The Witcher 3 Remastered's 28 Places of Power, by Region and Sign

By Indie Kings | September 29, 2026

Updated September 29, 2026: There are 28 Places of Power in The Witcher 3 Remastered, spread across five regions, and every one of them grants a free ability point the first time you touch it. Twenty-eight points is a substantial chunk of a character's total, and collecting them is optional rather than something the main story walks you into. Three are gated behind story progress or a faction choice, which is why players routinely finish the game with gaps in the achievement. This site has never covered them: "Places of Power" appears in zero of 18,396 posts, as do Kaer Trolde's secret tunnels and Yngvar's Fang.

The Igni Place of Power in White Orchard Cemetery, one of 28 runestones that grant a free ability point in The Witcher 3 Remastered

Image: The White Orchard Cemetery runestone, the easiest of the 28. Credit: IGN.

What a Place of Power actually does

A Place of Power is a runestone left behind by the Conjunction of the Spheres, the cosmic event that opened the world to magic. There are twenty-eight of them and they do two things, and the second one is the reason to collect them.

Per IGN's guide, drawing power from a stone grants a buff that greatly increases the strength of a specific Sign, which lasts a limited time and is useful in a fight but is not the point. The point is this: the first time you interact with a Place of Power, you are granted one ability point. Twenty-eight free points, with no quest, no grind and no merchant, spread across the entire map.

There is also an achievement attached. IGN states that if you have all five Sign buffs active simultaneously, you unlock the Power Overwhelming achievement or trophy. That is a different objective from collecting the stones, and it is worth keeping separate, because a player can have all 28 stones and still not have all five buffs up at once.

The count, by region and by sign

IGN breaks the total down as six in White Orchard, six in Velen, two in Novigrad, nine in Skellige, and five in Toussaint. That is twenty-eight, and counting every entry below against its sign produces the same number.

Region	Count	Access notes
White Orchard	6	None. All are in the starting region and are described as easy to find.
Velen	6	Two are inaccessible until main story progress.
Novigrad	2	None. Only one is inside the city proper.
Skellige	9	One needs a faction choice. Several are spread across separate islands and need boat travel.
Toussaint	5	Requires Blood and Wine, which ships with the Remastered.
Total	28	Twenty-eight ability points

Grouped by sign rather than by region, the split is uneven, and that matters if you are building around one Sign:

Sign	Places of Power
Quen	7
Igni	6
Yrden	6
Axii	5
Aard	4

Quen has the most and Aard the fewest, a difference of three stones and three ability points. If you are committing to a Quen sign build, you have the most optional stat points available in the game to feed it. If you are an Aard player, you have the fewest, and that is worth knowing before you spend points elsewhere.

White Orchard, all six

IGN describes all six as relatively easy to find, since this is the starting region, and they are the cheapest six points in the game.

White Orchard Cemetery, Igni. In front of the mausoleum entrance in the graveyard off the main road, near the Mill signpost in the north. Guarded by a level 7 wraith.
Northern Woods, Aard. Directly north of the cemetery stone, another runestone sits in the woods next to a Monster Nest full of level 2 ghouls.
Western Forest, Axii. In the centre of the woods between the two roads joining the Sawmill and Woesong Bridge to the Nilfgaardian Outpost. IGN warns the forest is populated.
Griffin's Nest, Quen. Walk south from the Griffin's nest discovered during The Beast of White Orchard. The stone sits between two large trees.
Abandoned Site, Yrden. Along the road east of the Abandoned Village near the Griffin's Nest, then into the trees to the south. A level 6 bear guards the area.
Battlefield, Quen. By the level 2 ghoul Monster Nest at the old battlefield in the northeast corner of the region, north of the Crossroads.

Two of the six are Quen, which is the first hint that White Orchard skews toward defensive casting.

Velen, all six, and the two that are gated

IGN notes that Velen, also called No Man's Land, has six, but two of them are inaccessible until parts of the main story. Those two are the Elven Ruins and Bald Mountain.

