THE WITCHER ranked by a Polish fan 🐺 | books vs games vs tv show

[@valliyarnl]

Hi all! Thank you for watching this video, I think it's the one I am most proud of so far? (don't want to fully commit to that yet tho) There are still 2 things I'd like to touch upon: 1. At the end I say that I recommend having the proper expectations when starting the books, but didn't really define what I meant by that. Luckily for you, @cronkthebookguy has a video introducing The Witcher! There are a few things he gets not quite right, but overall he does a good job explaining the difference between the what people think this series is, and what it ACTUALLY is. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hoDVnKNmg7elp8U 2. Also, there is an AMAZING 5 episode series of videos by @alienplatypus1596 that go through all different aspects of the Netflix series. Again, I don't agree with 100%, but perhaps with 99%. They really touched upon everything and did so much research. I can't praise these highly enough. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fGq1aWh_rLRnbJI 3. A commenter reminded me of how important culture is when adapting a work that it is based on. Central European and Slavic cultures are an integral part of the Witcher that just were not captured at all in the Netflix adaptation. BUT! A team of fans from the Czech Republic called The Witcher Stories have been creating video original vignettes set in the Witcher world and they have so much heart and soul poured into them. Hiiiighly recommend checking them out: www.youtube.com/@TheWitcherStoriesCZ 4. Importance of translating the Witcher correctly: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fanKZnyEn7OiptE Happy watching!

[@ezioarka]

Why is Season of Storms and Thronebreaker missing?

[@valliyarnl]

@@ezioarka runtime but also explained at end of video!

[@aleksanderzaremba9695]

What's your take about polish show with Żebrowski? Excluding movie.

[@valliyarnl]

@@aleksanderzaremba9695 it was my childhood but that was a case of lack of adequate technology and perhaps being too faithful to the books. That being said, one of the most embarrassing moments of my life, was almost *walking into* Żebrowski in a cafeteria and saying “oooo Geralt, jestem pana fanem” (I’m your fan) as I jumped away 💀

[@AlexisTheDragon]

The tv show fucking sucks, I hated it from ep 1. Such an omega let down from the godly witcher games, even 1 is better, tbh a lot better and beautiful than the games, I don't care if it's dated, it's what drew me in, they made it when they had no money, and it's got some flaws, but it's soul shines through. And tbh, whilst I like the books, the games blasted the books too.

[@kingmarsden]

wind's howling

[@valliyarnl]

looks like rain

[@Gloriousgaming0047]

@@valliyarnl a storm dammit!

[@sgokul8175]

Hmm, Medallion's humming

[@fox-x]

@@sgokul8175 place of power, it's gotta be

[@Reedg333]

might wanna look around some

[@resting.potato]

There's no Netflix Witcher TV show. There's just Henry Cavill cosplaying

[@caliginousmoira8565]

cosplaying very well...... aren't all actors just cosplaying though?

[@minislayer3241]

*WAS just cosplaying

[@jjforeverandever8450]

Medallion's humming. Place of power. It's gotta be!

[@peterhuang780]

The 2 DLCs (especially HoS) for Witcher 3 might be some of the best writings I have ever experienced in video games. And the conclusion to certain characters we have grown so attached to and in love with for decades at the end of Blood and Wine is immensely satisfying. Every time I look back at that B&W final quest, I'm just sobbing saying "they deserve to live happily ever after😭".

[@valliyarnl]

The fact you can’t get a happy ending where everyone survives and is happy breaks my heart every time 😭😭 but it’s part of the magic and cynicism of the world

[@JesusGarcia-ub2wt]

@@valliyarnl What are you guys talking about? There is way to get a happily ever after at the end of B&W If you get the ribbon from the girl, Dettloff won't kill Sienna, after that there is a dialogue with her were you can prevent her from killing her sister.

[@valliyarnl]

@@JesusGarcia-ub2wt I wanted Dettlaf to live too 😭😭😭

[@heiker1351]

​@valliyarnl I stopped playing because I spoilered myself and can't convince myself to kill him. 😂

[@abheetgupta]

I agree. Terrific writing, impactful arcs, and once in a lifetime kind of characters. Only other story that has resonated with me as much is God of War Norse Saga.

[@littleantoinette9621]

- Kupiec korzenny, Emhyr var Emreis - Kupiec? - Korzenny.

[@annatar9365]

Vernon Roche, Piękny Książę Błękitnej Krwi, Dziedzic Temerii

[@valliyarnl]

@@annatar9365 @littleantoinette9621 najlepsze komentarze 😂

[@fidif98]

Wiernie cytując: słuchaj się, kurwa, we wszystkim Roche'a, bo to patriota, chociaż chuj.

[@michadabrowski8892]

@@annatar9365 iorweth zwykły skurwysyn

[@qphobos]

- Купец бакалейщик Эмгыр вар Эмрейс - Купец? - Бакалейщик.

[@13loodbanex]

+ Witcher books fan + Witcher games fan + Witcher III favorite game + Polish + Fair and articulated analysis of the TV series + Big passion when mad about the worst offenses of the TV series I love The Witcher. Read all the books multiple times, and same for the games. The Witcher propelled me to become a Game Developer, with CDPR being my focus to learn from while in University and my success today. The Witcher made me interested in Slavic folklore, Polish history and modern Poland. Glad that KZbin algorithm recommended this video. Easily earned like, subscribe, and I'll be looking forward to more of your content!

