Quen

Quen is a simple magical sign used by witchers. When cast it forms a protective shield in front of the caster, protecting the witcher from sonic waves and similar attacks from that angle. Its expanded form can protect from the wider range of offensive actions.In A Grain of Truth short story, the sign appears to work more like a frontal shield in that it protects from just the angle its cast (as seen in ), instead of an encompassing bubble as depicted in the games. This led to further confusion as fans from Andrzej Sapkowski's original website mistook it with another Sign from the same short story, Heliotrop, which serves as a barrier against physical and magical attacks throughout the book cycle. The mistake was then repeated by basically every single adaptation – which kind of cemented Quen's role as the protective Sign. Contrary to Heliotrop, which is active only for a moment and cushions from a single powerful attack, Quen is active until broken or dispelled.
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In the game, Quen can be used to buy time to imbibe a potion, or regain some lost vitality by resting. Its effect is immediately cancelled by any hostile action. The icon for Quen is based on the alchemical symbol for Earth. The witcher's skill with the sign is developed through the allocation of talents.
=== Mechanics ===
* To use the Quen sign, just right-click as Geralt himself is the desired target
* Endurance is used whenever the sign is cast, if the overall level is too low, Geralt will not be able to cast the sign
* Lacking a Cat (potion) or a torch, the Quen sign can generate enough light to see in crypts and caves.
:Tip: Quen disappears when you cast another sign or attack an opponent. It is best used to gain time to drink potions during combat, to switch weapons during a fight, or when charging at enemies with ranged attacks. It is also very helpful to cast Quen and then power-up a level-four style sword attack.
Later on, visiting the Circles of Elements attributed to Quen grants Geralt the Blessing of Earth.
=== Circles of Elements ===
Circles of Elements dedicated to the Quen sign include:
* Circle of Hanging Stones in the swamp
* Circle of the Barren Lands in the fields
* Circle of Rolling Rocks in the swamp cemetery
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Quen is a protective shield that lasts for 40 seconds at the sign's basic level. It is a sign that Geralt uses on himself that absorbs all incoming damage, up to a certain point - at which time it disperses and needs to be recast.
While Quen is in effect, Geralt can still attack enemies and use Signs, but he cannot regenerate vigor.
To activate the sign, press and select Quen; then press key to cast it.
Upgrading Quen in the Magic tree will increase the Sign Level, granting increased duration, damage absorbed, and also causing it to reflect back 20/50% damage against the attacker.
If the sign is enhanced with the "Enhanced Quen Sign" skill from the Magic tree, then Quen can reflect the damage to up to three opponents (at level two).
== ==
The Quen sign is a simple magical sign used by witchers that forms a protective field around the caster. Quen's basic ability is to cover Geralt in a basic shield that absorbs a limited amount of damage. Geralt can choose to upgrade this sign to increase its effectiveness.
Usually a single hit will take down the shield, but that doesn't mean Quen isn't useful. If you're using Light Armor, your Stamina regeneration can be so swift that you can cast Quen multiple times in a fight, keeping you safe from damage. Investing in Quen can make it capable of sustaining several hits before breaking and even push back enemies.
Additionally, damage resistance is applied before the Quen shield is damaged, meaning that increasing your DR against a certain damage type is another way to prolong the life of the shield.
==Notes==
*The sign can be turned off by selecting it, sheathing Geralt's sword and double tapping the cast sign key.
*In The Witcher 2, if the sign is cast during a storm/rain, it receives a bonus allowing it to reflect more damage back to the enemies.
*In , the sign stays effective underwater if cast on land, making it the only sign to work underwater.
*In , during the quest Possession, Geralt can end up using Quen to seal off an oven. This appears to be the only time seen in the entire lore (both books and games) where Quen is applied to something besides the caster.
==Gallery==
File:Quen.jpg|Casting gesture in The Witcher 3
Gwent cardart neutral geralt quen.jpg|In 
Netflix witcher geralt quen sign.jpg|In 
Quen TW-OFAF.png|In 
Quen twr.png|In 
AGOT quen.png|In 
==Footnotes==
==References==
== External links ==
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cs:Quen
de:Quen (Zeichen)
es:Señal de Quen
fr:Signe de Quen
it:Quen
nl:Quen
pl:Znak Quen
pt-br:Quen
ru:Знак Квен
uk:Знак Квен
Category:Signs
Category:Protection spells