The Wild Hunt: Retirement

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

With the Hunt destroyed and no tactical genius like Radovid to oppose them, Nilfgaard conquered the rest of the Continent, apart from the vassal state of Temeria which Ves and Vernon fought so hard for. Having realized his vision the Emperor did as he had initially promised, and abdicated his throne to his daughter - Ciri.

You mean I have to wear more fancy shirts?

Thanks to her, the Skellige Isles too were left alone and prospered under Queen Cerys, who stopped their raiding ways. Meanwhile Zoltan helped Dandelion run his new cabaret at Novigrad and Letho surprisingly inherited Kaer Morhen which presented an opportunity for rebuilding his school of the viper there. As for Geralt, he and Yen eventually retired far away to a place of solitude to live out their days together in happiness. 

Of course, this doesn't mean they never saw Ciri again, for the girl could teleport to anywhere at will and on occasion would sneak out to play Gwent with the White Wolf, much to the annoyance of her handlers.

Insight: As expected, this is but one of multiple endings to this game. It's great when your choices matter!

The Wild Hunt: Conjunction

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

With Radovid out of the way, Nilfgaard turned its attention directly to Skellige. Among their massive armada sailed Geralt and company, with an Emperor approved plan to lure the Wild Hunt into battle for one final confrontation.

As Avallac'h expected, they took the magical bait and arrived right into the prison dome maintained by the lodge sorceresses where Geralt, Ciri, and the Nilfgaard army ambushed them. Not one to sit out of a fight, the Skellige fleet also arrived with Crach and Hjalmar at the helm.

None could match the King of the Hunt though, with even Crach falling victim to his blade. Unfortunately for him, the White Wolf's reflexes were better than his magic and the witcher avenged his fallen friend with style.

His death did not end the threats though, as their arrival had begun another Conjuction of Spheres - where the gateway to other worlds opened to let numerous creatures teleport in. The worst of these was the White Frost, a world killing magical storm who prophecy claimed could only be defeated by a child of the elder blood. Ciri.

So this is what it's like inside a snow globe...

Having been trained by Avallac'h for exactly this purpose, Ciri stepped through a gateway to face this unstoppable threat... and won.

Insight: The King of the Hunt is a pansy compared to his generals. Just dodge often and igni his frost armor off to deal some good damage.

The Wild Hunt: Generals

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

Intent on counter attacking the Wild Hunt while they were weakened, Ciri and Geralt left Kaer Morhen in hopes to catch one of their generals in the Velen region. Avallac'h had said this particular one had become the master of the swamp crones who regularly enticed him with offerings of the flesh.

The information was good and while the witcher burned the general's face to death, Ciri slew the majority of his evil crone cohorts. Having earned a measure of trust from the White Wolf, Avallac'h next took him world-hopping to reach that of the Wild Hunt's origin.

Beauty in far flung places.

There, another general is encountered but instead of killing him Avallac'h, who also originates from that world, instead reveals proof that Eredin - the Wild Hunt leader, had killed the previous Elf King. Being a friend and a loyalist to the deceased leader, this general agrees to no longer send troops to reinforce Eredin. Avallac'h is confident he will keep his word.

Insight: The world jumping bit is really cool. In the cold world, fire will restore your health so look for ignitables.

The Wild Hunt: Siege

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

By the time Ciri and Geralt return to Kaer Morhen, all the allies have gathered - now including Letho, Keira Metz and Triss. As expected, the Wild Hunt are not far behind so while Yen shields the castle with magic, Triss provides fiery artillery support for the three volunteers who go out to attack the enemy: Geralt, Lambert and Letho.

Witcher Strike Team!

The fighting is fierce and despite their best efforts and various traps, the sheer numbers of Wild Hunters gradually force the defenders back towards the keep, with Vigi, Folan and Vesemir being killed. Seeing the old witcher get his neck broken triggers something in Ciri, and she loses control for a few minutes wailing like a banshee. The sound proves fatal to the Wild Hunt and they are forced to retreat after catastrophic losses.

Having won the day, the team spends some time mourning before they go their separate ways. Hjalmar and Ermion return to Skellige, Vernon and Ves to Velen, Zoltan to Novigrad, Eskel to Lormark, and Keira and Lambert to gods know where - as a couple.

In hopes to better protect Ciri, Yen and Triss head off as well to try rebuild the Lodge of Sorceresses, leaving only Geralt, Letho and Avallac'h to watch over the girl.

Insight: So... she could have just yelled at them this whole time? Mmhmm. In any case, if you run out of dimetrium bombs, Yrden can also shut down the portals.

