Bolts

Bolts are the ammunition for Geralt's crossbow. The plain bolt is endless, and seven special types change what a shot does: fire, bleeding, armour piercing or blunt force. The Witcher 3 has 14 versions, most of them in a crafted and a bought form.

Combat

Pros

• The plain Bolts never run out and can be neither sold nor dropped, so the crossbow always has something loaded.
• Underwater the game loads harpoon bolts on its own.
• Every bolt deals silver damage as well as its own, so the same quiver works on monsters.
• A diagram makes 20 at a time.

Cons

• Only one type is loaded at once.
• Special bolts run out, and the better bought versions open at a blacksmith only from a set level.

Builds

Bolts matter most in a crossbow build around the Blood and Wine mutation Cat Eyes, which makes bolts pierce and stun or knock down. For everyone else they are a utility: the right bolt to drop a flyer or open a fight.

• Fire. The Exploding bolt, up to 18-22 fire damage in its Relic form.
• Bleeding. The Broadhead bolt bleeds every target it hits for 15 seconds; the Tracking bolt for 120.
• Armour. The Precision bolt adds armour piercing, up to +15 in its bought form.
• Blunt. The Blunt crossbow bolt swaps piercing for bludgeoning damage.

Best Bolts

Build	Bolt	Image	Key Figure
Hardest hitter	Exploding bolt		18-22 fire damage
Bleeding	Broadhead bolt		100% bleeding chance
Long bleed	Tracking bolt		Bleeding for 120 seconds
Armor piercing	Bolt with bait		+100 armor piercing, tied with the Tracking bolt

Notes

• Crafted versions come from diagrams at blacksmiths in stacks of 20; the bought versions are often stronger and appear in shop stock from a set level, for example the Relic Exploding bolt from level 25.
• Éibhear Hattori in Novigrad and the blacksmith in the Kaer Trolde citadel stock most of the stronger bought bolts.

All Weapon Categories

All Bolts

Name	Image	Rarity	Level	Damage	Effects	Location
Bolts		Common	1	4-6 Piercing +4 Silver	Infinite default ammunition Cannot be sold or dropped	-
Bolts (underwater)		Common	1	9-11 Piercing +400 Silver	Infinite Auto-equipped whenever Geralt is submerged (harpoon bolts) Hidden from the inventory	-
Blunt crossbow bolt		Master (crafted)	1	7-9 Bludgeoning +8 Silver	-	Crafted Merchant Loot
Blunt crossbow bolt		Master (basic)	1	9-11 Bludgeoning +10 Silver	-	Merchant Loot
Bolt with bait		Master	1	5-7 Piercing +5 Silver	+100 Armor piercing	Crafted Merchant Loot
Broadhead bolt		Master (crafted)	9	+8 Piercing +8 Silver	100% chance to cause bleeding, 15 s	Crafted Merchant Loot
Broadhead bolt		Master (basic)	19	+12 Piercing +12 Silver	100% chance to cause bleeding, 15 s	Merchant Loot
Exploding bolt		Magic (crafted)	13	11-13 Fire +12 Silver +12 Piercing	-	Crafted Merchant Loot
Exploding bolt		Relic	15	18-22 Fire +15 Silver +20 Piercing	-	Merchant Loot
Precision bolt		Master (crafted)	4	+12 Piercing +12 Silver	+7 Armor piercing	Crafted Merchant Loot
Precision bolt		Master (basic)	-	+20 Piercing +20 Silver	+15 Armor piercing	Merchant
Split bolt		Magic (crafted)	8	9-11 Piercing +10 Silver	-	Crafted Merchant
Split bolt		Relic	13	13-15 Piercing +14 Silver	-	Merchant Loot
Tracking bolt		Master	1	5-7 Piercing +5 Silver	+100 Armor piercing 100% chance to cause bleeding, 120 s	Crafted Merchant Loot

All Categories