ColonialRaptor
Member
Welcome to the NEOGAF The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt OFFICIAL THREAD.
The Witcher is a fantasy game adapted from a series of novels by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski, yet there is no direct connection between the worlds. Andrzej Sapkowski has stated that the games have no significance on the story that takes place during the books. However, the games are in a way a direct sequel to the events of the books. Hopefully that makes sense.
I have tried to make an OT that lives up to the effort the dev’s have put into the game and as a big thank you to CDPR for being my favorite developer, they just seem to do everything right by my standards. I did as much as I could to not go over one post, but alas, it's been impossible to keep it under the one post guideline.
I didn't just include bunches of stuff in the OT just to fill it, everything I have included I believe to be completely relevant for newcomers and veterans and I believe an OT should be the one stop shop for all relevant game info for GAF users at launch.
So please enjoy the thread and hopefully it will go down in GAF OT history because I've worked pretty hard and I think it's come out well. Ahhhh basking in modesty. Then this one will be gone in the flash of an eye and Coreda's OT2 will blow you all away a second time. It's clear there is a lot of love out there for this game.
Credit goes to anyone's images or videos I have linked or used in the thread and Coreda who has an especially keen designers eye and for making the gif's a more manageable size. NuclearGen for the gif's in the first place. EvilLore for grudgingly giving me permission to use two posts instead of one and thanks to Lukas Japonicus for the thread title. I don’t know if any of the stuff came from GAF members - I have a distinct feeling the EatChildren (if I’m wrong please let me know) made those awesome Witcher 1 and Witcher 2 retrospectives I have linked to - I would say these two videos are a MUST WATCH for new and old players alike.
The Witcher is not your average fantasy setting thanks to its mature approach to storytelling and it's morally ambiguous cause and effect choice system. There are really no true good guys or bad guys every choice you make will have positive and negative consequences and it is never possible to please everyone. There are no color coded responses like Mass Effect and other of its ilk it is all up to you to decide which option suits the Geralt you are trying to be. Let it be known that non-bearded Geralt is a big No-No.
I have however heard that there is a bit more of a Good vs Evil vibe to the third game considering the Wild Hunt appears to be directly involved. But CDPR have been quite close lipped about the true contents of story prior to launch and I believe the trailers are deliberately meant to be a little misleading especially the “I shall give her what she deserves” comment that The Emperor makes, but who knows really.
"The Witcher" is Geralt of Rivia, who specializes in slaying monsters and solving human problems. Geralt is a Witcher, an off breed of human mutants who are specially trained to protect others from monsters, for a small fee of course. Witchers are often reviled by common people, being seen as unnatural or dangerous due to their superhuman abilities and unusual appearance, but they are the unsung heroes that common people often turn to when they need to get something done.
But we must all remember that usually humans make the worst monsters of all, so Geralt is indeed proficient at killing men as well - it is basically the reason he carries two swords.
I know I know, this is part of every OT but it's important none the less, especially for a game like The Wild Hunt.
Even the smallest details can be spoilers so please if you're going to post something that even MIGHT be considered a spoiler take care.
We've all been tempted by those innocuous black boxes that could contain anything.
There is already a Spoilers Thread and this may continue to be the place to go for major plot points and spoilers. There might be a new thread after release.
For this thread, the correct Spoiler Criteria is this, you must be absolutely specific.
These are spoiler tags:
Wrap spoiler text in these tags to black them out and require a highlight to view.
This is a Spoiler about a late game decision.
There is not real spoiler here about Triss or Yennefer
NOT
Oh my god
Triss does something
Yennefer
Please, ensure that you CLEARLY outline what is contained within the blacked out spoiler before using the spoiler tags, it is common sense not to put spoilers in the spoiler description.
This is the type of thing that could cause this thread to be destroyed by arguments.
In the interest of keeping this thread as focused on how awesome The Witcher 3 is please be considerate of your fellow GAF members.
There is to be NO downgrade discussion in the OFFICIAL THREAD, there is a place for that already and turning the OT into a piss and shit throwing contest WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. Downgrade discussion thread is here.
