Signs are integral to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's combat, as they complement Geralt of Rivia’s deadly twin blades with some magical flair. They can deal knockback and keeps enemies at a distance, stun monsters and sway minds, and melt armor or place magic traps, but one of The Witcher 3's sign rises above all others in terms utility, making it the most powerful in the game: Quen.
Quen is so valuable because it provides a stable, reliable means of defense. The world of The Witcher 3 is gritty, violent, and dangerous. As a professional hunter of monsters, Geralt is head and shoulders above the average peasant, soldier, or even knight, but he’s not invincible. More challenging foes can kill Geralt in seconds on The Witcher 3's highest difficulties. A strong set of armor and quick reflexes help, but neither are infallible. Nothing guarantees living to fight another day like a magic shield.
The Witcher 3 features three major categories for skill improvement: combat, signs, and alchemy. Each category has options for both offense and defense. The combat tree's Adrenaline Points can boost damage and restore Vitality. Alchemy skills like Endure Pain or Killing Spree can be leveled to increase defense or damage. The skill tree for casting signs, however, is divided into five sections - one for each sign. All of the tree's defensive perks fall under Quen, so players hoping to survive The Witcher 3's Death March difficulty will need to dump their points there.
The Exploding Shield and Quen Intensity perks can be leveled to deal minor offensive damage, and calculated use of Petri’s Philter can take this even further. But the best upgrade for Quen is easily Active Shield. This transforms the passive Quen shield into an active one, and maintaining the shield costs no stamina until Geralt is hit. What makes this perk so overpowered is that any damage absorbed by the shield restores Vitality. Put up Quen when Geralt is about to be hit by a strong attack, and the damage will instead refill most of his health bar. Combined with the Ekhidna Decoction, which heals Geralt whenever he spends stamina, that hit can heal drastically more.
Why Quen Is The Witcher 3's Most Powerful Sign
The Witcher 3 offers dozens of powerful skills, but only a limited amount of perks can be equipped at any given time, depending on the player’s level. Upgraded perks are constantly vying for a spot in the player’s build, and most sign perks generally aren’t as useful as those from the combat and alchemy trees. It’s always more valuable to deal higher damage with swords, filling empty slots with red combat perks, or to make the most of the wide variety of decoctions by slotting in alchemy perks like Heightened Tolerance and Acquired Tolerance. The most powerful builds in The Witcher 3 typically don't favor sign skills, but if they do, they favor Quen.
Many of the fights in The Witcher 3 pit Geralt against multiple enemies, and this is where Quen shines the brightest. Blocking attacks with the sword requires seeing the enemy. Sometimes, a Drowner or wolf will pounce at Geralt from offscreen, or an arrow will hit him from several yards away. It’s impossible to block what can’t be seen, but Quen can do just that. For crowd control, the Exploding Shield perk is especially useful in tandem with Aard or Igni. Together, they can leave groups of smaller enemies stunned and vulnerable to a quick follow-up attack.