How big a role will the Wild Hunt play in the third season of "The Witcher"? Why is
Yen wearing that familiar mask? And is that Nibbles? Here are the small
details you missed in the teaser for season three of "The Witcher."
The Season 3 teaser for "The Wicher" begins with an ominous line:
"Now, for the first time, I understand real fear."
It's a heavy statement coming from a Witcher, and especially the eternally stoic Geralt of Rivia.
Though he's a magically-enhanced, superpowered monster hunter who's lost at least some of
his humanity, Geralt is obviously not entirely emotionless. It's just that as a general rule,
he likes to play his cards close to his chest. Even so, fear hasn't ever really
been part of the package. After all, scared Witchers tend to be dead Witchers. So, what
is the thing that could frighten a guy who fights gigantic, overpowered abominations for a living?
Though the trailer frames Geralt's fear as something that's related to a particularly
mighty opponent, it also makes clear that Ciri and possibly Yennefer are in danger,
as well. He might have his issues with his former lover,
but Geralt has a close connection to both women. The fear he admits to may very well
be for their well-being instead of his own. Here's hoping it turns out to be unfounded.
Apocalypses are often heralded by foreboding figures. In the world of "The Witcher," the
supposed harbingers of calamity take the form of mysterious riders from an alternate
dimension. These riders are known as the "Wild Hunt," and audiences were treated
to a glimpse of them at the end of Season 2. In the final episode, Geralt, Yennefer,
and Ciri come face to face with the leader of the Wild Hunt in their nightmarish realm.
"Child of the Elder Blood, starry eyed daughter of chaos. Join the Hunt."
Although the trio of heroes manages to escape from this plane of existence,
the Wild Hunt craves the blood of Ciri. It's why they chase after her in the trailer for Season 3.
Their hunt for her is because Ciri has access to ancient and long-forgotten
magic. The riders of the Wild Hunt believe her abilities will
save their accursed dimension from obliteration. Powerful and deadly,
the Wild Hunt will probably be a major focus for Season 3 of "The Witcher," especially considering
that some of their history was expounded on in the prequel series "The Witcher: Blood Origin."
Also known as the Wraiths of Morhogg, the Wild Hunt is led by the elf Eredin. All of the Wild
Hunt members are elves, and they were created as a means to procure slave labor from other planes
of existence. Their purpose gave rise to their status as heartless reavers. Hopefully, Geralt is
up to the task when it comes to defending Ciri and defeating these long-lived extra-planar raiders.
It looks like Geralt is out for blood in "The Witcher" Season 3,
but at least he's taken the time to prepare his gear for the adventure. Early in the trailer,
we get a nice action shot of the Witcher pulling out his steel sword. Eagle-eyed fans may notice
it now features a line of runes running down the middle and a beautiful green-glowing stone fixed
to the guard. While these weapon enhancements don't feature in "The Witcher" book series,
avid fans of the video games will quickly recognize the upgrade system.
Since the first release, runestones have been fixtures of "The Witcher" video games. However,
In "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt," developers CD Projekt Red took it to the next level,
introducing Lesser Runes, Runes, and Greater Runes. When equipped, runestones offer different
boosts to Geralt's attacks, like a chance to burn or cause bleeding. They also change the
appearance of the weapons, with colored runes running down the length of the blades. It looks
like "The Witcher" Season 3 will introduce that upgrade system in some form to Geralt's weapons.
As Geralt prepares for battle against a shadowy figure that stands in the hall in front of him,
he drinks one of his many potions to power up. The Witcher only imbibes
these deadly concoctions when he absolutely needs to, it's clear
that he's facing a truly dangerous enemy. But who or what is he actually up against?
The figure is blurry enough to keep things delightfully mysterious. However,
since they wear dark clothes, it's easy to assume that they're either a member of the Wild Hunt or
perhaps a Nilfgaardian soldier. However, there's another powerful force that favors black armor and
is at odds with Geralt: his fellow Witchers. After Vesemir discovers that Geralt's ward Ciri could be
the key to restoring Witchers to their former glory, he may want to claim Ciri for himself.
If so, Geralt drawing his sword is a pretty clear hint that the negotiations aren't going very well.
Another possible identity for the shadowy figure is none other than the mage Vilgefortz,
who has gained more power within the brotherhood and may also be setting his sights on Ciri.
Rience returns in Season 3 with a vengeance. At the end of Season 2,
the assassin is on the verge of discovering who actually hired him
to pursue Ciri. He returns in the teaser in a familiar halo of fire,
but that doesn't mean his appearance is more of the same. The new season could bring clarity to
some of his biggest unanswered questions, particularly the mystery of who hired him.
