Erynia

Erynias are hybrids from Skellige and close relatives of the harpy. The Witcher 3 bestiary calls them even uglier and more dangerous than harpies. There’s a story that the sorceress Lytta Neyd once proved the difference by teleporting a merchant into an erynia nest after he compared her to one.

They’re scavengers that prefer carrion but happily eat fresh meat, people included. Erynias hunt in flocks and use their numbers and control of the air to bring down bigger, better-armed enemies. They circle overhead, then strike from several directions at once with razor-sharp talons. They aim for the neck, eyes and other vital spots, and their victims often bleed to death.

In The Witcher 3 erynias are among the optional enemies on Undvik during The Lord of Undvik, where you can also meet harpies, sirens and ice trolls. In Hearts of Stone, the treasure hunt The Royal Air Force at Vikk Watchtower near Novigrad sends you up against harpies and an erynia guarding the loot.

Combat strategy

Erynias fight like tougher harpies, so the plan is the same: bring them down to the ground and finish them there. Since they attack from several sides at once, positioning matters. Put your back against a wall or a rock so they can only come at you from one direction. Aard knocks diving erynias out of the air, and Grapeshot works well when the flock bunches up overhead. Their talons cause bleeding, so don’t let a fight drag on with several of them circling you. Kill each grounded bird before turning to the next.