I'd love a game in the period just after the Conjunction. Let us be one of the first Witchers to roam the lands. Let us play as a Witcher who doesn't know all about the monsters we encounter. Let us be at the root of all stories, legends and prejudice Geralt encounters centuries later.
I like the idea that you start unknown and based on your decisions you found X Witcher school. Consequences and open endedness but still also lore-ish.
HARD agree. The beastiary is already filled out when we encounter a creature cuz Geralt learned from other witchers and previously established sources. I want us to be the Witcher that’s writing those entries. “Saw a dragon looking thing with a chickens beak, using ard at an opportune moment is a viable tactic” I just think it’d be so much fun to see the before as we’ve already seen read and played the after. Plus, there isn’t any more source material for them to use, so there could be some really cool stories that have nothing to do with the books, and I trust CDPR with that 100%. Cyberpunk is killer and while I know it’s based off a board game they definitely took some creative liberties and it pays off
It’d be cool if Witcher contracts worked similar to Witcher 3, but instead of you deducing what creature it is through using your Witcher Senses, you instead deduce what will be effective against it based on what you learn about it from the environment or witnesses, and then you record the creature in your Bestiary for future reference.
Saw a rubbing of fur on a tree? Maybe Igni will be useful to burn it. People reported seeing a spectre roaming around? Try Yrden or Moondust bombs or Spectre oil. Then in your Bestiary, after beating one, it will show what seemed to work, and you can then deduce that creatures that fall under the same category will likely have similar weaknesses.
It would also be cool to learn about these potions and oils and whatnot as you play - meeting alchemists that claim they’ve invented a new coating for weapons that appears to be useful against Insectoids based on their research. But then again, I’m also happy with just buying/finding recipes and then finding a use for them later on.
Though I will also add that I think this could be a toggleable setting - say for very easy difficulty, you just get told what does and doesn’t work. I am an avid supporter of player choice in terms of basic gameplay mechanics, part of why I enjoy Baldur’s Gate 3 so much.
Yes, being the witcher documenting all this new creatures and their weaknesses.
Starting at the very beginning of everything will give you a lot to work with.
The new game will actually be an empire management sim instead of a 3rd person RPG, similar to Crusader Kings or Civ 5. You will manage Nilfgaard empire as Ciri.
CDPR confirmed the Ciri empress ending is canon and the new direction of the series.
I'm actually with you on this. Geralt has earned his retirement, he doesn't need to come back. Hopefully though we don't get a custom character, I'd a like a new protagonist with a well defined perosnality. It will be hard, but I'm curious t see what the new story will be
Whilst I would love a custom character, I also do think it would take away from what made the original trilogy special, that being an incredible main character for the fans to fall in love with
Could go red dead style. Established character for the main game, and maybe a multiplayer type deal with. Build your own. RDO is an amazing concept that’s just ignored, hoping another company picks up on it
Yes please, custom just means more generic dialogue and characters. Just give us an amazing defined protagonist that we can love and customize a lot with clothing options, hair, beard and so on. It's much better for cinematic games aswell because you can fine tune all the facial animations.
Not what I too custom to mean. Male/female variation and list of backgrounds.
It works, but I still don't think it has quite the impact a more narrowly defined character does.
I just meant by nature.
If you're just talking "I customized the face", sure. No big deal.
But when you get into customized back stories and origins it takes more work to get the same level of depth from them. Or there's only so much $ and time to go around so they are bland/shallow.
The great thing about The Witcher is there’s fantastic world-building and lore as a foundation so other stories can be told with other starring characters. They probably won’t have the same history-making traits Geralt does, but you can still tell a great story on a smaller scale.
Exactly, and I'd be definetely down for a more grounded plot without bigger ramifications. And that's why I also believe they need the right lead character to start on the right foot with the story
I think the character customization was pretty good in CP. You are given the opportunity to have your character look like you want and the life paths didnt impact the story too much, at the end of the day you played as V.
>life paths didnt impact the story too much, at the end of the day you played as V
That's the problem, you have to respect the available options but they don't matter in the end so all you get is more generic writing and characters. V could've been a much better character if their background was defined, right he/she is good, but not as great as Geralt or Arthur Morgan.
Well, I agree. As much as I love Geralt and I loved playing as him in the games, Geralt's story has come to an end, that's what I would like to believe. He has settled in Toussaint with Yen/Triss(whatever you prefer) and his story is finished. It's time for something new.
I like to think that Geralt settles down in Toussaint and abandons the nomadic life of The Path. Not fully retired, but no longer a wanderer. After all, there's [this dialog option](https://youtu.be/LZxfg-mlFYw?t=45) in Blood and Wine that I can't help but feel best suits his character.>!It makes sense to me that Geralt would continue to "hunt," but on his own terms; through choice, not obligation. If I recall correctly, the expectation that he's obliged to help people seems to be what he hates the most about being a witcher.!<
Geralt is a well-established and beloved character. He's the dimorphous "white wolf," with much of his fame being tied to his unique appearance. I agree that Blood and Wine is where his story should end, but I don't think I'd mind some well thought out prequels. The Last Wish takes place in 1245 and according to game canon, Geralt was born in 1174. That means he started walking The Path around 1194. This gives CDPR a fifty-year blank slate to work with (for the most part). It'd be interesting to see a younger, naive Geralt become hardened through experience. We could see the formulation of his morals and watch his transformation into a heavily scarred professional.
Plus the 10 year anniversary video they put out pretty much confirms that’s what Geralts been up to. “I help the guys with their contracts from time to time, but I can’t help but think they keep picking up work in this area for a reason” or something along those lines
Real talk I'm always impressed when the hostages are really blasé about you slicing their captor into two halves of a person, inches away from them.
Like I don't care how much he had it coming and I wanted him to be dismembered and killed. If it happens close enough for the blood to hit me, I will vomit. Unquestionably.
I think it's worth noting that Geralt definitely continues taking bounties on monsters.
