Harpy

Harpies are hybrid monsters with a hideous look and a stench of rot and bird droppings. They nest on high cliffs and in ravines and hunt in flocks of anything from a handful to twenty birds. They are cowardly and careful by nature, but they defend their nests fiercely whenever they outnumber an intruder. Unlike most monsters, harpies like shiny things, so their nests often hold treasure.

In the air they are dangerous. They dive at victims one at a time, slash with wings, beaks and talons, and climb back out of reach before you can answer. On the ground they are slow and pose little threat, so the whole fight is about bringing them down. The Witcher 3 also has a stronger relative, the erynia.

In The Witcher 3 harpies circle many high places. In Velen there’s a well-known flock north of the Heatherton signpost, and they may show up during Ladies of the Wood and The Whispering Hillock. In Skellige you deal with them in Crime and Punishment, The Path of Warriors and on Undvik during The Lord of Undvik. The Hearts of Stone treasure hunt The Royal Air Force sends you against harpies and an erynia.

Across the games

In The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, harpies are described as bad-tempered creatures with a habit of stealing. They favor wild, mountainous terrain with plenty of rocky ledges on which to build nests.

Even so, they always settle close to human settlements, since animals offer them little worth stealing.

Combat strategy

Ground them, then finish them. Harpies are fragile once they hit the dirt, and a downed harpy can be killed instantly with a finisher. Aard is the classic answer: it knocks a diving harpy out of the air. Igni and Yrden’s alternate mode also work, and well-timed fast strikes as one swoops in will bring it down too. Grapeshot clears a cluster when they bunch up. Since they attack one at a time, watch the flock and be ready for whichever bird breaks away to dive.

Coat your silver sword with hybrid oil.
Cast Aard as a harpy dives at you, then finish it on the ground.
Throw Grapeshot into the flock while they circle tightly overhead.
Use the crossbow to drop harpies that hover out of reach.
Fight with your back to a wall or rock so they can only come from one direction.
Check the nest afterward; harpies hoard shiny loot.