Ekimmara

Ekimmaras are lesser vampires. Despite what folklore says, they aren’t undead humans but monsters that came into the world with the Conjunction of the Spheres. They look like overgrown bats and are known for speed and cruelty. They tear victims to shreds with long, sharp claws, then lick the spilled blood off the ground. A single blow from one can shatter even the finest Mahakaman armor, and like other vampires they regenerate their wounds.

The Witcher 3 bestiary is blunt about how to deal with one: cut it down as fast as you can. Trying to wear it out or bleed it slowly won’t work, and if possible you should burn the body afterward.

In The Witcher 3 the notable ekimmara is Sarasti, the monster behind Contract: The Mystery of the Byways Murders in southwestern Velen. The villagers of Byways found elven ruins under their homes, woke the creature while looting them, and tried to hide it. Killing it rewards an ekimmara trophy, a mutagen and the sword Bloed Aedd. In Following the Thread, you find Lambert fighting an ekimmara, and in Ladies of the Wood a book called My Evening with a Vampire teaches the ekimmara bestiary entry and decoction formula.

Combat strategy

Go in aggressive. Ekimmaras regenerate, so a slow, cautious fight lets them heal back what you took. Coat your silver sword with vampire oil and use Igni often, since ekimmaras are extremely vulnerable to fire. Their claw blows hit hard, so keep Quen up and dodge out of combos instead of trying to tank them. In tight spaces like Sarasti’s lair under Byways, you have less room to dodge, so the shield matters even more. Every second you hold back is a second it spends healing, so commit to the attack once you’re in position and only break off to dodge.