The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is set in the complex and sundered land of the Northern Realms. There is a lot going on, so things from the previous game, and the books that inspired them, don't always line up properly. Considering The Witcher 3 is a bigger game than the previous two combined, there are many variables and gaps. Especially since there are so many different consequences to the player's actions.
Plotholes are inevitable. They may make gamers furrow their brows and scratch their heads in confusion, though this at least gives people topics to discuss about one of the best RPGs in recent history.
10 Redanian Soldier Loyalty After Their King's Death
The mad man, Radovid V, sure loves torture and execution. If the player does not approve of his methods, it is possible to orchestrate a situation in which the stern king is the one who loses his life. Strangely, even after Radovid is killed Redanian soldiers that Geralt passes will sometimes be heard shouting "Love ling Radovid!" It is possible that these particular soldiers merely did not get the memo, though it is more likely that this is an oversight on behalf of CD Projekt Red.
9 Most Should Be Too Poor For Gwent
When traveling in the countryside, Geralt meets many people who actively play Gwent. Some even have impressive decks despite not having enough coin for basic necessities. Cards can cost a fair bit of money, so this may lead one to wonder how these peasants and farmers could even put together a proper set of cards. Some people in the smaller towns will give the witcher a hard time when he is collecting pay for slaying a monster that was slaughtering people, yet these same poor folk have enough florens to synergize a deck better than they can clean their chicken coop.
8 That One Abnormally Strong Monster
Completionists will likely be aware of the ridiculously high-level archgriffin upon Snidhall Isle, the north-most of the Skelligan lands. With no way to reach close to this level, Geralt will only be able to confront this hybrid beast at a disadvantage. There has been no tangible reason why this one particular monster is so much stronger than everything else, though many speculate that it is simply a test for those looking for a more challenging fight. It would have been nice for there to be some sort of quest or book justifying this, but there simply is not.
7 Geralt Lets The Ancient Oak Spirit Go
When Geralt is deliberating on what to do about the Crones and the children they have imprisoned, he comes across a potential ally. A mysterious spirit tied to an ancient oak offers to rescue the children in exchange for the witcher freeing them from their bonds. If one agrees, the spirit will be true to their word and rescue the children.
Afterward, however, the spirit goes on to murder most of the town of Downwarren, causing the player to severely question whether they made the right choice. Most expected Geralt to make this spirit answer for their bloody crimes, but he apparently has better things to do instead of hunting down this dangerous spirit. Like playing card games.
6 Dragons Are Vastly Underpowered
It is true that dragons are represented as powerful in The Witcher series, but not nearly as much as they should be. They can also live for hundreds of years and get more mighty as they age. This is implied by the lore found in books and of legends spoken by mostly Zerrakanian sources. Saskia the Dragonslayer, otherwise known as the dragon Saesenthessis, is a prime example of this folly. Even though she uses her dragon form, she barely utilizes her vast power and instead spends most of her time in her considerably weaker human form.
5 The Red Death Should Have Killed More People
This disease, also known as the Catriona Plague, is one that apparently is running rampant across the Northern Realms. For some reason, most don't seem concerned by its high mortality rate and how swiftly it is spreading. This pandemic is meant to emulate the Bubonic Plague from the real world which ravaged Europe in the past, killing a huge portion of the population. Though, despite all the indication that this should be the case in the Northern Realms as well, Geralt does not seem to encounter that many examples of this virulent plague.
4 The White Frost Acts Like An Antagonist
From many sources in The Witcher 3, including books and dialogue, the player can learn more about this phenomenon. The White Frost is meant to be the gradual cooling of the entire world that occurs over the course of decades.
Instead of acting like a force of nature, as one would expect from a global shift in temperature, it instead appears as very inconvenient blizzards that hinder Geralt on his various quests. Seems a bit forced and is likely an attempt to make things seem daunting in the short-term more than anything else.
3 The Lodge Of Sorceresses Has Inconsistent Power
Many of the mages Geralt interacts with are members of the same organization: the Lodge of Sorceresses. These powerful women have the combined might to influence whole nations, wield the elements, and even raise the dead. With such might, it makes no sense for them to fear being hunted down, as they are in The Witcher 3. One of these mages alone could immolate a whole unit of armed soldiers, yet most get strong-armed into compromising positions whenever the plot demands it. All for the sake of Geralt having a chance to help them out and potentially develop a romance with them.
2 Why Emhyr Wants Ciri
Throughout events and conversations, the player can learn that Emhyr desperately wants Ciri because she is his daughter and that he needs an heir for the throne. There is a lot more to this in the books, but for the game's story, these points are not relevant. With this in mind, it makes one wonder why Emhyr needs Ciri specifically as his next in line. She's nowhere near the kind of ruler he would want for an empire as she is more of a free spirit than one who'd sit on a throne. It would be better for him to marry a noblewoman from Nilfgaard and sire a child of a better lineage that he could groom and educate as he sees fit.
1 Witchers Are Hated
Witchers are seen as freaks to common folk for their enhanced strength and frightening appearance, though this hatred seems to go beyond ignorance. The Northern Realms is plagued with huge amounts of racism against elves, dwarves, and anyone who is different than the average human. But with how useful witchers are at helping rid places of monsters, one would think they should be appreciated a bit more. In the books where monsters are far rarer, witchers could be seen as weirdos who dwell mostly away from people, but in the games where monster problems are literally everywhere, this hatred just seems misplaced.