The Witcher 3: How to Get Aerondight (There Can Be Only One Quest)

TL;DR

• Aerondight is exclusive to the Blood and Wine DLC and is widely considered the best silver sword in the game.
• It is earned by completing the side quest There Can Be Only One in Toussaint.
• You must prove five chivalric virtues — Compassion, Generosity, Honor, Valor, and Wisdom — through choices made across Blood and Wine quests.
• Start this quest as early as possible in Toussaint so you do not miss virtue opportunities in earlier quests.
• After proving all five virtues, return to the Hermit at Lac Célavy, defeat him in combat, and the Lady of the Lake gives you Aerondight.
• Aerondight scales with your level and permanently increases in damage every time you kill an enemy with the sword fully charged.
• Get it as late in the game as possible for the highest starting damage — it scales to your current level when acquired.

Aerondight is not just the best sword in the Blood and Wine expansion. It is the best silver sword in all of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. No other weapon in the game permanently grows stronger as you use it. No other sword scales infinitely with your level. And no other sword in the game makes you feel like you genuinely earned it — because getting Aerondight requires you to play through Blood and Wine in a specific way, making the right choices across multiple quests before you even set foot at the lake where it waits.

This guide covers everything: what Aerondight is, how to start There Can Be Only One, every way to prove all five virtues, how to beat the Hermit, and how to use the sword correctly to maximise its permanent damage growth.

What Is Aerondight?

Aerondight is a Relic-tier silver sword that appears in Witcher lore dating back to the original game. In Blood and Wine, it sits lodged in a stone on a small island in the centre of Lac Célavy — a clear nod to the Arthurian legend of Excalibur waiting for the worthy king.

What makes it extraordinary is its ability to grow permanently stronger over time. Most swords are static — once equipped, their damage never changes. Aerondight is different.

Its passive ability works like this:

• Every hit you land on an enemy generates one charge. Fast attacks add one charge each, strong attacks add two.
• The sword can hold up to 10 charges at once.
• Each charge adds 10% to the sword’s damage — so at full charge (10 stacks) the sword deals 100% bonus damage.
• A fully charged Aerondight guarantees a critical hit on every swing.
• If you kill an enemy while holding 10 charges — without taking any damage — all charges are expended and the sword’s base damage is permanently increased by 2.
• Taking damage causes charge loss. A hit removes roughly half your current charges instantly. Quen is your best friend for protecting them.

There is no cap to how many times you can trigger the permanent damage increase — except that the sword’s maximum potential damage is tied to Geralt’s current level. As you level up, the ceiling rises, allowing further permanent increases. This is why getting Aerondight at a higher level gives you a stronger starting point and a higher ceiling to grow toward.

The sword has no upgrade slots in the traditional sense — it cannot be enhanced with Runes the way most swords can. Its power comes entirely from the charge and permanent growth system.

Requirements — Blood and Wine DLC Only

Aerondight is only available if you own the Blood and Wine DLC. It is not present in the base game or Hearts of Stone. You also need to have reached Toussaint, which requires starting Blood and Wine by picking up the Envoys, Wineboys contract notice from a Velen notice board.

If you own the Complete Edition of Witcher 3 Remastered — including on Nintendo Switch 2 and other platforms — Blood and Wine is included and Aerondight is available to you.

How to Start There Can Be Only One

There are two ways to begin this quest:

How to Start There Can Be Only One

• Notice board: Pick up the notice titled Test Yourself With the Trials of the Virtues! from the notice board near The Gran’Place in Beauclair.
• Go directly to the lake: Travel to Lac Célavy, located northwest of the Tourney Grounds and west of Corvo Bianco vineyard. Walk across the water to the small island in the centre of the lake and speak to the Hermit there.

The game tracks virtue progress from the moment you enter Toussaint — even before the quest is officially in your log. This means that if you did quests before speaking to the Hermit, some virtues may already be proved by the time you arrive. Start this quest as early as possible in Toussaint so you know which virtues are tracking and which choices still matter.

When you speak to the Hermit, he explains that a sword rests at the bottom of the lake — guarded and waiting for someone worthy. To claim it, Geralt must prove he possesses the five chivalric virtues. Nearby stones describe each virtue. Read them for context, then go prove yourself.

