The Witcher 3 — Platinum Speedrun Route

Five minutes before you press New Game.

1. Start a New Game on Death March!. Don't touch the difficulty again until the credits: Walked the Path, Ran the Gauntlet and Passed the Trial all pop together at the end.
2. Options: turn on the minimap witcher-sense markers and switch map rotation off, which makes following directions much easier. If your version has a separate gwent difficulty setting, put it on Easy: it has nothing to do with the difficulty trophies and it makes every card-winning match on this route quicker.
3. Build: put points into Quen first, then the heavy-attack line and Arrow Deflection (it lets your guard stop crossbow bolts, the biggest killer on Death March). From mid-game, take Axii's Puppet skill: every enemy you charm and who then kills someone counts toward The Enemy of My Enemy.
4. Saving: rotate three manual saves, and make a named one at every 💾 in this route. A 💾 means the next thing can't be retried.

Two combat trophies before the game has properly started.

1. Play through the dream at Kaer Morhen until Vesemir's sword-training session. When the lesson ends, keep your sword drawn: Vesemir will keep sparring with you.
2. Let him attack and counter 10 times in a row without getting hit (a counter is a block pressed just as his blow lands). Kaer Morhen TrainedBronze
3. Keep sparring and chain an attack, a counter, a Sign and a bomb within four seconds, in any order. It takes a few tries; just keep cycling. What Was That?Bronze
4. Finish the tutorial with Ciri and Vesemir.

Places of Power, a fistfight trophy and the first contract, all before the griffin.

Places of Power on the way in

1. After the opening ghoul fight, take a short detour north along the cliffs before following the objective, and draw the Place of Power you find there. Grab the other four as you explore: Aard (woods north of the cemetery, in a ring of rocks), Igni (the cemetery yard), Axii (over the bridge west of the Mill signpost), Quen (on the hill south of the Broken Bridge signpost) and Yrden (in the trees just south of the road east of the Abandoned Village). Each first use is a free skill point.

The White Orchard inn

1. Inside the inn, buy every card the innkeeper sells and talk to the travellers about Yennefer.
2. One of the travellers, Aldert Geert, teaches you gwent. Beat him for the Zoltan Chivay card. If you lose, don't grind it: a spare copy lies under the Hanged Man's Tree in Velen.
3. Before you walk out of the inn, 💾 save. A couple of locals pick a fistfight outside. Win it without taking a single hit, reloading until you do. Fist of the South StarBronze

Contract and the griffin

1. Take Contract: Devil by the Well from the village notice board and kill the noonwraith at the well (pin it with Yrden). It no longer counts for Geralt: The Professional, but it's good XP and it fails at the very end of the game.
2. Do the White Orchard side quests on your way (they fail when you leave): Missing in Action, On Death's Bed, Precious Cargo, A Frying Pan, Spick and Span and Twisted Firestarter.
3. Before the griffin fight, ride the Places of Power loop so all five buffs are active at once (each lasts 30 minutes). Power OverwhelmingBronze
4. Hunt the griffin (crossbow it down whenever it flies), then finish the prologue with Yennefer. Lilac and GooseberriesBronze

Keira, the Baron, three races, four fistfights and a stack of gwent cards.

Crow's Perch

1. At the Crow's Perch notice board, take the Fist Fights, Horse Races and gwent notices, plus Contract: Shrieker. (If the race notice isn't there yet, finish the side quest Defender of the Faith first.)
2. Ride the three Crow's Perch races against the three riders on the same track, betting the maximum. Watch for rolling barrels early and a log across the track later. 💾 Save after each win. These races vanish once you sail to the Isle of Mists.
3. During Family Matters, challenge the Bloody Baron to gwent for the Dijkstra card. Missed him? From patch 1.20 the card waits in his office later. He also gives you the names of Velen's three best players.
4. Gwent: Velen Players. Beat the Old Sage in Benek (Crone: Weavess), Haddy the boy in Midcopse (Vernon Roche) and the boatwright in Oreton (Letho of Gulet). Beating all three adds the Eredin: Destroyer of Worlds leader.
5. Beat the innkeeper at the Inn at the Crossroads for the Menno card (part of Gwent: Playing Innkeeps).

