The Witcher franchise has burst into the mainstream in recent years, and that’s partly thanks to the third game’s acclaim in role-playing mechanics when making tough dialogue choices. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt features a host of compelling quests to take on, and with them, a series of crucial decisions to make that can shape the trajectory of the stories in question.
These dialogue options have a great deal of nuance, with very few choices ever being perfect – even when they’re the “best” choice. From the grim drama of the Bloody Baron’s estranged family to carefully deciding Ciri’s fate in the main story, The Witcher 3 has a plethora of decisions to make players sweat.
10 Keira Metz Taking The Sorcerer’s Notes
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has been critically lauded as one of the greatest medieval fantasy RPGs for several reasons, not least for taking as much care in the side quests’ writing as in the main questline. The side story involving Keira Metz is one of the most compelling in the early game, and it ends with incredibly high stakes.
After Keira’s role in the main story is finished – at least temporarily – players have the option of having Geralt of Rivia help her on uncovering some lost knowledge, which culminates in exploring moral grays. Things get grim once Geralt discovers why she wanted the late sorcerer’s deadly research so badly. Certain combinations of choices will force Geralt to fight and kill her, let her go to Radovid only to be executed, or come out with the “best” ending by convincing her to seek shelter in Kaer Morhen for the greater fight ahead.
9 “Assassins Of Kings”
Even though The Witcher story isn’t known for the deep levels of political subterfuge as seen in Game of Thrones, a fairly large-scale side quest in the game when it comes to the fate of the Continent involves rebelling against the sadistic King Radovid V of Redania. This side story seems to call back on the overarching theme of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings.
In fitting – and dark – political fashion, Geralt’s choices when working with the likes of Dijkstra and Roche will decide important fates on large and small scales. Eventually, players can finesse their way into killing Radovid, at the cost of letting Emperor Emhyr of Nilfgaard win. As a result, this will force Geralt to then side with either the double-crossing Dijkstra or guerilla fighter Roche – killing one or the other.
8 Romancing Triss
Throughout The Witcher 3, players can find several potential romantic interests for Geralt, but only two are major ones that directly affect the ending of the titular monster hunter’s story arc. Triss Merigold is one of them and one of The Witcher 3‘s most likable characters, with the powerful sorceress seeing renewed prominence in the CD Projekt Red game trilogy canon.
Though Triss is certainly choosing if, how, or with whom Geralt gets his “happily ever after,” it can be a tough choice. Many longtime franchise fans stand by the book canon decision, especially after Triss’ initial manipulation of Geralt in the games, but the argument can be made that their budding relationship in Wild Hunt is healthier and more stable in the end.
7 The Whispering Hillock
The entirety of the Velen portion of The Witcher 3‘s story – namely involving the Bloody Baron and his dismantled family – is debatably among the game’s best writing. It’s perhaps one of the best showcases for depicting moral ambiguity in a game and makes for one of the most imperfect collections of dialogue decisions.
After their part in the main quest is done, the Baron’s story becomes one of The Witcher 3‘s best side quests, and Geralt has to make one of the most consequential choices when deciding whether to kill or help the Whispering Hillock that the Crones send him to get rid of. Helping it will free the Crones’ hostage orphans, but Anna turns into a water hag and the village of Downwarren tears itself apart. But killing it will ensure the orphans are sacrificed.
6 The Fate Of The Swallow
The Witcher 3‘s greatest conflict is, of course, the main questline surrounding the story and fate of the swallow: Geralt and Yeneffer’s surrogate daughter Ciri. The path to deciding what becomes of her once is more nuanced, but there’s ample room to get what’s perceived as Ciri’s best ending in The Witcher 3.
A few key quests can/will solidify her path one of three ways. If Geralt couldn’t achieve the right balance of guidance and consoling, she dies preventing the White Frost. Conversely, she could survive but returns to Nilfgaard and becomes Empress. And in the fan-favorite ending, Ciri chooses for herself to become a witcher.
5 The Baron, Anna & The Crones
More of the ramifications of earlier decisions rather than a choice in and of itself, the fate of the Baron and his family is nonetheless one of the most memorable dialogue decisions. What becomes of them comes down to how Geralt approaches the Crones and the Whispering Hillock’s proposal.
Should Geralt kill the Hillock, the orphans are killed and Anna spirals into depression, leading the Baron to take her to the Blue Mountains. Should Geralt help the Hillock, Anna turns into a water hag, succumbs to her wounds, and the Baron takes his own life. Even The Witcher 3‘s “best” Baron ending comes at a heavy cost.
4 Romancing Yennefer
On the other side of the coin, players can have Geralt of Rivia pursue and cement his life of romance with Yennefer of Vengerberg. Though the games aren’t canon to the books, the books are canon to the games and that same turbulent history of Geralt and the imposing sorceress Yennefer’s relationship is still there.
Given the fandom behind the overall The Witcher story from author Andrzej Sapkowski’s books, there’s much support for this romantic duo, but it is also full of highs and lows. The Witcher 3‘s prospect of giving them a happy ending in one of the best overall romance stories in video games is exciting, even if it’s made more difficult with the possibility of Triss instead.
3 Deciding Skellige’s Ruling Line
Throughout the vast open world, players can take Geralt on a variety of side stories that indirectly – or directly – greatly enhance the worldbuilding of the Continent and the lands around them. Geralt and Yennefer arrive to seek the help of clan leader Crach an Craite in tracking Ciri down, but the witcher can engage in side quests involving his son and daughter. Both are vying for the throne, and who claims it depends on a combination of Geralt’s direct input on the matter and who he sides with when solving a grisly murder mystery.
Once players arrive on the Celtic and Norse-inspired island of Skellige in The Witcher 3, there are plenty of things to discover, but the biggest is deciding the political future of the land. Hjalmar would lose forces in relentless raids on Nilfgaard, Cerys would focus on peace and economic stability, and if Geralt fails to influence either way, Svanridge an Tuirseach instills a bloody new monarchy.
2 Triss’ Torture At The Hands Of The Eternal Fire
The dense medieval urban jungle of the Free City of Novigrad in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt boasts an embarrassment of riches. It also contains more excellent storytelling at the main and side quest levels, including Triss’ role to play in the major Ciri-focused tale and a tense encounter Geralt and the sorceress had with the Church of the Eternal Fire.
On the way to finding the allegedly imprisoned Dandelion, Triss proposes that Geralt pretend to turn her into the Church for questioning/torture to get close to Menge, the Temple Guard commander. What makes things tense and feel alive in the open-world game are the options to approach the situation: avoid letting Triss gets tortured and lead a large-scale battle on the fortress, or get the information peacefully from Menge by letting her endure the pain.
1 Syanna & Dettlaff’s Confrontation
Setting up some tough choices, Geralt and co. discover that Anna Henrietta’s sister Syanna and the mastermind who manipulated the vampire Dettlaff are the same. Dettlaff, having fallen in love with her, is enraged that he’s been used as a pawn and wants revenge, and Geralt has to navigate a minefield to prevent further bloodshed.
Both characters are effectively sympathetic villains who aren’t truly evil, but if Geralt leaves Syanna to her own devices, and fails to do a specific side activity with her along the way, Syanna – and potentially Henrietta – could die along the way. On top of a superb main storyline and engaging side quests, The Witcher 3: Wild Huntalso has some of the best post-game content in the industry, mostly thanks to the equally acclaimed Blood and Wine DLC expansion.
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