UPDATE: What I´ve recently learned could indicate that saving Síle won´t matter too:
During the quest Radenia´s Most Wanted when you are exploring Phillipa´s hideout, a witch hunter you meet says that a meeting of the sorceresses from the Lodge was to take place there, he mentioned almost all the sorceresses (except for Triss, Yen and Keira) and he also did not mention Síle.
This makes no sense. If Síle´s alive, there is no reason why she would not be in touch with Phillipa at least if not with all the other sorceresses and she would most likely like to join the meeting as well.
The story is fine. It's the lack of impacting choices from the previous games that stand out which to be fair was never a feature that CDPR promised unlike Bioware with their games.
The story is fine. It's the lack of impacting choices from the previous games that stand out which to be fair was never a feature that CDPR promised unlike Bioware with their games.
Thats why its not as disappointing as with Mass Effect 3 but its still a letdown
I mean why even have all the different endings when in the end its all the same (witch hunt happens regardless)
The story is fine. It's the lack of impacting choices from the previous games that stand out which to be fair was never a feature that CDPR promised unlike Bioware with their games.
Thats why its not as disappointing as with Mass Effect 3 but its still a letdown
I mean why even have all the different endings when in the end its all the same (witch hunt happens regardless)
Yeah, saving Triss is *supposed* to prevent a witch hunt from happening where the populace of the Northern Kingdoms start hating magic users. Never happens.
And I'm with you Savber123, I'm dissapointed, but not upset with CDPR unlike I was with Bioware. CDPR has given me everything they said they would and they never promised our previous choices to have meaning. The "importing save games" got my hopes up, but those were just my expectation.
I haven't got the season pass yet though and I'm willing to pay CDProject Red VERY WELL for any Iorveth/Saskia related expansions. Maybe the expansion could work differently depending on wether you let Henselt or Saskia win. You know? Like Act2 did for us in Witcher? CDPR has it in them to create content that is wildly choice dependant. The expansion could be different depending on whether you have a Roche or Iorveth save file.
I'm a bit weary though... the game already confirms Henselt is dead, regardless of whether he was still alive during my Witcher 2 playthrough. I just hope that CDPR doesn't paint themselves in a corner since expansions like that would cement both my enthusiasm and disposable income for them.
I´m not really mad that not all of the decisions matter, I´m glad we have some characters back from TW2.
I guess they decided to give those of us who sided with Iorveth Philippa (because she is basically a stranger to people who went with Roche, they never met her, she is only briefly mentioned on Roche´s path.) and people who sided with Roche have him and Ves.
But today a Roche said something really stupid and story breaking :
When I asked him to come to Kaer Morhen to fight the Hunt, he said something like "Yeah I will, you never let me down when I needed you" and I clearly did by not leaving Flotsam with him. Story-wise, this is just very wrong.
Also I haven´t met Philippa yet. I
gave the stone from her megascope to Yen and told Radovid she probably died and there´s where the quest ended. I hope I will meet her though.
I´m not really mad that not all of the decisions matter, I´m glad we have some characters back from TW2.
I guess they decided to give those of us who sided with Iorveth Philippa (because she is basically a stranger to people who went with Roche, they never met her, she is only briefly mentioned on Roche´s path.) and people who sided with Roche have him and Ves.
But today a Roche said something really stupid and story breaking :
When I asked him to come to Kaer Morhen to fight the Hunt, he said something like "Yeah I will, you never let me down when I needed you" and I clearly did by not leaving Flotsam with him. Story-wise, this is just very wrong.
Also I haven´t met Philippa yet. I
gave the stone from her megascope to Yen and told Radovid she probably died and there´s where the quest ended. I hope I will meet her though.
Actually, when play Wild Hunt, you should think that "Roche path" is considered CANON. We can still find the Rose of rememberance in Triss's house eventhough in Ioverth path Philippa destroy it to manipulate Saskia
Yeah, because the Witch hunt still happen no matter what happen in Witcher 2
But Anais isn't appear in Wild Hunt so rescue Triss can consider canon too
Finding the rose of remembrance was so far the biggest story breaker for the Iorveth side. I hope they didn´t do it on purpose and next patch should remove it from Triss´s house for those of us who went with Iorveth : /
Totally agree Toyen, I've been saying this on the steam forums as well. Here's my reply to someone who felt that "nothing really mattered for a reason". I'll post his comment as well in order to bring context into my response. It's just so disappointing because I have so much respect for CD Projekt Red, and what could've been done to avoid inconsistencies or complete disregard of events and characters would've been easy. As easy as how they proceeded with returning characters like Letho and Roche... It's the fact that I don't understand the logic behind their decision making that hit me harder than it should have...