The Five Virtues — How to Prove Each One

You only need to prove each virtue once. Once an action qualifies, it is permanently counted — you cannot undo it. You only fail to prove a virtue if you make the wrong choice in every available opportunity for that virtue across Blood and Wine. The game gives you multiple chances for each one, so it is rare to get truly locked out.

Virtue 1: Compassion

Compassion is proven by showing mercy, kindness, or restraint when you could have chosen otherwise.

• Easiest method — The Beast of Toussaint (main quest): Early in Blood and Wine, Geralt and the Duchess fight a rampaging Shaelmaar in the arena. After defeating it, choose to spare the Shaelmaar rather than kill it. This is the simplest and earliest opportunity to prove Compassion.
• Alternative — Goodness Gracious Great Balls of Granite! (side quest): When you track down the location of Reginald’s stolen stones during this side quest, let Hughes keep them by responding with “Fine.” rather than demanding their return. This also counts as Compassion.

Virtue 2: Generosity

Generosity is proven by giving something freely when you were not obligated to.

• Easiest method — Pay the Messenger Boy: After completing the main quest Blood Run, a young messenger boy runs up to Geralt in Beauclair carrying a letter from Yen or Triss. When he delivers it and asks if Geralt has anything for him, give him a tip. This is the simplest Generosity proof in the entire expansion and easy to miss if you dismiss him without paying.
• Alternative — The Warble of a Smitten Knight (side quest): During this quest, choose to lend Guillaume your steed so he can participate in the horse race portion of the tournament. This freely giving something you did not have to give counts as Generosity.
• Alternative — Purchase a painting: In Beauclair, there are moments where buying art or donating to certain causes counts. Paying a fair price when you could exploit a situation also qualifies.

Virtue 3: Honor

Honor is proven by standing by your word, fighting fairly, or maintaining integrity when a shortcut was available.

• Easiest method — The Warble of a Smitten Knight: During the knights’ tournament, when Prince Anseis confronts Geralt and challenges him to a mounted duel, agree to fight him and win. Entering combat as Geralt of Rivia rather than under a false name, and winning through fair competition, proves Honor.
• Alternative — Goodness Gracious Great Balls of Granite!: When you find Reginald’s stolen stones and return them rather than letting Hughes keep them (respond with “I’ll bring them back”), this act of returning what belongs to another regardless of the easier path proves Honor.

Virtue 4: Valor

Valor is proven by choosing to face a challenge when you could have walked away.

• Easiest method — The Warble of a Smitten Knight: Partway through the tournament, after Geralt discovers Vivienne’s secret curse and reports back to Guillaume, you are given the choice to continue the tournament or withdraw. Choose to continue competing. Then win the tournament. Pressing forward into danger when retreat was offered proves Valor.
• Alternative — A Knight’s Tale (Blood and Wine side quest): Successfully lifting the curse from the tree using Sir Gareth’s bone after completing the quest tasks proves Valor through steadfast completion of a dangerous task.

Virtue 5: Wisdom

Wisdom is proven by using knowledge or deductive reasoning correctly when it mattered.

• Easiest method — The Beast of Toussaint (main quest): Near the end of this quest, after gathering clues with Duchess Anna Henrietta, you are asked to identify who the Beast will target next. When the riddle is solved and you are asked where the fourth victim is, answer correctly by saying “It’s a greenhouse!” Identifying the solution through logic rather than guessing proves Wisdom.
• Alternative: Other quests in Toussaint with dialogue choices that involve applying knowledge correctly — recognising when an NPC is lying, solving puzzles through logical deduction, or choosing the informed option over the impulsive one — can also register Wisdom depending on version and choices.

The Fastest Path to All Five Virtues

If you want to get Aerondight with minimal detours, here is the most efficient route using the easiest proof for each virtue:

1. Compassion: Spare the Shaelmaar in The Beast of Toussaint main quest arena.
2. Wisdom: Correctly identify the greenhouse as the target location at the end of The Beast of Toussaint.
3. Generosity: Pay the messenger boy who delivers you the letter in Beauclair after Blood Run.
4. Honor and Valor: Both are proved during The Warble of a Smitten Knight — enter as Geralt, fight Prince Anseis and win (Honor), then choose to continue the tournament after learning Vivienne’s secret and win it (Valor).

