A Hunter’s Palette: Your Complete Guide to Finding Every Armor Dye in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
So, you’ve vanquished beasts, navigated political intrigue, and maybe even finally settled that old score with a certain King of the Wild Hunt. But now, a new, more… colorful quest has emerged in The Witcher 3: Next-Gen update. Your trusty Witcher gear, while stat-perfect, is starting to feel a little monotonous. The vibrant world of Toussaint is begging for a Geralt who matches its flair. Enter the game-changing armor dyeing system.
If you’ve found yourself scouring the lands for that perfect shade of black for your Ursine armor or a regal blue for your Feline set, you’ve come to the right place. This guide is your one-stop compendium for all things related to The Witcher 3 armor dye locations. We’re not just going to list them; we’re going to walk through exactly how to unlock the system, where to find every single color, and how to make your Geralt the most stylish monster slayer on the Continent.
First Things First: Unlocking the Dyeing System
Before you can even think about colors, you need to unlock the ability to use them. This entire mechanic is exclusive to the Blood and Wine expansion. You won’t find any dyes in Velen or Novigrad. Your journey to becoming a fashionable Witcher begins the moment you set foot in the duchy of Toussaint.
The key is a specific quest. Shortly after arriving and dealing with the initial vampire attack, you’ll gain access to the main quest "The Beast of Toussaint." As part of this, you’ll be directed to a notice board. Here, you’ll find the secondary quest called "Turn and Face the Strange." While this quest’s primary reward is the mutation system, its completion is the universal trigger. Once you finish it, a new merchant will appear in the world, and the dyeing system will become active.
It’s a common point of confusion, so let’s be clear: you do not need to progress deep into the main story of Blood and Wine. You just need to complete this one, relatively early side quest.
The Master Dyer: Your Go-To Color Merchant
With "Turn and Face the Strange" completed, your most reliable source for armor dye ingredients and recipes will appear. Locate the Knight’s Camp in central Toussaint, just southeast of the Tourney Grounds. Here, you’ll find a merchant simply known as the "Master Armorer." Alongside his smithing services, he has a special inventory tab for dye.
This merchant is crucial. He sells the base recipes for the four primary colors:
- Black Armor Dye Recipe
- White Armor Dye Recipe
- Red Armor Dye Recipe
- Blue Armor Dye Recipe
He also sells the actual dyes themselves, but purchasing them pre-made is expensive. The real value is in the recipes. Buy them as soon as you can. Once you have a recipe, you can craft the dye at any alchemy lab. The ingredients are generally common herbal components like Berbercane Fruit, Ranogrin, Honeysuckle, and Han Fiber, all of which can be found in abundance throughout Toussaint.
The Color Hunt: Where to Find Every Dye Recipe
While the Master Armorer provides the foundation, the real hunt is for the rarer, more specific shades. These recipes are scattered across Toussaint, often in well-hidden, unmarked locations. Here is a comprehensive breakdown of where to find every Witcher 3 dye recipe location.
1. The Secret Vineyard Laboratory One of the most significant locations for a dye hunter is Corvo Bianco, your very own vineyard estate! However, access to this treasure trove is locked behind a specific upgrade. After you’ve progressed enough in the Blood and Wine main quest to properly own Corvo Bianco, speak with your majordomo, Barnabas-Basil Foulty. Invest in the "Renovate the Laboratory" upgrade.
Once renovated, descend into the lab. On a table, you will find a book titled "On the Mysteries of the Toussaint Dyeing Art." Picking up this book does not give you a single recipe; it instantly adds multiple new dye recipes to your crafting list. This typically includes shades like Light Gray, Brown, and sometimes Green. This is a non-negotiable stop for any serious collector.
2. The Ruined Watchtower (Green & Yellow) South of the Mont Crane Castle fast travel point, you’ll find a crumbling watchtower on a hill. Scaling this tower can be tricky, but the reward is worth it. At the very top, amidst some rubble and broken beams, you will find a chest. This chest has a very high chance of containing the Green Armor Dye Recipe and the Yellow Armor Dye Recipe. It’s one of the best spots to get two desirable colors in one go.
3. The Caves of Toussaint (Multiple Colors) Toussaint’s underbelly is rich with color. Two caves are particularly noteworthy:
- The Crypt at the Cianfanelli Ranch: Northeast of Beauclair, this cave system is part of a larger quest but can be explored independently. Deep inside, in a hidden niche behind a breakable wall (use your Witcher Senses!), you can find a chest containing the Pink Armor Dye Recipe.
- The Ancient Crypt south of Dun Tynne: This extensive cave system requires some parkour. Navigate to a ledge high above the main path, where a skeleton and a guarded treasure await. This is a known spawn point for the Purple Armor Dye Recipe.
4. Bandit Camps and Hidden Caches (Various) The world is your oyster. Many of the smaller, unmarked bandit camps and smuggler’s caches scattered around Toussaint have a chance to contain dye recipes. While not guaranteed, it’s always worth thoroughly looting these locations. You might stumble upon a Brown Dye Recipe in a bandit’s chest near the Sansretour River or a Light Gray Dye Recipe in a sunken cache along the coast.
Crafting and Application: How to Dye Your Armor
You’ve got the recipes and gathered the herbs. Now what? The process is simple:
- Craft the Dye: Go to any alchemist's lab. Under the "Quest Items" or "Other" tab, you will find your purchased dye recipes. Craft as many as you need. Each dye is a single-use item.
- Apply the Dye: Open your inventory. Navigate to the armor piece you wish to dye. If you have a dye in your inventory that is compatible with that piece, you will see a new "Dye" option at the bottom of the screen. Select it, choose your color, and voilà! Your armor is transformed.
A crucial piece of information: Dyes are applied per piece, not per set. You can mix and match to your heart's content, creating a truly unique look. Want a black Ursine chest piece with white gloves? Go for it!
Pro-Tips for the Aspiring Fashion Witcher
- Save Before You Dye: Colors can look different on various armor sets. The rich black on the Wolven set might look more like dark gray on the Manticore gear. If you’re unsure, make a hard save before applying a rare dye so you can revert if you don’t like the result.
- Herb Farming is Your Friend: The ingredients for dyes are all herbs. Make a habit of grabbing every Berbercane and Ranogrin bush you see. You’ll thank yourself later when you can craft ten black dyes without a second thought.
- Not All Armor is Dyeable: Remember, only Witcher School gear (like Griffin, Feline, Ursine, Wolven, Manticore, etc.) and the new Relic quality armor sets from Blood and Wine can be dyed. Your regular, non-set armor cannot.
- The Best Black Dye Location is, without a doubt, from the Master Armorer at the Knight’s Camp. Buy the recipe early and stock up.
- Experiment! The fun of this system is in experimentation. That garish pink dye might be the perfect accent color for your gauntlets. Don’t be afraid to step outside the conventional "all black" Witcher aesthetic. After all, you’re in Toussaint now.
With this guide in hand, the vibrant palette of Toussaint is yours to command. No longer is Geralt doomed to wander in muted tones. Whether you seek the ominous silhouette provided by a full set of black Witcher gear or the noble sheen of a white and gold Griffin set, you now have the knowledge to make it happen. Happy hunting, and may your journey be a colorful one