I feel that nothing really mattered for a reason. In the end, things turn out this way no matter what. Radovid turned on the other northern realms, and would have done so no matter who ruled. The daughter is a child, Kadwen couldn't fight Radovid's army, neither could Saskia. The Lodge is denounced by the church regardless of whether they were found out or not. Your choices don't matter because remember "There is no Good and Evil. Only Choices and Consequences." All the consequences are the same though, because it is a rather rational and logical progression of events. But little things you did DO matter. Like with Triss vs that other girl in TW1. Or leaving Phillipa/Sile alive. Things like that DO matter. But the big choices are rather irrelevant, because the outcome is inevitable.
Me:
I completely disagree. Everything you do should matter, because that's what the game developers focused to achieve and promote in The WItcher 2. What happens in The Witcher 3 is supposed to reinforce choices made, not omit them completely. From a narrative standpoint, what you say has merit to a certain degree. However, things aren't just happening a certain way, specific characters are completely ignored and what happened if you played a certain way (like Iorveths path) is out right contradicted with characters you encounter (such as Roche) and Philippa, who doesn't even mention Saskia or Iorveth.
Even the Triss relationship is lackluster and disappointing. Everyone in the game reacts as if you are with Yen. There is barely any interaction between Triss and Geralt with no explanation as to why they broke up, only speculation. In fact, near the end she doesn't have anything to tell you even if you chose her as your love relationship other than "Yes?" The point is the game forces events down your throat and highly suggest you steer one way both in narrative terms and with your love interests (this is especially true with the Iorveth path taken In The Witcher 2 and the relationship with Yen compared to Triss). Basically it makes your run through The Witcher 2 seem inconsequential. It feels like they're disrespecting the characters they made us fall in love with. It just destroys the immersion factor after waiting so long to see the consequences of our actions.
They can make things go one way (such as Radovid's witch hunt) without disregarding a bunch of pivotal characters and events that shaped the world as it currently is. It doesn't even take that much, a few references or one quest at the very least. That is my gripe with the final product. All the points you made could be countered with the same logic.
I'm not looking for excuses, I'm looking for concrete, logical explanations, or at least a way to right what I feel is a slight to people who have bought, played and supported the franchise. Hopefully we'll at least get something in the coming DLC's or expansions. It still doesn't gap the leap in logic where Philippa somehow forgets to mention the Golden DRAGON she had under her control or the fact that we broke her hold over it (or Iorveth not being mentioned once). She played way to big a part in that story line to just sweep it under the rug.
An example of what could have been done to create a method of exposition is writing events in something as simple as a book (or a couple of books). One way, among many others to fill in the gaps and add important details as to what transpired during the past 6 months. Just a bit more context while satisfying us with something easy ex.
Start:
After we broke Phillipa's hold on Saskia "The dragonslayer", united non humans and humans alike in upper Aedirn, many flocked to her cause after learning of her victory against Hensalt in Vergen, soon her army grew to unforeseen numbers, strong enough to challenge Kaedwen itself. When she felt she had enough support, Saskia revealed her secret to the world, and all stood in awe, then finally, they understood her power. Folk new that if a mighty Dragon could fight for the right of "lesser races" so then could said races work together. This revelation unexpectedly brought on an even stronger and unified Aedirn which brought unspoken fear to both Kaedwen and Redania. Before either could react, Nilfgaard took arms and started it's conquest. The battles bloody, the ramifications bloodier still.
Temaria already in chaos fought boldly and bravely, but theirs was a losing battle. Kaedwen was next to fall, though not without a fight. Nilfgaard was unprepared for what came from the skies thereafter. Saskia had fought long and hard for her dream and those that joined her had too much to lose now that it had become reality. Time was of the essence. Redania attacked soon after Nilfgaard made its move on Kaedwen and this prompted Sakia to join in. Together they they attacked Nilfgaard from all sides, uncoordinated, yet relentless and unpredictably ferocious. Saskia used her newly revealed Dragon form by scouting from above on the marching Nilfgaardian armies, burning many a unit in the process. Logistics were easily built upon with such valuable information, strategies were devised in accordance and, with help from the best archers the Northern Kingdom would once have feared and despised, Iorveth stood ready, Now a respected commander, prepared to defend what he thought he never deserved, what he never could have imagined to be a part of. etc. etc. etc.
End
Obviously, Nilfgaard was supposed to defeat the north, in order to create world building conflict (yes kind of an oxymoron) and plenty of questing opportunities. I understand narrative born from necessity for gameplay purposes and because they had a vision of things to come. Writing something as simple as the exert displayed above is all they needed to do in order to create satisfying exposition for major characters from The Witcher 2 like Triss, Saskia and Iorveth. To give a bit of background in terms of what happened to them and where they are now. It's called resolution or closure, whichever you like, the game would feel much less disjointed (to people who've imported their games and understood the weight and political ramifications of the decisions they made in The Witcher 2) if they were properly addressed.
there is one mistake in your book start, saskia is not a golden dragon
i do think though that vergen has fallen, in my personal head canon saskia is either dead or searching her papa. since she isnt part of the book i can understand not bringing her back. Iorveth on the other hand is still alive in the books, so here is my head canon that he gathered what was left of the elves and brought them either to the south following isengrim or brought them to francesca. But otherwise i am with Frank.
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