The Wild Hunt: Allies

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

Once everything is prepared, Yennefer's magics finally lift the creatures curse - revealing him to actually be an elf sage named Avallac'h, who happens to be Ciri's mentor. The elf tells Geralt how find Ciri at the magically hidden Isle of Mists.

Vesemir warns them that they'd need a plan first though, as no doubt the Wild Hunt would be nipping at their heels the minute Ciri leaves that island. Geralt agrees, and states the plan is to bring Ciri home - luring the hunt into a battle at Kaer Morhen.

While the others prepare, Geralt goes to seek other allies first - being turned down immediately by Dijkstra, Crach, Cerys, and the Emperor of Nilfgaard. Fortunately Zoltan, Vernon, Ves, Hjalmar, Vigi and Folan all agree to fight. Surprisingly so does the Skellige druid Ermion, who is zen enough to put aside his hate of Yennefer.

The White Wolf then sails to the Isle of Mists, and without too much fanfare finally locates Ciri.

Been looking for you, kid.

Insight: Ahh this part is great, as it is one where all of your previous decisions either pay off or bite you in the butt!

The Wild Hunt: Bears

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

While the feast starts off as a normal rambunctious affair it quickly sours when a number of guests suddenly shift into bears and slaughter all but three candidates for the crown before Geralt can put them down.

Fighting without gear was the only way Geralt could give the bears a chance.

Hjalmar immediately decides to hunt down the bear related clansmen but the witcher opts to stay and assist Cerys in actually investigating the crime scene, discovering that those that transformed were actually poisoned to do so by the mother of the third contender and son of the previous King.

The guilty party is arrested and for her intellect Cerys is voted the first ever Queen of Skellige. During the coronation celebration, the witcher unexpectedly finds another trail to follow on his hunt for Ciri. That of a hideous man creature he and Yen previously heard about.

One of the Jarl's actually knew of such a monster, having sold the misshapen tyke to the Continent to a trader who worked for the Bloody Baron.

Insight: While it's fun to aim the crossbow by holding the button down, it's often more useful to just tap the button which will let Geralt auto aim and fire at the nearest enemy.

The Wild Hunt: Djinn

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

Geralt found sharing the small skiff with Yen to be quite pleasant. Just the two of them, sailing out in the middle of nowhere. It wasn't without purpose however, for Yennefer did have a destination in mind - a shipwreck that she deduced was the home of a djinn.

One of the more dangerous fights in the game.

After a difficult battle, the pair managed to capture the air spirit with Yen making but one wish before letting it go: To undo Geralt's last wish made with a previous djinn, a wish that the two of them would always be together.

The creature accepted before flying off, leaving the two wondering why their feelings for each other remained despite having their magical link removed. It doesn't take long for them to realize that the magic of true love is much stronger than any wish, and they share a kiss while watching the sun rise.

Insight: Uh, you probably could have used the djinn to... I don't know... destroy the Wild Hunt, find Ciri, and win the game but sure - lets use it to resolve feelings instead. Be sure to prep for this fight though, it's one of the hardest you will face!

The Wild Hunt: Outlander

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

By the time Geralt returned to Novigrad, his beard had grown too much for his liking so he had it shaved clean before finally deciding to the Skellige isles and meet up with Yennefer. The one ship willing to take him didn't fare well in the crossing, but all things considered, the witcher arrived in one piece on the isles - just in time to join Yen for the King's funeral.

Those "birds" are actually sirens!

The sorceress hadn't managed to investigate Ciri's whereabouts as thoroughly as she liked, having been hindered by the druids led by Ermion in these parts despite permission from Crach an Craite, jarl of the largest village and Geralt's friend.

In fact most of the locals treat them coldly, mainly due to them being outlanders from the Continent. Tired of trying to be nice, the pair instead use guile - stealing an artifact from the druids and desecrating one of their sacred sites to search for Ciri. Unfortunately her trail ends up vanishing into the cold, wide sea once more.

Insight: I mentioned this in the last post but just so it's clear - drowners and sirens are "weaker" underwater because the crossbow is overpowered while swimming. Especially for sirens (who can fly in this game) that attack while you are on a tiny boat, it's often better to just dive into the sea and wait for them to go into "swim mode" and shoot them there.  

The Wild Hunt: Doppler

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

Needing something other than Dijkstra's offer to think about, Geralt looks for the doppler Dudu who is believed to be in hiding within Novigrad. While it takes a lot of leg work, it isn't actually difficult to find him and get his help in freeing Dandelion. Dudu simply has to look like the Eternal Fire boss Triss immolated, bark some orders, and the bard is freed.

