The Viper School Gear gives Geralt a look close to his default Kaer Morhen outfit, split across eight pieces. Two low-level sword diagrams sit in White Orchard from the start of the game, and the full armor set plus two venomous swords arrive with the Hearts of Stone expansion. Six of those expansion items can be permanently missed, so the order you collect them in matters.
Quick answer: Grab the two Serpentine sword diagrams in White Orchard at any time, then during Hearts of Stone buy four armor diagrams from Countess Mignole, loot the Venomous steel diagram in the Borsodi vault, and pull the finished Venomous silver sword in Gaunter’s world.

Every Viper School piece and where it comes from
The set has two freely recoverable sword diagrams and six items tied to Hearts of Stone quests. The base-game swords never expire, but each Hearts of Stone window closes for good once you move past it.
| Piece | Source | Location | Missable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serpentine silver sword | Diagram on Kolgrim’s remains | White Orchard cemetery crypt | No |
| Serpentine steel sword | Diagram in a chest | Amavet Fortress Ruins watchtower | No |
| Viper armor | Buy from Countess Mignole | Borsodi auction house (Open Sesame!) | Yes |
| Viper trousers | Buy from Countess Mignole | Borsodi auction house (Open Sesame!) | Yes |
| Viper gauntlets | Buy from Countess Mignole | Borsodi auction house (Open Sesame!) | Yes |
| Viper boots | Buy from Countess Mignole | Borsodi auction house (Open Sesame!) | Yes |
| Venomous steel sword | Diagram in a chest | Borsodi vault (Open Sesame!) | Yes |
| Venomous silver sword | Finished weapon in a stone | Gaunter’s world (Whatsoever a Man Soweth…) | Yes |
The Viper set has no Grandmaster tier like the other Witcher schools. It does gain a Legendary version if you carry it into New Game Plus.

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Add to Google Preferences →Both Viper sword diagrams in White Orchard
The base-game hunt gives you two crafting diagrams, both in White Orchard and both around suggested level 6. Reading the letter or report at either location points you to the other, so you can start from whichever you reach first.
Serpentine silver sword in the cemetery crypt
Serpentine steel sword in Amavet Fortress Ruins
Both diagrams craft cheaply at the amateur blacksmith in the Nilfgaardian Garrison, and their poison and bonus experience make them strong prologue weapons.
| Sword | Materials |
|---|---|
| Serpentine steel | 1 Leather Straps, 1 Iron Ingot, 1 Emerald Dust, 1 Venom Extract |
| Serpentine silver | 1 Leather Straps, 2 Silver Ingots, 1 Emerald Dust, 1 Venom Extract |

Four armor diagrams from Countess Mignole (Open Sesame!)
The Viper armor, trousers, gauntlets, and boots diagrams are sold by Countess Mignole during the Hearts of Stone main quest “Open Sesame!” She appears once, and there is no second chance to reach her.
Bring roughly 1,200 to 1,500 crowns before the auction starts. You cannot earn or withdraw money once the quest is underway, and once the auction sequence ends the Countess is gone for that playthrough.

Viper Venomous steel sword diagram in the Borsodi vault
Later in “Open Sesame!”, you can loot the Venomous steel diagram during the heist. It is a crafting diagram, not a completed weapon; taking the House of Maximilian Borsodi alone does not grant the sword.
Grab the diagram before you leave the vault. However the Borsodi standoff resolves, the entrance seals permanently and you cannot return for anything you skipped.

Viper Venomous silver sword in Gaunter’s world
The final piece has no diagram. It is a finished weapon retrieved during the ending of “Whatsoever a Man Soweth…”, and only if you set it up in advance.

Take the sword before you solve the fountain riddle at the mansion. Once the riddle is complete you cannot return to that world, and the weapon is lost for that playthrough.
Crafting and confirming the full set
The four armor diagrams and the Venomous steel diagram all craft at level 39 in a normal playthrough. The Venomous silver sword is already a finished weapon, so there is no material grind or diagram to chase for it.
You will know the collection is complete when the two Serpentine diagrams and the six Hearts of Stone pieces all appear in your inventory. The scavenger hunt journal closes once both White Orchard diagrams are found, while the expansion items simply register as new crafting diagrams or, for the silver sword, a finished blade the moment you pull it from the stone.
Before entering the auction house and before deciding whether to challenge Gaunter O’Dimm, make a manual save. Those two moments gate half the set, and none of the expansion pieces can be recovered from ordinary free roam afterward.