The world is in chaos. The air is thick with tension and the smoke of burnt villages. The fearsome Empire of Nilfgaard has struck again, ravaging the hapless Northern Kingdoms. The once mighty northern monarchs who tried to use Geralt and his friends for their own gain are now mostly gone. In these uncertain times, no one can say what fortune holds in store, who will bring peace to the world and who will cause it only misery. But a force darker and deadlier emerges. The petty men and women commanding tin-plated armies fail to understand that their conflict is child’s play compared to the Wild Hunt, the otherworldly threat which now looms. These ghastly spectral riders have for ages plagued humankind, bringing misery to the world.
Yet this time the Wild Hunt seeks one person in particular: the one individual Destiny itself bestowed upon Geralt, the one soul Geralt considers kin and would do anything to protect.
- Wild Hunt is the finale to the Geralt of Rivia game Trilogy.
- Three different endings with a total of 36 different variations of the main end theme.
- A vast open world with 3 distinct main areas - 35 times larger than that in The Witcher 2.
- Meaningful choices with consequences that change the story and the game world.
- No Loading screens when visiting new areas.
- Dynamic Weather and realistic Day and Night Cycle.
- A living economy: :The new in-game economy system varies the price of goods based on surrounding conditions or their place of origin relative to Geralt's
current whereabouts in the world.
- Combat complexity based on a variety of actions at the player’s disposal, not on correct attack sequencing.
- Monsters, each with their own lore, posing unique hunting challenges and responding to changes in the environment.
- An expanded Sign casting system: each of the 5 Signs has two different modes of use, creating even more possibilities in combat and challenging players to use magic in creative ways. There was only 1 mode in Witcher 2 so I'm excited about this.
- Fully integrated UI Customization.
- 36 Different Endings depending on the choices you make during the course of the game.
- Geralt can JUMP this time Booyah.
- Import your Witcher 2 save file or make your choices during an introduction sequence before the game begins.
WARNING. Some of the information in the character biographies may be considered spoilers for people who have not played either the Witcher 1 and 2 or read the books.
I have included only information I believe to be relevant for first time players to know before they dive in. Possible major spoilers have been tagged.
Geralt of Rivia is a Witcher and our hero for this game. Witchers are monster hunters for hire. They possess superhuman abilities and are expert swordsmen having been trained since childhood.
Geralt is known also as Gwynbleidd (Elder Speech meaning "The White Wolf", a name which was given to him by the dryads), as well as the Butcher of Blaviken.
Despite his name, Geralt does not come from Rivia: he grew up in the Witchers' keep of Kaer Morhen.
In the interest of appearing more trustworthy to potential clients, young Witchers were encouraged to make up surnames for themselves by master Vesemir.
As his first choice, Geralt chose "Geralt Roger Eric du Haute-Bellegarde", but this choice was dismissed by Vesemir as silly and pretentious, so "Geralt" was all that remained.
"Of Rivia" was a more practical alternative, and Geralt even went so far as to adopt a Rivian accent to appear more authentic.
Later, Queen Meve of Lyria knighted him for his valour in the Battle for the Bridge on the Yaruga conferring on him the formal title "of Rivia", which very much amused him.
He is, therefore, a knight of Lyria, and not a commoner.
Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon (known as Ciri or the Lion Cub of Cintra), born in 1251, is the princess of Cintra, daughter of Pavetta and Duny (Urcheon of Erlenwald) and granddaughter of queen Calanthe.
There are possible book spoilers here, which could possibly be spoilers for game players only so read only if you want to know what happened in the books, if you want a fresh perspective - ie; continuing Geralts lost memory story then don't read.
After Geralt lifted the curse from her father, he demanded from Duny what he had but didn't know he did which is the same Law of Surprise "trick" that Duny used to "take" Pavetta as his wife.
This turned out to be Ciri as Pavetta her mother was already pregnant with the child.
Ciri's story is a focal point of the books and it is very difficult to quickly summarize those events, however I will give a few points that might help flesh out your understanding of the books without going into every detail.
- Ciri was trained as a Witcher for a time at Kaer Morhen and thus she is very skilled with a sword, much better than your average soldier.
- Ciri was trained as an enchantress by both Triss and Yennefer before they became separated however during a sequence of events she renounced her powers and lost the ability to perform magic.
