Highlights
- Time skips in The Witcher 4 will take the franchise in a new direction, set 100 years after the previous installment, potentially introducing new characters and storylines.
- The fate of Geralt and Ciri in The Witcher 4 is uncertain due to the multiple endings in The Witcher 3, but characters like Triss, Yennefer, Lambert, and Keira could make a return.
- Characters with longer lifespans like sorceresses, elves, dopplers, and Gaunter O'Dimm may also feature in The Witcher 4, providing continuity and familiarity for fans.
Time skips in a story are always tricky to navigate, and franchises have to take special care not to deviate the overarching plot far off course from what fans are used to or run the risk of alienating or dropping some audience-favorite characters altogether. Skipping through years in a story is more common in anime like One Piece and Boruto, although mainline gaming series such as Fallout have attempted the mechanism to great success in the past. CD Projekt Red is employing the dynamic in The Witcher 4 as the developer seeks to kickstart a new era for The Witcher franchise, setting the upcoming title's events 100 years after its predecessor. A century is a long time even in fantasy worlds, and gamers wonder what characters other than Geralt and Ciri could appear in the next installment.
The nature of The Witcher 3's endings has generated some confusion in this regard, as the choice system featured in the last franchise update resulted in unique conclusions depending on players' decisions in-game. Ciri's fate -- her commitment to becoming a Witcher, ascending to the Nilfgaardian throne, or vanishing after fulfilling her destiny -- is influenced by Geralt's choices, with The Witcher 3's worst ending detailing her death, and possibly that of the protagonist as well. As a result, the main two characters may find their return in the sequel up in the air, but the real question surrounds what the rest of the cast in The Witcher 4 could look like.
A Few Characters from The Witcher 3 Are Equipped to Survive The Witcher 4's Time Skip
As The Witcher 4 introduces players to the new School of the Lynx, some characters in The Witcher 3 could return based on their story. This addition, although having the same name as The School of the Lynx founded by Lambert and Keira Metz, is not connected to its namesake. However, the general sentiment is that Lambert and Kiera are odds-on favorites to feature in The Witcher 4 because of this similarity, despite their optional deaths in The Witcher 3. CD Projekt Red could use their appearance in the upcoming title to distinguish the game and novel canon, which provides logical grounds for their inclusion.
Sorceresses in The Witcher series tend to live for a few hundred years, and it stands to reason that Triss and Yennefer will survive the long time skip to the start of The Witcher 4's events. Triss is one of the younger sorceresses, a romance option in The Witcher 3, and has appeared in every edition of the series since the beginning. Triss' involvement in King Foltest's royal court and knowledge of the land's political framework, as well as her assistance in the mage escape of Novigrad have set her up for an expanded role in The Witcher 4, possibly even ascending to a seat of power in Kovir.
Yennefer's case to appear in The Witcher 4 is similar to that of Triss, as the older sorceress possesses unparalleled skill and knowledge of ancient magics, which could extend her lifespan sufficiently to survive the century-long time skip. Although she might not be at the front burners of events in the upcoming title after all she has witnessed in the series, Yennefer's frequent appearances and the motherly role she plays for Ciri in The Witcher 3 are worthy of replication in The Witcher 4.
The Elves and Dopplers also have identically long lifespans, so Avallac'h and Dudu are viable candidates to grace The Witcher 4 with their presence. Fans also want to see the return of Gaunter O'Dimm, and since the Evil Incarnate character has no lifespan, he could continue his villain role in the series. The Witcher 4 could yet feature an entirely new cast, as not much is clear about its developmental phase, but the retainment of a few franchise favorites will help the title's familiarity factor.
The Witcher 4 is in development.
