CD Projekt RED’s The Witcher 4 has spurred much conversation following its reveal at The Game Awards. Outside of confirming Ciri as the new protagonist and promising new regions and monsters, the development team hasn’t delved too much into the story. However, executive producer Małgorzata Mitręga has addressed concerns about her overwhelming power at the end of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
Speaking to GamesRadar, Mitręga confirms that “something totally happened in-between” the two games, addressing “the gap between her being totally overpowered at the end of the previous game and now, with the skill set we showed off in the trailer.”
“We had to delve deep to consider how we would address this – we have huge respect for the lore, both the books and what made it into our previous games. But this was one of the first questions we found the answer to, and it’s how we were able to create this original story, which starts with The Witcher 4.”
How will she play compared to Geralt? “She’s faster, more agile – but you can still tell that she was raised by Geralt, right?” Mitręga also confirmed that the spell wielded in the trailer is called Bolt. Based on what we’ve seen Geralt pull off with Signs, it seems Ciri is more proficient in magic.
Of course, it’s up to the player how they want her to develop. Game director Sebastian Kalemba previously told IGN about providing “more tools for players’ disposal, to be able to not only play and go with the consequences narratively, but also gameplay-wise.” Perhaps those who want to specialize more in magic can do so while others focus on Ciri’s martial skills. Time will tell.
The Witcher 4 is coming to Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. It doesn’t have a release window – full production only began last month. Stay tuned for more updates in the meantime.