Current Events > The Witcher 3 can be played without playing the first two games they say

(+) Yeah! (+)

So umm who is this emperor? Who is Ciri snd Yennifer and why are they important to Geralt?

What is the history behind Geralt and Eskel?

Im not far into the game at all, but I took the many recommendations and skipped the first two games. I have no idea what is going on.

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did you skip the intro?

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The intro implied Ciri was Geralt and Yennifers daughter not the emperors.

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The first two games do not touch on Yenn or Ciri.

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armandro posted...

did you skip the intro?

Im pretty sure not enough was explained.

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No the intro does not imply Yen is her mum and none of this stuff comes up in the first two.

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Compsognathus posted...

The first two games do not touch on Yenn or Ciri.

Ah so its one of those games that feeds you plot on them as I play?

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No it's a game where the novels no one read matter to the plot

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So now Ciri is a Witcher and the emperors daughter who doesnt look like a Witcher?

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I played it without having played the first two, but I had to go and look up a plot summary of 2 since there was that bit where Geralt gets asked about it while his hair is being cut.
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--Zero- posted...

So now Ciri is a Witcher and the emperors daughter who doesnt look like a Witcher?

She isnt a witcher and why would the Emperor look like one? Its not hereditary. The game explains all this so keep playing.

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yen and ciri are central characters from the book series. in fact past the first two short story collections ciri is honestly the protagonist of the novels

the games pick up after the books and their stories are really way less vital to witcher 3 than the books. geralt has amnesia for most of the first two and by the third he's like "well i remember who i am now, time to get back to what i was doing"

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The first two games don't have Yennefer, the Emperor, or Ciri. You are going in with about as much knowledge in regards to those characters as most people that played Witcher 1 and 2.

spikethedevil posted...

She isnt a witcher and why would the Emperor look like one? Its not hereditary. The game explains all this so keep playing.

Im enjoying the graphics on my PC and while the gameplay and horse back is a little stiff, Im still having a good time. I just wish I knew more lol. I guess Ill just try to absorb whatever comes in the game until it makes sense.

ultimate reaver posted...

yen and ciri are central characters from the book series. in fact past the first two short story collections ciri is honestly the protagonist of the novels

the games pick up after the books and their stories are really way less vital to witcher 3 than the books. geralt has amnesia for most of the first two and by the third he's like "well i remember who i am now, time to get back to what i was doing"

I just finished the scene with Yennifer where she was telling me their little Witcher Ciri had grown up. 5 mins prior the emperor was wanting me to find his implied daughter. She also alluded to Geralt losing his memory when Triss was mentioned so its becoming a little more clear with Yennifer and Geralt now.

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You honestly don't need to know TOO much about the books either. I think maybe watch the t.v. series because it at least gives an idea of who Ciri is and how Geralt knows her. But the game spoils a little bit on the Emperor but only a little bit.

Is this Griffin head ever going to leave my horse? Where did Eskel go?

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--Zero- posted...

Is this Griffin head ever going to leave my horse? Where did Eskel go?

The griffin head is one of a bunch of different contract trophies that you can swap in and out from the inventory menu
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You can equip other trophies once you do more contracts. Eskel is at Kaer Morhan. FFS just play the gamw.

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--Zero- posted...

Is this Griffin head ever going to leave my horse? Where did Eskel go?

Later on, when you finish different quests, you get new trophies and can switch them out.

Also, did you meet Eskel that early in the game?

spikethedevil posted...

You can equip other trophies once you do more contracts. Eskel is at Kaer Morhan. FFS just play the gamw.

Alright fine lol.

dameon_reaper posted...

Later on, when you finish different quests, you get new trophies and can switch them out.

Also, did you meet Eskel that early in the game?

Isn't he the old dude that is Geralt's mentor? The one that helps you kill the Griffin?

Edit- Vesemir* my bad,

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--Zero- posted...

Alright fine lol.

Isn't he the old dude that is Geralt's mentor? The one that helps you kill the Griffin?

Edit- Vesemir* my bad,

Well...there IS an Eskel lol...but Vesemir when back to Khaer Morhan. He said it himself: to get prepared for the winter so that the soldiers don't end up finding the place.

Surprised you didn't notice that when he took off lol.

