So, i have read all the books, all the games, a question Zireael (sword) is made out of silver or steel?

[Eldarth]

So, i have read all the books, all the games, a question Zireael (sword) is made out of silver or steel?

So, thats it, Silver or Steel? Because it works great with both kind of enemies.

---------- Updated at 10:38 PM ----------

Nevermind, found it

A gwyhyr is a splendid gnomish sword, regarded as the best in the world. The gnomes had ceased production of these weapons more than two hundred years before the events of the saga. Gwyhyrs were forged with "dark iron" which made the blades light and sharp as a razor. They were also characterized by their undulating edge and hide covered hilts.

Leo Bonhart wanted a sword for Ciri, and he had chosen a gwyhyr from the collection of a particularly dedicated swordsmith, Esterhazy. She named it "Jaskółka" (English: Swallow; Old Tongue: Zirael).

Source: http://witcher.wikia.com/wiki/Gwyhyr

---------- Updated at 10:51 PM ----------

Wait, its not fine with both enemies, not supposed to, its still just Iron, and she fights mostly wolves and such so no need for silver. But still in the game she kills werewolves and the Wild Hunt and still effective, CDProjekt some ppl here takes inmersion seriously :listen:

 

[Darkcloud.282]

There is a story explanation with the Werewolf where she applies the proper oil to it. Otherwise there is no explanation. I also wonder why Silver Swords are efffectuve against Wild Hunt Soldiers.

 

[cyberpunkforever]

silver, to kill monsters

 

[Frybread]

SPOILERS!!!!









If you've read "Season of Storms" it says all witcher swords are not pure silver but have a steel core and edges. Plus, silver has no magical properties. So I'd guess Ciri's sword is mostly steel with a bit of silver. Unless CDPR just goes with the idea that silver is magical and good against monsters.

 

[Adonai-]

It's a regular sword. Also, you have to remember that steel sword = humans and silver sword = monsters is a game mechanic. In the books, Geralt uses a steel sword most of the time and only brings out his silver sword for the occasional monster which needs it. He also tends to leave it with Roach, but having to run to your horse when you come across the appropriate monster would not make for a fun game.

 

[Eldarth]

It's a regular sword. Also, you have to remember that steel sword = humans and silver sword = monsters is a game mechanic. In the books, Geralt uses a steel sword most of the time and only brings out his silver sword for the occasional monster which needs it. He also tends to leave it with Roach, but having to run to your horse when you come across the appropriate monster would not make for a fun game.

I agree with the thing about the mechanics but i dont think that the Geralt from the books doesnt carry two swords at his back all the time, thats pretty much clear. Anyway thanks to all for replying.

I have also opened a post before about the lore, Conjunction of the Spheres at that kind of things, im having problems with some lore, see if you can help !
http://forums.cdprojektred.com/thre...r-things-Lore-questions?p=1803693#post1803693

---------- Updated at 12:04 AM ----------

There is a story explanation with the Werewolf where she applies the proper oil to it. Otherwise there is no explanation. I also wonder why Silver Swords are efffectuve against Wild Hunt Soldiers.

Good one, but still go to http://forums.cdprojektred.com/threads/50889-About-the-Conjunction-of-the-Spheres-and-all-the-silver-and-monster-things-Lore-questions?p=1803693#post1803693

With the werewolf makes sense, but theres still some holes in the whole thing, go there and check it out !

 

[dragonbird]

Steel swords have sharp edges. That means that they will work against monsters have have a physical presence and can be killed by being chopped up into small pieces. They're just not as good at it as silver swords.

 

[Eldarth]

Steel swords have sharp edges. That means that they will work against monsters have have a physical presence and can be killed by being chopped up into small pieces. They're just not as good at it as silver swords.

Yeah, well, doesnt really make sense in a realistic way that silver its better than steel cutting, but lets just remember its fantasy.
I have always though that silver just burns them, you know?

You should have a look at the other post i put links to, tell us your version of understanding all that conjunction of the spheres and silver thing.

 

[dragonbird]

Yeah, well, doesnt really make sense in a realistic way that silver its better than steel cutting, but lets just remember its fantasy.
I have always though that silver just burns them, you know?

You should have a look at the other post i put links to, tell us your version of understanding all that conjunction of the spheres and silver thing.

I'm not an expert in any way.

Regarding using silver against the Aen Elle, I have two possible explanations, both of which I'd consider plausible.
1. The silver sword works against magic, which is why it's better than a steel sword against a monster that's killable but has magic-based defense/armour. The Aen Elle, unlike the local elves, use armour that's strengthened with magic (for example, the frost effect), so using a silver sword would get through it faster. Once you're broken through the armour, they're just squidgey organics inside, so you wouldn't switch weapons, just finish them off with the one you're already using.
2. Gameplay. The huntsmen and the hounds are present at the same time, it would be crazy to change swords. CDPR just picked one and went with it.

And as far as the silver sword is concerned, my understanding is there are sources for both the "it's pure silver" and "silver with a steel core" argument. I prefer the latter, as I don't really think a pure silver sword would work effectively, or for very long, on anything with a physical presence.

Oh, and Ciri's sword is definitely steel. It wasn't intended for killing monsters. As you pointed out, it was given to her by Leo Bonhart, not during her "Witcher Training" at Kaer Morhen.

 

[Eldarth]

I'm not an expert in any way.

