This post is designed to teach you everything you need to know about the world of The Witcher, so you can be prepared for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. If you've played the first two games, this may serve as a good reminder of the places and characters. If you're new to the series, this should give you a great start on understanding what is going on in Wild Hunt.

Spoiler warning: This story contains spoilers for The Witcher and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, and draws some information from the series of Witcher novels. The post does not contain any direct spoilers for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, but the segment on The Witcher 2 is specifically tailored around the choices that you can make in the beginning of The Witcher 3 to set your world state.





What is a Witcher? Witchers are for-hire monster hunters who are mutated and trained during childhood to be significantly faster and more resilient than an average human. They also have the ability to use Signs, which are basic magic spells. They live much longer than otherwise possible, but are sterilized as part of the mutation. Witchers became necessary after an event known as the "Conjunction of the Spheres" introduced monsters to the world. Monsters ran rampant, and Witchers were created as a defense against evil beasts. Because Witchers are mutated and considered inhuman, public opinion about them varies. A few romanticize their order, while many tolerate them as a necessary evil,. Others outright hate them. The story of how Witchers were first created is lost to time, but Witcher schools, such as the school of the Wolf where the series' protagonist Geralt trained, were built to facilitate the process of mutating and training new Witchers. The novels reference three schools, the Wolf, the Cat and the Griffon. The school of the Viper is introduced in the games. The Law of Surprise The Law of Surprise is an important custom in The Witcher's universe. When a person's life is saved, their savior might ask the debt be repaid by The Law of Surprise. The law states that the savior may request "that which you already have but do not know." This can have many different meanings, but most importantly it can mean that an unexpected child becomes bound to the person who invokes the law. Because Witchers are sterile, they rely on abandoned orphans and the Law of Surprise to grow their ranks, and one instance in particular is especially meaningful. It is through the Law of Surprise that Ciri, a key character in The Witcher 3 became bound to Geralt, though it wasn't a very straightforward transaction. Sorcerers and Sorceresses In the world of The Witcher, sorcerers and sorceresses play a big role. They are immensely powerful magicians and, because of their power, are highly desired as advisors in politics. Both men and women can wield magic in the fantasy universe, but many of the high profile magic users in The Witcher video games are women. Similar to Witchers, most magic users are sterilized by their use of magic. Do the books overlap with the games? The Witcher novels by Andrzej Sapkowski are the basis for the universe and characters featured in the games, but chronologically the story told in the books takes place before the events of the first game. The first game opens with Geralt suffering from amnesia, so he remembers none of the events that happen during the novels.





The Cast Geralt of Rivia Geralt of Rivia is the protagonist of The Witcher video games. As a child, his mother abandoned him at Kaer Morhen, the Wolf school's fortress. He was subsequently mutated and trained as a Witcher. His white hair was a consequence of an exceptionally harsh phase of the mutation, and is not characteristic to all Witchers. Geralt's true age is not revealed in the games, but based on information in the novels that, he is probably around 100. Geralt is not actually from Rivia, having no home other than Kaer Morhen, but his mentor Vesemir suggests he pick a homeland and accent to help with securing Witcher contracts. Triss Merrigold Triss is a powerful sorceress and a recurring character in the novels as well as the games. She is a friend and sometimes lover to Geralt. She serves as a main character and companion in the first two games. Yennefer of Vengerberg Yennefer is another powerful sorceress and Geralt's primary love interest in the novels. She makes her first appearance in the first Witcher book, but The Witcher 3 will be the first time we see her in a game. She is, however, mentioned in earlier games, and as Geralt recovers from his amnesia, he begins to remember Yennefer. Yennefer serves as a mother figure to Ciri in the novels and is a key figure in training Ciri to use her magical abilities. Ciri Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, Ciri for short, is many things, but the most straightforward way to describe her would be as Geralt's adopted daughter. She was trained at Kaer Morhen as a Witcher, but never underwent any of the physiology-altering mutagens. Revealing too much about Ciri would be a disservice to readers hoping to avoid Wild Hunt spoilers, but suffice it to say that Ciri is an extremely talented fighter and an even more powerful magic user. She is an incredibly important character in the universe of The Witcher. Emhyr var Emreis Emhyr var Emreis is the emperor of Nilfgaard. Aside from being potentially the most powerful leader in the world, he also has a rich history with Geralt. He is a major character in the Witcher novels, but makes his first in-game appearance in The Witcher 3. Dandelion Dandelion is a lifelong friend to Geralt. He is a famous and roguish bard who follows Geralt to gather material for his songs, as Geralt is always getting into noteworthy adventures. He serves as a sort of narrator in the second game, and the in-game journal is written from his point of view. Síle de Tansarville Síle is a sorceress who plays a significant role in The Witcher 2. She aids Geralt in Act 1 by helping him slay the Kayran plaguing Flotsam. It is later discovered that she was a significant player in the plot to assassinate the Northern Kings, having cooperated with Letho, another Witcher that we discuss below. Depending on Geralt's choices in The Witcher 2, she may be dead. Philippa Eilhart Another powerful sorceress, Philippa Eilhart is one of the most important secondary characters in The Witcher 2, as well as a key player in the novels. She is considered to be the leader of the Lodge of Sorceresses. Letho of Gulet Letho is a Witcher who has become a tool of both the Lodge of Sorceresses and the Nilfgaardian Empire. Both parties pay him to assassinate kings in the Northern Kingdoms to disrupt political stability in that region. He is a member of the defunct Viper school, which was located somewhere in Nilfgaard. Depending on Geralt's choices in The Witcher 2, he may be dead.

Locations The Continent The land in which all of the lore takes place. The Continent contains the Northern Kingdoms and the Empire of Nilfgaard. Northern Kingdoms The Northern Kingdoms are a group of states in the northern part of The Continent. They are generally allied together against the Nilfgaardian Empire, though there is plenty of infighting and bickering. There are a number of major and minor kingdoms, provinces and regions, and during The Witcher 3, you'll find the Northern Kingdoms shrinking as Nilfgaardian forces invade from the south. The Empire of Nilfgaard Generally seen as "The Bad Guys" in the Witcher novels and games (alongside all of the monsters, manipulative mages, racist kings and spectral murderous ghost elves), the Nilfgaardian empire is a powerful southern entity. While the Northern Kingdoms signed a peace agreement with Nilfgaard, the final cinematic of The Witcher 2 (as well as much of the marketing material for The Witcher 3) shows Nilfgaardian forces marching to war. Kaer Morhen Kaer Morhen is the fortress for the Witcher School of the Wolf, the school Geralt belongs to. Much of the stronghold was destroyed when a group of people and mages who disagreed with the existence of Witchers laid siege to the fortress.