[@lan9138]

+ Woman too that's a rare breed

[@GG-ee5hm]

@@lan9138 Extremely beautiful too

[@lan9138]

@@GG-ee5hm She not gonna let you hit bro

[@GG-ee5hm]

@@lan9138 I don't know polish anyway

[@lan9138]

@@GG-ee5hm she's probably just a pick me anyway

[@Evils_Bane]

if i would rank the games i'd also give seprate ratings to hearts of stone and blood and wine. because Witcher 3's expansions are so crazy good they're at the level of a brand new game.

[@valliyarnl]

True but I can’t choose which I like more 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@therealnmsis]

Blood and Wine would be in the running for game of the year in 2016 had it not been a dlc imo

[@fuzekle]

@@therealnmsis uhm, I thought it won GOTY in 2016 for blood and wine?

[@karolm4604]

​@valliyarnlhos better than base game

[@theoxfordcommaa]

this video is absolutely fire...

[@valliyarnl]

Thank you 🥰

[@ChrisBeaufait]

Excellent video that respects the source material, shows a true passion and expertise across all three mediums, while presenting a balanced and, I believe, accurate assessment/ ranking. Thank you, Wera! ⚔

[@valliyarnl]

Wow you are so generous 🥺🙏 thank you so much Chris ⚔️

[@LukCPL]

Jedyny plus 'adaptacji' Netflixa to to że się nareszcie kończy i może w przyszłości ktoś w końcu zrobi porządny serial, bo Widźmin zasługuje na adaptację która zadowoli miliony fanów książek Sapkowskiego.

[@valliyarnl]

no i że więcej osób zdecydowało przeczytać książki i gry!

[@marginsofmarisa]

I honestly don’t know anything about The Witcher but I loved hearing your thoughts on what it takes to make a good adaptation! Someone who doesn’t enjoy the source material absolutely should not be adapting it 💀

[@valliyarnl]

thank you! I've been thinking about those 3 points for a long time and i just needed to get it out !

[@whrecordings]

Love the outfit and giving us insight into the Polish roots! Beautiful!

[@valliyarnl]

Thank you ! 😊

[@luishaubert9923]

The Witcher is by an absolute mile my favorite game and book of all time. This whole universe is just breathtaking and i love the fact that it's not your usual fantasy world. It's brutal, dark, and most of the times punishing. You are never truly safe, there's danger everywhere. I couldn't agree more with your tier list, the video is awesome, editing is on point and your outift is amazing!!! I hope your channel can grow a lot so you can keep bringing more content about The Witcher 😊 It's a shame that here in Brazil there aren't many creators that make videos about The Witcher in this format 😢

[@chassan10]

Another problem with seasons 2 and 3 of The Witcher is that they reveal to the audience early on that the Nilfgaardian emperor is Ciri's father. They should have left it as a big reveal for the final season, before that only showing him from the neck down (like the head of SPECTRE in the first few Bond movies before You Only Live Twice).

[@illustriousindividual1077]

No one talks about the comics lol Tower of the swallow is just perfection. The setup, the flashback, leo bonhart being built up as an absolute menace, and Ciri ice skating at the end. If they end the netflix show focusing on that it will actually be pretty fun

[@valliyarnl]

Good take!! As for the comics I actually haven’t read them 🫣 Neon Knight in one of his videos mentioned that he might do a breakdown of the comics so after he puts that out I’ll see which ones interest me :)

[@ryredux6884]

*A very pressing quest or situation appears* Geralt: "Maybe a few rounds of Gwent?"

[@sadpr0phet]

I love your warmfully presentation of such content. For me, as a person of another Slavic country, your videos feels so cosy, kinda family and homely. And then there's the analysis of one of my favorite universes. Definitely a subscription from me, thanks for the video, good mood!😊

[@Reedg333]

The Witcher is my fav fantasy universe of all time. As someone who played all the games, starting when Witcher 2 came out, I just got around to reading the books. Witcher 3 is still my favorite game of all time to this day almost a decade later, so it felt like a dis-service to not read the books. I just finished Baptism of Fire last night. I gotta say, the very end with Geralt "properly" getting his 'of Rivia' title had be smiling ear to ear. Such a great moment. "It just sort of happened that way." 🤣⚔ Loved this video! It's super fun to see someone equally as passionate about The Witcher.

[@valliyarnl]

yesss the ending of Baptism of Fire is so sweet haha I looove the humor. thank you!

[@nine9_abyss]

Wow I'm late to the party but your enthusiasm is contagious! Not really a book reader so I haven't gotten around to the books yet (I swore long ago to make an exemption for this series lol) but I am crazy when it comes to the Witcher games. For me, it's the best story told in gaming. I wish I could forget it all and just play through everything for the first time.

[@valliyarnl]

SAME so so good And glad you arrived at the party :)

[@CaptainEffort]

This video kind of came out of nowhere in my recommendeds, but I’m glad it did! Super cool seeing someone who’s clearly so passionate about the series talk about it. Excited to check out your other stuff!