- As the true and correct heiress to Cintra, a country that was previously one of the Northern realms and has been since conquered by Nilfgaard she was highly sought by many different parties during her youth for various reasons beyond politics (Elder Blood, Source Power's etc)
- Eventually Ciri ends up being transported to a foreign world and unfortunately this part of the story hasn't been translated into English yet so I don't really understand what happens but I believe it has something to do with the Wild Hunt.
This turned out to be Ciri as Pavetta her mother was already pregnant with the child.
Ciri's story is a focal point of the books and it is very difficult to quickly summarize those events, however I will give a few points that might help flesh out your understanding of the books without going into every detail.
- Ciri was trained as a Witcher for a time at Kaer Morhen and thus she is very skilled with a sword, much better than your average soldier.
- Ciri was trained as an enchantress by both Triss and Yennefer before they became separated however during a sequence of events she renounced her powers and lost the ability to perform magic.
- As the true and correct heiress to Cintra, a country that was previously one of the Northern realms and has been since conquered by Nilfgaard she was highly sought by many different parties during her youth for various reasons beyond politics (Elder Blood, Source Power's etc)
- Eventually Ciri ends up being transported to a foreign world and unfortunately this part of the story hasn't been translated into English yet so I don't really understand what happens but I believe it has something to do with the Wild Hunt.
If you would like to read her full story click here to check out the Witcher Wiki.
Yennefer of Vengerberg — a sorceress who lived in the capital city of Aedirn — Vengerberg. She was the youngest member of the Council of Sorcerers and later the Lodge of Sorceresses attempted to recruit her.
She is the love of witcher Geralt of Rivia and a mother figure to Ciri. The lady of Vengerberg is famous for her beauty. She is always wearing black and white clothing, and uses lilac and gooseberry perfumes.
She has remarkable violet eyes and raven black hair. She is a quadroon (meaning she has ¼ of elven blood).
As most sorceresses, she is sterile. She secretly sought a way of restoring her fertility. She gave her motherly love to Ciri — the child destined for Geralt by the Law of Surprise.
Geralt and Yennefer first met in a city called Rinde and didn't hit it off so well at first, however in order to save Yennefer from an extremely powerful Djinn (or Genie) which she was trying to capture unsuccessfully.
It turns out that Geralt is tied to the Djinn by three wishes, two of which have already been used. Geralt uses his last wish to entwine his fate with Yennefer which saves her from the Djinn's wrath.
Geralt and Yennefer are truly in love, however they have an interesting relationship of a very on and off again nature, when it's on this is something Triss was very jealous about.
Triss Merigold of Maribor is a sorceress. She is called the "Fourteenth of the Hill" because she was believed to have been killed during the Battle of Sodden Hill.
She is best friend's with Yennefer while also being unhappily in love with Geralt who cares for her deeply but can never truly love her back because of his bond with Yennefer.
Triss took care of Ciri at Kaer Morhen for some time and is like an older sister to her. It was through her intervention that Ciri was not inadvertently given harmful hormones which might have negatively impacted her "womanly assets".
She was a member of King Foltest's royal council, as well as a founding member of the Lodge of Sorceresses. She has been a main character in both of the Witcher games and the primary love interest in both.
Triss is a very skilled healer and carries with her many magical potions, yet she can never use them on herself as she is allergic to magic. She is also quite a powerful mage, certainly when it counts most.
Dandelion (supposed real name: Julian Alfred Pankratz viscount de Lettenhove, the title is probably a false brag which the poet is known to do) is everyone's favorite poet, minstrel, bard and the closest friend of Witcher Geralt of Rivia.
He studied poetry and music for four years at the Academy of Oxenfurt (he achieved the reputation of a sloth, drunkard and idiot).
He later becoming a professor after passing the exams with exceptional results and much to the surprise and chagrin of his teachers.
Dandelion taught students for a year, and then left the academy to travel the world. He still visits Oxenfurt from time to time to give guest lectures.
In very few years he gained worldwide fame and became known as one of the best minstrels in the Northern Kingdoms, and his best known song is the Ballad of the Lion Cub of Cintra.
He also gained the reputation of the biggest womaniser in the world — he even managed to conquer the heart of Anna Henrietta, the ruler of Toussaint.
He is very handsome and sometimes is mistaken for an elf or half-elf.
