The Witcher The Witcher IV - The Ciri Saga Begins

[Old Hans]

starting with the the Witcher 2, I expect the Witcher 4 to have a lot of half-baked systems lazily implemented

 

[Skinwalker]

It's clearly laughing at TW4 being set to become the next Failguard

Never gonna happen. It's gonna be a massive, raging success. Unfortunately.

They said the same about the last Ass Effect too, until it released.

And Dragqueen Age: Veilfart.

The difference is that Ciri is beloved and popular.

she was my least favorite part of the Witcher 3. Being forced to play those Ciri segments was a big STINKER

Return the blade. Complete the circle.

RELEASE. ME. FROM. THIS. PRISON!

 

[Green]

* Unlike with Geralt who was much more defined, Ciri is a charter who is "still proving herself". She is "so invested in anything she does". "Very determined, very passionate, very hungry to prove herself, she wants to prove herself in her own eyes, to herself. That's what makes this character super strong". There is no gray for her, always black and white. Ok, so expect the "brave, stunning, fierce" Ciri.

A preemptive "stupid bitch" is due. I hate her already.

 

[Quillon]

* Unlike with Geralt who was much more defined, Ciri is a charter who is "still proving herself". She is "so invested in anything she does". "Very determined, very passionate, very hungry to prove herself, she wants to prove herself in her own eyes, to herself. That's what makes this character super strong". There is no gray for her, always black and white. Ok, so expect the "brave, stunning, fierce" Ciri.

A preemptive "stupid bitch" is due. I hate her already.

"Unlike with Geralt who was much more defined..." then continues to define Ciri in detail lmao. Who are they kidding? They even made the customizable V more defined than Geralt and it sounds like Ciri will be even more so with the added nostalgia of paragon/renegade system, dope.

 

[Elttharion]

What about Glen Cook and Black Company?

Since you mentioned it, my feeling is the only good part in black company is the first book. Also, knowing that the guy was narrating his experience of Vietnam ruined much of the atmosphere for me.

It's quite possible that the problem is with my baggage as a reader. At this point I'm fed up with "subversion, morally grey, much intelligent, wow" style. Anyone can subvert, it's the easiest thing in the world. What's tough is to try, in good faith, to match Tolkien mastery of language, the richness of his pallete of chracters, and then use these to narrate a story dealing with the ethernal questions. How does that compare to "The world is shit and then we are betrayed and we die - look ma, I came up with a realistic grimdark plot".

I'd argue that at least The Books of the North (the first 3 The Black Company books) are well worth reading and should be an easy rec for any fantasy fan.

 

[PorkyThePaladin]

I'd argue that at least The Books of the North (the first 3 The Black Company books) are well worth reading and should be an easy rec for any fantasy fan.

Indeed. The proper progression is this: first 3 books of The Black Company > Malazan Book of the Fallen > learning about the 2 coolest bros ever: Icarium and Anomander Rake.

 

[Harthwain]

The Witcher 3 was the favorite game of many people, it will be an instant buy just to see Geralt and Ciri regardless of the quality.

It can still end up like Veilguard did.

"Unlike with Geralt who was much more defined..." then continues to define Ciri in detail lmao. Who are they kidding? They even made the customizable V more defined than Geralt and it sounds like Ciri will be even more so with the added nostalgia of paragon/renegade system, dope.

Cyberpunk2077 showed they can't handle player-created/blank slate characters and what that entails. That's why they went back to an established character.

 

[Quillon]

they can't handle player-created/blank slate characters

They can but they don't want to lose control/give more control to players in narrative. Since they are so in love with cinematic hollywood storytelling they should just remove dialogue and write their precious story then I can play it as an akshun gaym... win-win

After W3 the best course of action was a Witcher 4 with a custom witcher with Geralt and Ciri in the game as NPCs, pretty much everyone woulda been onboard...except half of codex. But they just can't let it go; they have agendas to fullfili, stories to shove down our throats.

 

[Donald Gordon Lord]

CDPR took Todd Howard's boast, "see that mountain, you can climb it," and added a tantalizing possibility that there might actually be something interesting on the mountain.

Dude, no. On the contrary, W3's world was utterly EMPTY and you could be sure that there would be fuck all on said mountain unless there was a map marker on it. Said map marker would mean that you will see some trashmobs there along with some generic loot, that's it.

Skellige map was atrocious. Sailing through fog on that slow boat, stopping to shoot cliff runners every 15 seconds for hours.

 

[dukeofwoodberry]

This guy is going to be bad. Anyone with any foresight can see the flop coming. The trailer was cringe

 

[AwesomeButton]

* Unlike with Geralt who was much more defined, Ciri is a charter who is "still proving herself". She is "so invested in anything she does". "Very determined, very passionate, very hungry to prove herself, she wants to prove herself in her own eyes, to herself. That's what makes this character super strong". There is no gray for her, always black and white. Ok, so expect the "brave, stunning, fierce" Ciri.

