Ophiri Mage

The Ophiri mage is the sorcerer who travels with the Ofieri soldiers in the Hearts of Stone expansion. He is Aamad, royal mage to the malliq of Ofir, who came north with elite warriors to break the curse on an Ofieri prince. The prince turned out to be the giant toad Geralt was hired to kill.

When the Ofieri reach the scene and find their prince dead, they arrest Geralt and lock him in the hold of their ship, planning to take him home for execution. A storm, arranged through Gaunter O’Dimm, wrecks the ship on a beach north of Novigrad.

You meet him in The Witcher 3 during Evil’s Soft First Touches, the first main quest of Hearts of Stone, right after the fight with the Toad Prince in the Oxenfurt sewers. Geralt wakes up on the beach being dragged along by the survivors, breaks free, and can either fight the soldiers and the mage or simply run. Fighting is optional, but beating the mage gives extra experience and there is plenty of loot around the wreck afterward.

Combat strategy

The soldiers are not the problem; the mage is. He cannot be hurt while his warriors are still standing, so clear them out first. He will even knock them down himself while aiming at you. Once he is alone, the fight becomes a matter of patience: he teleports a lot, so wait for him to reappear and strike in short bursts.

All of his spells can be dodged. His most dangerous move is a sand twister, which you should avoid at all costs. When you are close, land a few hits and then back off before his magic push throws you away. You start the fight in just trousers, boots and a steel sword, but your full kit is still in your inventory, so re-equip armor, oils and bombs right away.