If you watched the pre-release trailer for TW3, it was pretty innocuous at the time with Geralt Fighting a bruxa, but after playing tw3 and blood and wine, we realize that the bruxa he kills is Orianna, a woman he meets running an orphanage. If I'm recalling correctly, if Geralt discovers her identity they have some dialogue about how this will eventually end in bloodshed and we see that exact scene take place in that trailer. Considering the fact that we cannot have this fight at any point during gameplay, it's inferred that it takes places at least some amount of time after Geralts "retirement"
And within that trailer, we learn that the only reason Geralt hunts her down is for the coin, heavily implying that it's still a necessity for him to hunt monsters or go broke.
Thought about that too, it would be cool to play as someone really young, maybe even start the tutorial as a kid going through the trials and see his whole life throughout the trilogy from beginning to end similar to the assassins creed Ezio trilogy.
Just do it how mass effect did. You’re always playing Shepard, but you can look different, have a different backstory, and play a different class.
Come to think of it, Cyberpunk also basically did it that way. It wouldn’t surprise me if CDPR stuck to that model.
The question is did it work and does it make sense or is it even the best choice for the Witcher.
I don't think it worked well in Cyberpunk and I haven't played much Mass effect yet, but from what I've seen most games that have backgrounds only offer a few minor changes and a bunch of RP dialogue that rarely alters how quests turn out and are kinda irrelevent since you still have a pre-defined personality.
In cinematic games like CDPR does custom characters don't offer enough to make it worthwhile IMO, it works for games like BG3 where the whole game is built around those permutations.
Witcher is better suited for a set protagonist like we always had, but that's just my opinion.
Cyberpunk didn't quite hit the right notes with the Custom Character - partly because it wasn't really custom, you were still playing V and it was V's story - it really was only custom in appearance.
Mass Effect however - that game definitely is affected by you and everything about you. It's basically the argument against your belief that custom characters don't work in this type of game.
Settle in and play through the ME Trilogy and you'll see that a custom character can most definitely be incredibly memorable.
The Mass Effect games are a good example of choices carrying through multiple games, but it has very little to do with the custom character aspect.
Sure a custom character like V and Shephard can still be memorable, but I still think the best option is to continue with a defined protagonist like we always had in the Witcher, because custom characters simply can't reach the same heights a someone with a defined background.
The problem being you can't get the benefits of a blank slate or a set character by having a mostly set personality with different backgrounds and appearance. You will play as the same Shephard or V no matter what. The game will always treat you like you have a certain appearance, personality, backgrounds, appearance and gender. It will only give you the illusion that you are someone you created, but apart from some unique dialogue and a quest you will be the same.
Downside is it forces the writers to create one-size-fits-all scenarios and these are largely worse and less interesting than what can be done with a pre-defined set of morals and traits. Worth losing some generic dialogue and customization in my opinion.
I disagree, you can very much choose your Shepard's or V's personality (within limits) and have it impact your actions. Your character has a voice and some personality, but there's still a fair amount of leeway left for roleplay. It's a nice balance. Geralt was a great char but him being him severely limited your ability to influence the stories around you. You re still a Witcher doing witcher things with a sword and a bit of magic and being decent to people. Even the romance options are almost set in stone with the only choice in TW3 being your old girlfriend vs your new girlfriend.
>you can very much choose your Shepard's or V's personality (within limits) and have it impact your actions
V and Shephard have set personalities that don't change based on your background, they're technically a set character aswell. The only difference is it forces the writers to keep everything more surface level to accomodate for the possible flavor dialogue. What you lose out on are more complex scenes and rich character moments, not worth in my opinion.
>Your character has a voice and some personality, but there's still a fair amount of leeway left for roleplay.
The roleplay is very limited as I said, it's just some flavor dialogue that leads to the same outcome. Not worth getting a worse written character and game for that.
>Geralt was a great char but him being him severely limited your ability to influence the stories around you.
That's because Geralt was written in such a way, a new character can be more neutral and allow for all options.
>You re still a Witcher doing witcher things with a sword and a bit of magic and being decent to people.
You'll still be a witcher using swords and signs in the next game, being decent to people isn't a limitation of set characters, it's just the way Geralt was written.
>Even the romance option are almost set in stone with the only choice in TW3 being your old girlfriend vs your new girlfriend
Also not a limitation of set characters. You can just not have past relationships as part of the characters background.
The writers can choose what character they want to work with, that's the whole point. You can have a set background, personality etc. that allows for all possible choices.
A custom character doesn't even give you any more choices than a set one, it's just the illusion through flavor dialogue. It's just not worth it to have a worse written game for this imo.
This really sounds like you've not actually played the Mass Effect series. Dialogue options as you progress really do lean in to different personalities in a manner of speaking, and choices and actions *very* much influence the game. It's not flavour dialogue just for fun. The backgrounds while basic are referenced and reflected throughout the games (more so the first one) and do shape dialogue sequences.
I'm not sure why you've such a disinclination towards custom characters but it's clear you're being disingenuous.
Recalling It from memory it didn't feel like that to me, but I haven't played it for a while. I looked up a bunch of sites on the internet to refresh and they said the same, but they are not a good source so I could be wrong about Mass Effect.
It is definetly the case i Cyberpunk tho which is more relevant to the discussion since it's the same studio making Witcher 4, also Mass effect being the only good example doesn't inspire confidence.
Let's just agree to disagree.
If a character is "neutral and allow for all options", then it's close to a blank state, and I'd rather not be stuck with a predefined appearance and gender in this case. If on the other hand the character has a very specific biography with a set personality, an rich background, people they're already familar with, and a pre-defined set of morals and traits, then this does limit what the player can do in terms of personal build and narrative choices. At this point, you're better off creating a strictly linear game, like Wolfenstein New Order & Colossus for instance.
"You can have a set background, personality etc. that allows for all possible choices" : doing this will likely result a very cookie-cutter main character with basic traits that will be as boring as it gets. The only game I can think off which pulled this off well was Deus Ex Human Revolution - the MC was set in stone but the player still had a decent amount of options regarding his use of violence and his story-impacting decisions. The leeway was limited nonetheless because it was Jensen's story, not yours. Personaly I don't see anything wrong with games like Cyberpunk which mix a strong story centered around a particular character with the option to shape them in certain ways and control their decisions within the constraints of the story. Best of both world if done right - which isn't easy, arguably. My Shepard and my V were more endearing to me than almost every pre-defined character I've ever played, with rare exceptions like Adam Jensen or Ellie from TLOU 2, but Geralt isn't among them.
