The Manticore School Gear is a medium armor set that was introduced in the Blood and Wine expansion pack. It is believed that Geralt’s default armor from the first Witcher game belonged to the same School of the Manticore.
If you are looking to get the Manticore armor set in The Witcher 3, prepare for a bit of grind. You will have to travel to various locations that are brimming with all sorts of monsters and dangers.
Do note that the Manticore School Gear is the only armor set in The Witcher 3 that starts from the grandmaster tier by default. You do not have to find the lower-tier diagrams because there are none. You will be able to craft the grandmaster Manticore armor set straight away.
The following guide will tell you where to find all of the Manticore diagrams and how to craft the armor set in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
How to start Scavenger Hunt: Grandmaster Manticore Gear
Check the noticeboard in The Gran’place, the main square of Beauclair, for the Grandmaster Armorer contract.
Lazare Lafargue, a grandmaster armorer and blacksmith in the Hauteville district, is looking for someone to find the grandmaster diagrams of all armor sets, the Manticore being one of them.
This will be part of the Master Master Master Master! secondary quest.
Where to find the Manticore School Gear diagrams?
The grandmaster Manticore School Gear consists of six diagrams. There are four for the main armor which includes the chest, gauntlets, trousers, and boots; one for the silver sword, and one for the steel sword.
You can find the diagrams in any order you want.
Unlike most of the other School Gear in The Witcher 3, the Manticore armor set is scattered between three locations. You will find the trouser and boots diagrams together in one location, the chest in one location, and the gauntlets in another.
Manticore armor diagram location
If you’ve played the La Cage au Fou quest, you’ll be familiar with the Trastamara Hunting Cottage. Just north of this location is a cave that contains the Manticore chest diagram.
There is a chamber at the back end of this cave that has a couple of notes attached to the wall. There is a note from the Witcher of the Manticore School on the right of this wall titled Marten’s Prayer. If you investigate this note, it will yield the diagram for the Manticore chest diagram.
Manticore gauntlets diagram location
The Manticore gauntlet diagram is found to the northeast of the Basane Farm – at the base of the Lake of Cleansing.
Walk to the end of the dock and take a dive into the lake. Use your Witcher Senses near the bottom to reveal a container that has the diagram for the gauntlets. Loot and resurface and then move on the next piece.
Manticore boots and trouser diagrams location
The diagrams for the Manticore boots and trousers are located in the Temple of Lebioda, which is found in the northwest corner of Toussaint.
At the back of this temple is a stone wall that can be destroyed with Aard. Head inside the room to encounter the Great Beggar’s Ghost. Yrden is very useful in evening out the fight. Defeat this foe and head through the steps and use your Witcher Senses to reveal a small chest in the corner of the room.
This chest contains the diagrams for the Manticore boots and trousers.
Manticore silver sword diagram location
The Manticore silver sword is located in a cave within a hidden chapel found on the western coast of the lake dividing the Beauclair Gardens and the Ducal Palace. The cave is filled with a sort of gas that makes Geralt hallucinate.
As you move along the cave, you will first encounter two Bruxae. You need to eliminate them and continue through the opening at the back.
You will then reach a tunnel that holds a group of shady beggars with coins next to them. You need to pick up the coins and divide them amongst the beggars. Once that’s done, continue along the tunnel.
Upon entering the next chamber in the cave, you will see a couple of Kikimores attacking a man. Eliminate the Kikimores.
Now, you should see a couple of rocks leading up to the opposite end of the chamber leading upwards. Climb the rocks to reach an obstruction. You can clear the rocks obstructing your path with Aard.
The path revealed ahead will lead to another strange man beside a makeshift altar. The man will vanish after a short while and will reveal a chest beside the altar. This chest contains the Manticore silver sword diagram.
Manticore steel sword diagram location
For the Manticore steel sword diagram, you have to head northwest of the Beauclair and reach the ruins of the Bastoy Prison.
If you start from the southern end, you should see a road leading into the ruins. At the opposite end of this road is a ruined tower which you need to climb and reach the top.
Now, you need to use your Witcher Senses here and find a loose brick in the walls. Behind that loose brick is the Manticore steel sword diagram.
How to craft the Manticore armor and swords
| Item | Ingredients |
|---|---|
| Manticore gauntlets | 1x Cured Draconid Leather, 1x Meteorite Silver Plate, 1x Monster Hair, 1x Monster Blood |
| Manticore armor | 2x Cured Draconid Leather, 2x Dimeritium Plate, 2x Monster Ear, 2x Monster Eye |
| Manticore trousers | 1x Cured Draconid Leather, 1x Dimeritium Plate, 1x Monster Claw, 2x Monster Blood |
| Manticore boots | 1x Cured Draconid Leather, 1x Dimeritium Plate, 4x Monster Claw, 2x Monster Blood |
| Manticore silver sword | 2x Leather Scraps, 2x Dimeritium Ingot, 1x Ruby, 1x Monster Brain |
| Manticore steel sword | 2x Leather Scraps, 2x Dimeritium Ingot, 1x Ruby, 1x Monster Brain |
