Critique of The Witcher 4's Controversial Trailer

[@xLetalis]

*Edit:* OK, apparently I've been mislead and the Polish voice for Ciri is different too. *My original comment:* If I had known how long this video would take me I would've wished you Merry Christmas in it :) But since I didn't - have a happy holiday season everyone!

[@SoranotRoxas]

And happy holidays to your family as well. This was a pretty good gift if I say so myself 👍

[@jeremiahkisimba5938]

Merry Christmas

[@kavxvm2028]

I was waiting for your opinion!

[@Darthbaldmouse]

I agree with you for the most part but I could see her doing the trial of grasses to get away from the elder blood, she hated it and stated it many times.

[@louisstanwu]

Happy holidays.

[@esdev92]

I think the reason Ciri seems more brutish and pissed off in the trailer is because of all the times xLetalis sold her in his videos.

[@justaquietpeacfuldance]

lol, I thought so too, but I rest my case...

[@xLetalis]

[@zizonesol]

@@xLetalis Not only that but in Netflix Witcher's Ballsack Nilfgaardian armor too!

[@NurnBiggers-]

What do you guys mean "he sold her" i don't really get it

[@BR-re7oz]

@@NurnBiggers- I think it's from Witcher 3 where u can choose whether or not to take Emhyr's 5,000 crowns in exchange for bringing Ciri to him. If you take it she gets pissed off, if you don't she's happy but you miss out on 5,000 crowns. Pretty sure xletalis is a staunch supporter of the selling her choice.

[@MrBlonde19]

My man got himself another 10 years of content

[@pervertfudge]

if witcher 4 good as 3. doubt it but let wait till comes.

[@leonvalentine3748]

Ya boy is a hustler

[@EJ_7715]

Not if the game bombs. Which is very possible.

[@MrBlonde19]

@@EJ_7715 idk i know lore wise ciri being witcher is not accurate but its a witcher game u gotta compromise i prefer her to creating ur own witcher and she doesn’t look bad in trailer so idk what people are mad about

[@EJ_7715]

@MrBlonde19 if the game is high quality people will get past it. If it's not the same quality people will point to this as an early sign

[@Aathreyasub]

We'll probably have a quest where ciri goes after you for selling her so many times

[@kaushalsuvarna5156]

That is the reason she decides to give up her elder blood and mutate

[@meganesenpai]

Yeah she'll go after a human trafficker name Talis or smth.

[@Evija3000]

They must reference xLetalis somewhere in the game :D

[@FraZzJ]

Real gamers Farm Gwent in Toussaint so they dont have to sell Ciri.

[@aaronfrantz25]

​@FraZzJ after ff7 and queens blood, I did that one only Gwent and called it a wrap 😂 had my fill of in-game cards this year, both excellent games in their own right

[@chriscolombie4135]

Finally the expert of cripple Kate’s , the researcher of lesbomancy, the two timing geralt master himself, the one who heard the most winds howling, the 2000 crown man will bless us with true xpert analysis

[@xLetalis]

[@SUPPLEGENIUS]

Lesbomancy LOL, and I thought musclemancy was pushing the boundaries of magic.

[@FraZzJ]

The man who found the final Witcher 3 secret and triggered the release of Witcher 4

[@kidnamedfinger2840]

We got witcher brainrot now

[@serson7139]

It's quite obvious why they changed the voice of Ciri. In some interviews CDPR said that they needed someone new who would be able to commit for an entire saga which can take over a decade to finish and someone who can take part in mocap sessions, as they will be much more heavily used than in pervious games. They said that the casting for Ciri took many months and they didn't take it lightly

[@bryan4yeah]

That does make sense, I just wish they had found someone with a more, refined/upper class sounding British accent similar to the original Ciri voice actor. Not because I think that's necessarily how she always should have sounded, but it's just jarring to go from cementing one voice to a character in your head to suddenly hearing a different voice and speaking style coming from the "same" character. On a side note, the main difference I see in her appearance is that she lost her model-esque facial structure (jawline, cheek bones, overall sharpness) and it's now a much more rounded look. Again, it would be fine if I wasn't already used to seeing her portrayed in the way she was in the witcher 3. I would have rather them made a new character than alter one we already know and love; I would feel like I'm in denial the whole game. A similar situation was when Ezio's face was changed in Assassin's creed revelations. The model they hired originally parted with them or something and they couldn't use his face anymore. And it made me like the game a lot less since it felt like I wasn't playing as Ezio, but I was supposed to pretend that I was.

[@crystalz-h1d]

I have unique opinion: I like her new voice and new look but don't like the fact we play as her.

[@HansWurst1569]

Nah bullshit, ciri already sounded 30+ years old

[@Foxtrox7616]

​@@HansWurst1569 did you skip past the 'actor who will want to voice 3 whole games'?

[@ericjensen6457]

You have a link where they said this?

[@jeangale6914]

Finally, the true expert arrives.

[@xLetalis]

eh

[@roz9315]

lol. I checked his channel after the trailer and was like “wtf? Where’s the reaction???”

[@TheDennys21]

The Grand Master has arrived!

[@Martin-nc7jg]

Expert :D

[@matejmatuska6700]

@@xLetalis not really ciri is by all acounds more free than gerald could ever be since he has his code and wont do rash decisions like going to camp of scoia tell and ending them as a contract or like ciri is wont meddle with politics which is the main thing if ciri gets nighted she will not ignore it like gerald she will use that to her advantage from books we wont get that much about ciri we know she is bisexual we know she relinquished magic but she is young and if she knows she needs power to save gerald or stop her prophecy she will use it and since gerald and yenefer forced her to either die or be with emperor in 2 out of 3 endings she has enough reasons to leave and try to stop the prophecy plus be a witcher and for 3rd its easy her to see arguing with gerald about mutations after training one day and storming of to find someone to mutate her and if she got her powers she can just teleport to zerikania or another universe and let the trial do its thing with mages and witchers we mainly need to take notice of ciri losing vesemir to see how much she wants to take his steps to take revenge on witches and maybe a new interdimensional catastrophy ciri was never defined as not dealing with big problems like recism also

[@nialloreilly702]

xLetalis!!! How will you sell Ciri when she's the playable character??!

[@xLetalis]

She's been looking at me so angrily for so long while I was making this video, I'm scared to sell her again.

[@witcherErland]

the question is now if xletails will sell geralt at the witcher 4 now , ciri already sold

[@barryallen821]

Who knows maybe there are ways to sell Ciri in witcher 4 aswell if you know what I mean

[@AnestNightroad]

@@xLetalis You sir! Are a proper bastard XD How could you sell Ciri anway!!

[@AhmadWahelsa]

@@barryallen821 🤨🤨

[@sane7527]

Ciri's voice actor Jo Wyatt is 50+ years old, she probably didnt want to commit to what could be a 10+ year saga, plus all the motion capture as well this time around

[@Dangerman-zg3ui]

54 years old, so even a 2027 game with a 2030 & 2033 sequels (IMV they're aiming for a Hitman style trilogy of releases) will take a toll a bit.

[@TakaChan569]

@@Dangerman-zg3ui And you think CDPR can pull of games that quick?

[@xLetalis]

Khadgar's voice actor has been going strong at age 73 in World of Warcraft! :)

[@Dangerman-zg3ui]

@@TakaChan569 As I said, a Hitman style trilogy of releases is probably the aim. No big technical overhual of the game, just make a solid technical, asset, fideility foundation that can have content quickly created from it than redoing everything for each game. It's what the World of Assassination trilogy and Total War Warhammer trilogy as well did (except WH3 got derailed massively by Hyenas).

[@matpl8769]

​@@TakaChan569 They are using external engine - UE5 - this time. And I think games are advancing much slower than they did in 2007-2015, so no need to build every new game from a scratch. 3 years may be a little optimistic, but possible.

[@bart9334]

From what Kalemba recently posted on twitter (the other side of the coin with words "days and nights pass but the blood remains the same") it might suggest that ciri went through trials specificaly to get rid of her destiny and the elder blood (the other indication of that is the fact that bauk that uses people fears as a weapon says to her that destiny cant be changed) as she has felt like it has always been a problem cuz of people trying to use her and the fact that basically she had been running away whole her life from her destiny. The words from the coin also imply that this idea of going through trial didnt work out the way she planned and she still has the same elder blood.