[@eugenethompson8143]

I love the gwent card art you used (i am also severely addicted)

[@valliyarnl]

you and me brother

[@emmanuel1337]

It's nice when YT recommends an interesting video! I'm glad I found out about your channel! My take on a list would be the following: I really have trouble ranking the books individually -- every time I read most of them, I do multiple back to back, so they seem more like a continuum that I can't quite break off and it confuses me to try to separate them, so putting them as one big block of content, flaws and all, I'd rank them over the games at the top of S tier, since I do think the books are the ultimate The Witcher experience and definitely better in writing quality than what any of the games offer in general. There are some parts from the games that are comparable and the books also have some low points, but overall, I'd say the books are much better written, specially when it comes to the characters -- even Geralt is never done entire justice in the games, even after getting his memories back. The upside of the games is that they also offer the interactive experience of gaming, but I personally put story at the front, and thus the books take the win. Having played all of the games multiple times to completion, I know them quite well and they're easily some of my most beloved. I'd put the first game on B tier -- despite being the one I finished the most times (10 times), it really has a lot of problems from a story and gaming mechanics standpoint despite being so fun to play, so it is what it is, but as you said, its remake has the chance to change that (and I confidently think to even be better than TW3). The second game (which I've finished 6 times, I think -- 3 in each path), is strangely one that I think is less fun overall than the first game to me (somehow), but trying to be a little more objective, it's obviously a better game from a pure technical standpoint in all fronts, so I'll put it in A tier. The third game, which is uncontroversially the best one out of the 3 overall (and I've finished 5 times), is going to go to S tier, behind all of the books. I wouldn't even include the show in such a list since I think it doesn't even deserve to be called "The Witcher" and should be entirely forgotten, but if it gotta get in, I'll put all of the seasons in the very last tier -- even season 1, which tricks clueless people into thinking it's even a remotely acceptable representation of The Witcher, is horrible, and the thing that people cite as their favorite thing, which is Cavill as Geralt, is also a disgustingly bad representation of the character (and Henry was never even close to the best option to play him anyway, despite of what his fanboys think), so I don't cut any slack to that absolute disrespect in form of audiovisual media lol. The show as a whole is a stain on the whole intelectual property and it's a pity some people now visualize anything from the show when they think "The Witcher", 'cause virtually nothing there was done right...

[@wilsonbemloco83]

Hi Wera, congratulations on the video! It's great to see someone passionate about The Witcher, and especially being from Poland, you have a much greater sense of the cultural impact of the work than I do (being Brazilian). First, I wanted to point out that I'm still reading "Time of Contempt," and wow! What an incredible book! I'm super excited to continue with the next ones in the series. And I totally agree with you that The Witcher 3 uses the best of the original material to create something crafted with a lot of care-it's one of those cases where the adaptation really lives up to the book/original material. The Witcher in Brazil, mainly because of the games, is quite an influential saga, and I think that, unlike in the United States, our translation is much more accurate as it was done by translators specialized in Polish. The tone of Sapkowski's humor, the sharp dialogues of the characters, and the whole "prophecy and the world don't matter" vibe but rather "the people I love and care about are what matter most." And about the series... No comments. The second season kills any possibility of coherence.... It destroys the tone of the work. Please, post more about the books! Do individual reviews, discuss theories if you like! I loved the video and congratulations on your work.

[@wilsonbemloco83]

And one more thing about these cultural differences and capturing them. Here in Brazil, we actually have quite reasonable access to Eastern European literature, especially Russian-and I'm serious, many Brazilians read more Russian authors than South American ones. One of the things I've noticed watching the series, having played The Witcher 3, and starting to read the books, is that North Americans often miss these nuances. The examples you showed of architecture and clothing are perfect to illustrate this. The Witcher is not a medieval world like Game of Thrones is. And I think it really (REALLY) lacked someone with this cultural knowledge in the production of the series.

[@valliyarnl]

Thank you for such a lovely comment! You’re the second person from Brazil to comment here and I’m truly surprised because I had no idea it was so popular there! I’m glad your translation is good 😊 I definitely will post more about the Witcher because it is really important to me. I will wait closer to season 4 release date or updates on the Witcher 4 for algorithm purposes tho :) One slight correction though, Poland is central not eastern Europe and we get quite touchy about it (especially the older generations) because we weren’t popularly considered Eastern before WW2 and the USSR. So some people when they hear “Poland is Eastern Europe”, or worse, say we are basically like Russia, it is quite touchy bc we literally were the first country to get the USSR out! The similarities we share with Russia are mainly because they also have a Slavic background BUT the Slavs originated from clans that were located in modern Poland! Architecturally we are much more similar to Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, etc (other Central European countries 😊)

[@wilsonbemloco83]

@@valliyarnl Wera, first of all, thank you so much for such a heartfelt response! Seriously, keep up the great work! It makes a huge difference to see someone who is Polish talking about the series!! And thank you for the corrections as well! I apologize for my misinterpretation of those geopolitical and historical issues. I had no idea that the term "Eastern Europe" was only applied to Poland after WWII. I can imagine how that might irritate you, so again, I apologize for that. As I mentioned, I was guided more by the Slavic references. Thank you for this new knowledge and for the polite correction, and I'm sorry again for the misconceptions I had-it's like when some people think we speak Spanish in Brazil or something like that. The Witcher has made me very interested in Poland, and I hope to visit someday! :)

[@valliyarnl]

@@wilsonbemloco83 I hope you visit too! And when you do I recommend going to the Witcher themed bar and Ogrodzieniec Castle (my favorite castle in Poland and they shot a battle scene for the Witcher there too!)

[@joseph_ashaman9354]

Glad to see a witcher fan on here!! I love the books and the games. I got the necklace from the game and a mini statue from the game as well hahaha

[@salamko_jakubvdovec]

14:35 - It's so true, I hate what they did to the witcher. The entire Slavic nature is gone... Love from the Czech Republic.

[@Retroholic]

THANK YOU SO MUCH OH MY GOD, I'm a Canadian fan getting into the books and i was so confused if I should start with Last Wish or Sword of Destiny and you just saved me a lot of anger and confusion later.

