The Witcher 3 Monster Guide - How to Easily Beat the Gargoyle

Like most great role-playing games The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt provides players with a hefty dose of freedom. This means multiple routes, optional quests, and secrets to be uncovered at a player’s leisure. Sometimes the things encountered off of the beaten path happen to be extremely dangerous, and Geralt will find himself trapped in a small room with a large, and possibly quite hungry, beast. One prime example is the Gargoyle that players can encounter during the Wandering in the Dark Story quest.

When heading towards the fight with Nithral, a member of the Wild Hunt, players may have noticed rooms off of the defined path. After the fight with the golem, there is a room beside the steps leading towards the quest’s boss fight. If a player enters this room, the door is immediately sealed and they are forced to face a Gargoyle in a relatively small space. Limiting mobility is something that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is incredibly fond of when testing Geralt’s limits, and it couldn’t have come at a more inopportune moment.

The Gargoyle is slow, but it is also immensely powerful. It uses an area of effect stomp attack that both stuns Geralt as well as removes a hefty chunk of his HP. To make it even worse, the Gargoyle also employs a ranged attack that consists of it throwing a large rock at the player and Kiera Metz (who fights along side you). Luckily, the ranged attack does very little damage, but it can become an extreme annoyance, especially when Geralt is low on health.

The best strategy to use during this battle will require the use of Quen and switching sides in the small area repeatedly. For this to work Kiera Metz will have to serve as a distraction for the Gargoyle. If you’re feeling a bit guilty about letting her fend for herself don’t worry; she’s a highly capable fighter, and she will not die. Also, don’t even bother switching your signs. The other signs have little to no effect on the Gargoyle, so Quen and heavy attacks will be more than sufficient when taking down one of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt‘s toughest opponents.

When the battle begins, Geralt and Kiera will be on the opposite side of the room as the Gargoyle. If you have bombs this would be the time to use them, but if you don’t there is no need to worry, you can easily beat the Gargoyle without them. Allow for the beast to get to the center of the room then immediately roll behind it. You want to be fast because it will use its stomp attack whenever you’re within a decent range. Now wait for Kiera to grab the Gargoyle’s full attention before casting Quen.

Run up behind the stone monstrosity and deliver two heavy attacks before immediately rolling away. If you manage to catch the Gargoyle in the middle of a melee combo being delivered to Kiera, go for a third heavy attack, but if not then it’s better to remain at a safe distance. By just repeating this simple pattern the Gargoyle will be defeated in no time, and you’ll be free to loot the chest located in the dark corner of the room. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt sure knows how to make players fight for every little piece of treasure.

The Gargoyle honestly seems much more difficult than he actually turns out to be. All it takes is a bit of patience. How was your time in this locked little room? Did the Gargoyle still manage to give you trouble? Share your thoughts in the comments below. And, for more guides, tips, tricks, and information regarding The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, be sure to check out our constantly expanding wiki.