[@UnimportantAcc]

She was also sick of all the attention from males, so mixed in Uma blood to make her less attractive

[@sillylittlesheepjax6009]

@@UnimportantAcc ye she was so scared of males that she ends the book with one

[@robertoaltuve4145]

But how does she get to the conclusion that doing the trial of grasses would make her lose her powers and that despite all the adversities was worth it? Explaining it saying she just wanted to be a full fledged Witcher like geralt is way better even if still dumb. This explanation of wanting to lose her powers through the trial of grasses is super convenient. Mages in the books could sense the latent magic power of Eskel even if he did the trial, and there isn't anything that I remember that indicates that the trial of the grasses have such "anti magic" effects in your own body/soul

[@jemsityakubow5071]

@robertoaltuve4145 patience, no need to argue yet, I'm sure cdpr will provide a proper explanation, they've been planning on making saga about Ciri for 9 years now

[@UnimportantAcc]

@@sillylittlesheepjax6009 Don't worry we won't have any of that nonsense in our next Witcher game! Ciri will be able to choose whatever partner she likes so long as it's either a woman or an inbetweeney

[@Ramu-ho9ym]

Here we go again, time to sell ciri again and merry Christmas

[@xLetalis]

merry christmas :)

[@FraZzJ]

Ciri became a Witcher so she can sell Geralt and get revenge.

[@23DiJaNa23]

For the Bauk bit, the stress is at the start of the word (you said it perfectly). Honestly we scare children with it here (Bosnia), and it's supposed to be this scary forest creature that takes/eats people, supposedly, you only see their glowing eyes. We have a saying "Nije bauk" (literal translation would be "not bauk") which basically means: "It's not that scary". I always thought bauk=fear which makes sense with the trailer where it whispers things that she's scared of (at least I saw it that way). Merry Christmas xLetalis, you're awesome!!!

[@xLetalis]

Merry Christmas and thanks for the clarification!

[@smitegq]

Being born in Serbia but not a native Serbian speaker, I've never heard of Bauk. I asked around at my parents', but they don't know anything either. In fact, all I've learned is that "bauk" means "scary" or "unlucky" or something like that. And yes, your first pronunciation was really good. Marry Christmas for everyone! 😁

[@ЂорђеЦветковић-х3з]

Yes, the best way to explain the BAuk is to imagine it like a boggart from HP series (Serbian translation of Harry Potter 3 even calls it that)- monster that resides in dark places and makes people disappear. No one has ever seen it (and lived to tell the tale), so I guess its possible that it looks like this.

[@mrchambers31]

Wonder if our dear Merchant of mirrors Gaunter O’Dimm will return in some way?

[@xLetalis]

he has to

[@Fiveisrightout6502]

It would be funny if random background npcs sometimes were him in disguise like in hearts of stone. Nothing important, but a fun Easter egg

[@Mrm-7799]

I already saw some comments about making him a romanceable character in the Witcher 4.😂 I hope the Devs listen to them 😂

[@overlord580]

xLetalis will play O'Dimm.

[@whiteyoghurt]

I think the girl's expression you mentioned is pretty nice and well used. I liked it a lot, although I admit it looked worse when slowed and shown in detail. Anyway, the expression is a mixture of nervosity, surprise, desperation, etc...The eyes are so open because she was stressed and (subconsciously) tried to grasp the situation (Ciri's interruption) as fast as possible to be able to react to it. Like as if her brain was trying to zoom out to make a better picture of it. And her cheeks and mouth were so flat ("emotionless") because she was surrendered, ready to die and hadn't caught up on yet. It's a normal human expression.

[@Ivanus59]

Yes, she must have repeated those words to herself many times just to try and convince herself that it had to be done (cope mechanism) so she could generate courage for herself. She didn't want to die but she didn't think she had another choice so she was desperate, tired from days of knowing she will die soon, she just gave up hope and wanted to get it over with. :/

[@volibear7635]

Everyone missed the parallel between the young girl and Ciri, how both of them needed to sacrifice themselves in order to save people who didn't even treat them with kindness.

[@SWOTHDRA]

Bla bla bla

[@Gwynbleidd1217]

That doesn't make sense. They both have people who DO treat them with kindness and if they don't sacrifice themselves those they love will die. The young girl only dies, because the villagers turn into idiots for no reason and Ciri is too stupid to interfere.

[@zydrate5098]

Ciri saved the whole world, which includes Yen and Geralt, so idk what you're on about.

[@anearthian894]

I almost died of depression waiting for the damn video.

[@xLetalis]

I know how you feel :)

[@exhaustpipes]

18:00 Mioni is likely repeating what she's heard from the village elders, but she doesn't feel the truth of it. Her face is like that because she is petrified. And because of the contradiction, it's a layered performance.

[@NarTVipeR]

Yep, to me she looked scared and confused at that moment

[@hnysns]

My guess as to why she gave up her powers/actually mutated is the following: Her powers always caused trouble for herself and everyone around her. In the Witcher 3, as well as in the books, she is deeply troubled by this circumstance and sort of also starts hating herself, seeing herself as a burden to everyone. A life where she always had to be on the run, always scared for her life, people in power wanting to produce offspring with her to retain that blood line and never to be able to trust anyone besides her found family (Yen, Geralt, the witchers of Kaer Morhen etc)... She was always portrayed as a troubled and traumatized young girl and later woman. To be fair, I think it would be kind of unrealistic for her to embrace her elder blood after the Witcher 3 - despite saving everyone. And here's why: There is still potentially so many people in the world (or maybe even in different worlds) who'd still seek her powers for their own ends. We saw how using her powers ended in her getting tracked down rather fast. So I guess in order for her to actually find "peace" in this world, locking away/getting rid of that quality of hers would seem like a good way. But why is she going through the dangerous mutation? I think it would be a good opportunity to look into her psyche more. As I said: she always has been troubled, so maybe in her mind it would be best for her to either "go down together with her powers" or to become a full-fledged witcher. We don't know. This is solely my own guess. Plus, imo the loss of her elder blood qualities seem like a very good point when it comes to her story telling and development bc despite her disliking and struggling with her powers, the loss of them is still her losing a part of herself. Her dealing with that and seeing the world very differently for the first time in her life seems very intriguing for me, making her an even more complex character than she already is. As to how she went through the process and who helped her... Tbh this is something I am also a little concerned about. As we know, there has not been any new mutation in the last decades. The trial seemed to be tailored especially to young boys. Children. And Ciri is already a fully grown woman, so there would have to be a mage that posesses the knowledge of how mutagens and mutations work and who'd also be willing to actually go through with it on Ciri's behalf. I am excited to see how they will spin that plot into a good story without retcons and without awkward extra explanations.

[@slabbyfatback2272]

Peeps keep talking about her "powers"- Her main "power" is her blood, elder blood at that. Unless they cut out her heart during the trial, how could she lose them? As long as she has a heart, it will pump Elder blood. We'll find out hopefully sooner than later...

[@hnysns]

@@slabbyfatback2272 Since the Elder Blood is said to be basically a certain gene mutation in Ciri's blood line and the mutation process of the witchers is altering a human's DNA... it might be possible to "overwrite" the Lara Gene as well. Though if you're asking me whether or not that's ACTUALLY possible, I'd say that makes a great opportunity for the plot of the ongoing saga!

[@slabbyfatback2272]

@@hnysns Very good point, interesting!!

[@prodICYN]

@@slabbyfatback2272 While I think it's fine to doubt and have questions regarding the choices CDPR have made, the whole trilogy will serve as an explanation for that. CDPR may have initially failed with cyberpunk, but their stories, narratives and characters have always been A+, they haven't yet dropped the ball on that front. let them cook

[@filipkyselica8041]

How would anyone ever conclude that going through the Trial would affect her Elder Blood heritage? And not just "affect", but that it would very specifically erase it? Due to the rarity of the Elder Blood gene, nobody could have any reliable data on how or even if witcher mutagens would affect someone like Ciri (the closest thing that comes to mind is when the dryads gave Ciri the waters of Brokilon, which Geralt concluded are also mutagenic in nature and those didn't affect her at all). The Trial itself already has a 70% mortality rate and that's just under "normal" circumstances. Ciri's trial would be incredibly experimental (adult woman + Elder Blood) and unreliable in nature and thus even more dangerous. I cannot imagine either Geralt or Yennefer or Ciri to ever willingly roll these dice. I also cannot imagine someone, for example, going through the extreme trouble of kidnapping Ciri (and thus antagonizing Geralt, Eskel, Lambert, Yennefer, Triss, Regis, all of clan An Craite and potentially the Emperor of Nilfgaard) only to force her through an extremely experimental Trial to become a witcher. So I guess what I'm ultimately trying to say is: CD Projekt will have to pull out some SERIOUS explanations for this one. And I want to believe they can do it, but...just in case I'm already mentally steeling myself for an absolute shitstorm of Netflix Logic.

