The Ursine armor set, one of the most beloved pieces of witcher gear in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, is now within reach for players willing to brave the frozen reaches of Skellige. Developed and published by CD Projekt Red, the game’s Ursine School equipment stands out as the only heavy armor option among the four witcher schools, offering exceptional damage resistance to players who favor a tankier, survivable playstyle. The complete set comprises four armor pieces, two swords, and a crossbow, all of which must be located as crafting diagrams across the before you can forge them at an armorer.
Unlike the lighter, sign-focused or balanced school sets, the Ursine gear rewards players who want to soak up hits while dealing consistent damage, making it a favorite among both newcomers and veterans. The base diagrams sit in the northeastern corner of the map, but acquiring the full set requires traversing multiple islands, defeating a variety of monstrous foes, and following a chain of in-document clues left behind by the clan that originally crafted the gear.
Locating the Base Armor Diagrams
The diagrams for the basic Ursine witcher armor are hidden in the ruined castle on Urialla Isle, a location perched near the top of the Yngvar’s Fang trail in northeastern Skellige. Players who start from the Urialla Harbor fast travel point should take the northeast path out of the village and turn right at the fork, following the road until they reach the Trail to Yngvar’s Fang fast travel point. Just ahead lies a rabid rock troll, which must be dispatched before proceeding.
From there, players follow the cliffside path and confront a cove of sirens. When the trail collapses, players must slide down onto the broken stone walkway and jump across the gap to enter the fort through a wooden door. Descending a spiral staircase and moving to the end of the corridor, players turn right and pull a lever that opens the cell doors and summons a group of wraiths. Dropping through the first cell on the left and continuing past a second wraith spawn, players climb through a broken hole in the wall to reach the throne room, where the diagram chest rests just to the right of the throne.
Be warned that taking the diagrams and pulling the lever to escape will spawn three wraiths to fight, so come prepared with your signs ready and your health potions at the hand.
The Witcher 3 Guide
Tracking Down the Crossbow and Swords
Once the base armor is forged at any armorer found in Crow’s Perch, Novigrad, or Kaer Trolde, players must unlock the remaining pieces by reading the Chronicles of Clan Tuirseach, a document located inside the same diagram chest. This text reveals the whereabouts of both the Ursine Crossbow and the Ursine Silver Sword.
The Ursine Crossbow diagram lies within the Siren’s Cave on Svlag, in the northwestern portion of Skellige, past the Old Watchtower in the south. This area is heavily populated by drowners, so players should expect a prolonged fight. The Ursine Silver Sword, meanwhile, is guarded within the ruins of Fort Etnir in the north of the central island. Players should take the trail east and then north of Rogne, where two gargoyles stand as the final guardians.
After claiming the Ursine Silver Sword, players will find Knight Chalmir’s Letter on the corpse bearing the sword’s diagram. This note points toward the final piece, the Ursine Steel Sword, which resides in the basement of a ruined inn in the south of the central island. Heading southeast from Fyresdal, players must contend with sirens above and wraiths lurking in the inn’s basement.
Upgrading to Enhanced, Superior, and Mastercrafted
Once the base armor is crafted, the real progression begins. Players can upgrade the set through the enhanced, superior, and mastercrafted tiers by locating the corresponding upgrade diagrams. All four upgrade maps can be obtained by buying Ibrahim Savi’s first, second, third, and fourth maps from the Kaer Trolde Armorer, then following each quest marker to claim the diagrams in turn.
For those who have completed the Blood and Wine expansion and reached Toussaint, the ultimate grandmaster upgrades await. Speaking to Lazare Lafargue in his armor shop in south Beauclair launches the ‘Master Master Master Master!’ quest, which guides players to the diagrams needed to bring the Ursine set to its peak power.
As players weigh their options across the witcher schools, the Ursine heavy set remains a top choice for those prioritizing defense, complementing the sign-oriented medium sets and the balanced all-rounder gear that other schools offer. With its sweeping Skelligean questline and rewarding payoff, forging the full Ursine armor stands as one of the game’s most satisfying collection milestones.
For players planning their gaming calendar, more titles are on the horizon. Explore our rundown of the 2026 games coming soon, or revisit some of the best the genre has to offer through our Best PC games picks, our Free PC games round-up, the Best FPS games with the finest gunplay, the Best RPGs for grand adventures, and the Best co-op games to enjoy better together.
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