How to repair and dismantle weapons and armor in The Witcher 3

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has a keen focus on managing and swapping out your equipment, whether it's finding better weapons and armor, crafting new ones, or maintaining those you have. We'll show you how to do two intrinsic parts of that right here: how to repair and dismantle your weapons and armor in The Witcher 3.

Why dismantle weapons and armor in The Witcher 3?

Dismantling your gear in The Witcher 3 basically serves as a way to destroy something that you own, but to get the pieces that make it up in the process. For example, dismantling a silver sword could get you some plain silver and some leather straps to go with it (if that's what that sword is made of, it'll change from item to item).

Dismantling can be very useful if you want to make a new item, but are missing out on some basic materials, turning unneeded equipment into various resources you can then use, either to sell to merchants or for crafting your own items.

How to dismantle equipment in The Witcher 3

Dismantling can only be done by finding a blacksmith or armorer, and paying them to break down your equipment in The Witcher 3. There's usually at least one in every middling or larger town, marked on your map by an icon of an anvil and a hammer, or of a large armored chestplate.

Once you find one, go up to the blacksmith and ask him to craft, dismantle or repair something, it doesn't matter which. It'll open the Blacksmith menu. From there, cycle through the tabs shown at the top until you reach the one marked "Dismantle."

Here, you can select items in your inventory. When you do, it'll show both the cost of dismantling it, and what items you'll get for doing so. If you see one you want dismantled, click on the button in the middle to have it broken down into those parts. Be sure you want it broken down, as there's no way to undo this!

How to repair weapons and armor in The Witcher 3

Repairing your best equipment is vital to progressing through The Witcher 3, especially if you find weapons and armor you like and don't want to swap out later on. This can be done by Geralt himself, or again, at a blacksmith.

Damaged weapons and armor never break to the point of being unusable, but as they get used more and more, they become less effective, dealing and absorbing less damage respectively. Repairing them will (temporarily) return them to their maximum potential and get rid of all those penalties they've accrued in your adventures.

Unlike dismantling, which has to be done for you, Geralt can repair his equipment anywhere from his inventory, provided he has the equipment to do it. This is done through repair kits, which restore a certain percentage of the item's integrity when dragged and dropped onto it (though this uses up the repair kit in the process). Repair kits are specific to either weapons or armor, and can be bought from blacksmiths, certain merchants, or found throughout the world as random drops.

However, if you have no repair kits, a blacksmith will still repair your stuff for a fee (one that will change depending on how damaged the weapon is, as well as how valuable it is). Like dismantling, find a blacksmith and ask to see his goods, then cycle through the tabs at the top until you get to the one marked "Repair." Select the item you want them to fix, and you'll be shown how much it'll cost you before you commit to it.

Of course, the best gear will need you to be a high enough level to use it. If you want to gain experience and levels rapidly, you can check out our guide for just that right here. Or if you want to see the best way to bring down werewolves, some of the game's most dangerous enemies, go to our handy how-to here.