[@jemsityakubow5071]

11:45 most likely it is because she got tired of it. Almost all of witcher 3 shows that ciri hates her "fate" and wants to live normal life. So, I would assume she did the trial to try and get rid of her elder blood and her destiny and everyone in power trying to use her. The trailer also hints to it when the moster says "fate cannot be changed" Edit: why is everyone fixating on "normal" life. Who defines normal, especially in the world of witcher, why do people immediately think something like a 9 to 5 here. By normal, I meant, just as any rational person would too, is life where you decide your fate (which Ciri would CHOOSE to be a Witcher, and you would obviously know it if you paid any attention in Witcher 3 or in the books), it's not predetermined by the oracles and enforced by the people in power.

[@cal5365]

how is going through a potentially fatal and horrific mutagenic process and gaining another terrible set of powers/curses an attempt to live a "normal" life

[@XenohGG]

@@cal5365elder blood = great being Witcher blood = disgusting mutant

[@Jean-Poule_II]

@@cal5365 Well perhaps it's a ''more normal'' one as at least some other folks live that way, instead of being the only one in all the worlds/universes. I wouldn't expect her to go straight from world saving chosen one raised by witchers and sorceresses to housewife quite yet either if that makes sense.

[@jemsityakubow5071]

@cal5365 because what she WANTS to do is be a Witcher, she's one of the only people out there that wants to be a witcher, not forced to be. She literally grew up as a witcher, she's called a witcher many times in the books and in the games, hence it only makes sense for her to go that path. Her going through the trial is again MOST LIKELY her choice, seems very like her to achieve the life she wants or die in the process, instead of having to become someone's child bearer that will rule the world. Also, we don't know what exactly she went through, most likely a different version of the trial, with MUCH greater chance of success since it's more advanced times. Her eye color still being a mixture of green says that too, instead of the yellow fully cat eyes. Her trial was definitely not the same as most other witchers went through. Again, even the books establish the fact that it's very easy to make those trials, they say that yennefer and/or triss can figure it out on their own with the right equipment and materials, and yennefer literally does a variation of it in witcher 3 on avallakh. Sorcerers just don't need to make new witchers because the mosnters are less and less and the alive witchers live long.

[@cal5365]

@@jemsityakubow5071 pretty sure I remember her specifically stating she never wants to go through the trials of grass or be a wticher

[@SigmaTheWhiteFlame]

It's so horrible that they made Ciri a mutant. I could write an essay on it.

[@Ken_Jones]

Your essay is due in 24 hours! Merry Christmas btw

[@justaquietpeacefuldance]

@@Ken_Jones lol, Merry Christmas.

[@anearthian894]

My theories: 1) Old Geralt is going to replace Dandelion's job of narrating. 2) Avallach is the key to the next saga, most probably as a villain. (I don't get Eredin's last words, especially that he meant to tell that to Geralt as he expire...& He was confident about it) My hope is that Avallach is the villain and he managed to fk up the conjunction, that way more potential will open.

[@xLetalis]

I love Avallac'h, don't say that!

[@anearthian894]

​@@xLetalis Me too but gotta sacrifice him for greater good.

[@irishhercules9972]

My brother in mutations, I thought I was the only one praying for Avallac’h to be the new villain. I’ve thought for years that Eredin’s bad guy monologue ending how it did was too interesting to never follow up on.

[@warlordofbritannia]

@@xLetalis If he’s the villain, then they’re probably going for a more morally ambiguous antagonist than they did in W3.

[@clashnemesis3635]

Gaunter o dim will be the next antagonist

[@erdath87]

For me, it does feel as if CDPR settled on Ciri being a main protagonist ages ago, possibly even around 2016. Because even in Blood and Wine, if you talk to her during the followup of her Empress Ciri ending, she does say she feels she's not cut out for this and might just leave one day. So it does feel as if they left themselves just enough wiggle room in all endings to make them viable in W4, at least on a technical level. Also, back in 2019 IIRC, one of the Polish gaming outlets flat out annouced Ciri being a protagonist in W4... during the April Fool's day. Turns out the journalist behind this announcement knew that Ciri would be a protagonist for a while, he just decided to do some trolling.

[@ccdsah]

You're wrong Polish voice actress changed as well. There is a new voice actress for Polish dubbing - It used to be Anna Cieślak, and now it's Jagoda Jasnowska.

[@xLetalis]

Huh, I was mislead then, people were talking about on my Discord about how the Polish actress is the same.

[@davidjones8043]

And you’re a nitpicking prick so what

[@xrealy5700]

​@@xLetalisthat made me like the english version more

[@Even_N.D.]

Same for German and so on

[@kofukuuu8993]

I'm polish and i was so sure that the actress was the same, 'cuz Ciri sounds so simillar lol

[@volibear7635]

Ciri is already an established character, she's not exactly green. By the end of Witcher 3, she experiences more character growth than Geralt. I just don't understand how she's gonna get more character development, from the trailer she is still as rebellious as she's ever been.

[@watata1t]

Well remember how Geralt looked in the first trailers vs how he looked in the relase Edit: i meant lets not judge to early, maby Siris original voice actor just wasnt available in time for the awards show, mayby the tbe design will be tweaked based on the critisism

[@Jean-Poule_II]

Apparently I have heard the cinematic was rendered using in-game models and assets, but don't quote me on that

[@s8r4]

@@Jean-Poule_II And what leads you to believe that the first iteration of Geralt wasn't meant to be in the actual game aswell? It's not like these models are specifically made for the trailer, it's just a matter of the design changing over time.

[@xenoxes1]

Even better - look how different Geralt looked in game and in release trailer

[@MegaBakuMon]

my thoughts exactly

[@watata1t]

@@xenoxes1 well that was what i meant

[@cristianaraujo5858]

My main problem with the trailer is that i cannot find a good reason for why Ciri would ever put herself to the trial of grasses, just imagine ciri finally defeated the wild hunt and then dies in a horrible way trying to become a witcher(70% chance btw), CDPR better have some good answers to these questions, i hope its not some netflix witcher type of writing, Vesemir trying to turn Ciri into a witcher was like acid falling into my eyelids.

[@irishhercules9972]

Neon Knight had a good theory about her trying to change so she could rid herself of Elder Blood and the Curse as a possible reason

[@xLetalis]

I talk about that as well, yes

[@aang2976]

@@irishhercules9972 This is something i thought aswell about and is kinda the only thing that right now that i can think of that makes sense as for the reason for her to do the tiral

[@Fera-gr5mm]

I have seen suggestions that she wants to become intentionally infertile, but I think that is an overboard method.

[@anearthian894]

​@@aang2976 Could also be that she was put through it by Avallach😂 I mean someone, by kidnapping her or something as Xletalis said...but we shall see...

[@CelestialDraconis]

Honestly Ciri's decision to be a witcher seems simple. She has always hated her bloodline and the problems it brought (Vesemir died for it, she was always on the run from the Wild Hunt, etc). She has also always wanted to be witcher, even in the books. If subjecting oneself to the mutations sterilizes you, I can see why Ciri would go through with it. It'd literally be hitting two birds with one stone: She loses her elder blood powers _and_ she gets to be a real witcher. As for Geralt and her friends' disapproval of such a decision, you have to remember that at the heart of TW3, it was all about Geralt learning to let Ciri make her own decision, regardless of whether or not he approved, because she's a grown woman with her own convictions. If this is something she wants, I doubt anyone could stop her.