[@valliyarnl]

So glad I found the video then haha reading order is 1. The last wish 2. Sword of destiny 3. Blood of elves (and then it’s normal) Idk why the US/UK publishers did this, probably to be able to sell u two book bundles (anthologies and novels) rather than one (all together) 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@k1dd077]

godamn you raging about season 2 is so relatable. To watch this season was probably the most crucial and painfull experience I ever had sitting in front of a screen :

[@valliyarnl]

numerous neurons died while watching it and the sad thing is, I'll never get them back

[@lazygaming6683]

"What now you piece of Filth"😂 was my favourite ljne 😂

[@lukemurphy232]

Great video i want to reread the books now!

[@valliyarnl]

Haha thank you, Luke!

[@FredBoy-in7jp]

I love that you're so into the topic. I will follow I could totally see your passion for my favourite fantasy universe. Greetings from Germany

[@vs1146]

You're such a ridiculously charming book nerd. I adore people like you. Subbed. Also, I agree with you. The best part of anything Wither related is The Witcher 3. But I also happen to think that The Witcher 2 is a very close second. What CDPR did with Iorveth and with all of the original characters like Letho and Saskia is truly extraordinary. It isn't easy to expand a universe in such a way and make it feel like a natural extension of the original writing. But they nailed it in The Witcher 2, which feels like Sapkowski himself wrote the script.

[@Kris-qn4bn]

Least amazing polish person ( you are the best! ) ! Amazing video, cheers from Bulgaria, Witcher/Poland lover here!

[@qzoid3060]

Insanely eloquent, and all the points I think are valid. Brilliant video, earned a sub!

[@GerryTheProdigy]

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is what drew me into this universe. After the game, I listened to all the books via audiobook. Doing my re-read with the physical copies now. I want to learn polish so bad.

[@iraposeiro]

Making dandelion gay was just a stab in the back

[@Geralt99]

radovid gay,geralt side character in his own series,yen loses her powers netflix writers are retarded

[@1chasseursachantchasser]

He's gay????

[@FEVERtkt]

​@@1chasseursachantchasser in the netflix show they made him gay having some kind of relationship with Radovid from what i heard online (idk cuz i ll never watch the show it doesnt exist for me )

[@1chasseursachantchasser]

@@FEVERtkt Ah yes it isn't canon, I feared he becomes gay I just finished the second book if it was the case I woud stop reading it ilmediately For me the Netflix show doesn't exist I didn't watched it It doesn't respect the books and made it woke

[@protector_of_the_realms]

@1HunterSachantHunter Fair enough to stop watching the show for that reason if they were changing stuff for no reason to hit woke quotas. Completely with you there and I also just did not like season 1 at all. Thought it was a horrible adaptation and just not good quality though they didn’t change up as much later but I didn’t even have any desire whatsoever to try season 2. But did you say you’d stop reading if a side character was gay if that was the intent of the author in the original source material? Why lol? Or did I just misinterpret or was that a mistype?

[@ZanesZygot]

No idea why suddenly KZbin recommended me this one but I loved it! It hurts seeing Last Wish and Sword of Destiny so low because I love this point in the story when it's so low stakes and I think Sword of Destiny is so iconic even more with the last chapter. Also loved your sincerity about the TV show! Also random trivia: I've heard somewhere our portuguese translation was said to be one of the best by Andrzej himself (how would he know tho lol) and I've read a lot about the english versions and how much they changed things. Some people made some great analysis and yeah there's even things missing.

[@cherrybaby.k]

Girl this is the motivation I needed to finish the book series lol. Love this

[@valliyarnl]

🙌🙌

[@brandonvladovic4194]

"I feel like the Netflix series did a disservice to Ciri." The Netflix series did a disservice to EVERYTHING...

[@TheStoryCan]

Have to say I'm even more hyped now, though this seems like quite the undertaking, I don't expect to come out of this experience the same haha! Fantastic video and has really set the tone for me going in

[@CptBlackAce]

My polish fiance got me into witcher HEAVILY! Went over to the 3 cities (Gdańsk) to visit her family and her lil bro had so much witcher memorabilia I was jealous at that point. O kurwa! Love from the states!

[@phillipapplecrisp6415]

The end of season 2 killed me with what ciri did and kaer morhen. The witcher 3 was perfect. Wish i coukd play it again for the first time.

[@Noooooone725]

Man it’s really nice to see someone actually be passionate about the Witcher… and you did an awesome job rating the books and the games… very close to my own rating… just perfect video!

[@Ghbhubghb]

The vibes were immaculate and I think you were very fair!

[@valliyarnl]

thank you, thank you 👸🏼

[@giuseppesagona7522]

I've just finished reading the last book like 5 hours ago and I gotta say, while it is definitely too long I've really liked most of what's in it. At first I didn't really care for the Nimue storyline but the more it kept going the more I looked forward to that subplot, especially its ending i was basically giggling on the train as i read that. Another subplot i surprisingly liked was the Jarre/allout war one, not the battle itself but the parts inside the field clinic were so good in my opinion, really showed one of the worst parts of war, what you loose on the battlefield, almost shed a tear too while reading the fate of all those medics. Thank you so much for giving us those beautiful insights on Polish culture and architecture, I always felt like it was all so grounded in reality even if it all felt like fantasy at the same time. This video was absolute fire. Also one last thing I want to say, idk if I misunderstood this character or whatever, since I'm not familiar with the Arthurian legend but in my opinion right now Galahad is pookie.

