The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine has several tough bosses. Shaelmaar, an armored beast who proves tough to hit, the Wicked Witch with her impenetrable bubble, and other monstrosities waiting to crush both Geralt’s spirit and body. But none are as deadly as the High Vampire. These are beings who move about like mist and are capable of rending bone. The strongest of these beings that you will have to face is Dettlaff, also known as the Beast of Beauclair.
You actually have to fight him twice in the Blood and Wine expansion, but this guide will focus on your final encounter with the enraged vampire. The final face-off between Geralt and this powerful being has quite a few differences from the initial encounter.
To prepare you’ll want Vampire Oil, as it will shorten the fight a bit by allowing you to deal more damage. As far as Signs go, Quen and Yrden will prove to be useful against Dettlaff’s physical onslaught. An upgraded Quen can withstand two hits, while Yrden can slow the beast down enough for you to get a few shots in. If in a pinch and you don’t know whether to go with Quen or Yrden, always err on the side of caution and go with the overshield.
There are quite a few attacks that you have to deal with, but since Dettlaff has three distinct phases, we’ll break them down as we deal with each. It’s much easier to treat each section as a different fight than it is to look at the whole thing as one.
Now let us begin.
Phase One: Normal Dettlaff
When the fight begins, you’ll be dealing with Dettlaff in his most basic vampiric form. He’ll still look mostly human, except for the creepy fingers and bat-like face, making him easier to read. He’ll rely purely on his speed and strength to bring you down, making Yrden and Quen much more useful during this phase than any of the others. His attacks all involve him using his smoke form to rush in and start a melee combo.
The easiest way to deal with Dettlaff in this form is to wait for him to rush you. He blocks most incoming attacks with his claws, so trying to go on the offensive is usually a waste of time. Instead, let him come to you and dodge to his side once he appears. This will create an opportunity for you to wail away at his side before he rushes away, only to repeat the process.
It’s pretty straightforward as long as you don’t grow impatient. His ability to counter you at the most inopportune moments is deadly, so never bite off more than you can chew.
After a few back and forth sessions, you should be able to take off about a third of Dettlaff’s health, triggering the second phase. The Beast of Beauclair will grow enraged, transforming into a more frightening form.
Phase Two: Flying High Vampire
The second phase of this Blood and Wine boss fight is the most annoying of the three. Dettlaff gains new abilities along with a working set of wings. He’ll fly, just out of physical reach for the majority of this phase. He will swoop in occasionally, allowing you to take a swipe at him after a well placed dodge. But ranged attacks will prove to be your friend to slow him down and allow opportunities to strike.
You’ll notice that a lot of bats appear when Dettlaff is in this phase. He’ll actually use them to stun and attack you, so be aware of their movements. If they start to come for you, roll out of harm’s way, and be ready to reactivate your Quen. Oftentimes after the bats swarm you, Dettlaff will perform a powerful diving attack. It’s at this point that you’re free to attack him before he flies again. But beware, don’t stay close for too long, as he can injure you as he takes off again. Take note of the blood spots he leaves on the floor as well. These are actually capable of damaging you. So while you’re rolling about, avoiding the vampire’s ranged abilities, make sure to steer clear of those.
It’s pretty much rinse and repeat at that point. Avoid ranged attacks, wait for Dettlaff to dive, attack, get away, and do it all over again. Once you take down another third of the Beast of Beautclair’s health, the next and final phase will begin.
Final Phase
After unceremoniously clipping his wings, Dettlaff will pin Geralt to the ground and drink from his neck. We’re not entirely sure how this works, but that somehow brings Geralt inside of this boss. Here you’ll face a blood red, enraged Dettlaff, but you should pay that form no mind. Instead, if you look around you’ll see you’re in a heart, or something very similar to one. There are these pulsing areas that you can hit, and those are the actual targets.
The best thing to do is activate Quen and then immediately roll towards one of these pulsing heart structures to begin your attack. The vampire that’s in the area with you will try to attack, but you don’t have to kill it. Instead, whenever it comes close, roll away, then roll back to your real target. By ignoring the threat you’ll actually clear this part very quickly.
Once Detlaff is down to about 1% of his health, you will find yourself back outside. Simply hit the boss one more time, and enjoy the cutscene that follows. The Beast of Beauclair and final boss of Blood and Wine is finally slain.
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