[@NatalieFirexx]

Her face expression at 18:53 actually makes sense to me because it’s the face of someone conflicted. She absolutely does not want to sacrifice herself, but she’s trying to convince herself she does because it’s what’s expected of her, as part of tradition and what is “morally right” (killing one to save a lot). To me she just looks like a scared naive girl in that shot doing what she’s told is right but doesn’t actually want to haha

[@KaiSerKater]

It was clear since the release of Blood and Wine, that there wouldn't be another Witcher Game with Gerald as protagonist. And as the witchers are a "dying race", there are few options. I think it would be as much difficult to establish one of the known living witchers as new protagonist, as it would be to establish a completely new character. Ciri is a good choice as protagonist and I like how she is displayed here. Older, rougher. Teen years gone, more terrors faced. But I hope too, there is a good explanation why and how she has become, what she is now. I could imagine, the voiceacting is a bit inspired by Hellblade. Regarding the face of the girl: I don't think, it looks unnatural. She already is in fear and gets suprised on top. All in all I understand, that people worry about their beloved game series, but there is still a lot of water flowing down the Pontar, until 4 released.

[@OhDearOhDear69]

I agree wholeheartedly

[@Дмитрий-с8е5ы]

Lol isnt it 3 4 years not 10

[@Demmon98]

And don't witchers age dramatically less? Even if its been 20 years since the trials, she shouldn't have aged that much. She was barely older than 20 in the 3rd game.

[@Diego-rt2ot]

I'm Polish, and the fact that Ciri will be in The Witcher 4 has actually been known for a long time. Already in 2017, a lot of Polish journalists were selling these leaks in podcasts and, as it turned out, the same people admitted that they had actually known about Ciri since at least 2018, one editorial office even gave it as news in prima arplis with the title of the game The Witcher 4. (the title The Witcher 4 was very unlikely, but the UV journalist claims that it was already known what the game would be called) I am a bit surprised that the rest of the world didn't take this information seriously

[@justaquietpeacfuldance]

I'm surprised that you're surprised that CDPR is surprised that we're surprised about their lewackie podejście do tematu :)

[@kaloryfer99999]

That's actually great news. It means they've been cooking the script for a long time, which should translate into a great story.

[@FM-rg7hn]

Problem Even if she loses her ancestral power, she is still Ciri, the daughter of an emperor. More like you can never immerse yourself in a normal witcher living her life, she will always remain Ciri, too famous and in the video she uses something witchers don't have. I'm afraid we'll play as a non witcher, stronger etc and still always have in her blood

[@justaquietpeacfuldance]

@ Everything's possible if you really really want it. right ladies?

[@fabijanbaric9816]

People will always find a way to be mad about something 😢 I'm just happy Witcher 4 is finally here.

[@Anomalyresearchlabs]

Only a few months after saying he had run out of Witcher 3 material

[@williamsteedman3717]

The King has spoken. But as for Ciri’s appearance in the trailer i think it’s hard to say much about it until we see the in-game Ciri. In the Killing Monsters trailer Gerald looks very different from Witcher 3 in-game Gerald. As does the Witcher 3 Gerald from the Witcher 1 and 2 version.

[@warlordofbritannia]

I didn’t mind anything from the trailer. It was thematically reminiscent of the “Lesser Evil” reveal trailer for the Witcher 3, but different in a Ciri-centric way. I like how her compassion is still weakened by a sense of naivete (she’s thinking about saving the girl and fighting the monster, her mind is far from the consequences of sending the girl back). That being said she’s also clearly more experienced and perhaps mildly traumatized by how times you’ve sold her-I mean, by traveling the Path. I think she looks great, as a Witcher as well in a more basic way. As for her voice, her English VA may be retired or semi-retired, as she’s had fewer roles in recent years. Nonetheless some of the lines sounded just like Jo Wyatt’s rendition (albeit older), so I’m not too worried that it will be a smooth transition. I’ve been playing CDPR games since Witcher 2 and they’ve yet to disappoint me. I’m not upset about having to deal with a canon ending; just think of this as a continuation of that ending rather than it being correct or definitive. As for her taking the Trials, I see it as completely in her character; she’s wanted to be Geralt before she even met him. Neon Knight went further and theorized that she specifically wanted to be free of the prophecy and Elder Blood shenanigans through the sterilization side-effect.

[@Mangs1337]

While Ciri is a great character, I’m not a fan of her as the main protagonist for the next Witcher game. To me, it feels like the developers are playing it safe instead of challenging themselves to create a brand-new, likeable protagonist. I was hoping for a fresh perspective-maybe a new recruit going through Witcher training, experiencing the world through their eyes, whether it’s set before or after Geralt’s story. By choosing an established character like Ciri, CD Projekt Red seems to be leaning on nostalgia and familiar imagery instead of taking the bold step of crafting a completely new story with a new lead. It makes me question their confidence in building another compelling Witcher game from scratch, and that’s a bit disappointing. I’d love to see them take the risk and prove they can deliver something fresh and innovative.

[@sillylittlesheepjax6009]

i mean it is clear they play it safe after cyberpunk failed launch, they prob were scared to risk it bec they didnt know if cyberpunk patches will ever get community to their side again

[@F8Code]

Good point, this lack of confidence is also well shown by the trailer, which in many ways is the copy-paste of the witcher 3 "killing monsters" trailer

[@FromMahakam]

The problem with that is, that the books and the witcher is literally about the characters rather than being a witcher. So starting a new saga, with a new person, would make less sense.

[@arshiaaghaei]

I get where you're coming from, but since Ciri is the main protag of the books, a possible trilogy with her as the protag makes sense.

[@arshiaaghaei]

@@F8Code In all fairness it could indicate 2 things. Vesimir once claimed that "back then monsters used to be bad, humans good, now it's complicated" or something similar, to which Geralt jokingly reminds him that it's always been complicated. Maybe this is a continuation of that point, as in nothing has changed yet, it's still the same. and 2. It could mean that Ciri's getting into the same mindset as Geralt was back in TW3. Because Witchers are supposed to be neutral, and both Geralt and Ciri do their own thing.

[@nevillejames1613]

IMO, the ability to travel to any world for the purpose of conquering entire realities is something that no group should have. forget the wild hunt, consider that greedy soulless groups exist in the multiverse, its possible many could have sensed Ciri when she stopped the white frost. She could have purged herself of those abilities somehow to prevent further intra-dimensional conflict, and also to keep herself safe from the next wild hunt. Without her abilities, which she used to live as a witcher, she likely wouldnt want to give up on the life-style SHE chose and was raised and trained to be, so over the span of a few years, she would have had to somehow resort to undergoing the trials or some variant of it to keep her livelihood and her choice of life. Likely she would have pieced together the trials with fragmented information, and taken the help of some others to form a variant which wouldnt kill her.

[@MarandaScreams]

I was also sad that Ciris original VA wasn’t chosen either and did some digging and apparently people are saying she hasn’t done voice work in years. So my guess is she could have possibly retired or just said no. I also was curious bc of the VA strike that is going on right now if that’s why she didn’t do it. I think it will still be okay though regardless it will just feel a bit different. I am so excited for what’s to come though. I always wanted the games to continue with Ciri so Im so hyped!

[@warlordofbritannia]

The only thing I remember her being in is The Old Republic, which is more of a continuing job than a new one (she’s been voicing the Imperial Agent since the start). According to IMDb she’s also had a recurring role in an animated kid’s show. Semi-retired might be more accurate.

[@GrievousReborn]

She was still the voice of the agent in the most recent Star Wars the Old Republic content

[@MarandaScreams]

ahhh interesting. Then idk. Still might not of wanted to do a big project or like I said could have been bc of the strike that’s going on right now. Or it very well may be CDPR just wanted to go with a different actress. Regardless ima miss the old Ciri voice 😩

[@MarandaScreams]

I do know if the dev company signs off on the contract for the AI agreement VAs can still do work though. But we don’t know if CDPR is doing that or not.

[@adamrousek2200]

I think it might have to do with motion and performance capture. Witcher 3 is all hand animated as far as I know and the old actress might be unfamiliar with it/doesn't want to do it. I am sure there's gonna be motion capture atleast for cutscenes and cinematic moments in IV. That's my theory atleast.

[@catherinekalyn]

Imo, the biggest problem with this trailer is the fact that the main character doesn't feel like Ciri at all. My first thought was "a female version of Geralt" and it's pretty bad. We could have a game with time and space travelling or even cpould choose the backstory for Ciri like in the Dragon Ade series and then proceed with the witcher transformation, but instead we got The Wircher 3: Female protagonist edition. :((

[@nessnake123]

Ciri went to Cyberpunk 2077 got some implants and now is a legit witcher.