During his travels with Geralt, Dandelion started to write his memoirs, entitled "Half a Century of Poetry"; twice, in fact. His first attempt was lost in the bottom of the duchess of Toussaint's closet after the poet was banished from her duchy.
But rather than bemoaning that loss, the poet decided to rewrite his memoirs from scratch. His poems were later bound in two collections: The Adversities of Loving and Time of the Moon.
In many way's Geralt is Dandelion's Muse, often placing himself into the story as the hero with Geralt appearing as his sidekick.
Vesemir is the oldest and most experienced Witcher at Kaer Morhen. He is a father figure to Geralt and the other Witchers. He spends each winter in the fortress and sets off on the road when spring comes.
He is an excellent fencer and has great knowledge of monsters.
He is one of the old Witchers to survive the assault on Kaer Morhen during the first game. Despite his age, Vesemir is robust and lively.
Emhyr var Emreis, Deithwen Addan yn Carn aep Morvudd (In the Elder Speech - the White Flame Dancing on the Barrows of his Enemies). He is the current Emperor of Nilfgaard in the novels, tv series, movie and the games.
He is publicly favorable towards the Elder Races (Elves and Dwarves), generally this is in stark contrast to the Northern Monarchs.
The Emperor of Nilfgaard is the one who had been silently (but not so secretly) funding the Scoia'tael and was the one who hired Letho to Assassinate the Kings as way to cause chaos prior to the Nilfgaard invasion of the northern kingdoms.
His rule of Nilfgaard is highly aggressive, similar to his predecessors; always backing large expansionist policies. This led to the two wars against the North described in the novels.
Emhyr var Emreis is an intelligent and brilliant ruler. He picked his people well and crushed all plots against him. He was ruthless toward traitors and moved towards his goals with determination.
Potential major spoiler about a detail from the books that may come as a surprise for some people playing the games. Do not click if you don't want to know about things that happened in the books. You have been warned.
He is the father of Ciri and husband of the late Pavetta, having gone by the alias of Duny before assuming his rightful place as emperor.
The Wild Hunt is a group of specters, led by the King of the Wild Hunt, which is considered to be an omen of misfortune, death and war. It is said to appear mainly, but not exclusively during the winter. Some believe it to be simply a magical phenomenon and not a horde of specters.
Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri have all come into close contact with the King and his specters, either directly or through dreams. In the The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt it is speculated that the Wild Hunt will return in an attempt to find and capture Ciri.
Above is a very (and I mean VERY) small selection of the wild and wonderful types of monsters that will appear during your quest through the worlds of the Wild Hunt.
Monsters are distinguished from other creatures using two primary criteria: dissimilarity to humans and lack of sentience or obvious intelligence.
Because of this, some sentient races are considered monsters because they are not humanoid and some decidedly non-humanoid creatures are considered sentient races.
Geralt has his own set of guidelines for judging what constitutes a monster. One of his tests is their reaction to silver. Most magical beasts cannot bear it. Other metrics he uses include intent and circumstance.
Overall, the witcher is far more fair in his classification of creatures into monsters and non-monsters and just because a beast looks big, scary and like a "monster" doesn't mean it is one and we all know that the worst monster is the human.
On April 7th, 2015, CDPR announced two major expansions for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, entitled Heart and Stone and Blood and Wine.
CDPR says that both expansion packs will include:
New enemies, Characters, and gear. Players will also be reunited with some "Dearly missed" characters from both the games and books.
You can purchase these extras the Expansion Pass right now either with the game or separately if you are purchasing a physical copy - this is DLC the way it is supposed to be.
Heart of Stone is scheduled for release October 2015
Heart of Stone will be a major expansion that will total at over 10 hours of additional content.
Geralt will adventure into the wilds of No Man's Land and the nooks and alleys of Oxenfurt, where he will try to complete a contract from the mysterious Man of Glass.
Caught in a thick tangle of deceit, Geralt will need all his cunning and strength to solve the mystery and emerge unscathed.
Blood and Wine is scheduled for release first quarter 2016
Blood and Wine is a major expansion that will total at over 20 hours of additional content.
A tale that will introduce the all-new in-game region of Toussaint, will take Geralt to a land untainted by war, where an atmosphere of carefree indulgence and knightly ritual masks an ancient, bloody secret.