Fistfights & contracts

1. Fists of Fury, Velen: Jonah (Blackbough), Stan Fishgulper (in front of Lindenvale's inn) and Smithy (Inn at the Crossroads). The Sergeant at Crow's Perch only fights once Family Matters is over. Bait their slow heavy swing, counter, strike twice, repeat.
2. Contract: Shrieker: follow the trail to its cave, flush it out with a bomb, ground it with the crossbow and finish it. ShriekerBronze
3. Take every other Velen contract you see, but leave Woodland Beast and Patrol Gone Missing for later: done while heavily over-levelled, with no Signs, oils, potions, bombs or mutagens, they give you Even Odds for free (Part 7).

Keira Metz

1. Meet Keira on Ciri's trail, then do her whole chain: An Invitation from Keira Metz → A Towerful of Mice (Fyke Isle) → A Favor for a Friend → For the Advancement of Learning.
2. At the end she wants to sell Alvin's research to Radovid. 💾 Save, talk her out of it and send her to Kaer Morhen. Don't fight her. Friends With BenefitsBronze

Story, bandits & gear

1. Push the Velen main quests (the Baron, the Crones, Ciri's trail) until the Baron's arc resolves. Family CounselorBronze
2. At the first bandit camp you clear, kill three enemies three different ways in the same fight: a sword kill, an Igni burn kill and a crossbow or bomb kill. Reload if it doesn't pop. Triple ThreatBronze
3. Buy the treasure maps from the Midcopse armorer and loot the Griffin diagrams in Dragonslayer's Grotto (west of Reardon Manor). Craft and equip all six pieces of one witcher set. Armed and DangerousSilver
4. Free the caged merchant south-east of the Boatmakers' Hut, then fast travel to Claywich and buy every gwent card he sells. He's known to bug: save before opening the cage, and if he won't talk, reload or meditate until daylight.

The densest stretch: the Novigrad political chain, most named gwent players, races and fights.

Main story

1. Follow Pyres of Novigrad to Triss, then the hunt for Dandelion through the city's underworld until you free him. A Friend in NeedBronze
2. During Broken Flowers, play Zoltan at gwent: either right after you report back to him, or as he leaves at the end. Winning starts Gwent: Old Pals and gives the Eithné card.

The political chain (Assassin of Kings, Full Crew)

1. A Matter of Life and Death: the masquerade with Triss. Before you leave the party, play the guests at gwent and win all their cards. There's no second chance.
2. Redania's Most Wanted: Radovid hands you this himself, on his ship during A Favor for Radovid.
3. An Eye for an Eye: talk to Roche at the Temerian partisans' hideout once Get Junior is done. Keep Ves alive. While you're there, beat Roche at gwent for Saesenthessis.
4. Now or Never: get the mages out of the city and finish the quest. Telling Triss to stay or letting her sail makes no difference to any trophy.
5. Beat Olivier at the Kingfisher for the Tibor Eggebracht card before Now or Never (if he dies there, the card sits in a lockbox in the room next to the bar).
6. A Deadly Plot: Dijkstra's quest to find his missing man, Thaler. When it's done, play Thaler straight away for the Geralt of Rivia card (later he's at the Seven Cats Inn, but he can die in Act III).

Gwent sweep

1. Gwent: Big City Players. Vimme Vivaldi at his bank on Hierarch Square (Vesemir) → Marquise Serenity at the Passiflora (Morvran Voorhis) → Dijkstra at his bathhouse (Esterad Thyssen) → a Scoia'tael merchant at the trading camp just outside town (Ciri). 💾 Play Dijkstra now: unless you side with him later in Reason of State, the Isle of Mists is your last chance.
2. Beat Stjepan at The Alchemy in Oxenfurt for Yennefer (the last innkeeper for Playing Innkeeps).
3. A Dangerous Game: when you're offered a reward, take the cards (Isengrim, John Natalis, Fringilla Vigo), not the crowns.
4. If you meet Lambert in Novigrad (he hangs around the Seven Cats Inn, then the Nowhere Inn after Following the Thread), beat him for Triss Merigold. If not, you'll get him at Kaer Morhen.

Fistfights, races, contracts, formulae

1. Fists of Fury, Novigrad: Georgius Georg (the Golden Sturgeon), Archibald O'Neill (inside Portside Gate's archway) and Iron Mortimer (west of Southern Gate), then Durden the Tailor in Farcorners. If Mortimer is stuck behind an invisible wall, ask the bookie about the organizers, leave the conversation, save, and start the fight again.
2. Once Get Junior is mostly done, an announcer in Hierarch Square advertises the Vegelbud Memorial Derby. Win the three races at the Vegelbud estate, then read the message from Cleaver's man. 💾 Save, then talk to Cleaver for the Palio: it starts the moment you agree and can't be retried. Do all this before Now or Never.
3. Contract: An Elusive Thief (Hierarch Square board). 💾 Save before the chase: if the doppler escapes, the trophy is gone. The Doppler EffectBronze
4. At the Novigrad herbalist, buy the bomb formulae, including Dragon's Dream and Devil's Puffball (needed later). Six bomb formulae in total. BombardierBronze
5. Do the Novigrad and Oxenfurt contracts your level allows (The Apiarian Phantom, Deadly Delights, The White Lady early; the level-24+ ones in Act II).

