The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone certainly included some interesting boss battles. The Caretaker proved to be quite the challenge and the Wraith from the Painting switched up how players approach a wraith. But, if one fight were to take the cake for nightmarish, it’s Iris’ Greatest Fear. This monster is actually an Ethereal that takes the form of a victim’s greatest fear. So, in this case, you’ll be battling a demonically twisted version (or should we say versions) of Olgierd von Everec.
The fight against this specter takes place at the end of the Hearts of Stone main quest, Scenes from a Marriage. After restoring each of the memories in the painted dream world of Iris von Emeric, you will face off against her most powerful nightmare. Before beginning the fight, make sure to use some Specter Oil on your blade and to equip your Blizzard potions if you have any. Quen is useful since this enemy can do a lot of damage as well as stun you.
The fight isn’t extraordinarily difficult as long as you don’t slip up. You’ll find yourself within a nightmare surrounded by Ethereals all bearing the rotted face of Olgierd. Luckily for you, you only have to fight them one by one. They all follow the same relative pattern, as well. One thing you should keep in mind before starting your assault is to not attack the Ethereals that are not moving. They will not attack you until the one you’re fighting is dead, but if you touch one, it will join the fray, leaving you to have to deal with more than one of these monstrosities at a time.
Keep a distance from the one you’re fighting and wait for it to fade towards you. It will become a swift shadow moving in a straight line to attack you. Side step when it does this and attack. After you connect three times with your blade, the Ethereal will spew some disgusting black attack from its mouth that cannot be blocked. Repeat the pattern until the Ethereal you’re fighting is defeated. It will turn into a swirl of smoke and bring the next one to life.
The Ethereal grows stronger as you defeat each incarnation. This doesn’t mean too much until you get to the final two. Once you’re down to the last two, the pattern changes slightly, making this fight much more challenging.
When the Ethereal charges at you with its shadowy phase-like movements, repeat the step of dodging to the side. You’re going to attack as normal, only this time, you won’t do any damage because the enemy will block every attack. After the third blocked attack, it will scatter a red mist which stuns Geralt as well as slows him down. What follows is a powerful charged attack from the Ethereal that deals a lot of damage. It can even pierce Quen to inflict pain on Geralt.
After the third blocked attack, dodge to the side of the boss and wait for it to crouch and glow. If you hit it at this moment, it will be stunned into a coughing fit opening up the window for you to get as many hits in as possible. This is the only time where you can damage the the boss outside of a crossbow bolt while at a distance (which doesn’t seem to put much of a dent in its health bar). Repeat the pattern until victory.
As long as you’re careful not to hit any of the waiting forms, this fight should be a breeze. But, slip up and it proves to be the most difficult fight in Hearts of Stone. Once Iris’ Greatest Fear is defeated, you will be treated to a cutscene and can go about your business completing Olgierd’s final wish.
How did you fare against these twisted forms? Feel free to share in the comments below!
For more guides, tips, trick, features, and information on The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone be sure to check out our wiki.
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