As a fan of The Witcher 3 and therefore CDPR, I have enjoyed playing Cyberpunk 2077 recently. However, it wasn’t as amazing as The Witcher 3 with its DLCs for me. The characters, the quest lines, the Witcher world just feels richer to me. Just my personal preference, that is all. It has made me think about a potential new Witcher game though, what would I like to see and how would I go about it if I was involved in writing the script. So I came up with a way to integrate a new ‘main’ character and a fairly significant side quest that allows the player to indulge in the world of the Witcher with a clean slate. Let me know what you think and i apologise for the long read in advance. So here goes..
We open with a scene showing Triss attending a ball at court in Kovir, where she has established herself as advisor to king Tangred Thyssen, after her successful escape from Novigrad. During the ball she is approached by another familiar face, Count Beledal, which we met during the ‘Big Game Hunter’ quest in Blood & Wine. He tells Triss that during one of his many journeys he had purchased a statue, which he was told held some form of magic. This, however, was not the only reason the statue had piqued the interest of the Count. He had recognised the armour the figurine was wearing, it reminded him of a certain Witcher who had saved his life years earlier. Intrigued by the story, Triss agrees to meet with Count Beledal the very next day..
Upon seeing the statue, Triss immediately recognises the basic wolven armour the figurine is wearing from her time spent among the Witchers of Kaer Morhen. Even though she doesn’t seem to recognise the figure she decides to break the curse..
[This prompts a character creation screen allowing the player to create their very own Witcher]
Once created, the awakened figure appears to be a young Witcher who is completely disorientated. After being calmed by Triss and the Count he tells them he had not long left Kaer Morhen after finishing his training when taking on, what seemed to be a straight forward contract investigating a haunted farm, only to be surprised by a Sorceress appearing behind him.. He remembers nothing after that moment.
During their following conversation Triss deduces the young Witcher had fencing training from Vesemir, but has not heard of Eskal, Lambert or Geralt and must have therefore finished training before them, meaning he has been a statue for a substantial amount of time. The young Witcher being a Witcher nonetheless asks Triss who to see for work. Count Beledal informs him he has some work for him and they head off together. During his first interaction the Count sets the Witcher up with a few side quests with various local merchants and notable characters in Kovir. What could be a nice extra here is Count Beledal inviting the player (read: Witcher) to a concert in Kovir of the now traveling musical couple Dandelion and Priscilla. At the concert the player meets with Zoltan, who provides ‘security’ for the couple, issuing another side quest. Something about providing him with a specific mead not readily available in Kovir or anything along those lines. Zoltan is Zoltan after all.
After a first mission with Count Beledal the main quest line starting in Kovir will be prompted, however, I have not given the main quest much thought, so we’ll have to leave that here for now.
On top of the main quest line there would be a very significant second thread involving visits and appearances of some of our favourite characters intended to weave our character into the existing world of the Witcher. This will give the player a gradual, natural way to integrate into the world whilst being surrounded by great characters instead of starting ‘fresh’ with a bunch of new characters. New characters and stories will obviously be added through the main quest, other side quests and contracts. Some ideas for this secondary thread..
After settling in for a little while Triss informs the player she knows of another Witcher of the School of the Wolf. Apparently he has settled in Toussaint and has abandoned the Witcher life (Little side note here, if Triss ended up in Beauclair with Geralt in your playthrough of The Witcher 3 we may have to substitute her with Fringilla Vigo or another sorceress for this quest). This sets the player on a journey across the sea [cutscene] with a brief stop in Skellige for supplies. During our brief stint in the harbour or Kaer Trolde we meet Ermion. After catching the player up on the current situation in Skellige (influenced by our choice in Wild Hunt) he asks the player for help on a matter of great importance, thus issuing another side quest. Ermion needs the player to visit the Amell mountains to retrieve something related to Lara Dorren. Something that can only be found in the hidden cemetery of Tir Na Bae Arainne. As we are on our way to Cintra and will be traversing the mountains on our journey to Toussaint anyway, we agree to help.
