Geralt's accomplishments - Books vs games *TW TRILOGY AND BOOK SPOILERS*

[yagha]

Geralt's accomplishments - Books vs games *TW TRILOGY AND BOOK SPOILERS*

I used to think that Geralt's accomplishments in the Witcher Saga were pretty damn impressive. Vilgefortz was a dangerous foe, and the assault of Stygga Castle was a bloody event that cost the lives of many allies and enemies alike. Similarly, the Thanedd Coup was a violent event that changed the North forever. In the two (?) years since his return to Kaer Morhen, however, Geralt mostly seems to have accomplished more than in his 80 or so years of being a witcher.

In the Witcher trilogy he has (Not including the monsters he's killed):

1. Dismantled a powerful criminal and political organization (Salamandra)
2. Defeated a mage that was nearly as strong as Vilgefortz (Azar Javed)
3. Defeated a powerful source at the height of his power (Alvin)
4. POTENTIALLY: Killed a dragon (Saskia) and a powerful witcher (Letho)
5. Defeated Eredin and his two generals
6. Saved every world in existence by finding and supporting Ciri (!)

This is honestly just a very general list that doesn't include all the potential changes he's had on the political landscape throughout the three games, such as helping Nilfgaard conquer ALL OF THE CONTINENT (With the exception of the northernmost kingdoms).

When you compare this to what he achieved in the books - hunting around for Vilgefortz' agents, barely surviving the Thanedd Coup, tracking down and rescuing Ciri (For the first time), and defeating Vilgefortz - it kind of seems like the games completely overshadow the books, at least in regards to the things he's accomplished. Does anyone else think so?

 

[Folkrom]

I used to think that Geralt's accomplishments in the Witcher Saga were pretty damn impressive. Vilgefortz was a dangerous foe, and the assault of Stygga Castle was a bloody event that cost the lives of many allies and enemies alike. Similarly, the Thanedd Coup was a violent event that changed the North forever. In the two (?) years since his return to Kaer Morhen, however, Geralt mostly seems to have accomplished more than in his 80 or so years of being a witcher.

In the Witcher trilogy he has (Not including the monsters he's killed):

1. Dismantled a powerful criminal and political organization (Salamandra)
2. Defeated a mage that was nearly as strong as Vilgefortz (Azar Javed)
3. Defeated a powerful source at the height of his power (Alvin)
4. POTENTIALLY: Killed a dragon (Saskia) and a powerful witcher (Letho)
5. Defeated Eredin and his two generals
6. Saved every world in existence by finding and supporting Ciri (!)

This is honestly just a very general list that doesn't include all the potential changes he's had on the political landscape throughout the three games, such as helping Nilfgaard conquer ALL OF THE CONTINENT (With the exception of the northernmost kingdoms).

When you compare this to what he achieved in the books - hunting around for Vilgefortz' agents, barely surviving the Thanedd Coup, tracking down and rescuing Ciri (For the first time), and defeating Vilgefortz - it kind of seems like the games completely overshadow the books, at least in regards to the things he's accomplished. Does anyone else think so?

really? your comparing game accomplishments to book accomplishments? of course he will do 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000 more things in the games, other wise it wouldnt be worth playing it for 1 quest that ends after a min/hour/day whatever, you need to have a lot of story arcs(quests) in games so that the PC will have something to do, in books quite a lot of story arcs are developed over for the long run instead of the short run.

this is just silly.

 

[yagha]

really? your comparing game accomplishments to book accomplishments? of course he will do 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000 more things in the games, other wise it wouldnt be worth playing it for 1 quest that ends after a min/hour/day whatever, you need to have a lot of story arcs(quests) in games so that the PC will have something to do, in books quite a lot of story arcs are developed over for the long run instead of the short run.

this is just silly.

Well yeah, Geralt probably kills more people in Novigrad than he does in the entire Witcher Saga.

That's why I only listed the main events of all three games, as opposed to every sidequest and slain enemy.

These games are, after all, supposed to be the continuation and conclusion of Geralt's story.

 

[moonknightgog]

Uhm...Geralt should have been his ass kicked more often.

