[SPOILERS] What were your favourite/most impactful scenes in TW3

+
[SPOILERS] What were your favourite/most impactful scenes in TW3

I'm giving my mom, who read the books but refuses to play a game, a fan written story of the game.

I also plan on putting in 'stops' when I get to certain points in the story and having her go watch a cut scene to make it more emotional like it is in the game. Here's what I have so far:

1. Ciri's proud moment with the windmill, the fatherly stuff
2.Triss' rejection
3. the last wish with Yen
4. the Ciri shack reunion
4. Vesimir dying
5. the ciri/geralt throwing everything around when shes mad scene
6. the 5 ciri choices (anyone actually have the links to these seperately, not all in one video)?

Any to add?
 
The quest "scenes from the marriage" is enough to explain whole plot of hearts of stone, show the whole quest, just omit fights with warden and iris fear.
 
I didn't realize that the sorceress tied to the pyre when Geralt first arrives in Novigrad was Felicia. Totally missed it during the first playthrough. But I was wondering why he seemed so concerned as to push through the crowd.

My second playthrough, I suddenly recognized her. (I was just watching more closely.) That time, I was like: "Wait. What? Hey...hold on...! What the fu... !!!??? That's -- friggin' horrible!" Seriously, it had sort of more impact because she was such a minor character. Just a student and a hairdresser for crying out loud. I was kind of crushed by that when I noticed. Fantastic way to highlight just how screwed up Novigrad had become.
 

iCake

Forum veteran
SigilFey;n9680431 said:
I didn't realize that the sorceress tied to the pyre when Geralt first arrives in Novigrad was Felicia. Totally missed it during the first playthrough. But I was wondering why he seemed so concerned as to push through the crowd.

My second playthrough, I suddenly recognized her. (I was just watching more closely.) That time, I was like: "Wait. What? Hey...hold on...! What the fu... !!!??? That's -- friggin' horrible!" Seriously, it had sort of more impact because she was such a minor character. Just a student and a hairdresser for crying out loud. I was kind of crushed by that when I noticed. Fantastic way to highlight just how screwed up Novigrad had become.

You can some day see Keira Metz impaled there depending on your decisions in the game. That one made me heartbroken on my first playthrough, should have seen that coming, which I kind of did anyhow.
 
The "bad" outcomes are often the most impactful, like the baron's and his wife's death, the bad ending epilogue, Anna Henrietta and her sister dying, and others. Seeing these on a playthrough does add to the game, even if they are not one's preferred endings.
 
So assuming were talking about cut-scenes and conversations ...

1. Geralt/Ciri Isle of Mists reunion
2. Baron's scene where he names Dea
3. asking for the blue flower from Iris in Scene's from a Marriage
4. getting drunk with Eskel and Lambert
5. Graveyard conversation with Regis
6. giving Ciri her new sword
7. The Vesemir death scene and end of "Battle of Kaer Morhen" - up to the start of Vesemir's funeral really
8. getting rescued by Gaunter O'Dimm from ship
9. killing Imelrith with Igni/Hammer
10. Geralt throwing a illusion baby into a oven in "Possession"
 
iCake;n9680891 said:
You can some day see Keira Metz impaled there depending on your decisions in the game. That one made me heartbroken on my first playthrough, should have seen that coming, which I kind of did anyhow.

Oh...that's what happens if you don't send her to KM right off the bat...? Ouch. That...is also crushing. (Honestly, that would probably have been a moment that made me stop playing for a bit. Somehow, I made it through the KM battle without taking a break afterward. What really hit me the hardest, for whatever reason, was being honestly charmed by the whole Dandelion / Priscilla thing...helping them set up the cabaret and realizing they were actually going to fall for each other...then having the whole Carnal Sins questline come out of nowhere. Oh, that made me furious.)


sv3672;n9680941 said:
The "bad" outcomes are often the most impactful, like the baron's and his wife's death, the bad ending epilogue, Anna Henrietta and her sister dying, and others. Seeing these on a playthrough does add to the game, even if they are not one's preferred endings.

Heh...even the good outcomes tend not to be free of tragedy in some form. It's great stuff! (If you appreciate dark stuff.)
 
SigilFey;n9681461 said:
...Oh...that's what happens if you don't send her to KM right off the bat...? Ouch. That...is also crushing. (Honestly, that would probably have been a moment that made me stop playing for a bit...

You also get to help Triss to libirate thd body so that she could give her a proper burial. Sad stuff ;(
 
Meeting with Lady of the Lake gave me the feels and chills both.

edit: I realized it is not just any scene now. The topic title mislead me. Of course if Lady is in the books that would change it but the reason I liked it because we meet her in the first game and her track is beautiful.
 
Last edited:
Most impactful is without doubt the "bad" ending epilogue. The writing and the build up are superb there. It is the best ending from the dramatic point of view. It is so powerful that gave me 2 days of quite real depression, which never ever happened to me before when reading or watching any fictional stories, and, in general, I'm not easily impressed. That ending feels extremely genuine, in comparison to other endings, which feel rather forced while containing tons of plot holes.
 
