Should you repair items before selling in The Witcher 3? A cost-benefit analysis
As an avid Witcher series fan with over 200 hours played across multiple playthroughs, I definitely recommend taking the time to repair weapons, armor, and other valuables before selling them. Doing so nets far more coin compared to selling damaged gear as-is to merchants. But what specifically should you repair to maximize profits in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt? In this guide, we‘ll analyze that question in-depth.
Weapons: To repair or not to repair?
As a witcher who makes a living hunting deadly beasts, keeping your swords and other arms in top condition should be a top priority. But financially speaking, not every weapon is worth repairing when it comes time to sell. Let‘s break down what to repair and what to just sell damaged based on weapon type and rarity tier:
Starter/junk weapons
Basic weapons like rusty swords or old hunter‘s hatchets have such low sell values that repairing them eats into any profits. Verdict: Sell as-is.
| Weapon | Buy Price | Sale Price | Durability | Repair Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rusty Sword | 15c | 5c | 100 | 1c per pt |
| Hunter‘s Axe | 25c | 10c | 150 | 1.5c per pt |
Table 1: Starter weapon repair analysis
Rare and magic weapons
Once you start looting "rare" (green) quality swords from bandit leaders or winning unique mage-crafted arms in quests, repairing maxes out sale profits.
For example, the Ceremonial Sword of Deithwen from the Lord of Undvik quest sells for a lucrative 1,500 crowns when intact. But heavily damaged, a blacksmith might only pay you 650 crowns. Repairing it first nets a 850 crown profit!
Verdict: Always repair rare and magic weapons before selling!
Relic weapons
Relic gear is the cream of the crop, forged from diagrams unlocked on high level witcher contracts or explorations. While the bonuses these weapons provide are awesome, even damaged relics sell for good coin to fund buying better ones.
For example, a chipped-up Zerrikanian fire sword still fetches 465 crowns from blacksmiths. Its durability repair tally is just 43 crowns. Should you fix relic weapons before selling?
Verdict: Mostly no. Given their high initial values, repairs "only" net you an extra ~10% sale profits. Save your weapon repair kits for improving active witcher swords instead.
As a general rule, if the repair cost exceeds 33% of the potential sale price increase, just sell damaged.
Armor: Boosting sale profits through repairs
Similar guidelines apply when deciding whether to fix up witcher armor sets before selling them off:
Starter armor – Basic leather jackets and studded leather gloves fetch next to nothing from merchants compared to material repair costs. Vendor as-is.
Magic armor – Enchanted threads like the Pang of Conscience reward fetching 500 crowns more post-repair easily justifies costs.
Witcher gear – Your Cat, Griffin and other witcher gear sets level up as you enhance them. Repair any damaged pieces before selling rather than lose out on profits from their enhanced stats/values!
Relic gear – As with weapons, selling battered relic armor still brings in good money. No repairs needed unless you‘re a perfectionist!
Crafting materials: Repair selectively
Crafting materials like alchemical ingredients, leathers, ores generally hold their full market values regardless of condition. No repairs needed here. Two exceptions:
Gems – Cracked gems like emeralds or rubies do decrease in merchant sale value. Repair first since gemsmith fees are trivial.
Enhanced materials – If you‘ve used skills like Acquired Tolerance to boost an alchemy component‘s effect, repair it before selling! This preserves the enhanced effect and sale value.
Summary: What to repair, what to sell damaged
Hopefully this cost/benefit breakdown has shed some light on maximizing profits by selectively repairing the right Witcher 3 gear before vendors! To recap:
?????? Repair first: Rare+ weapons/armor, witcher gear sets, enhanced alchemy items, gems
???? Sell as-is: Junk weapons/armor, relics, regular crafting materials
Spending just a bit on durability restores can significantly fatten your coin purse. Now get back on the Path well-equipped to take on beasts and bandits alike! This witcher‘s work is never done.