 

[saricc]

Most of his accomplishments in the games would have been impossible for him to replicate in the books. However, they are video games, and video games kinda have to go over the top.

 

[Dibre]

We know the Geralt's accomplishments was possible because his molecular structure is dense and when he was left in Isle of Avallach with Yen, his powers grown with the eletromagnetc emissions from the Sun. So he came back from the Wild Hunt six times more powerful.

 

[Scholdarr.452]

1. Dismantled a powerful criminal and political organization (Salamandra)
2. Defeated a mage that was nearly as strong as Vilgefortz (Azar Javed)
3. Defeated a powerful source at the height of his power (Alvin)
4. POTENTIALLY: Killed a dragon (Saskia) and a powerful witcher (Letho)
5. Defeated Eredin and his two generals

Finding, fighting and killing Vilgeforth was probably more difficult than all these five tasks together...

And Azar Javed nearly as strong as Vilgeforth? Yeah, sure, in your dreams maybe... :spell:

6. Saved every world in existence by finding and supporting Ciri (!)

He already "found" and saved Ciri in the books. A Ciri that was never meant to "safe the world" in the first place...


And he did something in the books that is without proper match in the games: he convinced a higher vampire who was probably humanity in person, a masterful archer who risked her life every day to help others, a young Nilfgaardian officer who betrayed his country and risked his life for the sake of staying human and a young rogue who knew nothing than quick fame, money and the thrill of the life of a bandit to travel and fight with him, just because they believed in him doing the right thing. All of them died for his goal to find and safe Ciri, they all sacrificed themselved for him and his goal although none of them knew Ciri. In the end they did if for Geralt and humanity itself which is a rare thing in a world so dark, unethical and brutal like the witcher world. All of them were good friends to Geralt, true companions, who put their own life and desires back in order to help Geralt and all of them paid the ultimate price for this sign of humanity in the end.

No show me how the games can match that. Geralt can kill enemy X, sure. But is this an accomplishment he can or should be really proud of? Or is it just a matter that had to be done, to reach higher goals?

 

[Folkrom]

These games are, after all, supposed to be the continuation and conclusion of Geralt's story.

idk how much of a continuation these games are tbh, the games are all over the place and are quite disjointed (much like how sapkowski did with his books, did they try to replicate that in their games too or were just not so sure about how they wanted to continue things?)

and yes, we dont see any instance of geralt getting his ass handed over to him, while in the books it happened several times.

 

[moonknightgog]

Finding, fighting and killing Vilgeforth was probably more difficult than all these five tasks together...

And Azar Javed nearly as strong as Vilgeforth? Yeah, sure, in your dreams maybe... :spell:


He already "found" and saved Ciri in the books. A Ciri that was never meant to "safe the world" in the first place...


And he did something in the books that is without proper match in the games: he convinced a higher vampire who was probably humanity in person, a masterful archer who risked her life every day to help others, a young Nilfgaardian officer who betrayed his country and risked his life for the sake of staying human and a young rogue who knew nothing than quick fame, money and the thrill of the life of a bandit to travel and fight with him, just because they believed in him doing the right thing. All of them died for his goal to find and safe Ciri, they all sacrificed themselved for him and his goal although none of them knew Ciri. In the end they did if for Geralt and humanity itself which is a rare thing in a world so dark, unethical and brutal like the witcher world. All of them were good friends to Geralt, true companions, who put their own life and desires back in order to help Geralt and all of them paid the ultimate price for this sign of humanity in the end.

No show me how the games can match that. Geralt can kill enemy X, sure. But is this an accomplishment he can or should be really proud of? Or is it just a matter that had to be done, to reach higher goals?

Wow....such characters of the likes of Milva, Cahir, Regis, Angouleme....are really lacking in the games.

 

[yagha]

Finding, fighting and killing Vilgeforth was probably more difficult than all these five tasks together...

And Azar Javed nearly as strong as Vilgeforth? Yeah, sure, in your dreams maybe... :spell:


He already "found" and saved Ciri in the books. A Ciri that was never meant to "safe the world" in the first place...

