Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Remastered: Enchanting Guide (Runewords & Glyphwords)

TL;DR

• Enchanting is unlocked through the Runewright, an Ofieri craftsman found at Upper Mill in Velen.
• You need Hearts of Stone DLC to access this system.
• Total cost to fully unlock all three tiers: 30,000 Crowns plus a chunk of Jade.
• Runewords go on swords. Glyphwords go on chest armor. Each replaces all existing rune or glyph slots.
• Your gear needs at least three slots before you can apply an enchantment.
• Best early picks: Preservation (Tier 1, weapons) and Deflection (Tier 1, armor).
• Best overall picks: Severance (Tier 2, weapons) and Levity (Tier 3, armor).

What Is Enchanting in Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Remastered?

Enchanting is a powerful gear upgrade system introduced in the Hearts of Stone expansion. It is fully available in Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Remastered.

Instead of adding individual runestones or glyphs to your gear, you apply a single Runeword or Glyphword that fills all three slots at once. These give much stronger, build-defining effects than regular runes and glyphs ever could.

There are two types:

• Runewords – Applied to swords (both steel and silver).
• Glyphwords – Applied to chest armor.

The man who handles all of this is called the Runewright — an Ofieri craftsman you need to fund before he can help you. This guide covers everything: finding him, unlocking each tier, every enchantment available, and which ones are actually worth using.

How to Unlock Enchanting – Find the Runewright

The enchanting system is locked behind a quest called Enchanting: Start-up Costs. There are two ways to start it.

Method 1: The Notice Board

Head to the Seven Cats Inn notice board in Velen. There is a notice left by the Runewright. Picking it up starts the quest automatically.

How to Unlock Enchanting Find the Runewright

Method 2: Go Directly to Upper Mill

You can skip the notice board and visit the Runewright directly. He is located at Upper Mill, in the far northeast corner of Velen, east of Brunwich. Look for his tent.

The recommended level for this quest is 32, but you can visit him earlier if you already have enough Crowns.

When you speak to the Runewright, you will learn that he lost his enchanting tools in a shipwreck. Geralt agrees to fund his recovery.

If you need to build up Crowns before funding him, see our Crown farming guide for the fastest methods.

Runewright Tier Costs – Full Breakdown

There are three tiers of enchanting. Each one requires a payment to the Runewright to unlock. You cannot skip tiers — you must pay them in order.

• Tier 1 (Amateur) – Pay 5,000 Crowns and deliver a chunk of Jade. Unlocks Level 1 Runewords and Glyphwords.
• Tier 2 (Journeyman) – Pay a further 10,000 Crowns. Unlocks Level 2 Runewords and Glyphwords.
• Tier 3 (Master) – Pay a further 15,000 Crowns. Unlocks Level 3 Runewords and Glyphwords.

The total cost to fully unlock everything is 30,000 Crowns plus the Jade delivery. That is a serious amount of money. Plan ahead.

Each tier payment also expands what the Runewright sells. At Tier 2 he stocks regular runestones and glyphs. At Tier 3 he stocks Greater versions of everything. This is convenient but expensive — craft upward from looted components where you can.

How to Get the Jade – Enchanting: Quality Has Its Price

After you pay the first 5,000 Crowns, the Runewright asks you to bring him a chunk of high-quality Jade. This starts the follow-up quest Enchanting: Quality Has Its Price.

Step 1: Grab the Pickaxe

Before heading to the jade location, pick up a Pickaxe from the barn southeast of the Runewright’s tent. You will need it to mine the jade.

Step 2: Go to Bloodrot Pit

The map shows three possible quest markers. Go to the middle one — Bloodrot Pit. This is the most reliable location. The other sites may not always have accessible jade.

Inside the cave, watch out for Arachnomorphs. Use your Witcher Senses to spot the jade vein — it will glow in the first chamber, at the foot of a pillar. Mine it with the Pickaxe.

Step 3: Return to the Runewright

Bring the Jade back and hand it over. This completes the quest and unlocks Level 1 enchanting. The Runewright’s enchanting menu becomes available immediately.

How Enchanting Works – The Rules

Before you start applying enchantments, there are some important rules to understand.