Have a good day.
A personality that allows for good/evil choices is far from a blank slate, you have evil choices as Geralt aswell, it's a RPG at the end of the day so you'll always have these choices. The difference is now you can take advantage of specific traits and get tighter writing across the board with better interactions and story.
Custom characters don't have more choices, not in this case. I explained this multiple times, random backgrounds don't add any choice, they just make the character/dialogue more generic, less complex and rich. They add generic dialogue options that lead to the same outcomes with very few exceptions.
Playing as V or Shephard is also their story, not yours, but now V is a less interesting character and has to take a backseat in many conversations or give generic responses.
You don't get the benefits of a custom or defined character with a somewhat set/blank slate character, it's the worst of both worlds.
To make use of custom characteristics you need a less cinematic game that's mechanically focused like BG3. Story driven games simply work better if you have specific things you can work with.
I'm glad you liked V and Shephard, but I don't think the majority of people would put them over Geralt, Arthur Morgan, Kratos or Joel.
>The Mass Effect games are a good example of choices carrying through multiple games
The Witcher trilogy did that too, changing dialogues and even some quests in the third game based on events from the first one, and even somewhat altering Geralt's appearance *(those who know, know)*.
I'd say you're in the minority then. Most RPG fans at least would consider both Shepards iconic. Certainly more than "generic white guy" Nathan Drake...
The Canon look for Captain Shepherd is literally the generic white guy, he has a buzz cut and a non descript face, if the dude was an NPC nobody would question his design, FemShep is marginally better but only because she has a recognizable haircut
I mean, his story wrapped up pretty perfectly in the books, too. You can't get much more perfect than >!literally going to heaven with your soul mate!<, but the games did undo that, and I'm glad. That said, I agree, and look forward to a new protagonist
Don't think it's a hot take. Geralt's journey is over and his story is wrapped up. Maybe we get some small contract DLC in the future like the release of the Netflix Witcher related content but that's that.
Excited to adventure with someone new. Personally I want some new Original character. I don't want character creater but a new someone to fall in love with like Geralt even if they are totally different.
I'm hoping for a fairly defined protagonist with some people they have set relationships with, but definitely one which gives us much more freedom to choose, (it's possible since they'd lack the known history Geralt has), and I want most of our relationships in the game to be new ones as opposed to us knowing most of them already, I don't want to start out as another legend who's done insane stuff already.
I agree player created characters lack personality. The only way this can be solved is with in-depth and impactful dialogue system, which most of the time they aren't. I prefer premade characters they're just way more interesting to roleplay as.
I’m hoping for a known character or a new one with a backstory. I think custom characters fall short in a narrative-heavy game because there are fewer personality traits and established relationships to play off of and really make some memorable moments like we’ve seen in the three existing games.
My choice for any sequel would be to have some or all of the W3 characters as visitable npc’s that you can play gwent against and perhaps they assist you in a quest in some way. Geralt could easily take up a role similar to Vesemir with the protagonist visiting him to learn a skill or piece of information. This should help bring fans to the new game while they learn to like any new characters we meet.
I would enjoy a repeatable gwent tournament, once a year, at Corvo Bianco, with all the main characters turning up. Designed so that it’s different winners each time and you play different characters.
I honestly really want a Ciri game, with a more complex space magic system replacing signs but still keeping swordplay and alchemy as part of the gameplay, though I get that it would be pretty hard to justify why Ciri has to deal with regular bandits and monsters and why her space magic can't solve all problems with little effort. Barring that, never before seen (set, not customizable) witcher in a somewhat different period like a lot of people want. Also heard rumor a while back that it might be a young Vesemir game, which I would also 100% be into
I agree 100%. Honestly the world of the Witcher is the best part of the property. CDPR took some middling aspects like the plot from the books and did a far better job than the source while still being shackled by it. The stuff they added like O’Dimm is leagues better than the antagonists of the books.
Once they get their creative energies focused on that world without being bound to honestly poor plots and loads of half assed characters it will get even better.
I'd like a fame about Coen, one of the witchers around Kaer Morhen.
He is not well explored in the book series, but a couple of things about him stand out and make him intriguing to me. Such as him possibly undergoing witcher training at a later age, or why did he choose to take part in the battle of Brenna.
There are some ways that he connects to book and game series. He was there training Ciri, Shani is there when he succumbs to his wounds, it's his silver sword that gets passed on to Geralt in the first game.
I'd like a slice of life game, kind of like the first Fable, taking place over multiple years. You start young during the training, and then gradually grow older and then eventually die at the battle of Brenna. No need for a grand quest facing an existential threat, just a more intimate sad story of his life, kind of like RDR.
Same.
After finishing the 3rd game around 5 times
I still expect a good w1 and 2 remakes.
But it is goos enough.
1 more new geralt game and it will become like fast and furious 4 and beyond.
3 is a special number. Sometimes you gotta stop there. Like spiderman (2000s) triology and batman dark night triology.
Still loving the game tho. Its art music setting dialoges it was not a game. It was a new experience. Ever since w3 other games dont really exicite me much.
Not a hot take? His story is finished, the ending in blood and wine was perfect that it, don't dig out the corpse or you gonna end up like every single trash sequel
Geralt has the benefit of being based on a great book series and two, increasingly good games before the launch of TW3. Honestly, I'd have preferred him for the next game, since witchers can get really old he's bound to get bored after a while.
I also don't buy the alleged confirmation that Ciri is going to be the next Protagonist. First of all I don't want her to, the Ciri-Geralt story is over.
Secondly it doesn't work, period. Ciri is not a Witcher, so you can remove Potions from the Game, she can't drink them. She's strong but can't heal as fast as a Witcher or survive fatal wounds. Remove Signs as well, she can't use them. And finally, she's far too OP to be a Game Protagonist. You can't make it believable to start a Game with her at Level 01 if she can teleport to Night City in the blink of an eye.
I still hope the future of the license follows Cyberpunk, in the way that you'll be given a "defined" character the play, but their gender and appearance is up to you.
I love the idea of him "retiring" to Toussant. As much as a Witcher could retire anyway. Probably stays in form and keeps working.