A further cutscene sees us finally sailing into Cintra. Besides picking up a few contracts here we learn about Cirilla/Ciri as a young princess. This could be part of the Ermion quest. We make our way through Cintra and the Amell mountains, furthering Ermions quest, to finally reach the beautiful Duchy of Toussaint and the city of Beauclair. Here we are directed towards Corvo Bianco, where we meet Geralt (and Yen or Triss, based on your choice in Wild Hunt). When we meet Geralt he is in the process of being dragged to one of the many balls in Beauclair. In true Geralt style he is complaining about his chafing tunic and the prospect of a day filled with meaningless conversation and dancing. His partner physically pushing him out the front door of his vineyard. As he eyes you coming up the steps of the terras he immediately spots your medallion. After a brief introduction, during which Geralt is reminded of the time often, he invites you to come along to the ball.
The ball turns out to either be in honour of the return of Lady Vivienne de Tabris from her five year travels or the wedding of Lady Vivienne to Guillaume de Launfal, again depending on the choices made during her quest in Blood & Wine. As another little throwback the sommelier attending the wedding (we know him from his incredibly sensitive nose during our quest with Anna Henrietta in Blood & Wine) has a little chat with us about the incredible wine at the party. Apparently the Belgaard vineyard has thrived since it has been renovated. During the ball/wedding Anna Henrietta, introduced to you by Geralt, gives you a quest. This could be a quest investigating any potential left-over vampires in Toussaint, something she has been pestering Geralt about to no avail. A little fun idea I had here was Regis making a quick appearance at Corvo Bianco, visiting Geralt. Geralt, aware of your quest but protecting his friend, doesn’t tell you Regis is a vampire. Therefore, the player controlling the in-game character, Geralt and Regis all share a secret whilst the in-game character is unaware. I can imagine some innuendos and subtle hints going over the head of the in-game character could be quite hilarious. For example, Geralt telling the in-game character Regis has mellowed in his latter years having had a bit of a bitey character in his younger years or something along those lines. I’m no joke-writer as you can tell.
Another nice throwback for many, again based on your choices in Wild Hunt, may be walking onto the balcony of the Pheasantry in Beauclair hearing a familiar voice. The voice is obviously only recognised by the player and not the in-game character. The familiar loud voice is sharing tales whilst all the people on the balcony are listening with bated breath.. It’s the Bloody Baron and his wife, seemingly healthy and happily settling in Beauclair after she was recently cured during their stay in the Blue Mountains. The Bloody Baron tells you about their trip to the Blue Mountains because he recognised your medallion and tells you about how Geralt saved him and his family. You then tell him that Geralt is also in Toussaint and the Baron immediately takes off to find him. Geralt later references meeting the Baron. All of this obviously only happens if the Bloody Baron and his wife survived in the Wild Hunt.
Our adventures in Toussaint end with Geralt thanking you for your help and wishing you well on the Path. As a token of his, now friendship, with you he allows you to pick one piece of his Witcher gear. I would suggest his silver sword, starting armour in the Wild Hunt or mastercrafted Wolver armour. Another option could be that there is a cutscene where Geralt takes you back to the forge in Kaer Morhen and together you craft a sword or a piece of armour. Personally, I would prefer something handed down to me by Geralt as it seems more meaningful.
The whole side quest, when given to you by Triss in Kovir, could be a three-pronged quest. So on top of the Geralt story you also visit Eskel and Lambert. Helping Eskel slay a few monsters before receiving something Eskel was given by Vesemir and helping Lambert free Keira from some kind of trouble she got herself in. As you can tell this is not properly thought out, but I think just the Geralt part is already quite long for a ‘side quest’, so I haven’t given it too much thought.
On the way back to Kovir, or wherever you go next on the main quest, you deliver what Ermion requested from you to him in Skellige. Doing this triggers a cutscene where either Ermion takes you to Ciri (now the princess or Queen of Nilfgaard) who as it transpires, asked Ermion to research/retrieve something of her ancestry or, if Ciri is now a Witcher, she visits Ermion to ask what he found. If Ciri died in Wild Hunt he just uses it for his personal research and gives you some kind of a reward.