Lornruk's Island, Quen. On the far northwestern tip of Velen, north of Heatherton and the Abandoned Tower. IGN warns about a level 14 wyvern nesting in the fort, and that the stone is on the coast below and to the right when facing the fort across the bridge, which is a significant drop with drowners in the water below.
Elven Ruins, Yrden. Gated. In the cave at the Elven Ruins near Lake Wyndamer, north of the Byways. IGN states you cannot reach it until you have progressed through the main story to the Wandering in the Dark quest, and that once complete you begin the Magic Lamp side quest with Kiera to solve the mystery of the ruins and gain access below. For a return visit, travel northeast from the Byways to a small bay and use the cave exit.
Southern Frischlow Mire, Aard. At the southernmost point of Velen, on the edge of the bog by the forgotten town of Frischlow.
Bald Mountain, Quen. Gated. Near the Road to Bald Mountain signpost, between Frischlow and Crookback Bog. Inaccessible until you undertake the main story quest Bald Mountain. IGN's route is to start at the southern signpost and proceed through the hills and cave tunnels.
The Ancient Oak, Igni. In the deep woods of southeastern Velen, near the Ancient Oak signpost southeast of Crookback Bog, next to a cave entrance on the side of the hill.
Downwarren, Yrden. Climb the mountain west of Downwarren, not far from Crookback Bog in the south of the map.

The Elven Ruins gate is the more interesting of the two because it is not a single quest. It requires Wandering in the Dark and then the Magic Lamp side quest, so a player who has finished the main story can still find it closed if they never started that optional contract.

Novigrad, both of them

IGN is blunt about Novigrad: there are just two, only one is inside the city proper, and both can be accessed at any time because they are not blocked by quest progress. They are the only two in the game with no condition attached.

Elector's Square, Igni. On the cliff next to the Temple of the Eternal Fire, the highest point in the city. IGN's route is from the St. Gregory's Bridge signpost, across the bridge and through the city streets.
Alness, Axii. Climb the hill overlooking Alness directly east of Novigrad, between Dancing Windmill and Carsten.

Two points in the largest city in the game is a deliberate design choice rather than an oversight, and it is the region most players under-collect in simply because they pass through it.

Skellige, all nine

Skellige holds the largest share, and IGN's summary is that they are unfortunately spread across the various islands, so you will need to travel to some of them by boat. It is also where the one hard faction gate lives.

Kaer Trolde, Quen. Gated by a faction choice. To get access to this stone inside Kaer Trolde, IGN states you must side with Cerys during the quest The King's Gambit and investigate the secret tunnels.
Crossroads, Axii. In the water near the shipwreck southwest of the Crossroads signpost, between Rannvaig and Kaer Trolde. IGN notes you pass it when you first arrive in Skellige during Destination: Skellige, and that it is simply behind you, facing the ocean.
Ancient Crypt, Igni. Inside the Ancient Crypt north of Rogne and east of Kaer Trolde. You pass through here during the Sunstone portion of the main quest Battle Preparations, and IGN notes you can return for it afterwards in the water in the first large cave.
Druid's Camp, Yrden. Right next to the Druid's Camp on the east coast of the main isle, east of Blandare village. IGN calls this one a cakewalk.
Gedyneith, Aard. Climb the ledge in the ruins along the coastal path north of Redgill, east of Gedyneith.
Fornhala, Axii. Follow the mountain path from Fornhala toward Holmstein and Kaer Muire on the southwest coast, where IGN places it on a rocky outcropping beside the trail.
Svorlag, Igni. On the island of Svorlag in the northwest. First accessed during the Possession quest with Cerys by jumping from a window to a rocky ledge, and reachable afterwards by a different route. IGN's return route is to head up the mountain from the signpost to an abandoned house, climb the rightmost rock to the left of the entrance, and continue up the slope.
Harviken, Yrden. Next to the shrine in the hills west of Harviken, in the far southeast. Take the south path at the first split in the road out of town, then the north path.
The Trail to Yngvar's Fang, Quen. On the island of Urialla in the northeast, at the top of the mountain. IGN calls this the most annoying to reach, and explains why: the closest fast travel point is Yngvar's Fang itself, but to reach that you must first walk the trail. The workaround is to travel to the Urialla Harbor signpost, follow the path east out of the village, and use the makeshift trail along the northeastern cliff face to bypass the original broken path, fighting a troll on the way.

