Nekker

Nekkers are small, primitive ogroids that live in colonies in forests and dark, damp valleys. They dig networks of tunnels and use them to move around quickly and pop up where you don’t expect them. They’re social creatures, and each colony follows a chieftain marked with red clay. The bestiary sums them up nicely: a lone nekker is harmless, five are dangerous, and ten can kill even a veteran monster slayer.

They’re agile, making long leaps and quick rolls, and they swarm their prey to cut off every escape. Still, they often hesitate before attacking, which gives you a chance to pick off the boldest ones first. Larger, tougher nekker warriors lead some groups. The name comes from European water-spirit folklore, the Nordic neck or näcken.

In The Witcher 3 nekkers and their nests are common in Velen, for example between Reardon Manor and Benek. They show up in Hunting a Witch, Fools’ Gold and Contract: Patrol Gone Missing. In Skellige, Contract: Strange Beast near Larvik ends with a nekker warrior trophy, and nekker warriors guard a cave at Kaer Morhen in Trail of Echoes. They even turn up in Toussaint in A Portrait of the Witcher as an Old Man. Note that they stop giving experience once Geralt reaches level 11.

Across the games

In The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, nekkers are compared to drowners that dig tunnels, climb trees and are more aggressive, attacking their prey in groups. They are a menace in the wilderness, feared by the people of forest villages and avoided by animals.

Nekkers live in tribe-like groups, since only by acting together can they fight off stronger enemies.

Combat strategy

One nekker is easy, so the goal is to never fight the whole pack at once. Keep moving, don’t let them surround you, and kill the bravest one before the others commit. Aard knocks them down, opening them up for instant finishers. Whirl, especially with the Severance enchantment, covers both offense and defense when they swarm. Signs, bombs, poison and bleeding all work well against nekkers. Expect two to ten more to join once the first one appears, so keep your stamina free for Signs.