I found the most dramatic scenes to be somewhat forced at best to outright nonsensical and out of place at worst. like when Geralt finally met Ciri it wasn't exactly logical for the 'ball of light' or whatever to wait for Geralt to believe Ciri's dead before resurrecting her.
For me The Witcher series was always about moral ambiguity, so I guess The bloody baron naming of his miscarried daughter was the most impactful
 
ilayoeli;n9688721 said:
...it wasn't exactly logical for the 'ball of light' or whatever to wait for Geralt to believe Ciri's dead before resurrecting her.

Hm. I took this as a reversal of the classic "will'o'th'wisp". In legends, a will'o'th'wisp will classically be the spirit of a deceased person or a lesser "demon" that tries to "lure the unsuspecting into the mists to leave them hopelessly lost". In a sense, abandoning them to some horrible fate in a lightless bog far from help...where they supposedly die and their angry spirits become a new wisp.

Oftentimes, literature "re-imagines" these classic tropes or themes. For example, Tolkien visits this in LotR when Frodo, Sam, and Gollum enter the "Dead Marshes" an ancient battlefield on the Dagorlad Plains where the spirirts of dead men, elves, and orcs still haunt the land...seeking to drag travelers to their deaths. They do this by appearing as points of glowing light that the book refers to as "candles" that dance about in the mists. The reference to wisps is right in the reader's face, and Gollum even says in so many words, "'Don't follow the lights,'" or they'll lead the hobbits into the bog and drag them down, "'to light little candles of their own.'" It draws a direct parallel to the classic will'o'th'wisp myth.

Likewise, in TW3, a "dancing light" leads Geralt through the "Isle of Mists". But in this case, the legend is turned on its head, as rather than leading him to "death", it is actually a manifestation of Ciri's life-force itself that is returning to her. I also appreciated the "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" allusion. On the whole, what may seem hammy is more of a clever implementation of classical folk / myth. Since the idea of TW3's universe is that it is the "core" world of a larger multiverse (of which, supposedly, our real-life universe is but a shard), the entire sequence introduces the idea that these were the "real-life" events that eventually gave rise to our tales of "will'o'th'wisps" and "Snow White" here on earth. Stories and legends, lost in translation and transformed as they were shared between one universe and the next.
 
Last edited:
Man, there are just so many really good ones, so I'll just list the ones that stand out the most to me...

* The opening with Geralt & Ciri (as a child, training) and then Geralt waking up on the road with Vesemir - that scene + the "wilderness" music was just fantastically done and set the stage and tone for an epic game / story.
* The scene in the Inn where Geralt is talking to the inn keeper (I think it's at "The Inn At The Crossroads") and a group of bandits walk in and Geralt has his hilarious exchange with them where he explains why he has two swords and only one cock, lol. Love Geralt's personality and the way he handles people.
* All of the time in the bog with the Crones - the environment and stage setting was so well done by the developer with the music to the location to the characters - it was just really creepy as intended - they executed it perfectly.
* When Geralt walks into the King of Beggars' HQ and sees Triss again for the first time in like 6 months (I'm a Triss guy, so I find many of their scenes together very impactful)
* The Masquerade Ball mission - that was just a well-executed quest. Again, just a masterful job by the developer in basically every way on that quest - music, to the appearance, etc. And they did such an exceptional job with the way they have Triss look at Geralt in the stable after they'd kissed - it felt like watching a movie it was just so realistic.
* Priscilla's "Wolven Storm" song performance. While I'm not a Yen fan, it was just a very emotional scene that makes you feel a lot of empathy for the tough decisions Geralt has yet to make.
* The biggest in the game for me is when Geralt rescues Ciri from the Isle of Mists. Their reunion never fails to make me tear up even though I know it's coming.
* Another is at the end of the base game (I go for the Witcheress ending) - after Geralt explains to Emyhr that Ciri is dead and then goes and meets her at the Inn - that is just an awesome scene.
* Right before the final battle in Skellige where Triss comes in and just talks to Geralt for a minute, tells him she loves him, etc. (I assume it's similar if you chose Yen)

So many more that I didn't mention. :) Fantastic game and story.
 
One of my most favourite is still shortly after the beginning, the sequence with Gaunter in White Orchard. So funny, how he reacts
 
That moment when after hours of dirty, muddy, wild Velen you reach Novigrad. The contrast of these two places.
Sunsets in this city, play of orange light on architecture. .
Cries of sailors in the port..

The cool moment is Eskel's fight with Caranthir at Kaer Mohren. After the first exchange of blows Caranthir makes a head move like "what? I underestimated you. . " I feel proud then of the witchers that they can do so much and can stand up to such strong opponents..
 
The moment of getting to Toussaint, the incredible beauty of this region, is just super
 
isle of Mists scene with Ciri is hands-down winner I'd say - but then again, did you ever try to go for the "bad ending" for Ciri? Battle against the last witch... last revenge and visible loss of any reason to live any further? Was truly heart breaker to me...
 
Top Bottom