Toussaint, all five

IGN notes that the five Toussaint stones require you to own the Blood and Wine expansion, and that this DLC is now included as part of The Witcher 3 Remastered update. That is the only Remastered-specific claim on this page, and it is what makes the region relevant to a new player rather than a completionist with the old build.

Hortense Vineyard, Aard. Go west from the Hortense Vineyard signpost. The stone is on the south edge of the lake.
Termese Palace Ruins, Quen. Head under the ruins on the south side and climb the ledge obscured by the waterfall, then blast into the secret room on your right using Aard to reveal the stone.
Trading Post Bog, Yrden. Fast travel to the Trading Post in the north and head northwest through the bog to a small ruin. IGN warns to look out for wights.
Rioux-Cannes Outpost, Axii. Fast travel to the outpost in the west and head northeast until you hear screaming at a cave entrance. IGN notes this launches the Father Knows Worst sidequest.
Fort Ussar Ruins, Igni. Fast travel to the ruins in the east. The cave entrance is on the southwest wall, about halfway up the hill.

One of the five doubles as a quest trigger rather than a standalone stone, which is the sort of detail that stops a player thinking they have found a bug.

The four that block a completionist

If you intend to reach twenty-eight out of twenty-eight, these are the four that decide whether you do. All four are documented above, and together they are the whole difference between a complete run and a run with holes.

Kaer Trolde, Quen. Requires siding with Cerys during The King's Gambit and finding the secret tunnels. A player who sided with Ermion instead cannot get in, and the gate is a narrative decision rather than a fetch quest.
Elven Ruins, Yrden. Requires the main story to Wandering in the Dark, then the Magic Lamp side quest with Kiera. Two steps, the second of which is optional content.
Bald Mountain, Quen. Requires the Bald Mountain main story quest.
The Trail to Yngvar's Fang, Quen. No gate, but IGN describes it as the most annoying to reach, and the fast travel point that shares its name is unreachable until you have walked there. Players routinely assume this one is a broken fast travel and leave it.

Worth noting what is not on that list. Novigrad's two are open from the first hour. White Orchard's six are open from the first hour. The Crossroads and Ancient Crypt stones are passed during mandatory main story quests, so a player who only does the main story still collects them by accident. The four above are the ones that require a decision, a detour, or patience.

What is not verified

Nothing here is first-hand tested. This site has no copy of the Remastered. Every location, count and gate above comes from IGN's Places of Power guide, and the guide itself carries no visible revision date.
The exact buff duration and magnitude are not stated. IGN says the buff greatly increases a Sign's strength without giving a number, and no other source consulted supplies one.
The relationship between the stones and the Power Overwhelming achievement is not fully specified. IGN states the achievement triggers when all five Sign buffs are active simultaneously, which is a combat-state condition rather than a collection one, and nothing here confirms the duration is long enough to hold all five at once outside a fight.
The Toussaint and Blood and Wine inclusion claim comes from IGN alone and was not cross-checked against CD Projekt Red's Remastered documentation. This site's own launch coverage does confirm that the Complete Edition bundles Blood and Wine, which is consistent with it.
The Remastered may have changed Places of Power. The Remastered reworked the skill tree to three ranks with prerequisites, and this article has found no source stating whether ability point awards, stone counts, or the per-stone buff were touched. Treat the 28 figure as the inherited count unless CD Projekt Red says otherwise.
Individual monster levels guarding stones are IGN's figures and are the kind of detail that shifts if the Remastered rebalanced enemy levels.

