CD Projekt Red’s second offering to The Witcher RPG pantheon materialized in 2011 with the release of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. The game follows our favorite Geralt of Rivia as he tries to get to the bottom of a couple of mysteries along two available paths: Vernon Roche’s and Iorveth’s. The two paths will lead the players on two very different journeys, both of which have their pros, cons, and in-betweens.

The Witcher 2’s paths have the same central story beats but the way you come about them will differ depending on your choices during each playthrough. One of the encounters you can’t avoid is the mid-game romp with the Draug, or the wraith form of “the Visitor” Vandergrift, the leader of the Kaedweni forces. The ensuing fight is arduous due, in part, to your inability to drink potions during any encounter with a foe in The Witcher 2, as the game is big on preparation for the fight.

How to kill the Draug boss in The Witcher 2

Before the fight

At this point in the game, you’ll be pretty aware of how we do things in Upper Aedirn or Lormark. Here, I’m mainly talking about the fact that Geralt can’t drink any potions while there are foes around. Meditation and alchemy experimentation are also out of the question and that brings us to the first wrinkle in the Draug boss fight: you can’t take advantage of Swallow, Tawny Owl, or any other potion that has had your back in the past. This is down to simple math: they just don’t last that long.

You can drink your fill when you start The Eternal Battle quest but the potions will lose their effects by the time you get to your meeting with “the Visitor”, his archers, and trebuchets. That said if you still imbibe at the start of the quest you may have an easier time getting to the final battlefield.

During the fight

The Draug boss is a specter, immune to pain, but susceptible to your Silver blade. You can apply specter oil to your silver sword as the introductory cinematic ends, but be prepared to duck and head for cover immediately after you do this. The Draug spawns very close to Geralt and launches his attacks faster than you can say “Villentretenmerth”.

Evasive techniques in The Witcher 2 leave a lot to be desired so do be careful and make peace with the fact that some of the Visitor’s attacks will connect even if you’ve dodged them. This is a big boss, literally, as he can take up your entire screen at times, and he conveniently shakes the very ground you stand on when he moves.

Apologies for the janky dodging in the video, I have been away from this game and its mechanics for a while.

We found that the best strategy for killing the Draug consists of three main parts:

Use the Quen sign. The out-of-date guides suggest the use of Yrden, just like you already have done in the Kayran face-off but a patch released in the years following the game’s release made it so that the snare sign just doesn’t work on the behemoth that is the Draug. Instead, focus on maintaining Quen to the best of your abilities to mitigate some of the damage coming your way.

Run around the giant rock. The rock formation will provide cover from the imminent trebuchet and archer attacks, both of which will be summoned by the Draug during the fight. It will also accomplish a secondary function: preventing the Draug’s charges to a certain degree, allowing you to sneak up from behind him which, conveniently, brings us to the third part of the strategy.

Attack from behind. The Draug carries a big shield which comes with its own health bar you’ll have to drain before getting to the main course. Attacking him from behind ignores the additional armor provided by the shield and affects the boss’ health bar. Don’t get greedy though, and be smart about the attacks. He’ll easily swat you away after he’s had enough so be prepared with a Quen and a ready dodge.

This boss fight will involve a lot of running around the rocks, frustration when the casting of Quen gets interrupted, and slowly chipping away at the Draug’s health bar. Arm yourself with patience and good luck.

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