[@Swedishmafia101MemeCorporation]

Inb4 she unveils her Mantis Blades

[@ransom--]

@Swedishmafia101MemeCorporation If Ciri transforms like Optimus Prime in the next trailer and they unveil that Witcher 4 is also actually Cyberpunk 2 then I will pre-order immediately.

[@Roundlay]

Simply having Ciri step into Geralt's role as a Witcher is so... boring. The thing that makes Ciri interesting is her dual nature, being both a royal heir with political responsibilities and a free spirit, drawn to the wilds. I really hope the game ends up letting players navigate this tension by letting them commit to one path at the expense of the other. E.g. the player embraces her political/royal side, focusing on court intrigue, diplomatic negotiations, urban mysteries, etc. You use words, influence, assassination, like a political thriller, with detective work and social maneuvering replacing monster contracts. Another player rejects the crown's burden entirely, choosing instead the more solitary, provincial, violent path of a traditional Witcher game, tracking beasts, mastering combat and signs, monster contracts, etc. This would honour both Ciri as a character and 3’s endings.

[@justaquietpeacefuldance]

as much as people care about Ciri and she deserves her own game, the overwhelming majority doesn't give a flying rat's ass about a female witcher. CDPR puts us in a weird spot with this one and it's gonna be a doozy.

[@liquidslow]

I really hope CDPR reviews their take on the new Ciri. Because as much as I love her being the new protagonist, what I'm seeing in this trailer doesn't feel like her at all. When players spend hundreds of hours bonding with a character the developer has to be fully aware that portraying her in a new game should be a smooth transition. I'm really astonished that they didn't take this point seriously. They changed her face, her voice (wtf?), even her body expression is different. No wonder how much controversy this is generating. Ok, this is just a cinematic trailer, not an in-game rendered scene, so I'll hold on to the hope that they'll remedy this, because right now frankly I'm disappointed.

[@yeano4870]

The trailer was done by a different studio and its is a cinematic trailer as well, so it makes sense Ciri looks way different. CDPR posted new Ciri artwork on Instagram and she looks more like her witcher 3 appearance. Because of this I doubt she’ll look like how she did in the cinematic trailer.

[@kaloryfer99999]

A huge white pill, thanks.

[@AhmadWahelsa]

Good information, i appreciate it, hoping for the best for CDPR and cook as good as Phantom Liberty

[@b_krasowicz]

It's not a NEW ARTWORK, it's a Christmas card

[@vorathiel12345]

Also they directly stated that trailer uses assets and models from the game.

[@N7MD-VV]

​@@vorathiel12345Means nothing. The game is far two years from the release at least. The Ciri in the trailer might be a beta version that will not not resemble her definitive appearence when the game will be finished.

[@dblundz]

I can see Eskel training new witchers. There's a off handed comment he makes about taking in new apprentices during the Uma trial. Though Eskel has similar thoughts that lambert and Geralt do.. about the Trials being lost a small comfort. Eskel does give off that "sense of duty" energy and the necessary evil that witchers are. Especially if at the end of witch 3 is another CoTS, having another flood of monsters coming "See, till now we had a great excuse not to take in apprentices. Seems we'll need to talk it over"

[@eamonnholland5343]

Considering what the devs have been saying on social media (insulting male fans), I don't have high hopes for the new Witcher games. It looks like another IP taken over by woke, which wears the IP like a skinsuit to push the message.

[@Johnspartan296]

"wOkE" isnt a real problem that normal people complain about. How have they been insulting male fans? What did they say?

[@eamonnholland5343]

@@Johnspartan296 It's hard to conjure up a beloved IP that hasn't been bought out and destroyed, by people who know nothing about it and/or actively hate it. They use those IPs like skinsuits to push the message (i.e. woke). If you don't know what woke is, you're betraying your bias and position, that you're still plugged into the system which is politicizing everything. This is why fans have become such ardent gatekeepers of the things they love, because they don't want the same thing to happen to the remaining pure IPs which have happened to so many others. Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who, DC, Marvel, the entire comics industry, the Witcher TV show, Rings of Power, the Halo TV show, Wheel of Time, Dune, etc.

[@justaquietpeacefuldance]

@@eamonnholland5343 don't worry about JohnSpartan, he's just looking to land a job at CDPR, running dmg control for those wokies over there.

[@alexredwood8955]

@@Johnspartan296 meanwhile DA failguard...

[@infjelphabasupporter8416]

28:03 I disagree that characters' personalities should depend on their sex. It's about writing great characters that *happen* to be male or female, not great "male/female characters". There's a difference. I've been playing the Witcher games since I was a teen and Geralt has always been, admittedly, a fantasy to me. He's strong, stoic, admired, quiet and unbothered by a lot of things but deeply devoted to those who matter to him. I'm a woman, and Geralt is still my "fantasy" (as in comfort persona). I found that part of the review to be somewhat feeding into the gender obsession and dissapointing.

[@helenlokisen8567]

Real. So many women have enjoyed Witcher 3 and never had difficulty relating to Geralt. The fact that so many men think playing Ciri will make it necessarily feel more different or that her story will have to go in specific ways because she's a woman... Wow, they really think we're a different species.

[@aburrido7036]

Being the best at your job, intimidating, stoic, devoted to your family, respected, and with a great love life? That's not the male fantasy, that's THE fantasy😂

[@AdrianD_52]

Hey buddy you’re gay

[@elphiedefyinggravity2344]

​@@AdrianD_52focus that energy on learning how to read, brother

[@mikafiv2213]

As a man I agree, I'm tired of stereotypical characters. As long as Ciri is a more mature version of the complex individual we got in the other games, I'm happy.

[@kubaswiton9030]

Actually, the Polish actress for Ciri also changed. When I first saw the trailer in Polish I thought that the actress is the same because the new VA's voice is really similar to the original one but more dark-ish and mature. And then I saw the interview with the game director where he confirms that Ciri's played by new actresses. So if she conviced me that she's the old VA, she got the job well done. Even for foreigners (non-Polish people) I think the Witcher is a better experience if it's played with Polish dub and with subtitles of said person national language. And the new actress is rather unknown in the industry (for example minor characters in the Witcher netflix series), so landing such a big role in a up and coming new trilogy of well respected video game franchise is such a blessing for her and her career. I wish Jagoda all the best

[@mortalwolf144]

merry Christmas everyone i was jolting for hours straight after seeing this trailer haven't been this excited in a loooooonnnng time

[@aang2976]

GRIFITHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[@arvathi]

One of the main issues i see in this is that we basically know nothing about the story, so we dont know why ciri is a witcher, so we dont know if any of the endings were made canon or if an event caused her to go down this path regardless of the endings in witcher 3. Her face and voice, while they are different, there could be many reasons, such as her face being different in gameplay and her voice actress deciding not to come back. Her magic being back will likely have a story reason and may have to do with her 'fate'. It's possible by ciri trying to overt her fate she ended up causing her magic to reappear, so to speak. In the end, we will have to wait and see with most of it.

[@Pioneer10-F]

Merry Christmas

[@xLetalis]

same to you!

[@CR-mm5mo]

Imagine if it turned out that Ciri had lost her Elder Blood powers because of the "White Frost" or Avallac'h, and to rid the witcher world of the monsters she and Avallac'h had brought into it due to the Conjunction of the Spheres, she asked Gaunter O'Dimm to transform her into a witcher.

[@GabrielaB-iw2zq]

*Gaunter theme music in the background*

[@richardhess6862]

I think Regis helped her through the Trial of the Grasses because he’s such a bro…

[@arcisas]

The Lynx medallion on the Polish version of CD Projekt's merch shop is called just that, "Lynx Medallion" despite all the other medallions being named "School of the (...) Medallion." This may suggest that there won't be any School of the Lynx, and the Lynx medallion is specifically for Ciri. She chose it for herself, and it doesn’t suggest that a School of the Lynx exists anywhere. She simply picked a medallion depicting an animal that combines elements of both a wolf and a cat. Another indication that this theory could be true is that in the latest Witcher book, Sapkowski introduces a character who is a witcher from the School of the Wolf, but he wears a Viper medallion. Additionally, an interesting fact is that the Lynx medallion will be available in April 2025. Why is that? What's significant about April 2025? Could we expect a major update around then? We'll see.

[@BigG2G]

1. they can probably justify Ciri becoming a witcher with all three endings based on destiny. We never actually saw Ciri die, she just left Geralt. So all 3 endings she is destined to become a witcher. 2. I would have preferred witcher 4 was a prequel with Vesemir 3. Ciri should have been a separate game, not witcher 4.