Dandelion is overjoyed at his rescue, but informs Geralt that Ciri had teleported herself out of Novigrad during his capture. Since Geralt's searched most of the mainland, odds are Ciri has gone to Skellige island - which is where Yen is looking.

Somewhat relieved, Geralt decides to take it easy for a bit - helping his friend Zoltan get out of debt from Bedlam by tracking down collectors edition Gwent cards, Dandelion in setting up his new cabaret club, and an elf cook in regaining sword making privileges from Cleaver which earns the witcher a master blade, all while hunting down a mass murderer on the side.

Ugh, I'm terrible at this game!

Insight: Gwent is a fun card game you can play at numerous locations. If you are serious about winning though, you will need to make sure to buy new cards when you come across them and most importantly keep your deck thin by replacing out the weaker cards!

The Wild Hunt: Junior

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

Since an assault on the temple is out of the question, Geralt hunts down Whoreson Junior next with the aid of Cleaver's dwarves but the wily scum always seems to just be out of reach - with his clowns thwarting any takeover Cleaver had in mind.

Skilled in brawling and in make-up application.

It takes contacting the spy, Vernon Roche, hiding out with what's left of his Temerian company and saving his favored soldier, Ves, from an unsanctioned suicide mission against a Nilfgaard unit to finally find Whoreson at a safe house provided by King Radovid himself in Oxenfurt. He had been passing the time by murdering strumpets in various ways.

During his beating, Whoreson divulges that Dandelion, Ciri, and the doppler Dudu were to bring him Dijkstra's hoard as payment to repair a phylactery. The robbery didn't go as planned and Whoreson admits to exchanging blows with Ciri. Unimpressed, Geralt mercilessly kills the bastard who attacked his "daughter" before taking the repaired phylactery for himself.

Insight: Ciri's charge up attack is very powerful, just make sure you dash away to give you time before using it. Despite teleporting everywhere you will always finish right where you start.

The Wild Hunt: Monsters

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

Novigrad smells like burning flesh, and for good reason. The Church of the Eternal Fire are here and are actively fanaticizing the city folk into discriminating against the non-humans and burning witches and magic users at the stake.

There's still plenty of work for a witcher though, but this time Geralt saves more "monsters" than he kills as they are often the victims of the city residents. On one such job he helps his old flame, the sorceress Triss, who is now living doing menial tasks while in hiding from the Witch Hunters.

Hiding in extravagant parties that is.

While she has no leads on Ciri, she does get Geralt reunited with his dwarven ally Zoltan who bluntly informs the witcher that their other friend, the flamboyant bard Jaskier Dandelion has also gone missing. Since the bard's trail is fresh, they decide to look for him first.

Insight: Fast travel via sign posts to save a lot of time.

The Wild Hunt: Baron

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

It was only after more of his men died that the Baron met with Geralt, putting an end to the fighting. It just so happened he needed the witcher's services, and was willing to pay via information about Ciri who he clearly had met.

In exchange Geralt was to find his missing wife and daughter who both fled due to the Baron's love for booze. To complicate matters, his wife had fallen into the service of powerful, child eating swamp crones. It was not a happy reunion.

Despite the result, the baron kept his word and explained he helped a wounded Ciri heal up and even gave her a horse and supplies to get to the free city of Novigrad. He then ended his tale the only way he knew how.

Hmm. That's a strong rope.

Insight: It pays to check the bestiary to find the weaknesses of whatever you are fighting. You can apply sword oil mid-combat as necessary.

The Wild Hunt: Letho

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

Having completed his mission of destabilizing the North for the Emperor of Nilfgaard, Letho was now a loose end that the Nilfgaardians wanted silenced.  It was by pure chance Geralt happened upon his hiding spot, but it was greed and loose lips that led the pack of soldiers there too.

The shit we go through for each other...

While eliminating them would have been easy for the witcher pair the only way for Letho to be free of the endless stream of bounty hunters was to fake his death, so Geralt helped him with that. When the coast was clear he subsequently sent his once mortal enemy to the sanctuary of Kaer Morhen.

Letho was grateful for this and advised the White Wolf to ask the "Bloody" Baron, ruler of these parts, about Ciri as his many hired goons would have no doubt run into her. Of course, some of the said goons had already tasted the end of the Geralt's blade due to their many mistreatments of the local villagers. Their friends at the keep, having heard about this, would only greet Geralt with steel in hand.

