Witcher 3: All Viper Gear Diagram Locations (Hearts of Stone)

TL;DR

• The Viper School gear has 8 pieces total across the base game and Hearts of Stone DLC.
• The base Serpentine Steel Sword diagram is in White Orchard’s Amavet Fortress Ruins.
• The base Serpentine Silver Sword diagram is in the White Orchard Cemetery crypt.
• The four armor diagrams (armor, boots, gauntlets, trousers) are bought from Countess Mignole during Open Sesame! — and are completely missable.
• The Viper Venomous Steel Sword diagram is looted from a chest inside Borsodi’s vault during Open Sesame! — also missable.
• The Viper Venomous Silver Sword is a ready-made weapon (no diagram) found in Gaunter’s World during Whatsoever a Man Soweth…
• The Hearts of Stone pieces require Level 39 to equip.
• The Viper set has no grandmaster tier and no set bonus. It is a one-and-done crafting set.

What Is the Viper School Gear in Witcher 3?

The Viper School gear is a medium armor set spread across both the base game and the Hearts of Stone expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. It is named after the Viper School of witchers and has a similar visual style to Geralt’s default Kaer Morhen armor, but with better stats and a slightly different colour scheme.

What makes this set stand out from all other witcher gear is how dangerous it is to collect. Six of the eight pieces are permanently missable if you miss your single window during the Hearts of Stone main quests. There are no second chances, no shops that carry the diagrams later, and no treasure hunt quest to point you to them.

The set is also available on the Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game. Check the official Nintendo page for The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Remastered for full platform details.

If you want to understand how to use console commands to recover missed pieces, see our Witcher 3 Remastered All Console Commands Guide.

Complete Viper Gear Overview

There are 8 Viper gear pieces in total. Here is a full breakdown before we get into each location in detail.

• Serpentine Steel Sword: Diagram — White Orchard, Amavet Fortress Ruins — Level 2 — Not missable
• Serpentine Silver Sword: Diagram — White Orchard Cemetery crypt — Level 1 — Not missable
• Viper Armor: Diagram — Buy from Countess Mignole during Open Sesame! — Level 39 — Missable
• Viper Trousers: Diagram — Buy from Countess Mignole during Open Sesame! — Level 39 — Missable
• Viper Gauntlets: Diagram — Buy from Countess Mignole during Open Sesame! — Level 39 — Missable
• Viper Boots: Diagram — Buy from Countess Mignole during Open Sesame! — Level 39 — Missable
• Viper Venomous Steel Sword: Diagram — Chest in Borsodi’s vault during Open Sesame! — Level 39 — Missable
• Viper Venomous Silver Sword: Ready-made weapon — Gaunter’s World during Whatsoever a Man Soweth… — Level 39 — Missable

Serpentine Steel Sword Diagram – White Orchard

Serpentine Steel Sword Diagram White Orchard

This is the first Viper sword and also the trigger for the Scavenger Hunt: Viper School Gear side quest. You can pick it up as early as your first visit to White Orchard.

Head to the Amavet Fortress Ruins, which are located west of the Ransacked Village signpost in White Orchard. The ruins sit on a raised plateau. There are deserters in the area so clear them out first. Once the area is safe, look for a chest inside the ruined watchtower. Inside you will find the Serpentine Steel Sword diagram and an Interrogation Report — this note gives you the location of the silver sword.

• Location: Amavet Fortress Ruins, west of Ransacked Village in White Orchard
• Container: Chest inside the ruined watchtower
• Required level to craft: 2
• Missable: No

Serpentine Silver Sword Diagram – White Orchard Cemetery

The silver sword diagram is found in White Orchard Cemetery, located north of the Mill signpost. This is also the same area with a Place of Power nearby.

When you arrive, you will find a crypt beneath the church. Use the Aard sign to blast open the locked door. Inside you will need to deal with one or two Wraiths. Once they are down, find the skeletal remains of Kolgrim — a former Viper School witcher — in the northern corner of the crypt. The Serpentine Silver Sword diagram is on his body, along with a book that contains more lore about the Viper School.

• Location: White Orchard Cemetery crypt, north of the Mill signpost
• How to enter: Use Aard to blast the crypt door
• Enemies: Wraiths
• Container: On Kolgrim’s remains in the northern corner
• Required level to craft: 1
• Missable: No

Both base swords are excellent early-game weapons. The Quartermaster at the Nilfgaardian Garrison in White Orchard can craft them for you if you have the materials.

Viper Armor, Trousers, Gauntlets, and Boots Diagrams – Open Sesame!

All four armor diagrams are purchased from a single NPC during the Open Sesame! main quest in Hearts of Stone. This is a one-time opportunity. If you miss it, those diagrams are gone permanently.

During Open Sesame!, Vimme Vivaldi will invite Geralt into the Borsodi Brothers’ Auction House in Oxenfurt. Before the auction begins, you are free to explore the building and speak to guests. This is your window.

Find Countess Mignole — she is an older woman standing near a large window upstairs in the auction house. Start a conversation with her and choose the dialogue option: “Where’d you develop this interest in witchers’ things?” This unlocks a trading menu. She sells all four Viper armor diagrams for approximately 58 Crowns each.

Buy all four before the auction starts or before the heist phase begins. Do not leave this section of the quest without purchasing them all.

• Viper Armor Diagram
• Viper Trousers Diagram
• Viper Gauntlets Diagram
• Viper Boots Diagram

• Location: Borsodi Brothers’ Auction House in Oxenfurt, during Open Sesame!
• Sold by: Countess Mignole (upstairs, near the large window)
• Cost: Around 58 Crowns per diagram
• Required level to equip: 39
• Missable: Yes — permanently gone if you skip this conversation

For help building up your Crowns before this purchase, check our Witcher 3 Remastered Crown Farming Guide.