[@damned0wl]

Haha, I kind of feel the opposite on points 2 & 3... A prequel with Vesemir would be cool as it's own thing, but a game called "Witcher 4" should continue the story forward, which makes the most sense with Ciri. I suppose they could've just ditched the numbers entirely though, and given it a proper title :)

[@noone-qt5tq]

Literally been counting the days for this to drop

[@volkmeer]

Great video and great perspective. Three things to add: 1. In the books, Ciri is said to have been fed mushrooms at Kaer Morhen with some mutagenic properties. This was apparently something that young would-be witchers underwent before taking the Trial of the Grasses and could therefore have been a way of boosting their chances of surviving the Trial. 2. Before the fight with Eredin at the end of the Witcher 3, a second Conjunction of the Spheres happens. Monsters of all kinds fall from the sky, and one can surmise that this happened elsewhere in the world too. If a whole host of new monsters were added to the world, this means that witchers suddenly become more useful than they were before, which perhaps is another point of encouragement for the very principled and good-hearted Ciri to go down this path. 3. One sorceress in particular I can think of that would help Ciri become a witcher to try to gain influence over her is Philippa Eilhart. She's known to do literally anything to increase her personal power. I love your channel; keep up the good work!

[@xLetalis]

thank you

[@mmmm48j]

Phillipa, who tries for 4 books to get a hold of Ciri's time and space powers helps her to get rid of those powers so she can become a lowly witcher? I don't think so.

[@letrosti6291]

why would philippa want to make ciri a witcher when it is ciri's kid she really wants? Also ciri would be of much greater use as an emperess than a witcher to philippa

[@volkmeer]

@@mmmm48j if Philippa had to choose between never getting access to Ciri's Elder Blood powers, aka status quo, and having access to her as a witcher, keeping in mind the fact that regardless of whether Ciri chose to briefly become empress or not she still has a claim to the Nilfgaardian throne, I think Philippa would pick the latter

[@ransom--]

​@@mmmm48j Yeah, but Phillipa knows that if she helps her mutate she will have a larger part in the next trilogy and she wants that screen time... So... ;) (I agree with you)

[@cooperlittlehales6268]

I've heard some theories going around that the reason Ciri went through the trial of the grasses was to actually suppress the elder blood, basically trying to run from her destiny in a sense. That could lead to a good story about having to face your fate and accepting your life for what it is.

[@lewis-h6n]

Associating Ciri with cunning? Are you sure you’ve played this series?? She’s emotional & impulsive, that is not open to interpretation.

[@ellchicago]

Merry Christmas Leth and I hope you and your family have a health and happy holiday!

[@xLetalis]

thank you as always :) Same to you!

[@denizsoyke5077]

Developers also said Ciri is not as pragmatic as Geralt, I can't imagine her not trying to the best thing in every situation, We'll see how this affects the choice concept in Witcher games but I have my doubts.

[@raouf6351]

i think i read that Marcin Przybyłowicz (who i think needs no introduction here) is director of both sound and music for the witcher 4 so i feel like we're going to be fine in the music department (might have to double check it tho i read it in a comment and havent checked it for myself)

[@warlordofbritannia]

It’s not like just one person does the music anyways.

[@anearthian894]

Its not confirmed yet

[@damned0wl]

I hope so, though Piotr Adamczyk is also great

[@GabrielaB-iw2zq]

That's a great news!

[@AhmadWahelsa]

@@damned0wl Yeah, especially Gate K9 from Phantom Liberty, it could easily be Witcher combat soundtrack, he can keep the same notes and just remove the EDM part to replace with acoustic sounds

[@damned0wl]

I think that "why would Ciri become a witcher, when her Elder Blood powers are stronger?" is entirely the wrong question to ask. Ciri's Elder Blood caused most of the pain and suffering in her life, and more importantly - it was the reason she couldn't HAVE a life of her own, being constantly pursued by powerful people and forces. Her character motivation isn't to have the most optimal build in a video game. The teaser coin image from CDPR indicates that she can't actually get rid of it though, so that should be interesting for her to have to confront.

[@Bebop1811]

Witcher in polish translates to male witch. So her being called a witcher makes no sense

[@venix6473]

Not to forget that she lost Vesemir because of her being chased by the wild hunts and I think she doesn't want that to happen to Geralt, so I can see why she is trying to get rid of her power

[@FromMahakam]

@@Bebop1811 She is literally called a witcher by the author and multiple people in the books. In the Witcher 3 character info menu, the first sentence about Ciri, is literally calling her a witcher.

[@thepowerofwill2696]

No, you're obviously wrong. Ciri is Goku and all she ever wants is to become stronger. She has to neg diff everyone and everything else doesn't matter so her getting rid of her powers makes zero sense.

[@bernardvc5820]

that's indeed something that could play out over a trilogy as it where. Would also tie in nicely with the concept of fate and the fact that some of you indeed make yourself, but that some of it is thrust on you by blood and events.

[@spellandshield]

Forget about the Witcher; Rebel Wolves and Dawnwalker is where it is at. The people making that game were the true minds behind Witcher 3.

[@nickroberts8129]

This. Most people are just totally coping when it comes to Witcher 4. The game, at best, will be a massive letdown if not a complete atrocity. Hopefully Rebel Wolves can produce something better.

[@anderssn]

I'm a bit tired of people making assumptions based on the trailer alone, and nit-picking on the physical looks or sound of her voice. Of course its different what did you expect? So many are assuming that they've made one ending canon, but its perfectly plausible to fit what we see in the trailer with and of the endings, especially with a long time-gap. Have you forgotten that the games basically changed the ending of the books too by bringing Geralt and Yen back alive, yet we got awesome games? Don't jump to conclusions so quick.

[@xLetalis]

Yeah I bring up the fact that the witcher games are notorious for not properly following up previously established stuff

[@D3vZ1ZuLu]

I think people just want to live in their nostalgic fantasy and don't want to accept the inevitable. The notion that Geralt, who isn't even halfway through his life, or Ciri, who is in her mid-20's, would never have anything going on in their lives is very unlikely. There's also an epilogue in the books that suggests Geralt is still going around in 1373, 101 years after W3, slaying monsters.

[@Zireael-ro3yp]

@@D3vZ1ZuLu 'inevitable' what? This isn’t about nostalgia-it’s about preserving meaningful character arcs. Ciri’s story ended with choice and independence, not endless battles and forced mutations. People aren’t resisting change-they’re pushing back against shallow reinvention that ignores her growth and uniqueness

[@bw7601]

Of course they can come up with any reason, people don’t just want ‘plausible’, they want their choices in W3 to mean something. If Ciri just quits being empress it makes the ending retrospectively pointless

[@_beryl]

@anderssn Thank you.

[@mjameshenry]

I actually prefer this more mature version of Ciri, both in voice and the appearance. The Witcher 3 Ciri seemed a bit too dainty and childish to be a witcher. She didn’t seem like she had spent time traveling in bad weather, slogging through mud and sewage, or negotiating with shifty aldermen. That was fine in the context of TW3, but I don’t think it’s a good fit for TW4. This new Ciri seems like someone who is formidable because of her experience, not just because of her genetics.

[@xLetalis]

The initial idea for the ending where she became a Witcher in the Witcher 3 was that it wouldn't really work for her. So there is some sense to that

[@Yajeeb]

Great vid as always They will 100% reveal that she lost her powers because of the white frost. thats literally the ONLY reasonable/logical explanation that will make sense. Another thing is geralt would NEVER approve Ciri taking TTOG, so I'm curious as to what she did to even get him to let her take the trials.

[@Johnspartan296]

Why would he HAVE to let her do anything? Did you play The Witcher 3?

[@usonohoshi6165]

Yeah. The most important thing is their reason why she chose to mutate and use less of her actual powers. It's the one thing that baffles and concerns me. Because her being mostly full Witcher they might actually still TOO close to the Witcher 3 gameplay more than I like. Especially since we will be playing as Ciri. Someone who would have a far more different abilities as Geralt. I personally assumed that if she becomes playable. She would be more of a mix of Geralt's meelee style and Yennefer's magic style, they were her parents and mentors. With the foundation being that short time we played as her.

[@tomk8350]

I didn't even notice she no longer has those green eyes! Such a subtle detail that really was a striking detail about her appearance in The Witcher 3.