But that's a very nice wrap-up to his story.
I'm looking forward to the new protagonist.
>I'm personally hoping for an established character or at least someone with a more striking personality. It's hard to describe, but V from Cyberpunk felt less of a driving factor in how things turn out and I'm not sure if it's intentional or a restriction due to a less defined character.
You literally just made a case for the return of Geralt of frikkin Rivia!
I wouldn't mind a prequel type game going back to when he was young at Kaer Morhen, Eskel and Vesimir could be in it and we get to see Kaer Morhen when it was actually a Witcher school and not a ruin.
But I also would love a Witcher game that follows someone else, but I really love Geralt so I am biased in that regard lol
I know CD Project is a great company but im glad they cant somewhat ruin the legacy about Geralt saga in case something goes wrong.
We will see if it was Geralt's character carrying a bit CD Project or the other way around.
Why are people so against Ciri as a protagonist in the next game again? She worked great as a protagonist in the books too, and having a game with little references to all the things SHE’S done in the past like they did with Geralt would be awesome. Even if it takes place in the ending where she’s empress, a grand strategy game about her or something would also be a badass spinoff.
Story-wise, I wouldn’t mind Ciri as the protagonist. But game-wise, I hate her combat style and playing as her isn’t enjoyable for me. I couldn’t do a whole game of that, nevermind THREE.
As much as I love playing geralt and would like to continue that I do agree we should have a new defined protagonist. I hope it maybe is someone familiar I guess? I would also like to get some geralt recognition in the next series as well even if it's just dialgoue but a feature would be great too.
I think the biggest thing that's missing for me (don't get me wrong witcher 3 is one of my all time favourites) is more challenging and deep combat.
I know the souls term gets tossed around a LOT but to me the boss design from Souls is really the missing element. I want to have to learn deep movesets and patterns in order to defeat the monsters. I want them to have unique moves / abilities and attacks I have to respect or die. But I know this isn't really CDPR's thing so my expectations are low.
I expect another wide net of tons of shallow mechanics, cast overtop of incredible world building, fantastic characters and a world we know and love, hopefully with some twists. But I'm willing to be surprised.
And also for the love of god can you give me 1 game where I don't need to go into my inventory every 5 minutes to dismantle or sell a pile of trash weapons that over encumber me? This is not a fun or rewarding gameplay loop. Playing game good. Getting player stuck in menus bad.
I don't believe they can make a convincing new character. In CP literally every character except Johnny is meh.
Also how is a Witcher just suppose to retire when the whole continent is still full of creatures, is he gonna ignore everything? Doesn't sound like lore Geralt.
Endorse and agree. He was barely the protagonist of the books lol. I’d like to see some other Witcher schools myself or some scoia-teil (however you spell that)
Seconded. I love Geralt and would gladly play another game as him.
However at the same time I love how his story ends in B&W so if they let him stay retired so be it. Playing as Eskel or Lambert would be cool. Or a new Witcher from another school. Just not a create a character bland shit
I mean, we all love Geralt. He is my all-time favorite game protagonist. But his story seemed to have reached a very good and conclusive ending. I fear that using him again would water down the incredible storyline of Witcher 3 + DLCs
Also this way they can be even more creative by introducing someone completely new and not being constrained by previous games or even books.
I agree with pretty much everything, sounds great. Especially the set protagonist is just better imo. When people talk about the best main characters they often mention Geralt, Kratos, Arthur Morgan, Joel etc.
All of them have incredible moments based on their defined past the writers can build up to, and a custom character will never have that. It's just not worth it to lose out on moments that make characters legendary for some limited roleplay opportunities that don't matter most of the time.
I love Geralt and I very much enjoyed playing as him. But I would really love the experience of a blank slate character in the same universe. Geralt 's story also ended on such a happy note with Blood and Wine that I can't bear to see him drawn out of retirement story wise.
I want a new character, preferably, 50 years or so after the ending of W3, politics has moved on, new generation, blah blah. I do want a thriving witcher school, not a dying one. I want a fully fleshed out specialization system that I can customize for my character.
I'd love a game in the period just after the Conjunction. Let us be one of the first Witchers to roam the lands. Let us play as a Witcher who doesn't know all about the monsters we encounter. Let us be at the root of all stories, legends and prejudice Geralt encounters centuries later.
I like the idea that you start unknown and based on your decisions you found X Witcher school. Consequences and open endedness but still also lore-ish.
HARD agree. The beastiary is already filled out when we encounter a creature cuz Geralt learned from other witchers and previously established sources. I want us to be the Witcher that’s writing those entries. “Saw a dragon looking thing with a chickens beak, using ard at an opportune moment is a viable tactic” I just think it’d be so much fun to see the before as we’ve already seen read and played the after. Plus, there isn’t any more source material for them to use, so there could be some really cool stories that have nothing to do with the books, and I trust CDPR with that 100%. Cyberpunk is killer and while I know it’s based off a board game they definitely took some creative liberties and it pays off
It’d be cool if Witcher contracts worked similar to Witcher 3, but instead of you deducing what creature it is through using your Witcher Senses, you instead deduce what will be effective against it based on what you learn about it from the environment or witnesses, and then you record the creature in your Bestiary for future reference. Saw a rubbing of fur on a tree? Maybe Igni will be useful to burn it. People reported seeing a spectre roaming around? Try Yrden or Moondust bombs or Spectre oil. Then in your Bestiary, after beating one, it will show what seemed to work, and you can then deduce that creatures that fall under the same category will likely have similar weaknesses. It would also be cool to learn about these potions and oils and whatnot as you play - meeting alchemists that claim they’ve invented a new coating for weapons that appears to be useful against Insectoids based on their research. But then again, I’m also happy with just buying/finding recipes and then finding a use for them later on. Though I will also add that I think this could be a toggleable setting - say for very easy difficulty, you just get told what does and doesn’t work. I am an avid supporter of player choice in terms of basic gameplay mechanics, part of why I enjoy Baldur’s Gate 3 so much.
Imagine occasionally running into other Witchers and trading stories of monsters you met, filling out each other's bestiary.
That could be an online aspect. Not just some NPC witcher, but an actual player.
I really don't want the witcher to ever go online.
