The Witcher 3is one of the greatest video games ever made, with the incredible storytelling and fun role-playing elevating this game’s status to the very top. Players love controlling Geralt on his final adventure as he struggles to hunt down Ciri by any means necessary, reuniting with some ofthe best characters from the booksin the process.
While the character writing inThe Witcher 3is in a class of its own, some figures end up not having as strong an impact as book readers would’ve hoped. Most long-timeWitcherfans would agree that the books do a better job of doing justice to these characters.
8Sigismund Dijkstra
Way Smarter And More Calculated In The Books
For what it’s worth Dijkstra makes a decent impression early on inThe Witcher 3, with his sly and conniving attitude being faithful to his persona in the books. However, things take a turn for the worse after his introduction.
Not only is it easy for Geralt to fool him with a lie early on, but the worst instance of this character being done dirty comes atthe end of Reason of State. Instead of carrying out his plan in secret, Dijkstra announces his plan to betray the men behind Radovid’s assassination right in front of Geralt. It’s a boneheaded move, especially since book Dijkstra would’ve been more clever about this plan and not put himself in the crosshairs of a strong witcher who could easily kill him at a moment’s notice.
7Dudu
During the quest to find Ciri, Geralt must take the help of his allies in Novigrad to steer him in the right direction. Since Dudu was one of the people who interacted with Ciri when she was running from the Wild Hunt, Geralt decided to hunt him down with an entertaining theatrical play that gave him the confidence to approach the White Wolf.
After leading Geralt down the right path, Dudu becomes a background character who contributes nothing to the plot after his moment. His intelligence could’ve been a great way to help this character remain relevant, especially since he’d shown a penchant for making business-savvy decisions whenhe was introduced in the books.
6Eredin Breacc Glas
A Fleshed-Out Character Who’s Reduced To An Ominous Antagonist
Eredin may be a scary villain, but many fans will argue that he’s criminally underutilized inThe Witcher 3. After a while, he becomes nothing more than an elf with a scary helmet who relentlessly pursues Ciri, with his goals being largely shrouded in mystery.
This is a far cry from Eredin’s appearance in the books, where his character is more fleshed out. He shows a sinister side when interacting with Ciri and makes it clear that he wants to use the power of the Elder Blood to help the Aen Elle become more dominant than ever before.
5Crach an Craite
This Character Has Way More Depth In The Books
This may be a contentious decision since Crach an Craite is largely faithful to his appearance in the books. However, there’s one side of his character that is conveniently forgotten in the games — the history he shared with Yennefer.
In the books, it’s made clear that he’s infatuated with the raven-haired sorceress and goes out of his way to help her out. This could’ve given his character more depth in the games, but his lovestruck side never rears its head as he makes a valiant final stand and loses his life in the battle against the Wild Hunt.
4Margarita Laux-Antille
Gets A Lot Of Time To Shine As A Founding Member Of The Lodge Of Sorceresses
Given how Margarita only appears in a single quest where Geralt and Triss must save her before escaping the Novigrad prison, it’s easy to see why book fans will be disappointed by her muted presence. After all, she’s one of the founding members of the Lodge, which says a lot when it comes to the power she wields.
Instead, she fades into the background in the games and never shows the immense power she wields. It’s a shame since Margarita was more relevant in the books as the Rectoress of Aretuza who helpedthe Lodge of Sorceressesbecome a powerful force behind the scenes.
3Mousesack
A Royale Family Court Druid Who Aided Ciri
Back when Cintra was at the very heights of its powers, Mousesack helped the royal family as the court druid who dished out a lot of useful information. However, following the siege that decimated this city, Mousesack helped Ciri escape and was presumed to be dead.
However,The Witcher 3revealed that he survived this assault and had become a hierophant for a circle of druids in Ard Skellig. He aids Geralt in his pursuit of Ciri, but his role and presence are diminished from the books, which may disappoint some fans.
2Sile de Tansarville
Reduced To A Tortured Prisoner In The Witcher 3
This may be more of a technicality since Sile de Tansarville may already be dead before the events ofThe Witcher 3, but her fate in this game is far worse than anyone could’ve expected. While trying to rescue the sorceresses from the witch hunters, Geralt finds a beaten and broken mage who is a shadow of her former self.
In the books, she was a founding member of the Lodge of Sorceresses who was feared as one of the strongest magic users in the North. The fact that other sorceresses feared her power cements her fall from grace inThe Witcher 3, becoming nothing more thana mercy killwho is forgotten not long after.
1Philippa Eilhart
The Central Figure of the Lodge of Sorceresses
In the books, Philippa is the central figure responsible for the Lodge of Sorceresses, devising their plans and keeping things under check. The fact thatpowerful mages like Triss were under her thumbis a testament to the power she wielded as one of the most powerful figures inThe Witcher.
However, inWild Hunt, Radovid has already pulled Philippa down a peg by plucking her eyes out. She may be a shadow of her former self, but this doesn’t stop Philippa from pulling the strings and shoving a dagger in Radovid’s back, getting her revenge and taking out the psychotic madman for good.