I just watched a video summary to get up to speed on the plot.

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I played the second one first and was still kind of lost at first

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i just ignored the story tbh

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dameon_reaper posted...

Well...there IS an Eskel lol...but Vesemir when back to Khaer Morhan. He said it himself: to get prepared for the winter so that the soldiers don't end up finding the place.

Surprised you didn't notice that when he took off lol.

Haha well admittedly I have only gotten this far after 3 days of playing maybe 10 mins at a time. I could have easily missed certain parts of the story in that time. When I went to start it today at the emperors castle I was so lost. Sometimes when I play a game or watch a show that throws a lot at you without much explanation it takes me some time for it to click.


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Fair enough lol.

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Mr Hangman posted...

I'll give some backstory.

Geralt and Yennifer have an on-again-off-again romantic relationship. When they met, Yennifer tried to capture a djinn (genie in a bottle). Geralt stopped her and probably saved her life, although Yennifer probably still thinks she could have done it.

Ciri is sort of their adopted daughter. She was a princess of Cintra which was sacked in war, but she managed to escape. She was trained by the witchers in Kaer Morhen, but she didn't go through any of the mutations. Then she was also trained by sorceresses, Yennifer and Triss. Her family lineage has had some unique magical powers. She's the biological daughter of the Emperor, but has no relationship with him.

I'm not sure if there's any specific history between Geralt and Eskel beyond them both being witchers from the Kaer Morhen school who have fought together many times. Lambert too. Vesimir is one of the oldest living witchers, he's a fencing instructor, and one of the only teachers at Kaer Morhen that survived a major attack on it. No new witchers have been made there since, Vesimir doesn't even know the details of the trial of the grasses that causes the mutations.

Thank you for explaining al of that. It really does help. With Ciri being the biological daughter of the emperor, does that mean her mom was a Witcher? Cause shes got the white hair and Geralt and Yennifer referred to her as a Witcher.


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Honestly the third game was pretty well removed from the first two. You would be better prepared by reading the books. But the first two games are really great and you should check them out.

--Zero- posted...

Thank you for explaining al of that. It really does help. With Ciri being the biological daughter of the emperor, does that mean her mom was a Witcher? Cause shes got the white hair and Geralt and Yennifer referred to her as a Witcher.

Witchers are sterile, they can't have children. Or contract STDs. Witchers are made. In a laboratory, with potions and shrooms. Geralt did take to training her as a Witcher though.

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Hexenherz posted...

Witchers are sterile, they can't have children. Or contract STDs. Witchers are made. In a laboratory, with potions and shrooms.

This will all be explained TC

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Ciri was only very briefly mentioned in passing in the first game. Like literally one sentence in the whole game. Yennefer wasn't mentioned at all.

Ciri wasn't mentioned in the second game but Yen is mentioned during the final act.

So as someone who marathoned all 3 games, I'm pretty much as lost as you when I started Witcher 3.
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--Zero- posted...

Thank you for explaining al of that. It really does help. With Ciri being the biological daughter of the emperor, does that mean her mom was a Witcher? Cause shes got the white hair and Geralt and Yennifer referred to her as a Witcher.

I said earlier its not hereditary lol >_>


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Yeah there's a character, Dijkstra, who isn't explained at all anywhere but he has a somewhat important role and the journal entry doesn't explain shit lol. That's where knowing the books can help.

I did find it funny that the first two games put a lot of emphasis on pursuing Triss blank space here as a romance interest and then as soon as you get to 3, she goes out the window and it's almost all about Yennefer. makes whatever you were doing with the other lady just feel awkward.

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Compsognathus posted...

The first two games do not touch on Yenn or Ciri.

Yes, they do.
In Witcher 1, an amnesic Geralt is told the tale of Ciri by a tavern keeper.
In Witcher 2, after leaving Floatsom, a partially amnesiac Geralt is told about Yennifer by Dandylion.

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Hexenherz posted...

Honestly the third game was pretty well removed from the first two. You would be better prepared by reading the books. But the first two games are really great and you should check them out.

Witchers are sterile, they can't have children. Or contract STDs. Witchers are made. In a laboratory, with potions and shrooms. Geralt did take to training her as a Witcher though.

