What makes Geralt the Best Witcher?

[username_3499456]

What makes Geralt the Best Witcher?

It states, both in books and games, that Geralt is said to be one of the best Witchers, but it is never stated why he is that. I know what he is capable of, but what exactly has made him the best?

Sorry if the answer is obvious, but I couldn't figure it out.

 

[Corylea.723]

I hope one of the people who's had the privilege of reading all the books will answer this, but this is what I've been told by people who HAVE read them all:

All witchers undergo a process of mutation when they're boys, a process that kills some of them but that gives advantages to those who survive.

The year that Geralt underwent the mutations, they decided to give the boys an additional mutation, on top of the ones that witchers had been getting for years. This additional mutation killed every boy except Geralt, so they never used it again. But Geralt has a little extra oomph that the other witchers don't have.

That's what I've been told. This hasn't appeared in any of the books that I've read so far. Those of you who've read them all, can you clarify?

Edited to Add: The Witcher Wiki says, "Due to his remarkable resilience to the 'normal' trials, Geralt was also subjected to additional, even more experimental trials, hence his superior abilities and also his white hair."

 

[username_3499456]

That certainly sounds interesting. I haven't read the books myself (yet) so maybe there would be my answer. But I couldn't find a short "preview" on why he is, so that's why I'm asking

But hope there's more to it than simply Geralt getting some sort of "boost" for powers.

 

[Corylea.723]

But hope there's more to it than simply Geralt getting some sort of "boost" for powers.

It's also true that his mother was a sorceress (which is very unusual, since sorceresses are usually sterilized in this world), and that may have given him something extra, too.

Even if the extra mutation that Geralt got was important, his being the only boy to survive the process means that he already was born with a greater ability to heal or to withstand nasty stuff or some other sort of constitutional advantage, or he would have died, too.

Wolverine has the adamantine skeleton and the knives because he's a mutant healer; it sounds like Geralt got similar advantages for similar reasons.

 

[eskiMoe]

Well, I always thought it was because he's probably the most humane of all Witchers. It's been said many times in the books that unlike other witchers, the mutations & dark magic used to create him didn't kill his feelings completely.

He's unique.

 

[KnightofPhoenix]

Don't know about the books, but based on the two games, I prefer Letho.
I really like Geralt and his character, but I identify and sympathize more with Letho. Plus, I think he is more of a badass.

 

[harryagamez]

I'm not quiet sure if Geralt is the "best" Witcher or not. I mean, he is one of the best, but I think Vesemir is better than him in combat (and so other Witchers, like Letho).

And yeah, I think Letho is better witcher than Geralt

 

[Corylea.723]

Well, I always thought it was because he's probably the most humane of all Witchers. It's been said many times in the books that unlike other witchers, the mutations & dark magic used to create him didn't kill his feelings completely.

He's unique.

I think the witchers are all PRETENDING that the mutations kill their feelings. It's pretty clear to me that Vesemir is fond of Ciri and that Lambert, Eskel, and Coen are fond of one another. They're all embarrassed when Triss reveals that Ciri isn't performing as well as usual because she's got her period.

They have feelings; they just like to pretend that they don't when they're with people who look down on them.

Don't know about the books, but based on the two games, I prefer Letho.
I really like Geralt and his character, but I identify and sympathize more with Letho. Plus, I think he is more of a badass.

See, CDPR? I warned you! But you wouldn't listen.

 

[eskiMoe]

I think the witcher are all PRETENDING that the mutations kill their feelings. It's pretty clear to me that Vesemir is fond of Ciri and that Lambert, Eskel, and Coen are fond of one another. They're all embarrassed when Triss reveals that Ciri isn't performing as well as usual because she's got her period.

They have feelings; they just like to pretend that they don't when they're with people who look down on them.

A good point. I have to agree.

 

[KnightofPhoenix]

See, CDPR? I warned you! But you wouldn't listen.

Well I had the same opinion long before I saw that trailer.

I really like Geralt and seeing the Witcher world through his politically uninterested eyes, and experiencing the plight of the Witchers as pariahs through him. I also think he is intelligent, knowledgeable, wise and very sympathetic (and funny).

But Letho, unlike Geralt, is proactive. Unlike Geralt, he is not content with letting the Witchers die or be an after thought. Rather, he's adapting to the new world, whether one agrees with him or not. Plus he is cunning, manipulative and used his intelligence more proactively and creatively.

That's why I'd want TW3 to be the last Witcher game with Geralt as a protagonist, and instead have a new protagonist leaning towards Letho.

 

[eskiMoe]

That's why I'd want TW3 to be the last Witcher game with Geralt as a protagonist, and instead have a new protagonist leaning towards Letho.

A Witcher game without Geralt as a protagonist?

