The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt may be over five years old, but the beloved RPG is still surprising players. One scene in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt foreshadows the game’s saddest ending, though only those on the way to the ending will trigger it.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s endings are tied to specific choices players can make regarding Ciri. While most situations make it obvious which choice is “right” for Ciri, one of the toughest choices is made during the “Blood on the Battlefield” mission. Geralt can either distract her to cheer her up or say that she does not need to be good at everything. While the latter may see Geralt being a protective father, it goes against Ciri’s headstrong personality.
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As pointed out by Redditor RealSlimShady, players will see a neat bit of foreshadowing if they choose this option. Geralt will take Ciri for drinks in the scene, but the camera will focus on a cat before it brings the attention to the main characters. This cat is Nibbles, one of the only felines that does not fear Geralt. While Nibbles following Geralt throughout the game is a nice touch, it is what is in his mouth that is particularly ominous.
If you make one of the "bad" choices in the game, there is a brief scene of a cat carrying a dead swallow from witcher
Nibbles is clearly seen holding a swallow. Witcher fans will know that Swallow is the translation of Ciri’s Elder Speech name Zireael. It is also the name of Ciri’s sword. Most importantly, this type of bird is a symbol for Ciri, with the appearance of a swallow in Cyberpunk 2077 making fans believe that the game was referencing Ciri. While it is unclear if that was the intention, The Witcher 3’s swallow reference seems to be a whole lot clearer.
Considering that The Witcher 3 fans who make this choice have taken a big step toward the ending where Ciri dies, seeing the bird that is so closely tied to the character dead is a big hint as to what could happen at the end of the game. Another thing that makes the detail great is the fact that the people seeing it for the first time will likely think nothing of the moment. It could be waved off as any other bird or just a small detail that adds to the overall vibe of The Witcher’s dark world. However, those who do know what could happen to Ciri can come back and view this detail in a whole new way.
Moments like this are a great example of why The Witcher 3’s bad ending works so well, as it feels just as thought out as the happier options. With secrets like this one, it is easy to understand why the game remains relevant long after its 2015 release date.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is available on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X versions in development.
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