[@TheScavv]

I'm willing to hear their explanation for Ciri undergoing mutations and no longer having her elder blood powers, but it better be a good explanation.

[@SandyCheeks1896]

Exactly. I have faith in CDPR’s writers especially after phantom Liberty, but they better do their homework on Witcher lore and not give us some generic garbage about why she transformed.

[@dr_diddy]

@@SandyCheeks1896 She travelled back to camelot and got a special potion by merlin granting her mutations. 😭

[@SandyCheeks1896]

@@dr_diddy I mean I literally don’t know if you’re joking because it’s been a decade since I read the books, and those kind of shenanigans are kind of what she got up to in the books. The catriona plague of the games is actually the bubonic plague of our world that she picked up when a flea hopped from a rat onto her body when she was in our world lol.

[@darth_yoda]

About the voice it could something as simple as scheduling problems or that the OG VA didn't want to return. OR that she demaned to high a pay for it.

[@luke19etmp]

Most of the time is a commitment problem. Doing VA as a side character is very different to doing it as a protagonist. Being the game next gen they probably did some expression capture for the dialogue too. Basically a full time job for many years.

[@darth_yoda]

@@luke19etmp Yep

[@waalex11]

I kinda hate the new voice. It seems good, but incredibly generic in the standard exagerrated barbaric "badass" strong woman voice. Brutish & Viking-like seems to fit the description as well. It doesn't resemble TW3 Ciri's voice at all either, so the contrast is worse.

[@buehlerbilly]

It has nothing to do with how attractive she is, her entire facial structure is different. People's faces don't change that much between 18 and 30.

[@JasmonTP]

Plastic surgery ? 😊

[@mondseee]

Books aside, you can say that the main point of wither 3's story was ciri's character development so id also say that it is pretty established. However, they gave us a lot of room to develop geralt to our liking so im really excited about how theyll manage it this time.❤️

[@ZrodyApo]

Jo Wyatt (original Ciri VA) is 54 years old, if it isn't a scheduling issue I think it's safe to assume that she can't commit to a full trilogy of games in the upcoming years and CDPR probably needed someone younger for that time span.

[@zeb1296]

I made this same point in another reaction to the voice.

[@rot5043]

It's nice to hear your voice brother and finally they revealed the Witcher 4👌

[@xLetalis]

[@garethbarry3825]

Maybe she went through the trial of the grasses to mutate her genes specifically so as to get rid of the 'curse' of the elder blood? From her point of view, that's a trade she would probably make in a heartbeat.

[@sillylittlesheepjax6009]

crazy how so many fans still dont get it

[@Zireael-ro3yp]

So she’d risk dying in the Trials - just to maybe suppress powers she already learned to control by the end of Witcher 3?

[@justaquietpeacfuldance]

@@Zireael-ro3yp to become the witcher she know she can be 😂

[@TESMediaGroup]

@@Zireael-ro3yp Just because she controls something doesn't mean people will stop trying to exploit those powers.

[@Zireael-ro3yp]

@@TESMediaGroup sure, some interdimensional Thanos would enter the chat and start chasing her. And that's why she would decide to get rid of her powers instead of growing them. What an amazing writing!

[@silloe.ssantos]

I haven’t thought on the possibility of her being forced into the trial and know it becomes my favorite theory. Every time I think about it I always think “It doesn’t make sense. She’s way stronger than a Witcher. Why would she risk losing for powers for weak ones?”. Being forced by a mage, just like what happened to that Witcher from the school of cat trap under novigrad’s church, seems way better. She lost her powers but succeed on becoming a Witcher at the end and now she’s looking for revenge. Maybe…betrayed by…avalach?

[@atcera8714]

Dammit I'm gonna have a cane and a hunchback before xLetalis runs out of 'Witcher' content

[@nogoodhandlesavailable]

Ciri isn't a witcher. By lore it is not possible. The end

[@banishedprivateer]

The village was said to be Stromfold (in the North)

[@xLetalis]

North is quite ambiguous

[@JoaoVictor-rg5ix]

​@@xLetalis North from where? From Skellige? From the Northen Kingdowns? From Nilfgard?!?!?!?!?!

[@MeCrazy516]

isnt the awswer obvious to why she wants to be a witcher....to eliminate the risk of her being captured and forced to have a child that will be used to give insane power to that evil force. That destiny hanging over her is probably not something she is happy about....then the creature saying she cant change anything

[@sillylittlesheepjax6009]

it is but some fans are rly slow getting to this point or just dont understand/remember her character

[@kidJK96]

Yeah surprised only one Witcher KZbinr has talked about this: NeonKnight

[@MeCrazy516]

@@sillylittlesheepjax6009 its wild cause i havnt played any of the games myself, or read the books and figured this out pretty quick, but the moment i learned about the thing with the future potential child, plus being a witcher making someone sterile its basically 2+2

[@mikeg8564]

People on the internet really struggle to comprehend, women have their own agency, thoughts, and feelings, wants, and desires.

[@MeCrazy516]

@@mikeg8564 i dont even think this goes that far....its more like....kid very danger, make so cant have kid

[@lepersonnage371]

To me it seems like by making her a Witcher she feels just like a female copy of Geralt. She lost her uniqueness it seems like

[@franktothemax]

On the big stage my man finally delivers!! Been waiting for this video for far too long

[@WrottJackson]

Either way, her character is being retconned. The biggest part of her character, The Elder Blood, essentially the entire reason for the Witcher 3, is gone.

[@TESMediaGroup]

Why do you assume it's gone? The little tidbits of hints towards the story the developers have shared do not support that.

[@YoungB17akaLilFlyingFortress]

I like her new(ish) look and voice, seems fitting for a warrior

[@Blox117]

fitting for a twitter keyboard warrior

[@zhivik]

We still have no idea how the story goes, as a 6-minute trailer says nothing about how Ciri came down to the way she is. Those CDPR devs only mentioned in recent interviews that Ciri would be a "mutated source", that's all. So let's not pretend we _know_ what will be in the next game, we can only speculate at this point.

[@dr_diddy]

yh it's kinda pathetic how much hate/speculation this game is getting based on a 6 minute teaser, people out here complaining about plot threads in an unreleased game 😭 CDPR just released a very highly praised DLC and suddenly certain demographics think TW4 is trash

[@GabrielaB-iw2zq]

Yes. Neither of the trailers happened in Witcher games either.

[@Sweetzluf]

Tldr: last paragraph. Firstly, my hope for witcher 4 was originally that it would be a prequel, but I am still happy with Ciri, if they pull everything off :) Everyone completely forget that Ciri never wanted her powers or ''destiny'' to begin with. Everyone uses her and wants her. Not for HER, for her POWERS. She is hunted all throughout the book, especially from people who want to impregnate her because her ''destined'' child(or grandchild). All Ciri wanted to be, was like Geralt. She just wanted to be a witcher. She calls herself 'whitcheress' in the book, aswell as other characters calls her witcher aswell (Geralt included). Obviously without the mutations though. So I feel as of now the question is simply not ''why she wanted to do the trials'' but more ''how she did/survive the trials''. What I wrote here is from the books, obviously, which people often are referring to when to justify their distaste for Ciri becoming mutated. I am more worried for how she did the mutations to begin with. Hope CDPR have come up with a good explonation for that, and that we get to see it and not just dialogue exposition. We do know the last person to know the full trial (Vesemir) is dead, of the characters we know of. But I feel it is here, the school of the lynx comes into play. Also, for the people citing the book canon for why girls CAN'T be witchers; it is not stated in words that girls can't do the trial of the grasses. Only that it is focused around boys. They also have conveniently forgotten that the games already have added or changed stuff from the original canon, some examples being; Geralt is alive and kicking, as is Yen. School of the Viper, Bear and Manticore are game only. Regis is alive and kicking which can be mentioned together with in witcher 3, they added so that only Higher vampires, can kill their kin. I do hope the story is good in witcher 4. Sorry for the long text. My point is that wait until we learn how Ciri became a mutated witcher, before casting judgment. And no, Ciri becoming a mutated witcher does not 'break' the lore as the books never mentioned about girls becoming witchers is impossible, the books just didn't delve into that specific topic much.

[@revan5293]

Personally I thought it was gonna be Ciri with her powers but she’s just doing Witcher work.