Hey, I'm just going by what Triss says in TW1. You can probably find the quote in Azar Javed's article on the Witcher wiki.

As for Ciri, the fact that he'd done it before doesn't diminish the feat when he does it again.

He did make a couple of companions in the games that were willing to die for him in far-away Kaer Morhen, I guess, like Roche and Ves.

 

[Jou05]

Seems like he is a bigger badass in the games but I wouldn't have minded if he actually got "his ass handed over to him" a few times

 

[yagha]

and yes, we dont see any instance of geralt getting his ass handed over to him, while in the books it happened several times.

Seems like he is a bigger badass in the games but I wouldn't have minded if he actually got "his ass handed over to him" a few times

The first two games actually make a point of showing Geralt get defeated by his opponents at first, only to later overcome and kill them (Although this is optional in the second game). He is initially unable to beat Azar Javed and the Professor in the swamps, and Letho defeats him in Flotsam when they first fight. In this sense, the first two games are quite similar to the books.

 

[saricc]

The first two games actually make a point of showing Geralt get defeated by his opponents at first, only to later overcome and kill them (Although this is optional in the second game). He is initially unable to beat Azar Javed and the Professor in the swamps, and Letho defeats him in Flotsam when they first fight. In this sense, the first two games are quite similar to the books.

None of those people are as powerful as Vilgefortz.

 

[Scholdarr.452]

Hey, I'm just going by what Triss says in TW1. You can probably find the quote in Azar Javed's article on the Witcher wiki.

Triss says a lot of bullshit...

So tell me, what great things did Azar in Witcher 1? What made him so powerful? Vilgeforth would have killed this fool with a single finger...

As for Ciri, the fact that he'd done it before doesn't diminish the feat when he does it again.

In that case it's a point for both, games and books, so it's not even worth mentioning.

He did make a couple of companions in the games that were willing to die for him in far-away Kaer Morhen, I guess, like Roche and Ves.

None of that come even close to Regis, Milva, Cahir Angouleme and of course Dandelion in the books. I like Roche and Ves but these other charactes are on a whole different level I'm afraid.

 

[yagha]

None of those people are as powerful as Vilgefortz.

I agree in regards to Letho, but Triss in TW1 says Azar Javed is almost as strong as Vilgefortz. Geralt wakes up in bed after he loses the battle in the swamps, similar to how he wakes up in Brokilon Forest after losing to Vilgefortz, and in the one Salamandra hideout Azar Javed would have killed Geralt with one spell if it hadn't been for the amulet or whatever that Triss gave him.

So tell me, what great things did Azar in Witcher 1? What made him so powerful? Vilgeforth would have killed this fool with a single finger...

Yeah, I don't really have anything to counter that. The game doesn't show him doing many impressive things, other than beating Triss and the other things I mentioned above.

As for Ciri, though, Geralt does freaking wipe out the Wild Hunt after he finds her again. That's pretty damn impressive.

 

[Redemyr]

Triss says a lot of bullshit...

She was in her Tressefer phase, in order to be appealing to Geralt, so it kind of makes sense for her to lie back then, he was into that stuff apparently.

On a serious note though, RPGs will always have more stuff being done than in books, it's the nature of each genre.

 

[OutgoingHermit]

IIRC Vilgefortz didn't do anything particularly 'impressive' in the books either, other than turning Regis into glass. He mostly just beat the piss out of Geralt with his staff.

 

[Scholdarr.452]

IIRC Vilgefortz didn't do anything particularly 'impressive' in the books either, other than turning Regis into glass. He mostly just beat the piss out of Geralt with his staff.

Which none of the enemies in the game was capable of... :spell:

 

[yagha]

Which none of the enemies in the game was capable of... :spell:

Azar Javed almost kills Geralt with one spell. He even hits him with it, and he only survives thanks to Triss's amulet or whatever it was.

 

[Scholdarr.452]

Azar Javed almost kills Geralt with one spell. He even hits him with it, and he only survives thanks to Triss's amulet or whatever it was.

Bah, that was just constructed by CDPR!

:ice: