Even though it was released more than five years ago,The Witcher 3continues to retain a very active player base. The game hashundreds of hours worth of contentthat players can experience, from side quests to contracts to evenrare itemsthey can acquire toaid themon ‘the path’. Though the game allows players to experiment with their play styles, atrusty swordis always useful when bombs, potions, and signs run out.
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TheBlack Unicorn Relic Swordis counted among thestrongest Steel SwordsinThe Witcher 3. It is encounteredmid-gameand is geared towardshigher leveled players.
Updated on July 30, 2025 by Talha Bin Rizwan:The Black Unicorn relic sword is considered among the strongest steel weapons in The Witcher 3. Not only does the sword have substantial damage, but it also boosts the Aard sign and has a chance to cause bleeding. The sword also comes with 3 slots allowing players to add runestones that further enhance these bonuses. There are multiple ways of acquiring the Black Unicorn relic steel sword, however, players need to be at least 46 to be able to use the weapon. The sword will serve the players well and will carry them all the way through the game’s ending, and even the DLCs.
Where To Get The Sword
Players can find thediagramfor the Black Unicorn sword aftertheyreach Kaer Morhenin the main game. Once players canfree-roamaround the area, they must go to the fast travel signpost andhead southuntil they reach asignal tower. Players must climb the ladder all the wayto the topwhere there will be a few chests waiting. The diagram for the sword will bein one of the chests. In case it is not there, the chests must not be looted andplayers must leave the area and come back later.
Alternate Location
The diagram for the Black Unicorn sword can also be found at theArnskrone Castle Ruinsif players have theHearts of Stone DLCinstalled. To get to it, players need to headEast of the Vegelbud Residence, past the Vikk Watchtower. There will be aLeshen and some high-level Wraithsat the location that needs to be dispatched first.
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Players will then need toenter the main ruinsand down the tower where some more Wraiths will spawn. Once dealt with, players will enter the roomin front of the stairsthey came from. There will be achest towards the far left wallthat has the diagram for the sword.
How To Defeat The Leshen
Leshens areancient and powerful forest spiritswith a deer skull for a head and tree-like limbs. They are formidable enemies who can call crows and wolves for help. Leshens have manypowerful attacksthat have a long-range, and they can enter a’smoke form’once they take too much damage. Players will need tododge or roll out of the way of incoming attacksas Leshen’s attack cannot be blocked. Moreover, many attacks will break the shield provided by the Quen sign. Players will need to usefast attacksas the Leshen is vulnerable to them. Once it enters its smoke form, players can use aMoon Dust bombto reveal it and then use either theIgni signor afire-based bombsuch as Dragon’s Dream. While the Leshen is on fire, it will not be able to defend itself.
How To Defeat Wraiths
Wraiths are spirits that have unfinished business and are unable to pass onto the next life in Witcher lore. They typically appear in small groups and haverelatively fast melee attacks. They can alsoteleport short distancesand turn incorporeal rendering all sword attacks against them ineffective. To defeat them, players will need to use theYrden sign. Once caught inside its effective radius, the Wraiths will turn corporeal allowing the players to attack them with their silver swords. TheMoon Dust bombis also effective in this regard. Players can useSpecter Oilto boost their attacks, but Wraiths can be defeated with little difficulty without the oil as well.
How To Get The Crafted Sword
A guaranteed way to acquire an already crafted version of theBlack Unicorn relic steel swordis by completing theContract: Lord of the Woodsas a lootable treasure from the monster’s corpse. To acquire the contract, players can pick it from either theCunny of the Goose’s notice board or Farcorners'. Once done, they must go to the Cunny of the Goose inn and meetBrean Hotsch, who will be sitting close to the Innkeeper. He’ll tell of an attack on his men at a lumberjack camp with only one survivor making it out alive.
Geralt can talk to the witness who’ll reveal that he heard a wolf’s howling in the area and when he went to assist, he only found a horrific scene. The game then directs players to go to theLogger’s Hutwhere they can follow the wagon’s tracks until they reach the scene of the massacre. Geralt will learn that aLeshen attacked the woodcutters, as he examines the clues. He will then need todestroy its totemto bring it out and deal with it. Once the Leshen shows up, players will face a difficult fight against the monster.Dimeritium bombs, the Igni sign, and Relict Oilcan be used to give Geralt an advantage over the monster.
Once the Leshen is dead, all Geralt has to do isloot the corpseto acquire the Black Unicorn relic steel sword.
Materials Required
Players can find most of the materials required to craft the Black Unicorn with relative ease. However, some may require a bit more effort. The sword needs:
The Leather Scraps are quite easy to obtain as eitherrandom loot from encountersand containers or simply bought from a vendor. Players can either buy theDimeritium Ingots from a Blacksmithor Armorer or they can craft an ingot from 2 x Dimeritium.Monster Saliva is obtained from various monster parts, the easiest being Drowner Tongues which players can get byslaying a few Drowners. For the Ruby and Sapphire Dust, players can craft them from Rubies and Sapphires. Otherwise, both can be bought from the Quartermaster at the Nilfgaardian Garrison.
Smith Location
To forge the Black Unicorn sword, players need access to aMaster level Blacksmith. Players can find one in Novigrad by the name ofEibhear Hattori. To gain access to his services, players willneed to complete a side questfor him. The side quest will take the players a few hours to complete at most.
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However, there is a waiting period of a few in-game days which players can skip by meditating or simply playing the game and completing other quests. Once completed, players will get the"Blade From The Bits"relic steel sword and can forge the sword for themselves.
Secondary Smith Location
If players have theBlood and Wine DLC installed, they can gain access to the services ofa Grandmaster Blacksmith and Armorer. They need to get toToussaint first and find Lazare Lafargueat his workshop inHauteville. Players can get the Black Unicorn sword forged simply by talking to Lazare Lafargue and selecting the appropriate dialogue option. Moreover, players can also get Lazare Lafargue toforge Grandmaster Witcher gearby completing the"Master Master Master Master!“side quest, which they can get by again selecting the appropriate dialogue option.
Leveling Up
TheBlack Unicorn is a level 46 swordand players need to be at least at the required level to forge and use the sword. The sword is generally meant to be used late game, but for players who are short on patience, there are ways they can level up faster.
Complete Side Quests
Players will need tocomplete as much side contentas they can; such as taking on side quests and witcher contracts orparticipating in Gwent tournaments, etc.
Use Witcher Swords And Trophies
To help them on their goal, they can equipWitcher swords that add bonus experiencefrom killing enemies. Certain Relic swords will also provide a bonus to experience gained. Players can alsoequip trophies on Roachthat add an experience bonus.Completing encounterssuch asdrawing at a Place of Poweror liberating an area also contribute to gaining experience points. Once the players have enough experience points and have leveled up, they can forge the Black Unicorn sword.