Following this path, you can prove all five virtues using just two main story quests and one side quest, with minimal extra effort. The Warble of a Smitten Knight alone covers two virtues if you play it fully.

Returning to the Hermit and Fighting for the Sword

Once all five virtues are proved, return to the Hermit at Lac Célavy. Walk back across the water to his island and speak to him. He will verify your deeds and confirm that you have demonstrated all five virtues.

Then he tells you there is one more test: you must fight him.

The Hermit Fight

The Hermit is not a pushover. He is a skilled swordsman and fights with considerable speed and aggression for what appears to be an old man sitting by a lake. Suggested level for this fight is around 35–40, though he scales to a degree.

Tips for the fight:

• Fast attacks and dodges work better than heavy attack chains — he parries strong attacks reliably.
• Quen Sign is your best defensive tool. Keep it active throughout.
• Aard can stagger him briefly, giving you a free hit window.
• He is a human opponent — your steel sword is technically more effective, but you can use silver if you prefer. The damage difference is noticeable but not fight-ending.
• Do not get greedy. Trade one or two hits at a time, then back off when he starts a combo string.

Defeat the Hermit and he yields. A cutscene follows — the Lady of the Lake rises from the water and presents Aerondight to Geralt. The sword is now in your inventory. The quest completes and you earn the Embodiment of the Five Virtues achievement or trophy.

How to Maximise Aerondight’s Permanent Damage

Aerondight starts powerful and keeps growing. Here is how to use it correctly to maximise the permanent damage increases:

• Build 10 charges without taking damage. Land 10 hits consecutively without being struck. Fast attacks build charges fastest and are easier to chain safely than strong attacks.
• Use Quen to protect charges. Quen absorbs one hit. If you absorb a hit through Quen, your charges are not lost. This is essential for keeping your stack intact on tougher enemies. For this reason, Aerondight is exceptionally powerful on builds that emphasise Quen uptime.
• Kill the enemy with the sword at full charge. When you have 10 charges and land the killing blow, the charges expend and the sword’s base damage permanently increases by 2.
• Farm permanent increases efficiently. Wolf packs on Skellige are a popular farming target — multiple weak enemies let you build charges quickly and land kills reliably. Human bandit camps work well too since Aerondight being silver does reduced damage to humans, making it harder to accidentally one-shot them at full charge before the permanent damage triggers.
• Get it at as high a level as possible. Aerondight’s starting stats and its damage ceiling scale to your character level at the time of acquisition. Getting it at level 50 gives you higher base damage and a higher permanent increase cap than getting it at level 35. If you can wait until you are near the level cap before collecting it, do so.

Tips and Things to Know

• Start the quest immediately when you arrive in Toussaint. The Hermit begins tracking virtues the moment you enter the region, but without the quest active you do not get notifications when you prove a virtue. Starting early gives you information so you know which virtues you still need.
• You cannot prove yourself unworthy once a virtue is registered. Once a virtue is proved, it is locked in. Later choices cannot negate it. This means you can make the “wrong” choice in later opportunities for the same virtue with no consequence.
• If you missed a virtue in earlier quests, check if alternatives remain. Each virtue has multiple proving opportunities. Missing the Shaelmaar spare does not lock you out of Compassion — the Goodness Gracious Great Balls of Granite! alternative still works.
• Aerondight has no rune slots. You cannot add Runestones to it. Its power comes entirely from the charge system. Focus on skills and mutations that boost critical hit damage, attack power, and Quen effectiveness to complement it.
• The sword appears lodged in a stone on the island before you complete the quest. You can see it when you first arrive at Lac Célavy. You cannot pull it out until the quest is fully completed.

For a full look at all the quests in Blood and Wine and how to complete them, see our Witcher 3: All Quests in Order guide. For builds that pair perfectly with Aerondight’s critical hit system, our Best Builds guide covers every combat style. And for how long Blood and Wine takes to complete alongside the base game, our How Long to Beat All DLCs guide has everything mapped out.

Frequently Asked Questions