The Witcher 3 Remastered Mutations Guide – Costs, Requirements and Cheapest Slots
All 12 mutations in The Witcher 3 Remastered: skill point and mutagen costs, requirements, slot colors and the cheapest ways to unlock extra skill slots.
Mutations come from the Blood and Wine expansion, and they are still in the Remaster. They give powerful effects and up to four extra skill slots, but researching them costs plenty of skill points and greater mutagens, and they come with requirements. This guide puts all the numbers in one place.
How the mutation tree works
Mutations form a tree with three starting points:
- Magic Sensibilities (blue, Signs),
- Deadly Counter (red, Combat),
- Toxic Blood (green, Alchemy).
Branches lead from there to the other mutations. To research a mutation you need all of the mutations it requires. Two mutations join branches: Adrenaline Rush needs both Piercing Cold and Bloodbath, and Cat Eyes needs both Bloodbath and Euphoria. At the very top are Second Life and Metamorphosis.
Only one mutation can be active. Its colors decide which skills the extra mutation slots accept.
All mutations in one table
"Cost" is the skill point cost of the mutation itself. "With requirements" is the total you spend starting from scratch, including every required mutation.
| Mutation | Slots accept | Cost | With requirements | Requires | Greater mutagens |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Piercing Cold | Signs | 3 | 5 | Magic Sensibilities | 3× blue |
| Bloodbath | Combat | 3 | 5 | Deadly Counter | 3× red |
| Toxic Blood | Alchemy | 2 | 2 | — | 2× green |
| Conductors of Magic | Combat · Signs | 5 | 10 | Piercing Cold | 2× red, 3× blue |
| Deadly Counter | Combat | 2 | 2 | — | 2× red |
| Adrenaline Rush | Combat · Signs | 5 | 15 | Piercing Cold, Bloodbath | 2× red, 3× blue |
| Magic Sensibilities | Signs | 2 | 2 | — | 2× blue |
| Cat Eyes | Combat · Alchemy | 5 | 15 | Bloodbath, Euphoria | 2× red, 3× green |
| Mutated Skin | Combat · Alchemy | 5 | 10 | Euphoria | 2× red, 3× green |
| Second Life | Combat · Signs · Alchemy | 7 | 22 | Adrenaline Rush | 3× red, 2× blue, 2× green |
| Metamorphosis | Combat · Signs · Alchemy | 7 | 22 | Cat Eyes | 2× red, 2× blue, 3× green |
| Euphoria | Alchemy | 3 | 5 | Toxic Blood | 3× green |
Researching all 12 mutations costs 49 skill points in total.
Extra slots: what they cost
Extra mutation slots unlock based on how many mutations you have researched, not which ones. We calculated the cheapest possible paths, requirements included:
| Mutation slots | Researched mutations | Fewest points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 2 | 4 | 9 |
| 3 | 8 | 25 |
| 4 | 12 | 49 |
You get the first slot after the two cheapest mutations, for example Toxic Blood and Deadly Counter. The second needs four, so add Magic Sensibilities and Piercing Cold. The fourth slot requires every mutation.
Which mutation to pick
Pick the mutation for your playstyle, and its colors for the skills you want in the extra slots:
- Signs: Magic Sensibilities (Signs can crit) or Piercing Cold (Aard can freeze).
- Sword: Bloodbath or Deadly Counter.
- Alchemy and Toxicity: Euphoria, which increases weapon damage and Sign intensity for every point of Toxicity. The full build is in our Euphoria guide.
- Hybrids: two- and three-color mutations such as Conductors of Magic (Combat and Signs) accept skills from several trees in their slots.
Plan your mutations in the calculator
In the calculator, click the orb in the middle of the active skills board to open the mutation tree. Missing requirements are researched automatically, and the cost is shown right on the button. Ready-made skill and mutation sets are in the recommended builds, and a short description of every mutation is on the mutations page.
FAQ
How many points do all mutations cost?
49 skill points, plus the greater mutagens listed in the table for each mutation.
How many mutations unlock the extra slots?
The extra slots unlock after 2, 4, 8 and 12 researched mutations. The cheapest paths cost 4, 9, 25 and 49 points.
Can I have two mutations active?
No. You can research all of them, but only one is active, and its colors decide what goes into the extra slots.
Do I need an expansion for mutations?
Yes, mutations come from the Blood and Wine expansion.