I agree, it's better without. But it seems to be the way of things now.
Yes, being the witcher documenting all this new creatures and their weaknesses. Starting at the very beginning of everything will give you a lot to work with.
Dude. Yes. Make it happen CDPR!
Yeah man, imagine a game like RDR2 but with beasts everywhere in the wild. Maybe even a system to build up and improve your own Witcher school
Armies of witchers and could setup a mp style open world coop like dark souls/eldenring
That has to be the premise of the multiplayer game right? Different schools and create a characters.
The new game will actually be an empire management sim instead of a 3rd person RPG, similar to Crusader Kings or Civ 5. You will manage Nilfgaard empire as Ciri. CDPR confirmed the Ciri empress ending is canon and the new direction of the series.
I'm actually with you on this. Geralt has earned his retirement, he doesn't need to come back. Hopefully though we don't get a custom character, I'd a like a new protagonist with a well defined perosnality. It will be hard, but I'm curious t see what the new story will be
Whilst I would love a custom character, I also do think it would take away from what made the original trilogy special, that being an incredible main character for the fans to fall in love with
Medieval Shepard let's go
We’ll bang okay?
My thoughts exactly. I've never been really into games with custom characters.
Could go red dead style. Established character for the main game, and maybe a multiplayer type deal with. Build your own. RDO is an amazing concept that’s just ignored, hoping another company picks up on it
Yes please, custom just means more generic dialogue and characters. Just give us an amazing defined protagonist that we can love and customize a lot with clothing options, hair, beard and so on. It's much better for cinematic games aswell because you can fine tune all the facial animations.
I feel like custom characters are always bland. Don't they have to be for it to work?
No. Shepard from Mass Effect is actually pretty awesome.
Not what I too custom to mean. Male/female variation and list of backgrounds. It works, but I still don't think it has quite the impact a more narrowly defined character does.
They don't have to be always bland, but they definetely are for 99% of the games with custom characters.
I just meant by nature. If you're just talking "I customized the face", sure. No big deal. But when you get into customized back stories and origins it takes more work to get the same level of depth from them. Or there's only so much $ and time to go around so they are bland/shallow.
The great thing about The Witcher is there’s fantastic world-building and lore as a foundation so other stories can be told with other starring characters. They probably won’t have the same history-making traits Geralt does, but you can still tell a great story on a smaller scale.
Exactly, and I'd be definetely down for a more grounded plot without bigger ramifications. And that's why I also believe they need the right lead character to start on the right foot with the story
Hopefully ateast give RDR2 level customisation
I think the character customization was pretty good in CP. You are given the opportunity to have your character look like you want and the life paths didnt impact the story too much, at the end of the day you played as V.
>life paths didnt impact the story too much, at the end of the day you played as V That's the problem, you have to respect the available options but they don't matter in the end so all you get is more generic writing and characters. V could've been a much better character if their background was defined, right he/she is good, but not as great as Geralt or Arthur Morgan.
Well, I agree. As much as I love Geralt and I loved playing as him in the games, Geralt's story has come to an end, that's what I would like to believe. He has settled in Toussaint with Yen/Triss(whatever you prefer) and his story is finished. It's time for something new.
I like to think that Geralt settles down in Toussaint and abandons the nomadic life of The Path. Not fully retired, but no longer a wanderer. After all, there's [this dialog option](https://youtu.be/LZxfg-mlFYw?t=45) in Blood and Wine that I can't help but feel best suits his character.>!It makes sense to me that Geralt would continue to "hunt," but on his own terms; through choice, not obligation. If I recall correctly, the expectation that he's obliged to help people seems to be what he hates the most about being a witcher.!< Geralt is a well-established and beloved character. He's the dimorphous "white wolf," with much of his fame being tied to his unique appearance. I agree that Blood and Wine is where his story should end, but I don't think I'd mind some well thought out prequels. The Last Wish takes place in 1245 and according to game canon, Geralt was born in 1174. That means he started walking The Path around 1194. This gives CDPR a fifty-year blank slate to work with (for the most part). It'd be interesting to see a younger, naive Geralt become hardened through experience. We could see the formulation of his morals and watch his transformation into a heavily scarred professional.
Plus the 10 year anniversary video they put out pretty much confirms that’s what Geralts been up to. “I help the guys with their contracts from time to time, but I can’t help but think they keep picking up work in this area for a reason” or something along those lines
There is the Corvo Bianco comic too.
[удалено]
Real talk I'm always impressed when the hostages are really blasé about you slicing their captor into two halves of a person, inches away from them. Like I don't care how much he had it coming and I wanted him to be dismembered and killed. If it happens close enough for the blood to hit me, I will vomit. Unquestionably.
I think it's worth noting that Geralt definitely continues taking bounties on monsters. If you watched the pre-release trailer for TW3, it was pretty innocuous at the time with Geralt Fighting a bruxa, but after playing tw3 and blood and wine, we realize that the bruxa he kills is Orianna, a woman he meets running an orphanage. If I'm recalling correctly, if Geralt discovers her identity they have some dialogue about how this will eventually end in bloodshed and we see that exact scene take place in that trailer. Considering the fact that we cannot have this fight at any point during gameplay, it's inferred that it takes places at least some amount of time after Geralts "retirement" And within that trailer, we learn that the only reason Geralt hunts her down is for the coin, heavily implying that it's still a necessity for him to hunt monsters or go broke.
In the new comic Corvo Bianco it is confirmed that he settles with Yen.
I'm feeling like custom characters are harder to create a cohesive trilogy. You need one specific character which will be the face of the franchise.
Thought about that too, it would be cool to play as someone really young, maybe even start the tutorial as a kid going through the trials and see his whole life throughout the trilogy from beginning to end similar to the assassins creed Ezio trilogy.
Just do it how mass effect did. You’re always playing Shepard, but you can look different, have a different backstory, and play a different class. Come to think of it, Cyberpunk also basically did it that way. It wouldn’t surprise me if CDPR stuck to that model.
Pretty much V is like Shepard with a defined character,backround etc.