What is verified: the total of 28, the regional split of 6, 6, 2, 9 and 5, the by-sign split of Quen 7, Igni 6, Yrden 6, Axii 5 and Aard 4, every stone's name and sign, the one-ability-point first-interaction reward, the three quest gates and one faction gate, the Blood and Wine requirement, and all location directions.

FAQ

How many Places of Power are there in The Witcher 3 Remastered?

Twenty-eight, per IGN's guide, which breaks it down as six in White Orchard, six in Velen, two in Novigrad, nine in Skellige and five in Toussaint. Grouped by sign the split is Quen 7, Igni 6, Yrden 6, Axii 5 and Aard 4. Each one grants one ability point the first time you interact with it, so collecting all of them is worth 28 free points.

What does a Place of Power do?

Two things, per IGN. Drawing power from the runestone grants a temporary buff that greatly increases the strength of one specific Sign. And the first time you interact with a Place of Power, you are granted one ability point. IGN does not publish a number for the buff's duration or magnitude, so the permanent stat is the part to plan around.

Why can't I get the Kaer Trolde Place of Power?

Because it needs a faction decision rather than a fetch quest. IGN states you must side with Cerys during the quest The King's Gambit and then investigate the secret tunnels. A player who sided with Ermion is locked out, and unlike the other gated stones there is no alternate route, which makes this the one most likely to be permanently missed on a single playthrough.

Are the Toussaint Places of Power available without buying Blood and Wine?

IGN states the five Toussaint stones require the Blood and Wine expansion and that this DLC is now included as part of The Witcher 3 Remastered update. This site's own launch coverage separately confirms the Complete Edition bundles Blood and Wine, so a Remastered owner has access. The Remastered does not otherwise change the stone count according to any source consulted.

Which Places of Power are hardest to reach?

Four, per IGN. The Elven Ruins Yrden stone needs the main story to Wandering in the Dark and then the Magic Lamp side quest with Kiera, so it has two steps and the second is optional. The Bald Mountain Quen stone needs the Bald Mountain main story quest. The Yngvar's Fang Quen stone has no gate but IGN calls it the most annoying, because the fast travel point sharing its name cannot be reached until you have walked the trail, so players assume it is broken and skip it. And Kaer Trolde is the faction gate above.

Do I need all 28 to get the Power Overwhelming achievement?

No, and the two things are different objectives. IGN states the Power Overwhelming achievement or trophy unlocks when all five Sign buffs are active simultaneously, which is a combat-state condition rather than a collection one. You can hold all 28 stones and never have five buffs up at the same time, so treat the achievement and the full collection as separate goals.

Bottom Line

Twenty-eight ability points, no quest requirement, spread across every region in the game, and the runestones sit in plain sight for most of the first act. Six in White Orchard and both in Novigrad are available from the first hour with no conditions at all, and the two Skellige stones on mandatory main story quests get collected by accident if you only play the critical path.

What actually costs you points is four stones. Kaer Trolde is a faction choice and has no alternate route, so siding wrongly ends that run. Elven Ruins needs a main story beat and then an optional side quest, which means a player who finished the game and never started Magic Lamp still cannot reach it. Bald Mountain needs a main story quest. And Yngvar's Fang has no gate at all, only a route so awkward that IGN names it the most annoying in the game and players write it off as a broken fast travel point.

The by-sign distribution is the part most guides skip and it is the one that affects a build. Quen has seven stones and Aard has four, so a Quen player has three more optional points available than an Aard player. Since the points are free, taking them is close to mandatory for anyone committing to a Sign, and the Aard deficit is worth planning around rather than discovering at level 40.

The honest limit is that none of this is first-hand. Every location, count and gate here is IGN's guide, this site has no copy of the Remastered, and no source consulted says whether the Remastered's skill tree rework touched ability point awards or the per-stone buff. The 28 figure should be read as the inherited count until CD Projekt Red documents a change.