[@Baldurianos]

I loved your video and the way your eyes shine when talking about The Witcher, I've that same feeling. The work done by CD Projekt is simply on another level, the affection and respect they had for the universe of the books is visible. Btw I liked your perception of the translations from Polish to English, imagine in my case that I read it in Portuguese hahaha

[@AntonioFlores-fz6zc]

Baptism Of Fire is without doubt my favorite Books, specially for apparitions of his Friends. The lady of the Lake is an amazing book too

[@RDsLibrary]

What a great video! I really like your passion, particularly when explaining your love for the A and S tier books and frustration with the second and third seasons. You convinced me to start The Last Wish. I got the complete series for 99p on kindle a while back but I've never felt motivated to pick it up. I'm looking forward to a more philosophical and less grunty Geralt. My only exposure to The Witcher is season 1 of the TV show, which was OK and even quite good in parts, but a little bitty in terms of storytelling. I'm not sure I'll continue after what you said. I can understand showrunners having to change some aspects when adapting from book to TV, but it irritates me when they think they know better and reimagine things or deliver what they think the audience wants. The info about the games was very interesting. It's great how the designers took inspiration from Polish architecture. I agree that adding touches like that to the TV show would have made the visuals much less generic and given it a more Polish flavour, like you've done with the language and outfit in the video.

[@valliyarnl]

thank you for such a thoughtful and kind comment! Just a heads up: book 1 starts with Geralt being wounded and as he is healing in the Temple of Melitele, different people come in asking him questions, or he has a train of thought that triggers a memory, which leads into a short story. Over the course of the 300ish pages you go back and forth between Geralt being treated for his wounds (short story 1 explains how he got them) and the flashbacks/short stories. In my pinned comment I linked The Book Guy's video in which he goes into what to expect style-wise from the series because it is very specific and can easily turn people off if they have the wrong idea of what it is going in. I hope you love it! and thank you for the compliment of the "aesthetic" of the video :))

[@DataCymru1701]

You've inspired me to read the books and replay the games!

[@AnonymousAnonposter]

After reading the eight books a second time, I maintain my opinion that the short stories books are my favorites. The Last Wish being the number one and Sword of Destiny in second place, with Baptism of Fire being my favorite of the saga. I think the short story or novellas works much better in the Witcher universe.

[@ramseybolton1258]

Really loved that tier-list we can feel that you are a huge fan and know your stuff. I’ve only played the game’s so far and the witcher 3 really made me fall in love with this universe i will look forward to buy all books soon.

[@maja.z.pszczola]

Yayyy!! So nice to hear your opinions on this series 🇵🇱❤️✨

[@valliyarnl]

hehe i am veeeery passionate about it :)

[@mazi7852]

Im not a huge witcher fan, tho ive read books and played games (so maybe i am?) but I pretty much agree with your take. Very nice video, cool kinda slavic blouse to match everything :) Keep it up. Cheers!

[@Keram-io8hv]

I agree with many things but Witcher 1 is definetly A tier and still my favourite from the series

[@el_mer01]

I agree with your placement of the witcher 3. It’s almost unbelievable to me how they are able to portray characters from the books perfectly like they are described. Like Regis for example, I could not believe how they got him perfect in so many ways from the way he is in the books and he is such a good, good character in the videogames. Every detail about his interactions is just encapsulates him in the books and it is so well done. He isn’t the only character captured so perfectly too. He is just the one I first noticed and really loved the way they did it

[@Amorim_o_Breve]

So you’re Polish. Name every polish city then

[@Scorpia__]

I would have to Polish up on my geography to recall them all

[@steakismeat177]

I’m not polish and I can name the major ones. gDanish, Warsaw, Lods, and Krakow

[@ks2884]

Name every US city.

[@figard9855]

​@@steakismeat177 hey, I'm going to correct you a little bit if you dont mind. It's "Gdańsk" (or Gdansk), Warsaw is also Warszawa, its Łódź (or Lodz) and also Kraków (or Krakow, Cracow)

[@yukibird0]

W1 was such a bomb to me.. I was used to lotr-style talking and persons in fantasy games, but then this came, and i loved it

[@generalgrievous92]

I love your passion for the series! That rant about the Netflix show had me laughing hard at how relatable it was. Also, if you haven't, you have to try Thronebreaker as well, it has some of CDPR's best storytelling to date imo, and Meve is such a badass character. The Witcher means more to me than I can put in words, especially Witcher 3, so this was a great watch. Keep up the good work!

[@EldritchAugur]

May have to re-read Sword of Destiny because I remember that one being my favorite. The final couple pages of "A Little Sacrifice" have been burned into my memory ever since and really turned Dandelion into a 3 dimensional character. I really appreciated The Last Wish and The Sword of Destiny because the short story format gives them such excellent pacing and variety of tones. Something the novels tend to lack at times. Definitely agree with the rest of your thoughts. I have not seen anyone compare and contrast the books, the games, and the tv show in such a passionate and nuanced way as this.

[@doomzy8510]

Nice video! To me it's funny how Netflix introduced me to the series after which i played all the games and ended with reading all the books. I defo think that Netflix dropped the ball so hard after the first season tho, for me the experience is worsened after i read the books because now i know what could have been. I'm also kinda sad like you mentioned that sometimes the translation takes away part of what is actually said in Polish, but i guess that's what every translation deals with. Witcher 3 is also my favourite game that I've played thus far, really hope that the next game will somehow do better but that will be difficult. Have fun reading season of storms, i thought it had a different flair to it than the rest but still liked it.

[@valliyarnl]

Thank you for commenting! Apropos the translation: in my pinned comment I linked a video to the Witcher 3 producers talking about how they handled the translation and man I looove their approach. I’m glad the Witcher Netflix show motivated you to read the books 😄

[@zer4ck474]

Thanks for the Kaer Mohren background ambiente

[@Trouble19]

Hurra w końcu wartościowy content, co do ,,Czasu Pogardy,, miałem dokładnie ten sam problem, musiałem przeczytać książkę jeszcze raz aby mieć holy moly. Również lubię moment kiedy Ciri cięła ich na lodzie w ,,Wieży Jaskółki,,. A co do adaptacji Netflixa, zgadzam się ze wszystkim co powiedziałaś.

