During CD Projekt Red’s 20th Anniversary livestream, developer Phil Weber teased how one last mystery was yet to be found. He hinted at it being about an important character with big story implications, and that the secret was lying around Crookback Bog, the village where Geralt finds the crones. That was enough for YouTuber xLetalis to hop on the case and investigate this final mystery.
The True Final Secret of The Witcher 3
This Clue Potentially Changes the Game’s Bad Ending
xLetalis started speculating over a tapestry made by the last crone during the game’s worst ending. In this ending, Ciri doesn’t come back after entering the tower of Tor Gvalch’ca and stopping the White Frost, while Geralt finds the last crone in Crookback Bog weaving a new tapestry and talking to her dead sisters. The crone confronts Geralt by saying that Ciri froze to death, and the witcher gives the crone a final blow. Nothing else is revealed about Ciri’s fate besides the narrator saying she has yet to be seen.
However, after the ending, players can return to Crookback Bog and check the contents of the tapestry for themselves. What first appeared to be just some dark markings or a weird texture turned out to be a depiction of Tor Gvalch’ca’s concept art, as pointed out by one of xLetalis’ viewers, Yaroslav Nikitenko. The YouTuber then confirmed with developer Phil Weber over Twitter/X that it was indeed the same tower seen on the tapestry, and that the real mystery was what that image was attempting to convey.
How the Tapestry Reveals Ciri’s Fate
There Are Three Overall Endings for Ciri in The Witcher 3
Eagle-eyed fans can spot a tiny bird at the top part of the tapestry, flying away from the tower. Ciri’s name, Zireael, means Swallow in elven, which closely resembles the shape of the bird seen on the tapestry. While this information leaves room for interpretation, what fans have taken from it is that Ciri survived and escaped the tower after stopping the White Frost but decided not to return, leaving Geralt clueless and devastated. Including this scenario, Ciri has three possible endings in The Witcher 3.
To obtain the ending with the tapestry and the crone, also known as the game’s “bad” ending, the player must have Geralt act negatively towards Ciri throughout several of The Witcher 3‘s missions. In particular, the quests “Battle Preparations,” “Blood on the Battlefield,” and “Final Preparations” are the ones that predominantly affect this outcome. Geralt’s actions towards Ciri negatively impact how she fares against the White Frost. If she didn’t die as a result of this as the final clue in the tapestry might imply, it arguably becomes more of a gut punch to believe that Ciri deliberately chose not to return to Geralt rather than simply being unable to, as Geralt’s behavior has ruined their relationship.
There are two better, alternative endings players can receive for Ciri, however. One involves Ciri becoming the Empress of Nilfgaard. This ending occurs when Geralt treats Ciri positively throughout the three aforementioned quests, along with taking her to see her father Emhyr var Emreis, the Emperor of Nilfgaard. Geralt and Ciri meet at an inn but eventually part ways, as Ciri has decided to ascend her father’s throne to change things for the better. The last ending for Ciri also requires positive interaction with her, but this time Geralt must not bring her to see her father. Geralt later tells him that Ciri perished while facing the White Frost, but then secretly meets up with her later for them to live their lives together as Witchers.
Aside from just Ciri’s endings, The Witcher 3‘s dynamic choice system provides multiple outcomes based on several different narrative aspects of the game. Many of these involve the fates of characters that Geralt encounters throughout his journey. Geralt himself has three different endings apart from the bad one with the crone. Depending on the choices the player makes when it comes to The Witcher 3‘s romance options, Geralt can either retire with Yennefer, retire with Triss, or continue as a Witcher. Though these different endings allow for personalized playthroughs of the game, this may be an issue depending on what CD Projekt Red has planned for the upcoming Witcher 4.
Potential Impacts on Project Polaris
The Protagonist of The Witcher’s Fourth Installment Is Currently Not Confirmed
The most exciting detail about this is how it increases the chances of Ciri being in the next game, as she is now alive in every ending. Her appearance in another game would be canon regardless of which ending players got in The Witcher 3. It would also be an interesting marketing tactic for developers to point at that secret after announcing their next game, possibly increasing the hype to see her again. However, whether she’ll make a quick cameo or play a major part in The Witcher 4 is still to be confirmed.
Project Polaris was first announced by CD Projekt Red in 2022 and has had few updates since. This game is set to mark a new era for The Witcher, beginning a saga separate from the series’ first three games. Doug Cockle, the voice actor for Geralt, has stated that his character will not be the primary focus of the franchise’s next installment, which makes sense given that there is only one ending in The Witcher 3 where Geralt remains a Witcher. This leaves fans to speculate as to who the new protagonist will be.
One of the most obvious potential candidates is Ciri, which is plausible given that there are sections of The Witcher 3 where fans can play as her. This would mean that the game would need to pick one of the three endings as the canon option, and this is possible thanks to the clue from the tapestry. While it is unknown what period The Witcher 4 will take place in or how long has passed between games, there is no doubt that many fans would like to see Ciri’s return to the franchise — this time in a more prominent role.
