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

Notes

In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Basilisk
Tw3 journal basilisk
Details
Class
Draconid
Variations
Silver Basilisk
Vulnerable to
Golden oriole potions
Grapeshot bombs
Draconid oils
Aard
Loot
Basilisk venom
Basilisk hide
Basilisk mutagen
Dragon scales
Monster brain
Monster blood
Monster bone
Monster claw
Monster eye
Monster heart
Monster saliva
Monster tongue
Monster tooth

Associated quests

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.

Video

In The Witcher computer game

Basilisk
Bestiary Basilisk full
Details
Class
Ornithosaur
Occurrence
Basilisks choose dark and damp places like caves and abandoned canal branches as their dwellings
Immunity
Immune to most poisons; resistant to stun attempts
Susceptibility
Sensitive to silver and Ornithosaur Oil
Tactics
A basilisk's most dangerous weapon is its venom — one of the strongest known toxins
Alchemy
Venom glands
Additional goods
Basilisk hide

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.

Journal Bestiary Entry

"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

Sources

  • In Chapter III, Geralt can talk with a Townswoman sitting at The New Narakort. She is blonde, wearing a green dress with a yellow shirt. She will tell him she is in the mood to spin a tale but she is thirsty. Depending on her mood, she will ask for "a mug of beer" or milk. She will tell Geralt about Basilisks, Wyverns and eventually Archespores.
  • Geralt must exit and then re-enter the inn (or meditate) after each tale to speak to her again. After Geralt has acquired all the entries she knows about, she will still ask for milk and beer but will not give any new tales or journal entries.
  • Ornithosaurs

Journal image