[@valliyarnl]

jak to się mówi po angielsku: a person with taste 🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻

[@jasondetilly5647]

Great video and love your passion! I think you hit the nail on the head when you say that it's easier to point out what they kept the same for the Netflix show, especially season 2. Still can't get over Yen trying to sacrifice Ciri, Vesimir trying to make Ciri a Witcher, everybody allowing that travesty of a "party" happening in isolated and secret Kaer Mohren, etc. etc... It's depressing how far from the source material they went. I also love The Witcher 3 so much and might have also got addicted to Gwent haha I'm not European, but I fell in love with the world and Slavic lore they made.

[@theimmortalgrenadier3851]

A Polish lady being incredibly stunning. Why am I not surprised?

[@AspiLeo]

I love the audiobooks then again, Peter Kenny's voice is a comfort voice to me.

[@setayeshrahmani933]

I've read the Persian version of the books, twice in fact. I love it's humor, but always wondered if this humor is a side result of the translation( really thought it was the work of the translator), and now that u said the original polish text is quite humorous too... I have more respect for the translator^^

[@johnmahon2699]

I agree with most of what you're saying I can't read Polish unfortunately but I absolutely loved the English Audiobooks honestly Peter Kenny the narrator for the audiobooks is the best narrator i've listened to. Although might just be me personally liking it

[@valliyarnl]

not just you! loads of people in this comments section love Peter Kenny's narration. I guess it's just me then!

[@RandAlThor975]

Wheel of Time mentioned, automatic sub! Btw, great video about The Witcher (in general) series! You've got a new fan and follower!

[@valliyarnl]

ohmygoshicantbelievethedragonrebornhimselfhascommentedonmyvideo *deep breath innnn* i'm so glad the Wheel has weaved you into my channel's Pattern :)

[@RandAlThor975]

@@valliyarnl 🤣🤣🤣❤️❤️❤️

[@Gabrilos505]

I'll admit I was a bit stunned throughout the intro session of this video, but I loved all of it. The passion is clear. I'm a Brazillian man who had no idea about anything at all relating to Poland, The Witcher was my first Poland contact and it really opened my eyes and developed an interest in the culture and history.

[@JamesG.Griffin]

I really loved the witcher books (the german translation) but I feel like for completely different reasons. For example I absolutely love all of the ciri stories in the first two books and just how full circle it feels with the end of something more (I tear up every time). And on the other hand baptism of fire everything unlikely that happens for example regis and the horseshoe (Or Regis in general I love Regis).

[@felo7474]

Zgadzam się w 99% z twoim zdaniem o poszczególnych książkach/grach/sezonach. Całą serię przeczytałem chyba ze 3-4 razy (btw polecam słuchowiska! OMG jakie one są dobre, po co komu adaptacja jak można takie coś słuchać...). Gry też przeszedłem kilka razy. Serial porzuciłem po 2 sezonie bo był taki tragiczny. Fajnie się wypowiadasz bezbłędnym angielskim i widać w tobie pasję, życzę sukcesów na yt :) Pozdr.

[@amerhst1201]

This was such a good video to watch, I can feel the passion through the screen. Though If I can add one thing regarding the Witcher 3 is that the DLCs are as good as the base game or even better.

[@Anotherperson81]

Random video find today. Admire your passion. I’ve never been to Poland but the Witcher experience of visiting the castle and playing some Gwent and sword fighting really holds some appeal! Not sure if it’s still being done but one day maybe. I can’t wait for the next games, Polands best export in my opinion

[@valliyarnl]

haha it's funny you say Poland's best export because in a bit of the opening that was left on the cutting room floor, I call it Poland's best export (perhaps after Chopin and Marie Skłodowska-Curie?). 😂 I think you're referencing the LARPing Witcher castle? Idk if it is still up after 2020 and I never took part in something like it but man it would be so fun! I guess for now I have to content myself with the Witcher themed bars in Krakow :)

[@Anotherperson81]

Yep, never Larped in my life but that looked fun. I’ve visited most of Europe (I’m UK based) so a good excuse to tick the country off my travel list. I’ve read all the books, I’m not a hardcore gamer, but I spent so much time in Witcher 3 I earned that platinum trophy for finishing it on the hardest difficulty. I never want to fight the last few bosses ever again. But then not do I want to watch the next season without Henry Caville 😞 Your English is really good, without accent? Impressive 👏🏻

[@valliyarnl]

@@Anotherperson81 i was an international school student all my life so that explains the accent! also FINISHING THE WITCHER 3 ON THAT DIFFICULTY AND WINNING THE PLATINUM TROPHY!?!? that's insane. I don't even want to ask about how the Frog King battle went. He made me rage quit a few times, I must admit.

[@Anotherperson81]

@@valliyarnl frog king sucked, especially as doubled up with the mage on the beach fight back to back. The worst by far was the final boss after the fights leading up to it. Ciri vs the Hags was also laborious. Still, great game, happy memories overall 😬

[@hugoleroux4460]

Today I learned that there's a season 3 to the TV show.

[@lostintime519]

I've read all witcher books (not the newest one) in Russian, and I still remember how captivating and funny they were. The introduction to Sapkowski was, of course, Witcher 2007. I don't think people in the West would ever understand because somethings are impossible to translate. "... the beginner who has learned a new language always translates it back into his mother tongue, but he assimilates the spirit of the new language and expresses himself freely in it only when he moves in it without recalling the old and when he forgets his native tongue."