I realise this may all be a bit too happy and too much fan service for the dark world of the Witcher, but it’s only a (significant) side quest. The Lara Dorren/Ermion quest as well as the main quest can be darker. The vampire part in Toussaint can also have a darker undertone. Personally, I loved Toussaint and the ‘lightness’ it brought, so I would happily revisit it.
Thanks for reading!
We open with a scene showing Triss attending a ball at court in Kovir, where she has established herself as advisor to king Tangred Thyssen, after her successful escape from Novigrad. During the ball she is approached by another familiar face, Count Beledal, which we met during the ‘Big Game Hunter’ quest in Blood & Wine. He tells Triss that during one of his many journeys he had purchased a statue, which he was told held some form of magic. This, however, was not the only reason the statue had piqued the interest of the Count. He had recognised the armour the figurine was wearing, it reminded him of a certain Witcher who had saved his life years earlier. Intrigued by the story, Triss agrees to meet with Count Beledal the very next day..
Upon seeing the statue, Triss immediately recognises the basic wolven armour the figurine is wearing from her time spent among the Witchers of Kaer Morhen. Even though she doesn’t seem to recognise the figure she decides to break the curse..
[This prompts a character creation screen allowing the player to create their very own Witcher]
Once created, the awakened figure appears to be a young Witcher who is completely disorientated. After being calmed by Triss and the Count he tells them he had not long left Kaer Morhen after finishing his training when taking on, what seemed to be a straight forward contract investigating a haunted farm, only to be surprised by a Sorceress appearing behind him.. He remembers nothing after that moment.
During their following conversation Triss deduces the young Witcher had fencing training from Vesemir, but has not heard of Eskal, Lambert or Geralt and must have therefore finished training before them, meaning he has been a statue for a substantial amount of time. The young Witcher being a Witcher nonetheless asks Triss who to see for work. Count Beledal informs him he has some work for him and they head off together. During his first interaction the Count sets the Witcher up with a few side quests with various local merchants and notable characters in Kovir. What could be a nice extra here is Count Beledal inviting the player (read: Witcher) to a concert in Kovir of the now traveling musical couple Dandelion and Priscilla. At the concert the player meets with Zoltan, who provides ‘security’ for the couple, issuing another side quest. Something about providing him with a specific mead not readily available in Kovir or anything along those lines. Zoltan is Zoltan after all.
After a first mission with Count Beledal the main quest line starting in Kovir will be prompted, however, I have not given the main quest much thought, so we’ll have to leave that here for now.
On top of the main quest line there would be a very significant second thread involving visits and appearances of some of our favourite characters intended to weave our character into the existing world of the Witcher. This will give the player a gradual, natural way to integrate into the world whilst being surrounded by great characters instead of starting ‘fresh’ with a bunch of new characters. New characters and stories will obviously be added through the main quest, other side quests and contracts. Some ideas for this secondary thread..
After settling in for a little while Triss informs the player she knows of another Witcher of the School of the Wolf. Apparently he has settled in Toussaint and has abandoned the Witcher life (Little side note here, if Triss ended up in Beauclair with Geralt in your playthrough of The Witcher 3 we may have to substitute her with Fringilla Vigo or another sorceress for this quest). This sets the player on a journey across the sea [cutscene] with a brief stop in Skellige for supplies. During our brief stint in the harbour or Kaer Trolde we meet Ermion. After catching the player up on the current situation in Skellige (influenced by our choice in Wild Hunt) he asks the player for help on a matter of great importance, thus issuing another side quest. Ermion needs the player to visit the Amell mountains to retrieve something related to Lara Dorren. Something that can only be found in the hidden cemetery of Tir Na Bae Arainne. As we are on our way to Cintra and will be traversing the mountains on our journey to Toussaint anyway, we agree to help.
