Highlights

  • The Witcher 3 is set in a vast land known as the Continent, and Geralt journeys through five major areas with deep history and lore.
  • Humans' arrival on the Continent brought conflict with the Elder Races, leading to centuries of war and tensions between different species.
  • As Geralt hunts for his ward Ciri, the game explores the consequences of past events, creating a rich narrative of politics, magic, and war.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and its previous games are set in a vast unnamed land and some adjacent islands collectively referred to by its characters as the Continent. In the latest game, players can access five major areas:

  • Kaer Morhen: This is the old keep where Geralt and his fellow Wolf School Witchers come home. It’s located on the slopes of the Blue Mountains within the kingdom of Kaedwen.
  • Skellige Isles: This archipelago has six islands and Northern Kingdoms. Its people are known for their seafaring and fierce naval prowess.
  • Whiter Orchard: This village is located within the Northern Kingdoms, but a recent bloody battle before the events of The Witcher 3 has left it in control of the Nilfgaardian army. Its landscape is filled with trees that have white flowers, but also homes that were ravaged by war.
  • Velen and Novigrad: Velen is also known as a no man’s land because its population is filled with armed men of all stripes, from former soldiers to bandits. Cultists also roam the area. This starkly contrasts the nearby free city of Novigrad, which is inhabited by common townsfolk, craftsmen, and business owners all seemingly protected by the Temple Guard.
  • Toussaint: While this area is autonomous, it flies its banner under the Nilfgaardian Empire. Its idyllic land is known for its wine-producing vineyards and volcanic soil. Beneath this duchy exists a mysterious network of tunnels and dungeons. Some were naturally hollowed by lava, while others were purposefully dug for mining.

Each village that Geralt visits has a deep history. Most areas, like Skellige, were inhabited by giants and elves but have since been conquered by humans. The struggle for control over land by different races has been a major problem in the Continent since time immemorial, with most of the conflict being humans against elves. While different species now seemingly live in harmony in some cities like Novigrad, the siege of the Northern Kingdoms by the Nilfgaardian Empire continues to bring unrest. With all the chaos going on in the Continent, one needs to look back at its history to make sense of it all.

MixCollage-29-Feb-2024-10-08-PM-8559
Related
The Witcher: All Story Chapters In The 2007 Game, Ranked

With a potential remake of The Witcher's first franchise instalment brewing, we take a look at how the original game's chapters compare to each other.

What is the History of The Witcher 3’s Continent?

The most memorable, yet mysterious, event in the Continent’s history is The Conjunction of the Spheres. According to lore that stretches across the games, books, and TV series, this paranormal event brought upon the arrival of humans and other species to the Continent. Before the Conjunction, the land was mostly ruled by the Elder Races: elves, gnomes, and dwarves. This happened in 230, around 1,500 years before the events of The Witcher games. The humans, split into two folks known as Wozgor and Dauk, were relatively primitive during this time.

The Landing of the Nordlings

It wasn’t until over 500 years later in 760 that humans started to conquer lands for their own. This historical marker was known as “The First Landing” or “The Landing of the Nordlings.” It was during this time that humans started venturing and settling into the Northern Kingdoms. Some humans stayed in the South, and it was speculated that those who stayed were part of the original humans because of their drastically different appearance from those who settled in the North.

The First Defeat of an Elven Kingdom and Beyond

Around 782, Ludovic’s army brought down Divethaf and took control over Toussaint. This marked the first time that Humans successfully usurped an Elven kingdom. It was around this time that magic was mastered by Humans as well, and they eventually learned to use it against the Elves they learned it from. These three major events sparked centuries of war and tensions across the Continent. Conflicts continue to wage on in the show and the game franchise. This time it goes beyond Humans vs. Elves, as the Nilfgaardian Empire, whose people have both Human and Elven blood, threatens to upend the Northern Kingdom.