Witcher Wiki

A Cockatrice is an ornithosaur, also known as a "skoffin" or "kurolishek".

In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt[]

Cockatrices
Tw3 journal cockatrice
Details
Class
Draconid
Variations
Shrieker
Vulnerable to
Grapeshot bombs
Draconid oils
Aard
Loot
Cockatrice mutagen
Cockatrice stomach
Cockatrice egg
Monster feather
Monster brain
Monster blood
Monster bone
Monster claw
Monster eye
Monster heart
Monster carapace
Monster saliva
Monster tongue
Other loot
Cockatrice trophy

Cockatrices are relatively rare. Other than Shrieker, one can be found northeast of the Oxenfurt Gate, not far from the small lake west of Yantra. Another one can be found on Ard Skellig, near the lake north east of Fornhala (close to Kaer Dhu).

Associated quests[]

Bestiary entry[]

Had meself eight heifers, five of 'em milchers. Then this cockatrice sprung up nearby, and now all's I got left's dried patties in an empty field.
— Jethro, peasant from Pindal
Foolish superstitions claim cockatrices, like basilisks, can kill with their gaze alone. That is utter nonsense, however, a cockatrice's gaze being no more dangerous than that of an angry goose. One should instead watch out for it's sharp beak and long tail, which it can whip to murderous effect.
Cockatrices thrive in dark caves, abandoned ruins, cobwebbed dungeons and old basements. Though small compared to griffins and manticores, they are more than capable of killing anyone who stumbles across them in a dark corridor.
Cockatrices do not shun direct fights, in which they strike furiously with wing and tail in an attempt to exhaust their foes. Blows from their beaks are especially dangerous, as they aim with deadly precision at exposed flesh and vital organs and leave bleeding, life-threatening wounds. When fighting them one should make liberal use of draconid oil as well as Grapeshot, whose shrapnel will pierce their delicate wings with ease.

Video[]

In The Witcher computer game[]

Cockatrice
Bestiary Cockatrice full
Details
Class
Ornithosaur
Occurrence
Cockatrices nest in caves and dark cellars
Immunity
High resistance to poisons; difficult to knock down
Susceptibility
Sensitive to silver and Ornithosaur Oil
Tactics
A cockatrice tries to surprise its opponent, strike suddenly and poison him with its venom
Alchemy
Toxin
Cockatrice eyes
Feathers

Journal Bestiary Entry[]

"Cockatrices are born of eggs laid by roosters consorting with other roosters. The egg must be incubated for forty-four days by a toad, which is devoured by the little beast as soon as it hatches. A cockatrice hates everything that lives so fiercely that its glance turns the living to stone. Only a bold adventurer with a mirror can deflect its deadly gaze and defeat the cockatrice."

Location[]

Sources[]

Notes[]

  • Their remains will not contain their feathers until you have this bestiary entry.
  • The Beast of the Sewers encountered as part of the Prison Break quest is a Greater cockatrice, and therefore different from the creature described above. It is also one of the two trophy quests in Chapter II, and the only story-required trophy quest in the whole game.

Journal image[]