A further cutscene sees us finally sailing into Cintra. Besides picking up a few contracts here we learn about Cirilla/Ciri as a young princess. This could be part of the Ermion quest. We make our way through Cintra and the Amell mountains, furthering Ermions quest, to finally reach the beautiful Duchy of Toussaint and the city of Beauclair. Here we are directed towards Corvo Bianco, where we meet Geralt (and Yen or Triss, based on your choice in Wild Hunt). When we meet Geralt he is in the process of being dragged to one of the many balls in Beauclair. In true Geralt style he is complaining about his chafing tunic and the prospect of a day filled with meaningless conversation and dancing. His partner physically pushing him out the front door of his vineyard. As he eyes you coming up the steps of the terras he immediately spots your medallion. After a brief introduction, during which Geralt is reminded of the time often, he invites you to come along to the ball.
The ball turns out to either be in honour of the return of Lady Vivienne de Tabris from her five year travels or the wedding of Lady Vivienne to Guillaume de Launfal, again depending on the choices made during her quest in Blood & Wine. As another little throwback the sommelier attending the wedding (we know him from his incredibly sensitive nose during our quest with Anna Henrietta in Blood & Wine) has a little chat with us about the incredible wine at the party. Apparently the Belgaard vineyard has thrived since it has been renovated. During the ball/wedding Anna Henrietta, introduced to you by Geralt, gives you a quest. This could be a quest investigating any potential left-over vampires in Toussaint, something she has been pestering Geralt about to no avail. A little fun idea I had here was Regis making a quick appearance at Corvo Bianco, visiting Geralt. Geralt, aware of your quest but protecting his friend, doesn’t tell you Regis is a vampire. Therefore, the player controlling the in-game character, Geralt and Regis all share a secret whilst the in-game character is unaware. I can imagine some innuendos and subtle hints going over the head of the in-game character could be quite hilarious. For example, Geralt telling the in-game character Regis has mellowed in his latter years having had a bit of a bitey character in his younger years or something along those lines. I’m no joke-writer as you can tell.
Another nice throwback for many, again based on your choices in Wild Hunt, may be walking onto the balcony of the Pheasantry in Beauclair hearing a familiar voice. The voice is obviously only recognised by the player and not the in-game character. The familiar loud voice is sharing tales whilst all the people on the balcony are listening with bated breath.. It’s the Bloody Baron and his wife, seemingly healthy and happily settling in Beauclair after she was recently cured during their stay in the Blue Mountains. The Bloody Baron tells you about their trip to the Blue Mountains because he recognised your medallion and tells you about how Geralt saved him and his family. You then tell him that Geralt is also in Toussaint and the Baron immediately takes off to find him. Geralt later references meeting the Baron. All of this obviously only happens if the Bloody Baron and his wife survived in the Wild Hunt.
Our adventures in Toussaint end with Geralt thanking you for your help and wishing you well on the Path. As a token of his, now friendship, with you he allows you to pick one piece of his Witcher gear. I would suggest his silver sword, starting armour in the Wild Hunt or mastercrafted Wolver armour. Another option could be that there is a cutscene where Geralt takes you back to the forge in Kaer Morhen and together you craft a sword or a piece of armour. Personally, I would prefer something handed down to me by Geralt as it seems more meaningful.
The whole side quest, when given to you by Triss in Kovir, could be a three-pronged quest. So on top of the Geralt story you also visit Eskel and Lambert. Helping Eskel slay a few monsters before receiving something Eskel was given by Vesemir and helping Lambert free Keira from some kind of trouble she got herself in. As you can tell this is not properly thought out, but I think just the Geralt part is already quite long for a ‘side quest’, so I haven’t given it too much thought.
On the way back to Kovir, or wherever you go next on the main quest, you deliver what Ermion requested from you to him in Skellige. Doing this triggers a cutscene where either Ermion takes you to Ciri (now the princess or Queen of Nilfgaard) who as it transpires, asked Ermion to research/retrieve something of her ancestry or, if Ciri is now a Witcher, she visits Ermion to ask what he found. If Ciri died in Wild Hunt he just uses it for his personal research and gives you some kind of a reward.
I realise this may all be a bit too happy and too much fan service for the dark world of the Witcher, but it’s only a (significant) side quest. The Lara Dorren/Ermion quest as well as the main quest can be darker. The vampire part in Toussaint can also have a darker undertone. Personally, I loved Toussaint and the ‘lightness’ it brought, so I would happily revisit it.
Thanks for reading!
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