The throne, Necromancer and the start of the Skellige gwent chain.

1. Sail to Skellige for King Bran's funeral, then follow Yennefer through Echoes of the Past, Missing Persons and Nameless. Necromancer pops when Nameless completes. NecromancerBronze
2. Right after Echoes of the Past, challenge Ermion as he walks away (or later at Gedyneith) for the Leshen card. That opens Gwent: Skellige Style.
3. Beat Sjusta at Kaer Trolde harbor (Yaevinn) and Crach an Craite in his room in the citadel (Draug).

Kingmaker

1. Do Possession (help Cerys with Udalryk's curse) and The Lord of Undvik (with Hjalmar, kill the ice giant). One is enough, but doing both keeps both siblings available.
2. Before the feast, finish Stranger in a Strange Land and The Cave of Dreams: completing King's Gambit fails both.

1. 💾 King's Gambit: back Cerys or Hjalmar, never the walk-away option. Then Coronation. KingmakerBronze

The Brothers in Arms window is the route's big sweep. Everything here must be done before you sail to the Isle of Mists.

1. Start Ugly Baby and take Uma to Kaer Morhen.
2. At Kaer Morhen, if you haven't yet, beat Lambert for Triss Merigold before you leave the keep.

Brothers in Arms: recruit the seven

1. Brothers in Arms: Novigrad: recruit Roche and Ves (they come because you finished An Eye for an Eye) and Zoltan. Triss counts because you finished Now or Never.
2. Brothers in Arms: Skellige: recruit Ermion, and Hjalmar (he comes whichever sibling you crowned). Keira comes because you sent her to Kaer Morhen. The trophy pops as the last of the seven agrees. Full CrewBronze

The pre-Isle sweep

1. Skellige races, the four Heroes' Pursuits: Kaer Trolde (road north-east of Rannvaig), Fayrlund (east-north-east of the village; Red Rikka is the one to beat) and Fyresdal (start between Blandare and the Palisade). Then the championship, For the Goddess' Glory!, from Larvik's western gate on Hindarsfjall against Astrid; you can rematch her until you win. With the Velen and Novigrad races done, that's all 11. Fast and FuriousBronze
2. 💾 In the Heart of the Woods (Fayrlund, level 22): side with the hunter Sven, not Harald. Burn the totems with Igni, find the spirit and kill it. Woodland SpiritBronze
3. Back in Velen, Contract: The Mystery of the Byways Murders (level 22): the trail leads to the katakan Sarasti. Bring Vampire Oil and Moon Dust. Fearless Vampire SlayerBronze
4. In Novigrad, Contract: Doors Slamming Shut (the Moldavie residence, level 24) ends with the wraith Therazane: Yrden and Specter Oil. Ashes to AshesBronze
5. Practicum in Advanced Alchemy (start it from Gremist at Gedyneith): fetch his three ingredients, then beat Gremist at gwent for the Mysterious Elf card. That unlocks Madman Lugos at Kaer Muire: beat him for Vampire: Katakan (if you miss him before Battle Preparations, his card can be looted from his room). The finished chain adds the Emhyr: The White Flame leader.
6. Pest Control: Skellige is the easier map. Turn on the nest filter and bomb every nest on it (each also counts toward Fire in the Hole). Fire in the HoleBronze Pest ControlSilver
7. Also do anything else that fails at the Isle of Mists that you want for the story: Ciri's Room, Return to Crookback Bog, Ghosts of the Past, Cabaret, Carnal Sins, Fencing Lessons, Berengar's Blade.

1. Find Ciri on the Isle of Mists. Something MoreBronze
2. Defend Kaer Morhen in The Battle of Kaer Morhen, then Blood on the Battlefield.

Assassin of Kings, Xenonaut, the Passiflora and every remaining Skellige deadline.