[@paranoyd70]

FYI...but Sapkowski is writing a new book in the series. Book should be available soon in Polish, and in English translation soon after that. I've heard the Polish version should be available late this year or early next year.

[@andrewmalcolm79]

Thank you. I loved the games, played through all endings, still think about the characters. I'm Scottish so I still laugh when I remember the dwarfs saying that there's hee haw left in Geralts box at Cianfanelli Bank. Very funny. I was excited for the Netflix show but couldn't watch past season 2 and then forgot all about it. Maybe I should make time to read those books, though. Thanks again!

[@valliyarnl]

Thank YOU for watching 😊

[@jgj75]

Great video, thank you for making it! Season 2 really was an atrocity.

[@ThisIsReviewable]

Great video! I’d even narrow down the Witcher 3 personally all the way to Hearts of Stone as my favorite Witcher thing ever. Crazy how quality those DLCs were

[@matts4598]

Have you read the new book in Polish yet? I’m rereading the series and would love to read a new one when the translation comes out.

[@Rutik9999]

you are so pretty!

[@matdeke]

Sword of destiny has the best moments where you meet ciri and the ending where ciri and geralt finds each reunites! That would raise it for couple of tiers for me. but of course you have to look at the whole picture, also i listened it in finnish and that was really good

[@ahmedhelmy1-d7m]

Such a refreshing video to see someone who isn't heavily biased, I find people who are die hard fans of the books try to find any reason to discredit the games as imperfect adaptations. E.G. Geralt growing a beard, triss as a love interest. But despite certain things, the games bring those incredible books to justice. Furthermore you do an excellent job at summarising the importance of book/game and articulating why netflix failed so bad in their adaption. Great video, earned a sub from me.

[@valliyarnl]

Thank you 😄

[@9Jov]

Amazing video. Glad I found your channel.

[@valliyarnl]

🫶🏻

[@AdmiralPeach]

I’m so happy this video got randomly recommended to me 🩷 you are lovely & your passion for the Witcher is really nice to see 🥹 I first got into this world through Witcher 3, the game blew my mind so much that I have since played it multiple times & the DLCs are some of the most incredible stories I’ve ever experienced! It will always remain my fave game of all time, I think. I’m currently reading through the books and it’s a different vibe but super interesting. As for the show, apart from Henry being a VISION 😍 to look at, I really disliked them & haven’t watched the latest 2 seasons, I’m going to pretend they don’t exist 🤭

[@dannydark0117]

Great video Hera! Your passion for this amazing universe is clear and it was really interesting and insightful to get a Polish perspective on the series. Netflix really did squander an amazing opportunity to do Sapkowski's world and characters justice... 😢pox on it all I say! Henry really did want them to stick to the material too. As for book rankings go Baptism of Fire is top tier for me purely for Geralt's hanza alone and their trek with the dwarves through the ravaged Continent. Some truly great characters introduced and their interplay with one another is just *chef's kiss*. Cahir, Regis, Angoulme and of course who could forget Milva ❤ who just jumps out of the page and is hilarious and sassy I love her so much ❤

[@valliyarnl]

Hanza >>>> PS I will NEVER forgive what Netflix did to my precious Cahir 😭😭😭😭

[@franguidi3372]

As a witcher fan, i agree totally with you... love from uruguay! pd: sweet voice :D

[@jermyc7982]

Have you ever thought about playing "Thronebreaker", the spin-off game about Lyria and Rivia during the Second Nilfgaard invasion? It uses the standalone Gwent game for the mechanics, and I absolutely loved the characters and writing for it, I'd love to hear your thoughts on that game! And minor spoiler: It does intersect with the Baptism of Fire book briefly

[@kuroo_9517]

What a great video. I would love to read these books in polish but unfortunately I don't speak the language. So far I have only read the English translation and I plan on reading the German translation. I also pretty much agree with your takes about the series. I kind of enjoyed the first season, mostly because of some action scenes. But I was already skeptical when they kind of butchered the Renfri plot. I also physically cringed when Yen called Ciri "my ugly one" in the show.... it felt so undeserving compared to the books. Oh also Yen trying to kill Ciri.... yikes. But I will most likely continue to watch that dumpster fire of a show because I finally want to see Regis, Milva, Cahir and Geralt in action together on the big screen. That being said I really enjoyed this video so thx for uploading.

[@valliyarnl]

Thanks for commenting! See my take is… I have NO CLUE how they would even attempt to get Cahir on friendly terms with Geralt. Like that’s just impossible in the show I think. Idk. I’d love to see the Hanza together but Netflix has a track record of 0 when it comes to understanding the characters so my faith in them understanding the Hanza?! -100. I’m still undecided abt whether I will watch s4 but I’m curious how it will turn out with the actor change

[@kuroo_9517]

@@valliyarnl Yeah no it will no doubt be a disaster. Its truly unfortunate how they have massacered cahirs character. The only thimg I am hoping for is maybe a cool fight scene... But when it comes to being accurate to the books Neflix will 100% fail

[@piotrsplin]

Bardzo fajne filmy, podoba mi się, że analiza nie jest powierzchowna. Keep up the good work :). PS. Będzie jakieś omówienie "Rozdroża Kruków"? :)

[@valliyarnl]

Tak ale dopiero około wydanie angielskiej wersji bo wtedy więcej osób będzie chciało obejrzeć filmik.

[@mirzamabroorahmad222]

Finally a video by an actual polish person about the witcher. Great video and nice ranking

[@rick1901]

Have you listened to the audio books? The english ones by Peter Kenny are amazing! I love reading but i gave the audio books a try and listened to them every night before i would fall asleep. It really managed to let me experience more emotions.

