The Game Awards is always the most exciting event of the year for the gaming community, but fans ofThe Witcherfranchise got a special treat to open the ceremony. In a surprise trailer forThe Witcher 4, Geralt of Rivia’s ward, Ciri, is revealed as the protagonist, placing one ending from the third game above the rest.
As finding Ciri is an integral part of theWitcherbooks and later the third game, the three main endings regarding the Child of the Elder Blood all satisfy a years-long quest, where she becomes a witcher, becomes Empress of Nilfgaard, or dies. YetThe Witcher 4decisively turns her into a professional monster slayer.
To CDPR, Ciri was Destined to be a Witcher
The Witcher 4 Cements Canon on the Path
The trailer forThe Witcher 4isn’t technically the first time CD Projekt Red has pushed Ciri to the life of a witcher. Aside from the feelings Ciri herself expresses about it, the witcher ending is largely considered the“good ending” ofThe Witcher 3. This is especially considering she either dies, which results in a heartbreaking ending for a grieving Geralt, or Ciri becomes empress, which can only be achieved by making self-serving choices towards her throughout the game.
In 2017, CDPR released theWitcherfranchise’s 10-year anniversary videothanking fans, where Geralt reminisces at his Corvo Bianco estate. The video opens with Ciri arriving in her rough traveling gear as opposed to fine Nilfgaardian robes, implying which ending she got. Considering several characters appear from otherWitcherstories, such as an alive-and-well Olgierd von Everec from the Hearts of Stone DLC, this video appears to subtly canonize certain endings.The Witcher 4merely cements Ciri’s anticipated fate on the Path.
One of Ciri’s swords in the trailer is also of note. It’s the very same Geralt gifts her in the witcher ending’s epilogue, her first silver sword, dubbed Zireael. This will likely be the starting gear forWitcher 4players.
At any rate, it’s fitting that a woman consistently characterized as stubborn and fiery is wielding a sword and scolding humans for their twisted morality and questionable rituals. The latter is also surely a callback toThe Witcher 3’s cinematic trailerwith Geralt’s iconic line, “Killing monsters,” referencing a commonWitchertheme that humans can be more monstrous than the actual beasts they hunt.
Ciri’s Future as a Witcher Possibly Calls Back to Book Lore
Ciri being the protagonist of the nextWitchersaga likely isn’t all that surprising to fans of the books. The core ofThe Witcher’s plot, whichThe Witcher 3tethers itself to, is how Ciri’s destiny is intertwined with Geralt’s. AndGeralt, Vesemir, and the other witcherstake her in when she is orphaned, becoming her found family and admired mentors.
This is her life from the age of 10. Ciri is essentially a master duelist for the entirety ofThe Witchersaga, using her sword where possible. On one hand, she was necessarily taught to protect herself, but on the other, she puts herself in danger numerous times throughout the series, displaying a distinct thirst to prove herself.
In the final book, she kills her enemy, Bonhart. Bonhart was renowned for being the only living human to go toe-to-toe with several witchers and live to tell the tale, keeping their medallions as trophies. After slaying him, Ciri takes the medallion of the School of the Cat, which she can be seen wearing on her belt inThe Witcher 3(which has become theSchool of the Lynx inTW4). This more or less makes it canon that Ciri prefers the life of a witcher.
For only a six-minute cinematic trailer, there’s a lot to unpack aboutThe Witcher 4and Ciri’s role on the Continent. Set in the franchise’s characteristically gloomy medieval world with Ciri herself displaying new powers,The Witcher 4is nonetheless sure to thrill.
The Witcher 4
WHERE TO PLAY
The Witcher IV is a single-player, open-world RPG from CD PROJEKT RED. At the start of a new saga, players take on the role of Ciri, a professional monster slayer, and embark on a journey through a brutal dark-fantasy world. Powered by Unreal Engine 5, it aims to be the most immersive and ambitious open-world Witcher game to date.
