The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a lot of things, but easy definitely isn't one of them. As well as a somewhat complicated combat system which incorporates both magic and physical attacks, the game also features a wide variety of enemies that can each provide their own unique challenges and problems. Some, however, are a lot more difficult than others.

RELATED: The Witcher: The 10 Best Monsters Inspired By Folklore

Throughout the game, players will come across some incredibly fearsome foes that have been specifically designed to test players' mastery of the game's combat mechanics. Many will require players to fully utilize their signs while others will instead call for them to memorize attack patterns and movements. With enough perseverance though, they can be defeated.

Updated April 9, 2021, by Thomas Bowen: Despite the sixth anniversary of The Witcher 3 fast approaching, it remains one of the best action RPGs on the market today and serves as a great indicator of what the talented team over at CD Projekt Red are capable of when given the time needed to do what needs to be done. It's a wonderfully well-crafted game and one that, together with its two expansions, provides plenty of challenging boss fights that will push even the most well-prepared players to their absolute limits.

10 The Griffin

The griffin is the first major boss that players will come up against in The Witcher 3 and therein lies its difficulty. Were it to arrive a little later on in the game then it would be a lot easier, but, as most players are still learning how to play the game when they first encounter it, it can really be quite the challenge.

The battle takes place in White Orchard as part of the main quest "The Beast of White Orchard" and can very easily catch players unprepared. Thankfully, however, the Aard sign is particularly effective against the griffin, as too is the crossbow that Vesemir conveniently gives to Geralt just a few minutes before the fight begins.

9 Nithral

Nithral is the first member of the Wild Hunt that players will come up against and is fought in Velen as part of the "Wandering in the Dark" main quest. Like many of the bosses in The Witcher 3, he has two phases that he'll shift between, so him being down once does not mean that he's down for the count.

While still challenging, the fight is made quite a bit easier thanks to the assistance of Keira Metz. She doesn't deal much damage, although by putting some distance between Geralt and the Wild Hunt member, it's possible to make Nithral target the sorceress instead; thus giving players a little extra breathing room.

8 Olgierd

When Olgierd is first introduced during Hearts of Stone, he's presented as a potential friend or ally. It quickly becomes apparent, however, that the stone-hearted immortal is a powerful adversary and definitely not one to be trifled with. Geralt can find this out for himself during the "Evil's Soft First Touches" quest.

RELATED: 10 Times Geralt Was The True Villain Of The Witcher 3

Olgierd is considered by many to be the toughest human boss in the game, so most players will need to have reached at least level 30 in order to stand a chance. The fastest way to defeat him is to counter his critical hits, although this can be a little risky. Signs can also be incredibly useful here, particularly Quen.

7 Iris' Greatest Fear

Defeating one Olgierd is difficult. Defeating six of him, however, is damn near impossible. Granted, the Ethereals are not quite as powerful as the real thing, but their fighting style is similar and, together, they can be just as deadly; as players will find out during the "Scenes From a Marriage" quest in Gustfields.

The trick to defeating them is to only attack the Ethereal that's targeting Geralt. Many players find this fight extremely difficult because they try to attack all of them at once, but only targeting one of them will lead to the others hanging back. It requires quite a bit of patience, but taking them on one by one is definitely the best approach for this fight.

6 Caranthir

The fight with Caranthir isn't particularly hard, but it can be a very, very long battle and requires a lot of concentration. The cool thing is though that players start off fighting him as Ciri, which should provide quite a bit of satisfaction given what he did to her earlier in the game.

The fight takes place in Skellige as part of the "On Thin Ice" main quest and is one that requires an awful lot of patience. Quen, Yrden and the Magic Trap ability can be incredibly useful for surviving it, as too can positioning Geralt in such a way that Caranthir's attacks will damage the Ice Elementals that he calls in to assist him.

5 Eredin

Players will encounter the King of the Wild Hunt almost immediately after the fight with Caranthir and can expect an equally challenging duel. Defeating him provides an incredibly satisfying cut-scene though and will finally bring an end to Geralt's battles against the Wraiths of Morhogg.

RELATED: The Witcher 3: 10 Combat Mods That Make It More Challenging

The best way to approach the fight with Eredin is to avoid counters and parries and instead focus on continuously dodging and hitting him. It can be a long and difficult encounter, but as is the case with the other Wild Hunt fights, patience is key and the best way to avoid unnecessary restarts.

4 Imlerith

The fight with Imlerith takes place in the Velen region as part of the "Bald Mountain" quest, but getting to him will not be easy. Players first need to fight their way through some difficult enemies, including a rather difficult encounter with three Crones. Compared to Imlerith himself though, this is all child's play.

Imlerith is arguably the trickiest of the Wild Hunt, although the strategy for defeating him remains largely the same; dodge, roll, hit. Players should avoid attempting to parry or counter him and instead focus on slowly chipping away at his health. He might look bulky and slow, but he's far from it, and there's no blocking his powerful lunges.

3 The Caretaker

The Caretaker is part of the Hearts of Stone expansion and is encountered during the "Scenes From a Marriage" quest. At first glance, he might not seem like a particularly difficult enemy, although he is one that can cause a lot of problems for players who charge into the fight headfirst.

Quen is an absolute must for this one, as too is killing the spirits that he summons as soon as possible. What makes this a particularly frustrating fight though is that each hit that the Caretaker lands on Geralt will heal him fairly significantly, so dodging is also incredibly important for those hoping to avoid a never-ending duel.

2 The Toad Prince

The Toad Prince is another powerful foe that's encountered in the Hearts of Stone expansion. He shows up in Novigrad in the "Evil's Soft First Touches" quest and can cause a lot of grief for those who head into the fight unprepared and unawares. Thankfully though, there is an effective strategy for taking him down.

Golden Oriole is incredibly useful in this fight, as too is Yrden. Liberally casting the latter will provide plenty of opportunities for free attacks, while using Cursed oil can greatly increase the damage that Geralt is able to dish out. The primary aim should be to prevent the enemy from hopping around too much, so Magic Trap, Igni and and Northern Wid can also be helpful.

1 Dettlaff

Also known as The Beast of Beauclair, Dettlaff van der Eretein is a higher vampire that show's up in the Blood and Wine expansion and is considered by many to be the game's toughest enemy. He can be fought as part of the "Tesham Mutna" quest in the Caroberta Woods region and has some incredibly frustrating attack patterns. What's more frustrating, however, is that Geralt doesn't even get to land the final blow due to Regis stepping in at the last moment and stealing the win.

Dettlaff has three phases, but it is the second one that most players will struggle with. His bat attack can be incredibly tricky to dodge due to how many of them there are. It is possible, but players should aim to roll right before the bats hit Geralt rather than the initial moment that they are summoned.

NEXT: The Witcher 3: 10 Ways To Make Your Next Playthrough More Challenging