Hound of the Wild Hunt

Hounds of the Wild Hunt are monsters in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. They either follow riders of the Wild Hunt or are summoned by them.

Bestiary entry

Baying at the heels of the Wild hunt are its Hounds, fierce beasts which follow it like dust clouds trailing after a comet. Hushed legends speak of them losing their way at times and descending from the night sky to earth, cold and death following in their wake.
– Essi "Blackjack" Daven, trobairitz

Born, or so some experts believe, of magic ice crystal, the Hounds of the Wild Hunt race alongside their spectral masters. Like ravenous, feral dogs they are capable only of mindlessly attacking whatever crosses their path.

The Hounds' chief weapons are their claws and teeth. Their battle tactics rely on knocking their opponents to the ground before tearing them to shreds. Badly wounded Hounds fall into a kind of frenzy that adds to their deadly might. These beasts also use their powers over the cold to freeze the ground around them and create sharp spikes of ice. Creatures born of frost,they feel pain from the Igni Sign, and there is also reason to believe Axii can momentarily weaken their drive to kill and somewhat weaken these fierce foes.

The Hounds' icy nature also means they can draw strength from extreme cold. Thus one should be particularly on guard when fighting them during blizzards or in glacial regions. Elven legends likewise claim they gain strength when a red moon - a known herald of the Hunt's arrival - hangs in the sky.

Combat tactics

The hounds of the Wild Hunt fight as viciously as wolves or wild dogs. They can be momentarily weakened by axii, but only for an instant. These hounds hunt in packs, and can quickly overwhelm the unprepared. Do not let them surround you if at all possible, use yrden to slow any hounds too close for comfort, and break away if needed.

The icy nature of the hounds makes them perfect targets for igni. It also makes it so that any cold environment empowers them. Back off from the hounds if they start forming ice spikes. These barriers will pierce through you if you attempt to strike.

If Yrden can catch multiple hounds in one circle, throwing in a Dragon's Dream bomb and igniting the gas cloud with igni can seriously wound a large group of hounds.

Associated quests

Trivia

In every iteration of the Wild Hunt in the European folklores, the hunters are followed by a group of hellhounds who are said to be chase the souls of those who have sinned.