If you’re jumping back into The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt—whether it’s your first or your tenth playthrough—you’ll quickly notice that the right early game skills can make a massive difference. Combat gets smoother, survivability improves, and you’re just better equipped to deal with the dangers of White Orchard and beyond. In this guide, we’ll break down six top-tier early game skills (plus an honorable mention) that give you a noticeable edge from the start.

1. Gourmet (Requires Blood and Wine DLC)

First on the list, and one of the most overpowered utility skills in the early game, is Gourmet. This general skill causes any food item you consume to regenerate your vitality for 20 full minutes, instead of the usual 10 seconds. That means a simple piece of chicken that normally gives 80 vitality over 10 seconds now restores 80 vitality per second for 20 minutes. This is a game-changer for surviving long stretches without needing to rely on potions or meditation. Just remember, this one’s only available if you have the Blood and Wine expansion installed.

2. Strong Back

Anyone who has dealt with over-encumbrance in The Witcher 3 knows how frustrating it can be. Strong Back adds 60 inventory weight capacity, bumping your carry limit from 90 to 150. This is incredibly useful early on when you’re hoarding loot, gathering materials, or farming items (cow farming, anyone?). It lets you explore freely without constantly worrying about weight restrictions slowing you down.

3. Survival Instinct

Another excellent pick from the general skill tree, Survival Instinct increases your maximum vitality by 500. In the early stages of the game, this bonus is huge. Whether you’re up against wolves, drowners, or bandits, that extra health can be the difference between life and death. And when combined with Gourmet, you become extremely hard to kill, healing off damage over time without needing to chug potions or disengage.

4. Muscle Memory

Now moving into the combat tree, Muscle Memory is a go-to for most Witchers focusing on fast attacks. Maxed out, it increases your fast attack damage by 25%, with an added 5% adrenaline point gain. Fast attacks are the bread-and-butter of most early game builds due to their speed and flexibility. That extra damage boost stacks nicely with your gear bonuses and can help you slice through enemies more efficiently.

5. Strength Training (Honorable Mention)

If you’re someone who prefers heavy attacks over quick jabs, then Strength Training is worth considering as an alternative to Muscle Memory. It offers a 5% increase to strong attack damage and an additional 5% adrenaline point gain. Though slightly slower, strong attacks can deal brutal damage and are particularly effective against staggered or larger enemies. It’s a solid pick depending on your playstyle.

6. Arrow Deflection

Archers can be a real nuisance in The Witcher 3, especially when you’re surrounded in melee combat. A single arrow can stagger you and open you up to devastating attacks. The Arrow Deflection skill turns this around by allowing you to parry incoming arrows, sending them flying harmlessly away. With this skill active, you keep your momentum in battle and avoid being interrupted mid-combo. Especially useful in bandit-heavy areas.

7. Delusion (Axii Sign Tree)

Finally, we have Delusion, an essential pick from the Sign skill tree. This skill enhances your Axii sign, giving you crowd-control during combat by stunning or charming enemies for several seconds. But where Delusion really shines is in dialogue. Certain conversations require a high Axii level to unlock special outcomes—often allowing you to bypass fights, earn bonus experience, or resolve situations peacefully. It’s one of the most useful skills for players who enjoy a more persuasive Geralt and don’t want every disagreement to turn into a bloodbath.

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These six core skills (plus one honorable mention) provide a powerful foundation for any new game start in The Witcher 3. They’re flexible, they suit multiple playstyles, and they make the early hours of the game more forgiving and engaging. If you’ve got a favorite skill that didn’t make the list, feel free to share—it’s always great to see how different players build their version of the White Wolf.