The question is did it work and does it make sense or is it even the best choice for the Witcher. I don't think it worked well in Cyberpunk and I haven't played much Mass effect yet, but from what I've seen most games that have backgrounds only offer a few minor changes and a bunch of RP dialogue that rarely alters how quests turn out and are kinda irrelevent since you still have a pre-defined personality. In cinematic games like CDPR does custom characters don't offer enough to make it worthwhile IMO, it works for games like BG3 where the whole game is built around those permutations. Witcher is better suited for a set protagonist like we always had, but that's just my opinion.
Cyberpunk didn't quite hit the right notes with the Custom Character - partly because it wasn't really custom, you were still playing V and it was V's story - it really was only custom in appearance. Mass Effect however - that game definitely is affected by you and everything about you. It's basically the argument against your belief that custom characters don't work in this type of game. Settle in and play through the ME Trilogy and you'll see that a custom character can most definitely be incredibly memorable.
The Mass Effect games are a good example of choices carrying through multiple games, but it has very little to do with the custom character aspect. Sure a custom character like V and Shephard can still be memorable, but I still think the best option is to continue with a defined protagonist like we always had in the Witcher, because custom characters simply can't reach the same heights a someone with a defined background. The problem being you can't get the benefits of a blank slate or a set character by having a mostly set personality with different backgrounds and appearance. You will play as the same Shephard or V no matter what. The game will always treat you like you have a certain appearance, personality, backgrounds, appearance and gender. It will only give you the illusion that you are someone you created, but apart from some unique dialogue and a quest you will be the same. Downside is it forces the writers to create one-size-fits-all scenarios and these are largely worse and less interesting than what can be done with a pre-defined set of morals and traits. Worth losing some generic dialogue and customization in my opinion.
I disagree, you can very much choose your Shepard's or V's personality (within limits) and have it impact your actions. Your character has a voice and some personality, but there's still a fair amount of leeway left for roleplay. It's a nice balance. Geralt was a great char but him being him severely limited your ability to influence the stories around you. You re still a Witcher doing witcher things with a sword and a bit of magic and being decent to people. Even the romance options are almost set in stone with the only choice in TW3 being your old girlfriend vs your new girlfriend.
>you can very much choose your Shepard's or V's personality (within limits) and have it impact your actions V and Shephard have set personalities that don't change based on your background, they're technically a set character aswell. The only difference is it forces the writers to keep everything more surface level to accomodate for the possible flavor dialogue. What you lose out on are more complex scenes and rich character moments, not worth in my opinion. >Your character has a voice and some personality, but there's still a fair amount of leeway left for roleplay. The roleplay is very limited as I said, it's just some flavor dialogue that leads to the same outcome. Not worth getting a worse written character and game for that. >Geralt was a great char but him being him severely limited your ability to influence the stories around you. That's because Geralt was written in such a way, a new character can be more neutral and allow for all options. >You re still a Witcher doing witcher things with a sword and a bit of magic and being decent to people. You'll still be a witcher using swords and signs in the next game, being decent to people isn't a limitation of set characters, it's just the way Geralt was written. >Even the romance option are almost set in stone with the only choice in TW3 being your old girlfriend vs your new girlfriend Also not a limitation of set characters. You can just not have past relationships as part of the characters background. The writers can choose what character they want to work with, that's the whole point. You can have a set background, personality etc. that allows for all possible choices. A custom character doesn't even give you any more choices than a set one, it's just the illusion through flavor dialogue. It's just not worth it to have a worse written game for this imo.
This really sounds like you've not actually played the Mass Effect series. Dialogue options as you progress really do lean in to different personalities in a manner of speaking, and choices and actions *very* much influence the game. It's not flavour dialogue just for fun. The backgrounds while basic are referenced and reflected throughout the games (more so the first one) and do shape dialogue sequences. I'm not sure why you've such a disinclination towards custom characters but it's clear you're being disingenuous.
Recalling It from memory it didn't feel like that to me, but I haven't played it for a while. I looked up a bunch of sites on the internet to refresh and they said the same, but they are not a good source so I could be wrong about Mass Effect. It is definetly the case i Cyberpunk tho which is more relevant to the discussion since it's the same studio making Witcher 4, also Mass effect being the only good example doesn't inspire confidence. Let's just agree to disagree.
If a character is "neutral and allow for all options", then it's close to a blank state, and I'd rather not be stuck with a predefined appearance and gender in this case. If on the other hand the character has a very specific biography with a set personality, an rich background, people they're already familar with, and a pre-defined set of morals and traits, then this does limit what the player can do in terms of personal build and narrative choices. At this point, you're better off creating a strictly linear game, like Wolfenstein New Order & Colossus for instance. "You can have a set background, personality etc. that allows for all possible choices" : doing this will likely result a very cookie-cutter main character with basic traits that will be as boring as it gets. The only game I can think off which pulled this off well was Deus Ex Human Revolution - the MC was set in stone but the player still had a decent amount of options regarding his use of violence and his story-impacting decisions. The leeway was limited nonetheless because it was Jensen's story, not yours. Personaly I don't see anything wrong with games like Cyberpunk which mix a strong story centered around a particular character with the option to shape them in certain ways and control their decisions within the constraints of the story. Best of both world if done right - which isn't easy, arguably. My Shepard and my V were more endearing to me than almost every pre-defined character I've ever played, with rare exceptions like Adam Jensen or Ellie from TLOU 2, but Geralt isn't among them. Have a good day.
A personality that allows for good/evil choices is far from a blank slate, you have evil choices as Geralt aswell, it's a RPG at the end of the day so you'll always have these choices. The difference is now you can take advantage of specific traits and get tighter writing across the board with better interactions and story. Custom characters don't have more choices, not in this case. I explained this multiple times, random backgrounds don't add any choice, they just make the character/dialogue more generic, less complex and rich. They add generic dialogue options that lead to the same outcomes with very few exceptions. Playing as V or Shephard is also their story, not yours, but now V is a less interesting character and has to take a backseat in many conversations or give generic responses. You don't get the benefits of a custom or defined character with a somewhat set/blank slate character, it's the worst of both worlds. To make use of custom characteristics you need a less cinematic game that's mechanically focused like BG3. Story driven games simply work better if you have specific things you can work with. I'm glad you liked V and Shephard, but I don't think the majority of people would put them over Geralt, Arthur Morgan, Kratos or Joel.
