Basilisk (creature)

Basilisks are draconids, or ornithosaurs, which sometimes terrorize communities.

Associated quests

 * Ciri's Story: Out of the Shadows

Bestiary entry

 * In memory of the noble knight, Roderick, slain during a valiant struggle against a basilisk. Let's hope the beast choked on his bones.
 * — Gravestone inscription, Vizima cemetery.


 * Contrary to popular belief, basilisks cannot turn anything to stone with their gaze. That is small comfort, however, given that their acid, venom, claws and teeth provide them many other ways to kill.


 * Basilisks love dark, damp places such as cellars, caves and city sewers. They hunt by day, waiting patiently in hiding for their prey to come, then jump out in a flash to unleash a deadly attack.


 * When preparing to fight such a creature one should drink Golden Oriole, which will provide resistance to its venom, and also prepare Dancing Star or shrapnel bombs, which work particularly well against basilisks.


 * Basilisk leather is a highly-valued material used to make fashionable shoes and women's handbags. For this reason many men, their courage girded by goldlust, take to hunting them. Most of these hunts end in disaster, but some do manage to bag their prey, which has led to a drastic decline in this creature's numbers in recent years. Some mages and druids are of the opinion that basilisks should be included in programs meant to safeguard dying species. Everyone else thinks those mages and druids have gone completely mad.

In the game, basilisks do not appear until Chapter IV. The first encounter with them is usually on Black Tern Island, but possibly in the crypt in the fields. They are an excellent source of XP.


 * "Simple people call the basilisk the king of the Zerrikanian deserts and often mistake it for a cockatrice. They claim that the beast is filled with such hatred towards all living things that even its breath is venomous and its glance turns the unwary to stone. The fact that witchers often encounter basilisks in dungeons and cellars contradicts the legend and suggests these creatures can reproduce under any conditions like many of their nasty monster brethren. In fairy tales, the only certain way to kill a basilisk is by holding a mirror in front of its eyes to divert its deadly gaze. Witchers reply that it is far better to smash the mirror on the creature's head."

Location

 * Black Tern Island
 * Raven's crypt
 * Kaer Morhen valley

Journal image
Basilisk (Kreatur) Basilisk (Πλάσμα) Basilic (créature) Basilisco Bazyliszek