• Three slots required – Your sword or chest armor must have at least three upgrade slots before you can apply a Runeword or Glyphword. The Runewright can add slots to eligible gear for a fee.
• All three slots are consumed – When you apply an enchantment, it fills all three slots at once. You cannot combine a Runeword with individual runestones.
• Existing upgrades are destroyed – If you already have runestones or glyphs in your gear, applying an enchantment will destroy them. You will not get them back. Plan carefully before enchanting.
• Upgrading Witcher gear removes enchantments – If you upgrade a piece of Witcher gear to a higher tier, the enchantment is removed in the process and the slots are freed. This is worth remembering if you are still progressing through the Witcher gear tiers.
• Runewords go on swords. Glyphwords go on chest armor. – You cannot mix these up.

Because enchanting destroys your existing upgrades, it is best applied to your final endgame gear — particularly Grandmaster Witcher sets or Aerondight. Avoid enchanting gear you are about to replace.

For help building up the right gear, see our gear reforging guide and our best builds guide.

All Runewords – Weapon Enchantments

There are nine Runewords in total across all three Runewright tiers. Here is a full list.

Tier 1 Runewords (Amateur)

• Dumplings – Food consumed regenerates 100% more Vitality. Useful for survival builds but limited in combat impact.
• Preservation – Bonuses from the Armorer’s Table and Grindstone never expire. Extremely useful on a secondary sword you do not always draw.
• Placation – When Adrenaline Points hit their maximum, they slowly drain. During this time, Vitality and Stamina regenerate faster and Toxicity drops more quickly. A niche pick for alchemy builds.

Tier 2 Runewords (Journeyman)

• Elation – Fatal blows with the sword grant 0.1 to 0.25 Adrenaline Points. Good for builds that rely on Adrenaline.
• Rejuvenation – Each fatal blow restores 25% of Stamina. Pairs well with sign-heavy playstyles.
• Severance – Increases the range of Whirl by 1.1 yards and Rend by 1.9 yards. One of the strongest enchantments in the entire game for sword combat builds.

Tier 3 Runewords (Master)

• Replenishment – After casting a Sign, an Adrenaline Point is consumed and your next sword attack is charged with that Sign’s power. Great for sign-and-sword hybrid builds.
• Invigoration – When at maximum Vitality, any incoming Vitality regeneration converts into bonus damage on your next strike (up to +50%). Extremely powerful in the right build.
• Prolongation – Each unblocked hit increases potion duration by 0.5 seconds. Best for alchemy builds that rely heavily on potions staying active.

All Glyphwords – Armor Enchantments

There are 13 Glyphwords across all three tiers. Here is the full list.

Tier 1 Glyphwords (Amateur)

• Deflection – Armor deflects all arrows. Completely removes ranged damage from archers. One of the most underrated Tier 1 options.
• Depletion – Hitting enemies with Aard reduces their Stamina by 50%. Best for Aard-focused builds.
• Heft – All equipped armor is treated as Heavy Armor. Useful if you are wearing lighter armor but want the Heavy Armor Witcher ability bonuses.
• Ignition – Enemies set alight by Igni have a 25% chance to ignite other nearby enemies. A step-up for Igni builds.
• Usurpation – When an enemy under Axii dies, the effect transfers to the nearest target. Extends your Axii crowd control chain.

Tier 2 Glyphwords (Journeyman)

• Balance – All equipped armor is treated as Medium Armor. More flexible than Heft or Levity for mixed builds.
• Beguilement – Enemies under Axii are affected for 2 more seconds per blow they land. Interesting for Sign builds that use Axii heavily.
• Entanglement – When an Yrden trap hits an enemy, an Yrden glyph is placed at that spot automatically. Very powerful for Yrden builds.
• Protection – When you enter combat, you automatically receive a Quen shield at no Stamina cost. Reliable and universally useful.
• Rotation – Igni’s basic attack hits all enemies in a full 360-degree radius, but removes the Burning effect. Strong for crowd control with Igni.

Tier 3 Glyphwords (Master)

• Eruption – Enemies burning from Igni explode when they die, igniting nearby foes. Excellent for Igni builds against grouped enemies.
• Levity – All equipped armor is treated as Light Armor without changing its base stats. Lets you use heavy armor like Ursine and still benefit from Cat School Techniques. One of the best enchantments in the game.
• Possession – When an Axii-affected enemy dies, the effect transfers to a nearby target, and the duration increases by 2 seconds per blow landed. The upgraded version of Usurpation.
• Retribution – Gives a 30% chance of reflecting a portion of damage received back at the attacker. Situational but satisfying.