Regarding using silver against the Aen Elle, I have two possible explanations, both of which I'd consider plausible.
1. The silver sword works against magic, which is why it's better than a steel sword against a monster that's killable but has magic-based defense/armour. The Aen Elle, unlike the local elves, use armour that's strengthened with magic (for example, the frost effect), so using a silver sword would get through it faster. Once you're broken through the armour, they're just squidgey organics inside, so you wouldn't switch weapons, just finish them off with the one you're already using.
2. Gameplay. The huntsmen and the hounds are present at the same time, it would be crazy to change swords. CDPR just picked one and went with it.

And as far as the silver sword is concerned, my understanding is there are sources for both the "it's pure silver" and "silver with a steel core" argument. I prefer the latter, as I don't really think a pure silver sword would work effectively, or for very long, on anything with a physical presence.

Oh, and Ciri's sword is definitely steel. It wasn't intended for killing monsters. As you pointed out, it was given to her by Leo Bonhart, not during her "Witcher Training" at Kaer Morhen.

Good one with that armor thing, could explained it all.

About the changing swords, i remember fighting the bandits of a village in the Novigrad zone that one of them was a werewolf, and a lot of humans, was kinda crazy fighting like that, changing swords because i did a hit on other target. I think they took the silver thing too far, a steel sword still cuts wells flesh from a werewolf. Still they could have put a "Realistic mode" option, or maybe in death march you have to deal with it by yourself.

In fact, i would have loved that in deathmarch, they dont tell you what kind of sword you should use, neither the health. And maybe rebalance the thing between silver and iron in a way that two similar weapons, one of iron and one of silver, when you hit a magic monster with the iron one, you do 70% of the dmg, or when you hit a human with a silver also 70%, It just didnt felt right when sometimes bandits and wolves came up togheter and when i cut a bandit without shirt with a silver one, he doesnt get a shit. I mean, even a pipe would be more effective at hitting him.

Know if any witcher expert in lore from CDProjekt can explain this whole thing?

And you know, its a videogame and sometimes fans go too realistic, but hell, if we they dont, modders will. " With the power of modding, comes a great responsability" - Me.

 

[csf60]

The choice for using a silver sword against the wild hunt is to avoid spoilers in my opinion. At the beginning of the game the average player thinks the wild hunt riders are wraiths, specters, undead or something like that. It is not until the end that they are revealed to be elves, and CDPR didn't want to spoil that by making geralt use the steel sword from the beginning.

 

[devivre]

The choice for using a silver sword against the wild hunt is to avoid spoilers in my opinion. At the beginning of the game the average player thinks the wild hunt riders are wraiths, specters, undead or something like that. It is not until the end that they are revealed to be elves, and CDPR didn't want to spoil that by making geralt use the steel sword from the beginning.

This information is clearly given during witcher 2 when Geralt remembers certain events of the past. It's not a spoiler anymore! Using the silver sword here makes more sense from a mere gameplay perspective so we don't have to switch swords in between fights.

 

[Darkcloud.282]

If it is for gameplay reasons then why not the other way around. You can hurt both the Hounds and the Hunters with Steel Swords. That way there would not be the problem that Ciris Sword has full effectivity against them and there would also be some strong enemies to use the steel sword on.

 

[Kad_Venku]

So, I cross posted that here and there. thus it might seem a tad out of context first.

Usually the Wild Hunt appears only in the form of an spectral projection, pretty much like an ordinary specter in the game. Those require a silver sword to hit them through the layers of the worlds, kind of the curtain that should seperate the world, but gets very thin on these occasions. What you're doing with Yrden in the game.
At some point in the books Eredin mentions that it requires a huge load of power to fully transit to another world, so they usually only project - actually what was done in the first game. Right now - from a book-lore point of view it would make sense to use the steel sword as the Hunt is in Geralt's world (otherwise, they would simply disappear, no corpses under trees,...)

For the monsters: In the books there are only a few that require silver to kill them, otherwise you can't harm them, usually it's the kind of monster that came from another world an still is tied to it, so the silver is able to cut this connection (kind of). Those monsters are classified a Relicts in the game. And moinsters which are created via magic are only vulnerable to silver, Cursed in the game, the rest - as far as the books are concerned - could be easily killed with a steel sword as well.

Read the latest book? Season of Storms?
Geralt even says that the Witcher sword being any special isn't a real thing, they are only made by master craftsmen, but that's it with the difference to a normal sword.
With certain Oils (which contain magic ingredienst) you even can make steel work agains magic monsters, not as efficiently as silver, but still. If I recall right there are even some monsters immune to silver.
And another remark: the silver ain't actual silver, it's a meteorid-silver, something that's never really explained, but it seems to be something that looks and behaves like silver, but is capable of storing magic energy.

Whilst writing that, I actually would love a book-monster-lore-mod. Only one sword, the other on Roach only for certain monsters, would require som additional research, but why not?

And Dragonbird's explanation is a good way to justify the use of silver against elves.
And yes, most of it probably comes down to streamline the gameplay and mechanics.


Edit: I forgot to add the things about Ciri's sword

Now, her sword is made of meteorite steel, by an unknown gnomish craftsman, so you can't actually tell whether it's something like a Witcher's "silver" sword or a more usual steel sword. What you can say is that Geralt is using a Gnomish sword made of meteorite steel against several monsters (from insectoids to elementae) quite efficiently, so it'd be a save bet that Ciri's sword is something more thatn just a steel sword.