The Witcher 4 is set just „a few years” after Wild Hunt. Ciri is yet to learn to be Witcher
In The Witcher 4, we won't face too much of a time jump. The upcoming game from CD Projekt RED will show us Ciri's beginnings on the Witcher path.
Over the past few days, players have been spinning various theories about what Ciri's story will look like in the upcoming Witcher. We already know that the former princess passed the Trial of Grasses and joined a previously unknown school with a lynx symbol - the rest of the information remains unknown, which is a perfect reason for skeptical fans to be concerned.
CD Projekt RED shed some light on the young witcher's story in an interview for Skill Up. How much time has passed since the end of Wild Hunt? And will the developers address all the epilogues?
"We create a story and that is our priority"
During the podcast "Friends Per Second," Sebastian Kalemba and Gosia Mitrega revealed that the plot of the new The Witcher won't be too far from the finale of Wild Hunt. The devs planned a time jump of several years, referencing all the endings of the third installment, allowing players to notice details related to the path they previously chose.
We will refer to the Wild Hunt ending and definitely players with sentiment will spot details here and there even nuanced dialogues referring to the past. We don't want to spoil and destroy the experience for newcomers, but I believe that there's going to be depth, you will be able to spot.
- Sebastian Kalemba
As Gosia Mitrega emphasizes, CD Projekt RED wants to make long-time players feel at home while also taking into account novelties with future fans in mind. Like the earlier parts, we will be able to start playing The Witcher 4 without knowing the previous games or the presented world. The screenwriters here are asking, above all, for trust.
I already read comments from people who are afraid of how the mix created for everyone will turn out. So you have to trust us. We are storytellers and that is our priority. We want to provide a deep and universal experience of storytelling, and she [Ciri] will give us more opportunity to do that. We want to go to both old (...) and new players.
- Gosia Mitrega
"She is the first witcher by choice"
Considering the small time skip, we will be able to see Ciri at the very beginning of her witcher adventure. The developers emphasize that although Ciri has a vast amount of experience, she is still a very young character who doesn't yet have her own code and is still learning. This, in turn, gives a huge scope for building a story.
The key fact is that Ciri chose to be a witcher. Lore experts certainly remember that this is not a profession that people voluntarily agree to.
This is the moment of choice. She chose to become a witcher, which is a turning point in her life. Now she can form her own code and understand what the path of a witcher means. This gives us many possibilities not only in terms of future gameplay, but also her character. Ciri is very committed to everything she does, as she is the first witcher by choice.
- Sebastian Kalemba
Of course, the developers cannot reveal all possible details about the main plot, so some information still remains shrouded in mystery. What do you think, how many years exactly will pass since the end of the Wild Hunt?