So the white hair on Ciri is just natural from being a human and not actually a Witcher? Was she made in a lab or is she not a Witcher? During the tutorial she trained like a Witcher and said she basically had an advantage over humans.


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Mr Hangman posted...

And to add to witchers being made, it's important for understanding them to know that only like 3 in 10 survive the mutations. They're chosen for it as children. Given that most die, no one wants their child to go through it, so typically they're either taking in orphans or the other way it happens is sometimes when clients can't pay the witcher will invoke the "law of surprise", which obligates the person to pay with "that which they come home to find but did not expect". That can include a newborn child.

Even when the mutations succeed, they (and the training) are very painful and a lot of the witchers, Lambert especially, stay bitter about it forever. They respect Vesimir's experience, but also still hate him a little for being cruel to them when they were young. And yeah Geralt seemed to take to the training unusually well, so they experimented on him by modifying the mutation compounds. That's where his white hair came from. That Ciri also has "ashen hair" is a coincidence.

So Ciri was chosen for it after birth?


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Don't know if it has been mentioned or not but you could read a summary of the books and you'll be set.

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--Zero- posted...

So the white hair on Ciri is just natural from being a human and not actually a Witcher? Was she made in a lab or is she not a Witcher? During the tutorial she trained like a Witcher and said she basically had an advantage over humans.

Just wondering about game play--how much of 3 do you play as Ciri and how much as Geralt?

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indica posted...

Just wondering about game play--how much of 3 do you play as Ciri and how much as Geralt?

I have no idea if you play as anyone other than Geralt, but Im also about a hour into the game. Its been a long work week so the little time Ive been playing is used mostly on picking plants and being amazed by the mods n graphics.

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--Zero- posted...

I have no idea if you play as anyone other than Geralt, but Im also about a hour into the game. Its been a long work week so the little time Ive been playing is used mostly on picking plants and being amazed by the mods n graphics.

That sounds hella boring O_o

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indica posted...

That sounds hella boring O_o

lmao it sort of is, but dem graphics, bro! Also from what Im understanding is those plants you gather can be used to make potions to strategize weaknesses for certain monsters you fight.

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Mr Hangman posted...

No. As I said earlier Kaer Morhen was pretty much destroyed and the knowledge for making new witchers lost. When she came into Geralt's custody, they trainer her in witcher swordsmanship because that's all they know.

You play as Ciri only for a handful of short scenes. There's combat, but they're structured sequences, it's not open world gameplay like with Geralt.

It's just so weird seeing her with white hair and her skills are that of a Witcher, but yet she's not one.

It makes sense now though that everyone's tried to explain it to me.

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indica posted...

Just wondering about game play--how much of 3 do you play as Ciri and how much as Geralt?

There are a few instances where you get to play as Ciri, if you're asking total time? Depends on how quickly you play, or how good at combat you are. Of the 90 hour storyline, I would estimate 30 minutes.

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008Zulu posted...

There are a few instances where you get to play as Ciri, if you're asking total time? Depends on how quickly you play, or how good at combat you are. Of the 90 hour storyline, I would estimate 30 minutes.

Lame, I always prefer female protagonists...

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I've been slowly reading the books and I'm surprised to hear that Ciri's hair is meant to be white. The first story with her in it consistently described her as "ashen blonde." Maybe just a weird translation.

Also surprised to learn that Ciri is the emperor's daughter <_<

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indica posted...

008Zulu posted...

There are a few instances where you get to play as Ciri, if you're asking total time? Depends on how quickly you play, or how good at combat you are. Of the 90 hour storyline, I would estimate 30 minutes.

Lame, I always prefer female protagonists...

The Witcher games have always been about Geralt.
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St0rmFury posted...

The Witcher games have always been about Geralt.

That's what I thought but I've never played one, just read the books and watched the show.

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Hexenherz posted...

I did find it funny that the first two games put a lot of emphasis on pursuing Triss blank space here as a romance interest and then as soon as you get to 3, she goes out the window and it's almost all about Yennefer. makes whatever you were doing with the other lady just feel awkward.

I've yet to play the third one and only just started A Time of Contempt, but so far my impression is that Triss is kind of a psychopath who took advantage of an amnesiac Geralt because she's obsessed with him.

It also makes all of his friends kinda shitty too since no one bothers mentioning Yennefer to him.

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