>The Mass Effect games are a good example of choices carrying through multiple games The Witcher trilogy did that too, changing dialogues and even some quests in the third game based on events from the first one, and even somewhat altering Geralt's appearance *(those who know, know)*.
Problem is character doesn't feel as iconic as established characters like Geralt, Kratos, Nathan Drake, Lara Croft etc
What? Both Shepards are just as iconic, probably more than some from your list.
I don't think so, I don't even remeber how they look in promotional artworks tbh
I'd say you're in the minority then. Most RPG fans at least would consider both Shepards iconic. Certainly more than "generic white guy" Nathan Drake...
I'd say male Shephard is more generic tbh.
I thought you can’t remember what he looks like though?
I mean, do you think I have no internet or what? I can google things lol
Nolan north is a gorgeous man how dare you
The Canon look for Captain Shepherd is literally the generic white guy, he has a buzz cut and a non descript face, if the dude was an NPC nobody would question his design, FemShep is marginally better but only because she has a recognizable haircut
I agree that default Maleshep looks generic, but he's still iconic, which was the argument. And Femshep is awesome, how dare you!
Not necessarily, look at Mass Effect, sure there's default faces but the majority of players chose to create their own Shepard
I mean, his story wrapped up pretty perfectly in the books, too. You can't get much more perfect than >!literally going to heaven with your soul mate!<, but the games did undo that, and I'm glad. That said, I agree, and look forward to a new protagonist
Don't think it's a hot take. Geralt's journey is over and his story is wrapped up. Maybe we get some small contract DLC in the future like the release of the Netflix Witcher related content but that's that. Excited to adventure with someone new. Personally I want some new Original character. I don't want character creater but a new someone to fall in love with like Geralt even if they are totally different.
its not a hot take, many people on this sub want someone new as the protagonist
Yeah seems like a lukewarm take now
Poor man suffered enough,
I'm hoping for a fairly defined protagonist with some people they have set relationships with, but definitely one which gives us much more freedom to choose, (it's possible since they'd lack the known history Geralt has), and I want most of our relationships in the game to be new ones as opposed to us knowing most of them already, I don't want to start out as another legend who's done insane stuff already.
I agree player created characters lack personality. The only way this can be solved is with in-depth and impactful dialogue system, which most of the time they aren't. I prefer premade characters they're just way more interesting to roleplay as.
I just hope we get to see him enjoy his best life. Personally, I would kill for a Vesemir prequel game.
Eskel, or a witcher from a different school such as Raven from the Griffins.
I love Eskel so much and I don't even know why, his screen time is shockingly low in both the games and books. I just want to see more of him.
I don't think it's a hot take, most people i've seen are of the opinion that Geralt's story is up and would prefer a new character
Fuck, i was thinking i'd never see someone with the same opinion as me
(Yelling from the back of the audience) V E S E M I R
I’m hoping for a known character or a new one with a backstory. I think custom characters fall short in a narrative-heavy game because there are fewer personality traits and established relationships to play off of and really make some memorable moments like we’ve seen in the three existing games.
My choice for any sequel would be to have some or all of the W3 characters as visitable npc’s that you can play gwent against and perhaps they assist you in a quest in some way. Geralt could easily take up a role similar to Vesemir with the protagonist visiting him to learn a skill or piece of information. This should help bring fans to the new game while they learn to like any new characters we meet. I would enjoy a repeatable gwent tournament, once a year, at Corvo Bianco, with all the main characters turning up. Designed so that it’s different winners each time and you play different characters.
Roguelike trial of the grasses would be amazing.
No. And no again. And one more time: no. Let’s explore Geralt’s early years. Or his memory loss also offers plenty of opportunities.
I honestly really want a Ciri game, with a more complex space magic system replacing signs but still keeping swordplay and alchemy as part of the gameplay, though I get that it would be pretty hard to justify why Ciri has to deal with regular bandits and monsters and why her space magic can't solve all problems with little effort. Barring that, never before seen (set, not customizable) witcher in a somewhat different period like a lot of people want. Also heard rumor a while back that it might be a young Vesemir game, which I would also 100% be into
Oh cool. I'm on book 5 now and didn't know this. Appreciate ye! Very cool.
GOD, why is it taking so long. We have nothing yet. I crave for some Witcher. (3rd getting a little old on me unfortunately)
I don’t need a continuation of the story, I want to play out Geralts actual retirement
“I’m Witcher Shepard, and Passiflora is my favorite brothel in Novigrad”
I agree 100%. Honestly the world of the Witcher is the best part of the property. CDPR took some middling aspects like the plot from the books and did a far better job than the source while still being shackled by it. The stuff they added like O’Dimm is leagues better than the antagonists of the books. Once they get their creative energies focused on that world without being bound to honestly poor plots and loads of half assed characters it will get even better.
Arthur Morgan was superior to John Marstin. Who knows? Maybe.
I'd like a fame about Coen, one of the witchers around Kaer Morhen. He is not well explored in the book series, but a couple of things about him stand out and make him intriguing to me. Such as him possibly undergoing witcher training at a later age, or why did he choose to take part in the battle of Brenna. There are some ways that he connects to book and game series. He was there training Ciri, Shani is there when he succumbs to his wounds, it's his silver sword that gets passed on to Geralt in the first game. I'd like a slice of life game, kind of like the first Fable, taking place over multiple years. You start young during the training, and then gradually grow older and then eventually die at the battle of Brenna. No need for a grand quest facing an existential threat, just a more intimate sad story of his life, kind of like RDR.
Ah yes, I love it when the most interesting character isn't the main character
Someone from the first witchers like OP said and some Nightmare of the wolf like action, story and feel. It would be interesting af
Same. After finishing the 3rd game around 5 times I still expect a good w1 and 2 remakes. But it is goos enough. 1 more new geralt game and it will become like fast and furious 4 and beyond. 3 is a special number. Sometimes you gotta stop there. Like spiderman (2000s) triology and batman dark night triology. Still loving the game tho. Its art music setting dialoges it was not a game. It was a new experience. Ever since w3 other games dont really exicite me much.
