveth’s route. You can fight a great number of them both at the harpy nest north of Vergen, at the Old Quarry, and within the harpy lair. Eight celaeno harpies act as the retinue of the harpy queen. Celaeno harpies are substantially more difficult to fight than erynias or standard harpies, due to having a much higher vitality than lesser members of their race. They also hit extremely hard, which makes even a small group of them a serious threat.

Harpy Queen

The harpy queen rules the harpy colony near Vergen from within the confines of the harpy lair. She can only be encountered on Iorveth’s route, as part of the Hunting Magic main quest and The Harpy Queen side quest. While she is by far the strongest and toughest form of harpy, what makes her dangerous is that she only appears alongside her huge retinue of celaeno harpies. Upon defeat, she drops the silver sword Harpy.