A preemptive "stupid bitch" is due. I hate her already.

"Unlike with Geralt who was much more defined..." then continues to define Ciri in detail lmao. Who are they kidding? They even made the customizable V more defined than Geralt and it sounds like Ciri will be even more so with the added nostalgia of paragon/renegade system, dope.

Lack of creative direction is a sure sign of wtf moments ahead for the players.

 

[lukaszek]

Skellige map was atrocious. Sailing through fog on that slow boat, stopping to shoot cliff runners every 15 seconds for hours.

you didnt like that morrowind experience?

 

[Ryzer]

CDPR took Todd Howard's boast, "see that mountain, you can climb it," and added a tantalizing possibility that there might actually be something interesting on the mountain.

Dude, no. On the contrary, W3's world was utterly EMPTY and you could be sure that there would be fuck all on said mountain unless there was a map marker on it. Said map marker would mean that you will see some trashmobs there along with some generic loot, that's it.

Skellige map was atrocious. Sailing through fog on that slow boat, stopping to shoot cliff runners every 15 seconds for hours.

Don't forget this monstrosity :

 

[Semiurge]

Millie Bobby Brown

Goes down

I think fans have every reason to expect post Geralt witcher game will be just like post Henry Cavill witcher show.

The witcher show was DIE crap about phat middle age negresses from day one.

What, how dare you?!

Yennefer

Triss

Keira Metz

Philippa Eilhart

Margarita Laux-Antille

Fringilla Vigo

 

[BruceVC]

This guy is going to be bad. Anyone with any foresight can see the flop coming. The trailer was cringe

You mean like all the Codex predictions that BG3 was going to be flop and shit game and "no one would play it ", you mean like that

BG3 gets released and most of the people who had been ranting and raving about BG3 for years ended up playing it

Saying all that I am not happy with how Geralt is no longer the main protagonist. The Witcher books is about Geralt who is understandably a very popular and iconic character

And the entire narrative is about his personal journey and the interactions with people and events

That doesnt mean I wont play W4, I will definitely give it a chance and I understand the CDPR argument about " this is a new narrative "

But why change something that works, I just keep thinking about the next 3 Witcher games as Ciri as the main character and it bothers me on certain levels and Im not incel or sexist

Here is an interview with CDPR about the reasons for this change and how it aligns with the broader Witcher narrative

https://za.ign.com/the-witcher-4/20...-with-ciri-over-continuing-with-geralt-as-pro

“It was always about her, starting from Saga when you read it in the books. She's an amazing, layered character. And of course, as a protagonist we said goodbye to Geralt previously. So this is a continuation. I guess for all of us it’s like she was meant to be. That was always her.”

" She's actually about to become the Witcher,” Kalemba explained. “She's about to actually form her own codex, but on her own terms. The way she actually deals with the monsters, the way she deals with quests, the adventures, it's her own unique way. And also I think that she gives more room to be able to tell different stories here and there. Of course, we want to give the opportunity for the player to explore more nuance because this is what we do. But she deserves that.”

" Both Mitręga and Kalemba acknowledged a potential backlash from some corners of the internet at Ciri’s role as protagonist in The Witcher 4, but both insisted Ciri was always going to be the game’s main character."

 

[Ryzer]

What are the odds they are going to put a token Black in the game even though it's in Scandinavia? So far there is no black people in Witcher.

 

[Semiurge]

What are the odds they are going to put a token Black in the game even though it's in Scandinavia? So far there is no black people in Witcher.

Odds are astronomical. Gargantuan. You (hopefully) remember the Hobbit films and how the camera repeatedly focused on the token blacks in the crowds of Lake Town. This time the forced representation will be even more egregious.

 

[Rieser]

What are the odds they are going to put a token Black in the game even though it's in Scandinavia? So far there is no black people in Witcher.

Odds are astronomical. Gargantuan.

So you're saying there won't be any blacks.

Edit: to the ratings - bigger odds = less likely, you donuts.

 

[DannyRope]

Let's hope CDPR avoid trite tropes and blatant pandering, although some signs such as creating a whole ass new witcher school does not bode well. The problem with female protagonists in videogames (and in movies, series...) is the, relatively modern, absurd notion that they have to represent all womankind instead of being, you know, just their own characters. Apparently, you can't have a flawed female protagonist without saying all women are flawed in the same way, which is moronic.

One of my favorite female protagonists, scratch that, one of my favorite protagonists, period, is Tawni Balfour the pirate queen from Heroes of Might and Magic IV who is a villain that does not get redeemed through the course of her campaign. Now in the era of reimagining classic villainesses as misunderstood heroines such a character has become even more rare.

Granted, Ciri is not that. As a codexer said before in this thread she is the classical virtuous knight but as a woman. That kind of character is easier to write, just needing some flaw here and there to make her human and interesting. It should be hard to mess up. All this is just story, of course, gameplay is another matter entirely.