[@dream_gamess_studio]

10:30 Honestly? I couldn’t care less. The entire story has shown a million reasons why having these powers is a curse. It’s a trap - you’re always being hunted, hiding, and running away from everyone. You can’t even be around the people you love because they’re constantly in danger. There has always been, and always will be, someone who sees Ciri as nothing more than a tool with immense power. At this point, I couldn’t care less about game mechanics or systems. After everything she went through, this outcome feels inevitable. For me personally, Ciri becoming a witcher is probably the most logical and satisfying thing that has ever happened in any game And the real problem? I don’t see one - at least not with the game. The issue lies with the players who are constantly looking for something to criticize, even when there’s nothing wrong. Why so much negativity? It’s baffling, especially when the loudest complainers are often the ones who haven’t even played the game. Take Asmongold, for example - what’s his playtime in The Witcher 3? Two hours? Fantastic. Clearly, he’s an expert with all the authority to comment on things he knows nothing about

[@SandyCheeks1896]

I do lament the loss of some of Ciri’s uniqueness and distinction from Geralt but I largely agree. Most of this is extremely loud grifting from people who don’t even understand TW3, Ciri or the books.

[@dr_diddy]

@@SandyCheeks1896 yh but we don't really know her real power outside of she went through the trial of the grasses. I would presume she still has some form of elder power, possibly nerfed for gameplay reasons. If she doesn't have any elder powers and is just a straight flexible geralt I can understand if people have issues of her uniqueness.

[@SandyCheeks1896]

@@dr_diddy I agree, we don’t even know she has lost these powers permanently. Regaining them might be an element of the plot through the saga.

[@D3vZ1ZuLu]

I agree, it sounds like an epic story setup. I also don't get the complaint that she isn't unique anymore and "just another witcher". She is a mage/witcher hybrid, the first witcher by choice, and the first female witcher. She is incredibly unique.

[@SandyCheeks1896]

@@D3vZ1ZuLu yeah but mages and witchers are common characters in these stories, and there are many of them. There was exactly one person with powers of time and space and that was ciri, so she was more unique with those powers than she was with a combo of Witcher/sorceress powers.

[@haer5339]

W polskiej wersji jezykowej aktorka podkłasdająca głos Ciri tez jest inna. In the Polish language version, the actress voicing Ciri is also different.

[@studioalik]

In the last update they changed the "bad" ending a little bit. Added a small swallow on one painting, sugesting she didn´t die.

[@xLetalis]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/r6qzfp-qec-HfNk :)

[@ranlope]

Polish voice actress changed too, its just very similar, previously it was Anna Cieślak, and now it will be/is Jagoda Jasnowska

[@IonkoGueorguiev]

This rendition is going to flow like a fish out of water if they decide to keep this ugly version. This trailer has already done a lot of damage.

[@rrhill1]

I did notice in the trailer something with her eyes. They arent the standard color witcher eyes from what i can see. The doblook to be green or some hints of green. Then when she drinks the potion. There is green that stands out. Then at the end. They still look to be slightly green. Maybe my old man eyes are deceiving me but thats what i think. Thank you for your awesome post amd opinion.

[@GabrielaB-iw2zq]

The logo becomes green in it's final form, with that shade of glow we know from Ciri's power in the Witcher 3.

[@alittlecreepywhenyou]

My theory is that the trial of the Grasses was only possible for Ciri by her seeking out the school of the Lynx in Kovir. I think her Elven Blood magic was probably stunted or muted by the 'trial of the grasses' process. But hmmm...although there is that coin teaser that CDPR released. Something about Blood remaining the same, or something. So perhaps her full powers evolve and gradually return. I'm just glad that potions, signs and decoctions are back on the menu. Oh, and she has magical spells now.

[@AhmadWahelsa]

I had a theory that it'd be like nordic God of war where Kratos unlocks his older skills as game progress, like Ciri, she starts as just normal Witcher but her elder blood is fighting against the mutations and we slowly unlock more powers as game progress

[@CoreyFart85]

Today everything is controversial. Even the least important stuff. And will be, as long as some jellybrains will think the world all the time should work exactly how they imagined it just because they want. Edit: to be clear - I'm not hating this video. Just trying to say to some people that we got one cinematic and still know sh*t for real. Give them and yourselves some time. Don't get paranoic. I'm gonna sound like a boomer, but that's the reality. Back in the years, things that were not obvious and contradictory at first glance aroused curiosity and the desire to find out what it might be about, but today it is suddenly a great tragedy and "controversy". Whole this swamp just to finally find out that devs prepared a nice explanation for us... So... As I just wrote above - give it time.

[@xLetalis]

Disregarding the endings of the Witcher 3 is quite important I'd say

[@CoreyFart85]

​@@xLetalis​​Well, I'm not saying its not, but still there's plenty of bullshit from "witcher fans" flying around. I didn't mean to argue with your video. Just got bored with all these "I was counting for something different" comments or making deep but pointless analyses with just quessing about games that are still in production through past few years. For me as a Player, the time for real critique and complains will begin not earlier than after the release because our knowledge is too poor right now I believe. I mean, let's get real, that's it. I don't see the point in basing everything on guesswork. I'm pretty sure they won't disregard their own work :)

[@Johnspartan296]

@@xLetalis What endings were disregarded?

[@MrHusky05]

I think Ciri gave up her powers because she never wanted them. We can see her complaining about not having the ability to choose because of her elder blood and as long as she has the elder blood noone will ever let her be or something along those line.

[@IzzalitAbyss]

Ciri sounds like she can't breathe through nose, she's eating chicken and her mouth is full.

[@thestonedwarf00012]

I'm really hoping CDPR gets it right with the game here. They'll definitely need to have plausible explanations as to why Ciri underwent Witcher mutations. But there's also a possibility that undergoing the trial to become a full-blown Witcher is a choice you make in-game, and you can just as well play the game without doing so, instead having Ciri's line of work being a Witcheress in name only, with her still being a member of the new school.

[@garethbarry3825]

I think her powers at the of TW3 need to be nerfed

[@lenasprototrap7281]

Bruh, that would be fantastic! had they given us a choice, though too much work to do it seems, not gonna happen alas, I'm not categorically against her becoming a real witcher with well executed explanation, but having a choice of being a witcher just by name as it used to be would be very nice.

[@lenasprototrap7281]

@garethbarry3825 yeah I think had they left that option, it'd hard to make gameplay wise and I don't mean like. Hard to implement part is more like 2 sides with prenerf and after would have a very different gameplay, and it's nearly impossible to make it in one game. At least that how it looks to me.

[@AhmadWahelsa]

Had a feeling that CDPR is taking inspirations from God of War with things like TW3 next gen camera, the chain (i know W1 trailer, but could be they actually implementing for real), and of course Elder Blood, maybe we'll start as normal Witcher but as game progresses we unlock powers much like Kratos in Nordic saga, and of course the Elder Blood abilities will have bar meter

[@sean_michael_kenny]

There are ever so slight differences in Geralt between Cinematics, and in game, so I'm gonna wait for gameplay footage before judging Ciri's looks. But yeah, she does look quite different. Sad that there's a new VA as well, but will give her the chance, definitely. Still cautiously optimistic.

[@ap4702]

This isn't CGI. This model was in engine meaning this could be the model we use

[@Iomtuu]

@@ap4702 There is no way in hell the game looks like this cinematic

[@damned0wl]

@@ap4702 it's the look they're aiming for, but the game has only just gone into full developement, I'm sure there will be tweaks and changes

[@dr_diddy]

@@Iomtuu 100%, the trailer was pre-rendered, so I doubt the game will look that good. Maybe for cutscenes where things are pre-baked etc.

[@Rivelon]

If you asked me for the last 10 years what game I'd like to play the most, it would be The Witcher 4. Now, when I look at it, I don't think I will play it.

[@Johnspartan296]

Why?

[@HydraneousHadokenPent-Striker]

Based on the little teaser of either a coin or medallion that CDPR released that says something along the lines of "the blood remains the same" it seems that the reason she underwent the trial was to try and stop the prophecy of her elder blood, but ultimately it failed or will fail. As I imagine undergoing the trial will weaken her for a time, but as the course of the game goes on that her elder blood power will return in full.

[@EskayRogue]

What is different with Ciri physically is that she is slightly bulkier, not a lot, but a little bit. This is for 2 reasons, her armour of course, but more prominently she has probably gained some muscle mass from the mutations and general witchering lifestyle.