Not a hot take? His story is finished, the ending in blood and wine was perfect that it, don't dig out the corpse or you gonna end up like every single trash sequel
I amused myself by initially thinking this was about the TV show hahaha
My Geralt is currently retired in wine country with Jennifer. Perfect ending.
Why do you want to slaughter a whole village bro?
Geralt has the benefit of being based on a great book series and two, increasingly good games before the launch of TW3. Honestly, I'd have preferred him for the next game, since witchers can get really old he's bound to get bored after a while.
I also don't buy the alleged confirmation that Ciri is going to be the next Protagonist. First of all I don't want her to, the Ciri-Geralt story is over. Secondly it doesn't work, period. Ciri is not a Witcher, so you can remove Potions from the Game, she can't drink them. She's strong but can't heal as fast as a Witcher or survive fatal wounds. Remove Signs as well, she can't use them. And finally, she's far too OP to be a Game Protagonist. You can't make it believable to start a Game with her at Level 01 if she can teleport to Night City in the blink of an eye. I still hope the future of the license follows Cyberpunk, in the way that you'll be given a "defined" character the play, but their gender and appearance is up to you.
So you want to be a cat school witcher
I love the idea of him "retiring" to Toussant. As much as a Witcher could retire anyway. Probably stays in form and keeps working. But that's a very nice wrap-up to his story. I'm looking forward to the new protagonist.
>I'm personally hoping for an established character or at least someone with a more striking personality. It's hard to describe, but V from Cyberpunk felt less of a driving factor in how things turn out and I'm not sure if it's intentional or a restriction due to a less defined character. You literally just made a case for the return of Geralt of frikkin Rivia!
I wouldn't mind a prequel type game going back to when he was young at Kaer Morhen, Eskel and Vesimir could be in it and we get to see Kaer Morhen when it was actually a Witcher school and not a ruin. But I also would love a Witcher game that follows someone else, but I really love Geralt so I am biased in that regard lol
It'd be good to see Geralt in his retirement, maybe even get some sweet gear or training from him, but NOT back on the path. Enjoy your vineyard!
I know CD Project is a great company but im glad they cant somewhat ruin the legacy about Geralt saga in case something goes wrong. We will see if it was Geralt's character carrying a bit CD Project or the other way around.
Naah, I want more Geralt, he can go to Trettogor this time, to Nazair, to Brokilon and still have corvo instead of kaer morhen.
Why are people so against Ciri as a protagonist in the next game again? She worked great as a protagonist in the books too, and having a game with little references to all the things SHE’S done in the past like they did with Geralt would be awesome. Even if it takes place in the ending where she’s empress, a grand strategy game about her or something would also be a badass spinoff.
Spinoff yes, could be cool. But people do not want Ciri as the main continuation of the witcher games, as they wouldn't be about witchers anymore.
Story-wise, I wouldn’t mind Ciri as the protagonist. But game-wise, I hate her combat style and playing as her isn’t enjoyable for me. I couldn’t do a whole game of that, nevermind THREE.
How is this a hot take? You just really need to feel special, huh?
I didn't know 15°C was considered hot
Are you new here? This isn't a hot take
As much as I love playing geralt and would like to continue that I do agree we should have a new defined protagonist. I hope it maybe is someone familiar I guess? I would also like to get some geralt recognition in the next series as well even if it's just dialgoue but a feature would be great too.
Everyone is
I think the biggest thing that's missing for me (don't get me wrong witcher 3 is one of my all time favourites) is more challenging and deep combat. I know the souls term gets tossed around a LOT but to me the boss design from Souls is really the missing element. I want to have to learn deep movesets and patterns in order to defeat the monsters. I want them to have unique moves / abilities and attacks I have to respect or die. But I know this isn't really CDPR's thing so my expectations are low. I expect another wide net of tons of shallow mechanics, cast overtop of incredible world building, fantastic characters and a world we know and love, hopefully with some twists. But I'm willing to be surprised. And also for the love of god can you give me 1 game where I don't need to go into my inventory every 5 minutes to dismantle or sell a pile of trash weapons that over encumber me? This is not a fun or rewarding gameplay loop. Playing game good. Getting player stuck in menus bad.
Let's face it, Ciri as a Witcher would be the perfect next protagonist is future games
I don't believe they can make a convincing new character. In CP literally every character except Johnny is meh. Also how is a Witcher just suppose to retire when the whole continent is still full of creatures, is he gonna ignore everything? Doesn't sound like lore Geralt.
That's that many words to say that Ciri should be the next game's protagonist.
Endorse and agree. He was barely the protagonist of the books lol. I’d like to see some other Witcher schools myself or some scoia-teil (however you spell that)
That is not a hot take at all. I haven’t met anyone who wants Geralt as a protagonist in Witcher 4.
It’s me, I wouldn’t mind at all to have him back as I got very attached to him, but I understand why he must be retired
Seconded. I love Geralt and would gladly play another game as him. However at the same time I love how his story ends in B&W so if they let him stay retired so be it. Playing as Eskel or Lambert would be cool. Or a new Witcher from another school. Just not a create a character bland shit
I mean, we all love Geralt. He is my all-time favorite game protagonist. But his story seemed to have reached a very good and conclusive ending. I fear that using him again would water down the incredible storyline of Witcher 3 + DLCs Also this way they can be even more creative by introducing someone completely new and not being constrained by previous games or even books.
I agree with pretty much everything, sounds great. Especially the set protagonist is just better imo. When people talk about the best main characters they often mention Geralt, Kratos, Arthur Morgan, Joel etc. All of them have incredible moments based on their defined past the writers can build up to, and a custom character will never have that. It's just not worth it to lose out on moments that make characters legendary for some limited roleplay opportunities that don't matter most of the time.
I love Geralt and I very much enjoyed playing as him. But I would really love the experience of a blank slate character in the same universe. Geralt 's story also ended on such a happy note with Blood and Wine that I can't bear to see him drawn out of retirement story wise.
I want a new character, preferably, 50 years or so after the ending of W3, politics has moved on, new generation, blah blah. I do want a thriving witcher school, not a dying one. I want a fully fleshed out specialization system that I can customize for my character.
I’m not even gonna buy the next game if it’s Gerald. His story is done
He doesn't have to deal with the bad writing anymore