"What do you want?" "To meet your employer."
The obvious identity of Rience's employer may be Emhyr or even Stregobor, but the books reveal him
to be someone else entirely. Though currently an ally in the show, Rience's master in the novels
is none other than Vilgefortz. The mage who helped defend Sodden Hill against Nilfgaard,
Vilgefortz has ulterior motives that are only now starting to come to the surface.
In one of the trailer's blink-or-you'll-miss-it moments, Yennefer can be seen looking for
Geralt in a dark, torch-lit room. When she turns around, it's revealed that
she's wearing a mask. Eagle-eyed fans will remember the mask from a previous episode.
The Season 1 episode "Bottled Appetites" sees Yennefer set out to restore her fertility,
but the most memorable scene involves her using magic to conjure up a risqué party in a mansion.
When Geralt and Jaskier find her later on, she's sitting amid a sea of naked bodies,
watching the erotic events from behind a lace mask. The mask in
the Season 3 trailer appears to be the very same one she wore in that episode.
It's unknown at this time as to why Yennefer puts on a mask and goes running around dark
rooms in Season 3. But the mask is synonymous with one of Season 1's most memorable episodes,
and it teases another night of unpredictability next season.
"The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt" can be described in one word: massive. The open-world game boasts
close to 200 hours of gameplay. In it you play as Geralt, trying to find a way to save his
surrogate daughter from the titular Wild Hunt. With such an expansive landscape, there are many
characters in play. So it's no surprise that Netflix's "The Witcher" has only scratched the
surface of the franchise's iconic characters. The new teaser is a window to one character
only briefly featured in the series so far, Philippa Eilhart. A contemporary of Yennefer's,
Philippa appears in Season 2, mostly to assist spymaster Dijkstra. But if the source material
is any indication, there's much more in store for the next appearance of this powerful sorceress.
In the teaser, Jaskier appears on the wrong end of a sharp-looking ring that resembles
a talon. Philippa's affinity for transforming into an owl makes her the likely perpetrator,
indicating she will be a player in Season 3. Like most sorceresses,
she is not all that she appears to be. Though sometimes affiliated with Dijkstra,
she always has an agenda and uses her powers as a political tool to achieve her goals.
"Bring me the bard. It's about time he paid back his benefactor."
Jaskier has a close connection to Ciri, meaning he may be an
obstacle for vicious Philippa to get her hands on the young powerhouse.
The mage's lust for power is only one of her dastardly personality traits.
"The Witcher" Season 2 saw Ciri live and train in Kaer Morhen,
where she learned how to become a noble warrior like the witchers of the School
of the Wolf. However, that's nothing compared to being at the center of a
Continent-wide hunt that brings out the most formidable killers in the world.
The upcoming season of "The Witcher" is going to be eventful for Ciri, and that's putting it
mildly. Every mage, monarch, and monster of the Continent is out to capture her,
and she'll only be able to hide for so long before she has to face these demons. One of
the storylines will see her become separated from her guardians, which is evident in the
latest trailer. The Continent is a nasty world at the best of times, let alone when
the Wild Hunt returns. Chances are good that she'll encounter trouble at every corner.
Toward the end of the trailer, we see Yennefer, Geralt, and Ciri wandering around in the dark,
completely separated from each other. The threat of danger looms large and it's clear
that something is about to go down. Ciri being on her own indicates that she's going to have
to put her training to good use sooner rather than later. Geralt and Yennefer
will undoubtedly lend a hand, but Ciri will need to come into her own if she's going to survive.
In the video game "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt," players meet an unusual cat who
sits on a table cleaning itself, stopping occasionally to stare at Geralt. Cats are
unique in the universe of "The Witcher." They can soak up magic in a way no one else can,
except maybe a Witcher. Cats hate Witchers, which is what makes this cat such an anomaly.
Nicknamed Nibbles, his appearance in the Season 3 trailer comes as a welcome surprise,
given his origin. CD Projekt Red cinematic artist Kajetan Kapuściński told Kotaku,
"The truth is Nibbles was born as a filmmaking trick due to a technical necessity that came up."
During a crucial meeting in the video game, the game designers decided they wanted something to
distract gamers for a short time. The decision to add a cat was a practical and strategic decision,
but theories started on the internet that claimed the cat was a shapeshifter.
Alas, Nibbles is just a cat, but he's continued to show up in random game scenes. Kapuściński said,
"We never expected the few appearances it makes in 'Wild Hunt' to be noticed.
We've put that cat through a lot of life-threatening situations
and it's been there as a brave observer of Geralt's story unfolding before players."
Now that he's officially part of the Netflix "The Witcher" series,
we hope he becomes just as endearing as his video game counterpart.