Insight: Despite being an open world, there are really strong foes lurking some parts of the map which effectively block off regions. As a result it's not too fun to explore in this game since you can't "clear" all the extra locations until you are higher level. Worse, you can't tell what places you shouldn't go yet because these enemies are just peppered at random it seems.

The Wild Hunt: Rats

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

As thanks for her assistance, Geralt decided to help Keira remove a curse from a nearby island - one involving many rats. Humorously, the drowners, ghouls and rotfiends that inhabited the isle would have been no problem for the sorceress but when it came to rodents her phobia trumped her magic.

Close quarters actually favor you in this fight!

Stemming mainly from a resident pesta, or plague maiden, the curse was lifted when the witcher freed the suffering spirit. Overjoyed, Keira then treated the White Wolf to a romantic evening and shared her despair about living in the swamp.

Geralt offered her sanctuary at the witcher stronghold of Kaer Morhen instead, an offer Keira accepted. He could not go with her though, not yet. Not until he found Ciri.

Insight: The pesta likes to summon slow moving clouds of stinging insects. You can destroy these with Igni, just like any bee swarms you accidentally provoke elsewhere.

The Wild Hunt: Clues

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

With legal papers in hand, Geralt's next stop was to find one of the Emperor's spies for information about Ciri. Unfortunately the Wild Hunt had visited first, and with the spy dead the witcher had to piece clues together from his hidden ledger instead. He didn't expect one such clue to lead him to an old acquaintance.

"Burn everything" is an interesting search method...

Keira Metz, once a member of the Lodge of Sorceresses, was now in hiding in a nearby village from Redanian Witch Hunters. Despite her situation, it doesn't take much convincing to get her help in the search for Ciri and she takes Geralt to a cave that might hold more answers.

All the pair find instead is the Wild Hunt, who leave one of their members behind to battle Keira and the witcher. This does not end well for the Wild Hunter, who shatters the illusion that the Wild Hunt are invincible. Tough? Yes. But also still kill-able. Geralt's hopes rise a little at this revelation.

Insight: Rolling is great to put distance between you and an enemy, like to get away from a wall or from an exploding rotfiend. However if you want to strike back, using the small dodge step (Alt on PC) is much more versatile. Just don't move into an attack with it.

The Wild Hunt: Vultures

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

Yennefer gave Geralt a task he couldn't refuse: finding his old ward, Ciri. While officially they were working for Ciri's father, the Emperor of Nilfgaard, Yen had discovered that the malevolent force known as the Wild Hunt was also after her for some mysterious reason.

To cover more ground the two decide to split up with Geralt heading Velen, a no man's land between the territories of Nilfgaard and Redania. Knowing it would be easier to move around with a pass, the witcher accepted a job to assist a forger and his "vulture crew" to pick clean a nearby battle field of all the free loot just lying with the dead.

The local vultures are also pretty monstrous.

As expected, the necrophages are here too and while the ghouls are more numerous this time and led by a rotfiend (zombie that explodes) they still aren't a problem for the veteran monster slayer. What he didn't expect was for a nearby mounted bandit patrol to get involved, resulting in the deaths of all the vultures - the forger included.

Insight: The fire sign, Igni, is effective in startling horses to throw off mounted enemies.

Old TV Reviews: Conan the Wiedzmin

Thanks to my Strong Girl Bong-soon post, I've decided to do a short set of TV show reviews within the following rules: It must be finished and I must have watched (and mostly remember) all the episodes. As you might have guessed, I'm going to amuse myself by combining some titles too. :P

Conan the Adventurer (Ended)

Ralf Moeller's Conan is quite different to the Arnie version. Despite his attire, Conan is more knight than barbarian, is more verbose, enjoys traveling in a party, and is much less grim. Unfortunately the acting is bad, the plot is regularly laughable as is the comedy relief main villain, and there are some filler scenes that just didn't need to be there at all. One episode had at least 5 minutes of a man running. Yep. Not a chase scene or anything, just running. At least there is occasional eye candy! Not one I can recommend, nor one that needed a second season.

Mostly fighters in this party.

Wiedzmin (Polish - Ended)

This is the story of Geralt of Rivia, and takes many plot points from the popular "Witcher" books. Despite the low budget props, CGI and cinematography, as well as some questionable subtitling in the version I watched, this series was very entertaining and Michal Zebrowski is a decent Geralt. We quite liked Jaskier (Dandelion) too! Each episode was almost stand alone, with a focus on dialogue peppered with some decent action. I would have loved a Season 2 for this one. For now I just hold out hope that the planned Netflix version will be just as good, if not better.

Some Ciri would be great too.