 

[Lyric Suite]

Are the short stories part of the universe? Is there a reading order?

Yes and yes.

first you should read the stories from The Last Wish collection. Then from Sword of Destiny collection. And then it is time for the main 5 novel series, starting with Blood of Elves and ending with Lady of the Lake.

Alright. Only problem now is whether read the English or Italian.

I checked the Italian and apparently it's written by a wombyn. Hower, she is an academic with a specialty on slavic languages where as that David French guy looks like some kind of hipster i think i'm gonna go with the Italian.

 

[Storyfag]

Are the short stories part of the universe? Is there a reading order?

Yes and yes.

first you should read the stories from The Last Wish collection. Then from Sword of Destiny collection. And then it is time for the main 5 novel series, starting with Blood of Elves and ending with Lady of the Lake.

Alright. Only problem now is whether read the English or Italian.

I checked the Italian and apparently it's written by a wombyn. Hower, she is an academic with a specialty on slavic languages where as that (((David French))) guy looks like some kind of hipster i think i'm gonna go with the Italian.

This indeed appears to be a wise choice.

 

[Mortmal]

This guy is going to be bad. Anyone with any foresight can see the flop coming. The trailer was cringe

You mean like all the Codex predictions that BG3 was going to be flop and shit game and "no one would play it ", you mean like that

BG3 gets released and most of the people who had been ranting and raving about BG3 for years ended up playing it

Saying all that I am not happy with how Geralt is no longer the main protagonist. The Witcher books is about Geralt who is understandably a very popular and iconic character

And the entire narrative is about his personal journey and the interactions with people and events

That doesnt mean I wont play W4, I will definitely give it a chance and I understand the CDPR argument about " this is a new narrative "

But why change something that works, I just keep thinking about the next 3 Witcher games as Ciri as the main character and it bothers me on certain levels and Im not incel or sexist

Here is an interview with CDPR about the reasons for this change and how it aligns with the broader Witcher narrative

https://za.ign.com/the-witcher-4/20...-with-ciri-over-continuing-with-geralt-as-pro

“It was always about her, starting from Saga when you read it in the books. She's an amazing, layered character. And of course, as a protagonist we said goodbye to Geralt previously. So this is a continuation. I guess for all of us it’s like she was meant to be. That was always her.”

" She's actually about to become the Witcher,” Kalemba explained. “She's about to actually form her own codex, but on her own terms. The way she actually deals with the monsters, the way she deals with quests, the adventures, it's her own unique way. And also I think that she gives more room to be able to tell different stories here and there. Of course, we want to give the opportunity for the player to explore more nuance because this is what we do. But she deserves that.”

" Both Mitręga and Kalemba acknowledged a potential backlash from some corners of the internet at Ciri’s role as protagonist in The Witcher 4, but both insisted Ciri was always going to be the game’s main character."

Which Codex predictions? There are only 10 demented retards hating on BG3. They even went as far as organizing a Discord to downvote it here. Usually, when you go to such lengths and effort, it’s more like for organizing a pump and dump on some crypto meme coins and making lot of cash instead. That was some dedication for sure. But there were no predictions of it failing.

The design philosophy is completely different. Larian doesn’t force anything, doesn’t uglify women (check the actress supposed to be Ciri and rewatch the trailer), and lets everyone make the character they want. The game is never preachy either.

And then there’s the Witcher 4 writer for the lore who joined in 2023, is from Kotaku, and is in awe of Netflix’s Witcher. Do I need to tell more?

 

[dukeofwoodberry]

Forgotten realms is a shitty setting but it's basically an open sandbox for Larian to do what they want. The Witcher is not. It's an established lore and CDPR already seems like they're going to be disrespecting it and start making up their own shit. Ciri is not an interesting character, nor does she even make sense as a Witcher in the first place. She's way more powerful that any Witcher.

I never said the game would flop, I said it would be bad. My prediction is it will sell pretty well but it will be very divisive and CDPR will start losing a lot of goodwill and trust in their brand. Ciri is going to be another boring Mary Sue/girl boss. I don't really play games that have female protagonists so I'll keep skipping this one no matter what

 

[Elttharion]

Anyone who thinks this will be a Concord level flop is deluded. OTOH I doubt it will ever reach the same level of popularity (or number of sales for that matter) as the third game.

 

[Dark Souls II]

Every single polack male between 20-40 years old will preorder at least 3 different copies, and then you'll have the regular retards who will buy it and pretend it's good either a) to own the chuds, or b) because they are just retarded.

Cyberpunk 2077 is a popamole "press the button to advance cutscene" simulator, one that was borderline unplayable on release, and even on a prestigious forum like this one there's a whole lot of morons who purchased it, never refunded it, and stockholm syndromed themselves into enjoying it.

The Witcher IV will be a financial success. The West has fallen. It's over.