Best Runewords and Glyphwords – Ranked

With 22 enchantments to choose from, it helps to know which ones are actually worth your Crowns. Here are the top picks.

Best Runewords (Weapons)

• Severance (Tier 2) – The best weapon enchantment for any build that uses Whirl or Rend. The extended range creates more hits per swing and lets you attack from safer distances. If you are a sword-focused Geralt, this is your first pick.
• Preservation (Tier 1) – The most efficient early enchantment. Apply it to your less-used sword and you never need to visit a Grindstone or Armorer’s Table again. Frees your active sword’s three slots for something more impactful.
• Invigoration (Tier 3) – Exceptional for builds that keep Geralt at full health using Quen, Swallow, and healing decoctions. The damage bonus at full Vitality can significantly boost your burst output.
• Prolongation (Tier 3) – The go-to for alchemy builds. If your potions are already long-lasting, adding 0.5 seconds per hit keeps them active through entire fights.

Best Glyphwords (Armor)

• Levity (Tier 3) – The single most impactful armor enchantment. It lets you wear heavy Ursine gear and still benefit from the Cat School Techniques skill, giving you the defense of heavy armor and the attack bonuses of light. Worth unlocking Tier 3 on its own.
• Deflection (Tier 1) – Makes archers completely irrelevant. If ranged enemies are giving you trouble, this solves the problem entirely and costs nothing beyond Tier 1 funding.
• Protection (Tier 2) – Free Quen at the start of every combat is a reliable safety net. Especially useful on Death March difficulty where the first hit can be brutal.
• Entanglement (Tier 2) – If you are running a Yrden-focused build, this is essential. Yrden glyphs dropping automatically on trapped enemies multiplies your Sign’s effectiveness massively.

Is the Runewright Worth It?

The honest answer is: yes, but only if you invest wisely.

Tier 1 is always worth doing. Preservation alone pays for itself over the course of the game by removing the need to visit crafting stations. Deflection is a genuine quality-of-life improvement.

Tier 2 at 10,000 additional Crowns is also worth it. Severance and Entanglement are among the strongest combat enchantments available and completely change how you approach fights.

Tier 3 at 15,000 more Crowns is only worth it for specific builds. If you are running a Cat School Techniques build in heavy armor, Levity is a must-have. If you rely on Igni crowd control, Eruption earns its keep. For other builds, the Tier 3 Crowns may be better spent elsewhere — like on currency management or crafting Grandmaster gear.

A solid strategy for most players: unlock Tier 2 first. It gives you the best enchantments for the lowest total spend (15,000 Crowns). Then decide whether Tier 3 fits your build before committing the final 15,000.

Enchanting Tips for Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Remastered

• Always apply enchantments to your final gear. Upgrading Witcher gear destroys enchantments. Wait until you have your Grandmaster set before enchanting.
• Use Preservation on a secondary sword and keep your main sword’s slots free for a combat Runeword. You get both benefits at the same time.
• Runewords and Glyphwords can be applied to both Steel and Silver swords. Choose based on your most-used sword for the build you are running.
• If you are playing a sign build, Replenishment and Entanglement together create a very powerful combo — Replenishment charges your sword with sign power while Entanglement drops Yrden glyphs automatically.
• You do not need to unlock all three tiers on your first playthrough. Be selective and save money for gear. See our skill tree guide for build planning that synergizes with enchantments.
• For a full picture of combat options, check our best builds guide to pick the right enchantment for your playstyle.

Related Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Remastered Guides

Enchanting pairs well with strong gear and a solid understanding of your build. Here are some guides to help:

• Gear Reforging Guide – Understand how to upgrade your gear before committing to an enchantment.
• Best Builds for All Playstyles – Find which Runeword or Glyphword fits your build.
• Skill Tree Guide – Plan your skills around your chosen enchantment.
• Crown Farming Guide – Farm the Crowns you need to fully unlock the Runewright.
• Level Up Guide – Make sure you are the right level before entering Hearts of Stone content.
• How to Repair Weapons and Armor – Keep your enchanted gear in good shape.
• Wine is Sacred Quest Guide – Part of the Blood and Wine DLC story, also available in Remastered.
• Ultimate Achievement Guide – Track every unlock including those tied to Hearts of Stone.

For more on the Remastered version itself, visit the official Witcher 3 official site and the Nintendo Switch 2 page for Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Remastered.

Frequently Asked Questions