The early White Orchard Viper hunt and the Hearts of Stone Viper equipment are different collections. For the expansion armor, buy four diagrams from Countess Mignole at the Open Sesame auction. The venomous steel-sword diagram is a separate vault opportunity.
Match the item name
| Collection | Where to begin |
|---|---|
| Early Viper swords | White Orchard’s low-level sword hunt |
| Viper armor pieces | Countess Mignole during the Hearts of Stone auction visit |
| Viper venomous steel sword | Borsodi vault diagram during Open Sesame |
| Viper venomous silver sword | Optional late Hearts of Stone route; a weapon, not a crafting diagram |
Looking through the armor recipes for the venomous silver sword is therefore the wrong inventory check. Likewise, completing the early sword hunt does not put an expansion armor set in your crafting menu.
Protect the one-time opportunities
- Save before the auction visit.
- Talk to Mignole and purchase the wanted armor diagrams before advancing.
- Save before the heist and inspect the vault loot before leaving.
- Keep a save before the expansion’s final branch if you want the optional silver weapon.
For the auction and preparation sequence, read Open Sesame. This page identifies collection checkpoints rather than claiming every missed item has an ordinary merchant replacement.
If you already advanced
Check whether you own the diagram, the crafted item or neither. Then compare the oldest relevant save you kept. Replaying only the vault cannot undo a missed auction purchase. Do not assume old item-spawn commands work on 5.x or preserve the quest’s intended state; this guide offers no verified console recovery.
Sources and version limits
- GameBanshee: Open Sesame — Original-game walkthrough; checked October 4, 2026. Quest route, not a verified 5.x playtest.
- Witcher Wiki: Viper School Gear — Original-game walkthrough; checked October 4, 2026. Quest route, not a verified 5.x playtest.
Sources checked October 4, 2026. We have not personally tested these steps on your save or hardware. Historical mechanics and reported fixes retain the limits above.