1. Ride to Bald Mountain. If you've been touching every signpost, the 100th usually comes around here. GlobetrotterBronze

The Radovid plot

1. Blindingly Obvious: agree to help Dijkstra and Philippa. Near the end, once you've found Philippa, Dijkstra blocks your way. 💾 Save. Don't use violence: tell him what you know about the Emperor instead. That's what unlocks Reason of State.
2. Reason of State: meet Dijkstra at the docks, then help Roche spring the ambush on Radovid's ship. Use Axii's Puppet on the guards for easy Enemy of My Enemy kills. The trophy pops when Radovid falls, whatever you decide afterwards. Assassin of KingsBronze
3. Through Time and Space: follow Avallac'h to Tir ná Lia and agree to the deal with Ge'els. XenonautBronze

The Passiflora

1. With Blindingly Obvious finished and a strong Northern Realms or Nilfgaard deck (spies, Decoys, a Commander's Horn), take High Stakes with 1,000 crowns. Listen to Sasha's offer when she makes it. 💾 Save before each match: Bernard Tulle (Foltest), Sasha (Emhyr), Finneas (Francesca), then Count Tybalt (Eredin). Don't stray far from the Passiflora mid-tournament or the quest fails. Gwent MasterBronze

Skellige before Battle Preparations

1. Fists of Fury, Skellige (the note on the Kaer Trolde harbor board): Valgard (Kaer Trolde harbor), Grim (Arinbjorn) and Einar (Harviken on Faroe), then Olaf in the arena north-east of Urialla Harbor. Keep circling to his back. BrawlerSilver
2. Sail to Hov on Spikeroog. Master of the Arena: let the ghost Ulle the Unlucky beat you to lift the curse. Then 💾 save and take Fists of Fury: Champion of Champions; losing to the rock troll fails it for good, so stay on his back. Brawl MasterBronze
3. Contract: Missing Son (Rannvaig, level 29): the fiend Morvudd. Relict Oil, keep moving, punish its charges. Fiend or Foe?Bronze
4. Finish the remaining Skellige contracts (Dragon, Strange Beast, The Phantom of Eldberg, Muire D'yaeblen, Here Comes the Groom).
5. Even Odds: return to Woodland Beast and Patrol Gone Missing in Velen and kill both with swords and crossbow only (unequip your mutagens first). Even OddsSilver

1. Story through The Sunstone, Child of the Elder Blood, Skjall's Grave, Veni Vidi Vigo and Battle Preparations.

One last save before Eredin, and the three difficulty trophies.

1. Stock up: your best oils, Swallow, Thunderbolt, plenty of food. Beat Eredin: keep Quen up, dodge his combos and punish after each one. The King is DeadSilver
2. Finish Tedd Deireadh, The Final Age and Something Ends, Something Begins. All three pop together. Passed the TrialBronze Ran the GauntletSilver Walked the PathGold

You're back in free roam. Lower the difficulty now: nothing left cares.

Contracts & level

1. Finish any of the 25 trophy contracts still open (11 Velen, 8 Novigrad side, 6 Skellige). The last two are high level: Missing Brother (Inn at the Crossroads, 33) and The Creature from Oxenfurt Forest (35). Geralt: The ProfessionalBronze
2. Level 35: contracts, leftover quests and the free DLC quests give plenty of XP. MunchkinGold
3. Fill every mutagen slot. MutantBronze Finish one skill tree. DendrologistBronze
4. Check your counters: 12 potion formulae, 30 books and notes, 100 signposts. Let's Cook!Bronze BookwormBronze

Combat counters (farm on weak enemies)

1. On a group of low-level enemies: 5 kills in 10 seconds Butcher of BlavikenSilver, 5 kills without taking damage or using Quen Can't Touch This!Bronze.
2. Bandits near a ledge or bridge: knock 10 off a height with Aard Humpty DumptyBronze; Devil's Puffball plus a bleed and Igni on one target, 10 times OverkillSilver; 50 crossbow headshots on humans Master MarksmanBronze; charm and let them kill until 20 The Enemy of My EnemyBronze.
3. Drowners or bandits: set one on fire, then throw Dragon's Dream next to them, 10 times That Is the Evilest Thing…Bronze. Swamp gas, hives and barrels until 50 environmental kills Environmentally UnfriendlyBronze.

Gwent

1. Win a round using only neutral cards (pass round 1, then play Geralt, Ciri, Yennefer and friends against a weak innkeeper) Geralt and FriendsBronze, and play three heroes in one round of a match you win All InBronze.
2. Buy every remaining card from every merchant and innkeeper. The book A Miraculous Guide to Gwent tells you how many cards you're missing in each region and from each gwent quest. The base game has 120 unique cards. Card CollectorBronze
3. That's everything. The Limits of the PossiblePlatinum