There is a lot of heartache and suffering in The Witcher 3, both for the heroes and the secondary characters. But some of them weather a bit more than others. And some a lot more. While the game offers the player the option to make their own choices, in some storylines it seems that the hardships cannot be avoided no matter the outcome.
Witcher 3 is one of those prime examples of games where the developers and storytellers were not afraid to push some limits and create heart-breaking stories that are not only limited to the main characters. But those are the characters that remain in the players' minds, long after they have finished playing (and replaying).
7 The Bloody Baron
Philip Strenger, a.k.a. The Bloody Baron is one of the most ambiguous characters in the franchise and gamers love to hate him or hate to love him. When Geralt learns that Ciri was hiding in his fortress, he demands to know more about her whereabouts, but Philip will only tell him if Geralt accepts to find his wife and daughter, who are both missing.
In this long and complicated quest, the player has many options but all of them will lead to heartbreak, one way or the other, with some being completely catastrophic and some a bit (but only a bit) less. As the story of the family unravels, the Baron becomes more and more accepting to the idea that he has made some mistakes that cannot be repaired, even though most gamers by the end of the quest wish that he could find redemption.
6 Dandelion
Because Dandelion always has a good word to say (for himself), it is easy for players to think that he doesn’t really care about what’s happening around him and that even dark events can’t shake his happy-go-lucky personality.
But Dandelion is a character that has been through a lot and keeps going through a lot in the duration of the game, even though at the end of his storyline, the player seems to “leave him in good hands”. He has risked his life to help Ciri and Geralt and even when he doesn’t only care about himself and tries to do the right thing, something will go wrong, which in most cases will cause his life to be in danger.
5 Crach An Craite
Also known as The Wild Boar Of The Sea, Crach is a character that most people love straight away, and even though he is hot-headed and a tiny bit bloodthirsty, it is only natural due to him being from Skellige. In the game he helps Geralt with locating Ciri and Geralt helps him back with deciding which one of his two children is going to be the next ruler.
Later in the game, Geralt asks for Crach’s help to defend Kaer Morhen, and Crach sends his son to help while keeping a watch for a Nilfgaardian attack. But instead of the fight he expected, Crach found himself leading an attack against the Wild Hunt, and ended up facing Eredin, with disastrous, although heroic, results.
4 Sigismund Dijkstra
Sigismund Dijkstra might not be as likable as other characters, but still, players can’t help falling for his charm and smart mind, even though he doesn’t always use it for good. In the game, Dijkstra surprises Geralt many times, and even saves the day on occasions.
But not all the surprises are good. Dijkstra, along with Vernon Roche, Ves, and Thaler, ask Geralt to help them assassinate King Radovid V. The fate of Dijkstra remains solely at the choices the player will make, but only one outcome is good for Sigismund, and it is not very likely that it is the one the player will choose to go with.
3 Vesemir
The oldest living witcher, Vesemir, is loved by all the game characters and the players alike. He is loyal, he is smart, he is funny, he is determined, and has so many other great qualities that he seems almost too good to be true. But in a game like Witcher, with so many characters balancing between good and evil, it’s nice to have a moral compass.
Even though Vesemir dies the way he would have preferred, it is still a great shock for the heroes and a sad (and annoying) thing for the player who can’t do anything to save him.
2 The Pellar
He is as weird as he is holy, but one thing is for sure: The Pellar is a very interesting minor character who helps Geralt and lets Geralt help him. Their friendship begins when Geralt goes to him asking for information about The Bloody Baron’s wife, and The Pellar says he can probably help if Geralt finds his princess… who is a lovely goat.
When Geralt is called to help The Pellar hold Forefather’s Eve, a dark secret is revealed: he had killed his own father and now the ghost was out for revenge. Geralt takes care of that, and The Pellar explains why he had done what he had done, which is distressing, to say the least.
1 Triss Merigold
While the majority of players will choose Yennefer as the main love interest of Geralt, a lot of players will opt to go for Triss as well, leading to a disastrous ending for all involved, but with the girls having taken their revenge.
But even if someone chooses to go for Triss as a partner, her story in the games is still undeniably a path paved with difficulties and heartbreak in every corner. She is tasked with freeing the mages from Novigrad and has to make some very unfortunate deals to go through with her plan. But especially if the player has chosen Yennefer over her, then she also gets to see them together in Kaer Morhen, when Geralt asks for her help to defend Ciri.