Viper Venomous Steel Sword Diagram – Borsodi’s Vault

Later in the same Open Sesame! quest, the heist moves into the Borsodi brothers’ secure vault. This is where you will find the Viper Venomous Steel Sword diagram.

Once you are inside the vault and the area is clear of guards, look for a chest near an altar-like structure in the final room. It is to the left of the main required quest item. The Venomous Steel Sword diagram is inside.

Do not leave the vault until you have looted it. You will not be able to come back.

• Location: Inside Borsodi’s vault, near the altar in the final room — during Open Sesame!
• Container: Open chest to the left of the main quest item
• Required level to equip: 39
• Missable: Yes — permanently gone once you leave the vault

Crafting Materials for the Viper Venomous Steel Sword

• Leather Scraps x2
• Dark Steel Ingot x2
• Monster Brain x1
• Emerald Dust x1

Viper Venomous Silver Sword – Whatsoever a Man Soweth…

This is the most unique piece in the entire set. The Viper Venomous Silver Sword has no craftable diagram. You receive it as a ready-made finished weapon during the final quest of Hearts of Stone.

In Whatsoever a Man Soweth…, Geralt must challenge Gaunter O’Dimm (Master Mirror) to settle their contract. When you choose to challenge him, you are transported into Gaunter’s World — a dark, sinister realm that works as a puzzle maze with a time limit.

To find the sword, navigate the maze as follows after the first group of monsters:

• Turn right after the first set of monsters
• At the fork, take two left turns
• Head north
• Defeat the Hym-like monster at the end of the path
• The sword will be sticking out of an ominous red rock — pull it out to collect it

You must have spoken to Shani and completed the optional side of this quest before meeting Olgierd. Only then will the option to challenge Master Mirror be available. If you go straight to Olgierd without doing this, you will not get the sword.

• Location: Gaunter’s World — during Whatsoever a Man Soweth…
• How to get: Challenge Master Mirror, navigate the maze, defeat the Hym, pull sword from red rock
• Required level to equip: 39
• Missable: Yes — only available if you challenge Master Mirror and find it in time
• No diagram exists for this sword in a normal playthrough

Are Any Viper Pieces Missable? (Important Warning)

Yes — six out of eight pieces are permanently missable. Here is a clear breakdown:

• Not missable: Serpentine Steel Sword, Serpentine Silver Sword (both in White Orchard)
• Missable — Open Sesame! auction house: All four armor diagrams (must buy from Countess Mignole before the heist begins)
• Missable — Open Sesame! vault: Viper Venomous Steel Sword diagram (must loot before leaving the vault)
• Missable — Whatsoever a Man Soweth…: Viper Venomous Silver Sword (must challenge Master Mirror and find it in the maze)

There is no way to recover missed pieces later through normal gameplay. The only option is to use console commands on PC. See our full console commands guide for the item IDs.

Viper Armor Stats and Crafting Materials

All four armor pieces are medium weight, require Level 39, and offer strong resistances. The set provides near immunity to poison which is its biggest defensive advantage. There is no set bonus and no grandmaster upgrade tier — what you craft is the final version.

Viper Armor (Chest)

• Armor: 235
• +50% Resistance to Poisoning, +30% Resistance to piercing, slashing, elemental, and monster damage
• Crafting: Linen x4, Hardened Leather x4, Leather Straps x5, Wire x4, Cured Draconid Leather x1

Viper Trousers

• Armor: 89
• Crafting: Linen x3, Hardened Leather x3, Wire x4, Leather Straps x4, Cured Draconid Leather x1

Viper Gauntlets

• Armor: 85
• Crafting: Hardened Leather x2, Wire x2, Linen x2, Leather Straps x3, Cured Draconid Leather x1

Viper Boots

• Armor: 89
• Crafting: Hardened Leather x2, Leather Straps x3, Linen x2, Wire x2, Cured Draconid Leather x1

All materials are common and easy to find by Level 39. You will likely have most of them already from dismantling old gear. For more on how gear works in the remastered version, see our Witcher 3 Remastered Gear Reforging Guide.

Viper Venomous Silver Sword Stats

The Viper Venomous Silver Sword is one of the strongest silver swords available in Hearts of Stone and is worth the effort to retrieve from Gaunter’s World.

• +25% Aard Sign intensity
• +75% Critical hit damage bonus
• +10% Critical hit chance
• +15% Chance to poison
• +20% Bonus experience from monsters
• 3 upgrade slots

The 20% bonus experience from monsters alone makes this sword excellent for levelling. Combine that with the crit bonuses and it works well in most builds. For the best build recommendations, see our Witcher 3 Remastered Best Builds Guide.

Does Viper Gear Have a Set Bonus?

No. Unlike the Bear (Ursine), Cat (Feline), Wolf (Griffin, Wolven), and Manticore sets, the Viper set has no grandmaster tier and no set bonus. What you craft at Level 39 is the final version of the armor. It has 3 glyph slots on the chest piece, giving you room to customise it to your playstyle.

Does It Appear in New Game Plus?

Yes. The Legendary versions of the Viper gear appear in New Game Plus at higher level requirements. However, the Viper Venomous Silver Sword requires special handling in NG+ — the game only gives you the base version when you pull it from the stone in Gaunter’s World. You may need to use a console command on PC to get the correctly-scaled NG+ version if needed.

Related Witcher 3 Guides

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• Witcher 3 Remastered – The Taxman Cometh: All Answers
• Witcher 3 Remastered – Bestiary Guide: All Monster Weaknesses
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• Witcher 3 Remastered – Best Builds for All Playstyles
• Witcher 3 Remastered – Skill Tree Guide
• Witcher 3 Remastered – Ultimate Achievement Guide
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FAQs – Viper School Gear in Witcher 3