 

[Corylea.723]

That's why I'd want TW3 to be the last Witcher game with Geralt as a protagonist, and instead have a new protagonist leaning towards Letho.

CDPR made these games in the first place because they love the books so much. Geralt IS The Witcher; having some other witcher as the main character would be turning their backs on much that they love.

And most other games have very active protagonists; part of why The Witcher is different is because Geralt hates politics and wants to stay out of it. I realize that politics is a special love of yours, and there will be plenty of politics in the game. But Geralt will be drawn in reluctantly, because that's who he is.

 

[saesenthesis]

Besides,take a look at the Gothic series,switching protagonists turned out pretty bad for the game's creators,among other things.

 

[KnightofPhoenix]

CDPR made these games in the first place because they love the books so much. Geralt IS The Witcher; having some other witcher as the main character would be turning their backs on much that they love.

And most other games have very active protagonists; part of why The Witcher is different is because Geralt hates politics and wants to stay out of it. I realize that politics is a special love of yours, and there will be plenty of politics in the game. But Geralt will be drawn in reluctantly, because that's who he is.

And how much more can they talk about and show about the same character after 3 games? They will risk killing Geralt and making him uninteresting. Providing closure to a character is not turning back on everything they love. If anything, one needs to do that before they end up ruining the character by overusing him.

And I beg to differ, I have not played a single game, other than Alpha Protocol, that has a proactive protagonist that not only involves himself in politics, but directs and bends the course of events to his / her will. I have never played a Letho.

I know Geralt will never be involved in politics in the way I want and I would never want him to, because like you said, that's who he is. But I don't want to keep playing him over and over again. The Witcher universe has so much potential that I want to explore it via different eyes.

 

[gregski]

One of the things I enjoy mostly about The Witcher is Geralt's neutral stance on politics and many other things going on around him and how those politics and other things just don't give a damn about his stance and keep wrapping around him in some twisted way, involving him in the course of the action whether he likes it or not.

Like Tyler Durden once said: "Listen up, maggots. You are not special. You are not a beautiful or unique snowflake. You're the same decaying organic matter as everything else."

 

[username_2093396]

I think Geralt is probably considered the best Witcher because he's got good common sense. He knows what he's capable of, he prepares well for his jobs, and he doesn't take jobs that he doesn't like. Therefore he has survived for a long time and has a very high success record for the jobs that he has done.

On the other hand, from the first short story which mentioned some previous Witchers attempting to fight the Striga, it sounds like other Witchers didn't plan ahead and weren't as careful as Geralt. If Geralt is considered such an exception, then I assume that most Witchers are like the two from that short story.

Regarding Letho, I love him but I wouldn't want to play as him. I'd rather play as somebody like Geralt who has a conscience and doesn't kill innocent people. I can kind of look the other way and still like Letho despite knowing what he does, but it's different if I have to do it myself.

 

[Randomdrowner2015]

It states, both in books and games, that Geralt is said to be one of the best Witchers, but it is never stated why he is that. I know what he is capable of, but what exactly has made him the best?

Sorry if the answer is obvious, but I couldn't figure it out.

Not much to add besides what has already been said.

1. Extensive mutations
2. Special heritage (druid/sorceress mother)
3. In contact with his humanity (allows him to better understand others and himself)

 

[Aver]

that Geralt is said to be one of the best Witchers

I don't know if he is the best one because it can't be proven but spoiler from end of the books:

Spoiler

he killed probably the best wizard on the world and half of the castle full of mercenaries.

Definitely he is the most famous one because he finished a lot of hard contracts and few contracts for famous people. Also he is (in)famous because of some of controversial things that he did (massacre in Blaviken). He is also known for taking a very risky jobs turning Adda back into human (other witcher didn't want to take so much risk).

Also he is very charismatic. In books it's stated many times that people follow him even tho he didn't ask them to do so. Sometimes they don't even know why they follow him, but still they are ready to sacrifice their lives for his cause.

 

[Germanicanus]

What makes Geralt the Best Witcher?
The fact that he is the protagonist of the books.

Anyway, I think Aver's response nailed it: he is skilled, successful and on the top of that charismatic. He is fairly clever when it comes to tactics, as he knows how to fight against - and win - with almost every type of opponents. And if not, he learns quickly from mistakes, as shown with Vilgerfort. Although he is probably the best swordsman among witchers, he is not the most powerful - this title belongs to Ciri.

 

[KnightofPhoenix]

Some people said that Geralt in the books gets awfully close to being a Marty Sue and I didn't believe them. Now I see they might have a point...

In the games, Geralt is not really charismatic. He might be persuasive on a person to person level, but he does not demonstrate leadership qualities. And I didn't mind because it was part of who he was and I like flawed protagonists.