[@valliyarnl]

Ahhhh see I have the unpopular opinion because I really didn’t gel with Peter Kenny’s narration 😭 I’m glad you did tho!!!

[@BathgateToushiru]

Podoba mi się ile masz przemyśleń na temat show oraz oczywiście książek i gier, co prawda ja już w pierwszym sezonie wiedziałem, że coś będzie nie tak gdy zobaczyłem co zrobili z cahirem, który nagle jest psycholem i vilgerfortz który po prostu nie ma otoczki geniusza którym był. Został znerfiony, i odebrano mu całą tajemniczość. Było jeszcze dużo tego. Co prawda przestałem oglądać na 2 sezonie odc 2 więc nie wiem co dalej netflix napsuł :d Cieszy mnie, że są ludzie na świecie którzy też tak doceniają dzieło Sapkowskiego i CD RED, jak na Polskiego janusza zrobił moją top 3 serie a przeczytałem ich bardzo dużo.

[@niyki]

Very happy this came into my recommended, made it so easy choosing the video for dinner

[@guilhermeportilho3206]

I am playing The Witcher 3 for the first time rn and was thinking of watching the series or reading the book. So... Books then! Thanks for the video 😁

[@valliyarnl]

Do not watch the series if you don’t want to recieve severe and irreversible trauma for the sweet price of a Netflix subscription :) Hope you like the books! Remember book 1 is The Last Wish ‼️

[@Αρθορο]

I am starting to think that this story is some kind cursed bad movie adaptation.. nasz polski serial z Żebrowskim był tak słaby, że ogladnelem 10 min i już nie wracałem same thing is with Netflix adaptation.. stupid, boring, pointless..😮

[@francesccampos1343]

Hi! Thanks for the nice video! I didn't even know the books existed until i played TW3 almost 10 years ago and fell in love with the characters and story, and i have to say i liked them a lot and i can see the games (or at least the 3rd entry) as a very good interpretation of Sapkowski's world: very immersive, very morally gray situations, subversion of classic tropes or expectations, deep a thoughtful characters with complex inner conflicts... About the show, i couldn't get past the first chapters of s2, i can understand Henry Cavill becoming frustrated with how the director/writters were treating the story and specially the character of Geralt... Just why? another thing that i couldn't bear was Yennefer and other characters cursing 24/7 like unrully teenagers when they are supposed to be wise, classy and intelligent...

[@thomaswrites]

Great list! The Witcher 3 is my personal favorite interpretation of the Witcher story. Also, completely agree with your guidelines for making a good adaptation.

[@Kobanyai_enjoyer]

Really nice to see an actual book fan giving her opinions on the entire witcher saga. I have really similar takes to yours, and I could really see that your care about this franchise. Enjoy reading Season of Storms, it's a pretty solid book, but I wouldn't rank it higher than B.

[@bowsir9115]

As another long-time fan of The Witcher, this was a great video I'd also like to hear your thoughts on the animated Netflix movies, or movie I should say, which seem to be on a good path so far, especially with Doug Cockle returning as Geralt in the next one

[@marlanivanovich1828]

Любопытно ) Абсолютно согласен с вами по части оценки Башни ласточки: сердце щемило за судьбу Цириллы, так больно было видеть ее спуск на сторону хаоса и смерти, столь сильно хотелось хэппиэнда хотя бы для нее, если уж не для Геральта ;) С сериалом от нетфликс остается лишь, увы, констатировать: халтура за немалые деньги. Большинству, как посмотрю, безумно нравится третья часть игры. А мне она кажется слишком приторной, скомканной (я не этого ожидал по завершению второй части, так, например, наступление Нильфгаарда лишь частично показали в трейлере в финале второй части игры, тогда как в третьей игре просто промотали время вперед, Эредин твердолобый и слишком прямолинейный, Геральту большую часть пути милее гвинт, чем спасение приемной дочурки), пусть и вернувшей любимых героинь: Цири и Йеннифер. И именно первая часть и в меньшей степени вторая (графически она поразила сильнее всего на контрасте с первой, не в последнюю очередь благодаря новому собсвенному движку red engine компании cdpr) оставили глубокий след в душе: суровый, мрачный (вы только посмотрите на альгулей и фледеров в этих заброшенных склепах!), без ярко выраженного морализаторства, юмор на грани фола, дилемма на дилемме, меньшее из двух зол, славянский колорит. Если бы не первая часть, настолько сильно непохожая на все, во что играл до 2008 года, едва ли бы я загорелся желанием прочесть хоть один из романов. Тогда как в действительности прочел взахлеб сразу по завершению первой части еще в нулевых, да и затребовал добавки!) Сезон гроз не заставил себя ждать так уж долго, даром, что не продолжение. А вот и Перекресток воронов подоспел. Надеюсь, у пана Анджея еще есть порох в пороховницах )

[@Solabhradha]

The finale of Lady of the Lake I think drags it up a tier, but I am behind absolutely everything else you have said. Torn between season 2 and 3 of the show though. My appetite for it was so spoiled by all the drama behind the scenes by the time season 3 came out and I couldn’t get into any of it, where as I could enjoy parts of 2, like Nivellen and the Bruuxa which I think were done well…. Great video though! So in tune, what about Season of Storms? I actually really liked that book but other people seem to dislike it.

[@Solabhradha]

Ha, sorry, I commented right before the bit where you said you were keeping Season of Storms. It’s great in my opinion. It’s ther Witcher doing Witchery things and a nice detour while we wait for more Witcher 🙂