The Witcher 3 – How to Beat Caranthir

Before fighting Eredin, the final boss in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, you must go through Caranthir. Don’t let his official title of “senior adviser” fool you. This guy is one mean opponent, capable of squashing both Ciri and Geralt if you slip up. Naturally we don’t want that to happen, and we’ll tell you how to kill Caranthir and move on through the Northern Realms. 

After beating Caranthir, kill the remaining enemies with Prima’s The Witcher 3 Boss Guide.

Caranthir Walkthrough

This boss fight occurs in two parts, the first of which pits Caranthir against Ciri. Your Wild Hunt adversary will kick things off with melee attacks, and we suggest being as aggressive as possible. 

After dealing some damage, Caranthir will teleport away from Ciri to avoid her lunging attacks. Quickly run up to the big guy to continue the assault, or use Ciri’s teleport attack as an effective counter. Caranthir may respond by teleporting behind Ciri, but a teleport attack or fast attack will negate this. 

Caranthir will receive tough Ice Armor each time he teleports. Unlike Geralt of Rivia, Ciri cannot break it. Once you’re in control of Geralt, counter this by casting Igni Sign magic to make Caranthir momentarily vulnerable. 

After a short while the game transitions to a cut scene, and the second part of this boss fight where you play as Geralt. Since the Witcher is a more formidable opponent, Caranthir steps up his game with new attacks, the first of which involves unleashing five dangerous light shards in Geralt’s direction. Avoid these at all costs, otherwise Geralt will be unable to move for a short amount of time. In addition, Caranthir will fire magic bolts, and you’ll need to roll to avoid these projectiles. 

Similar to the battle with Ciri, Caranthir will teleport after sustaining a certain amount of damage. He’ll then respond with ice bolts. Run up to him and strike back to cancel the bolt attack.

To make matters worse, Caranthir will summon Ice Elementals. Thankfully you’re able to hit him hard during the summoning process, and from there, easily cut those Ice Elementals down to size. Yes, Caranthir will still throw his magic at Geralt while you deal with the minions (use these guys as cover to avoid Caranthir’s projectiles), but the last thing you need is for the enemy count to pile up. That said, Dimeritium Bombs will help thin the ranks. 

It’s a long battle, but remain patient and attack when you see an opening. Right before Caranthir dies for good, he’ll teleport both himself and Geralt underwater. Swim to safety and this boss battle is complete.

Congratulations on defeating Caranthir, but there’s still plenty to do in The Witcher 3. Finish all of the Monster Contracts, then find the most powerful Gwent cards in the game. Use Geralt’s good looks to romance the ladies, then track down the Cat School Gear. You’ll find this and more with Prima’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt walkthrough.