Here’s Where All ‘The Witcher’ Games Take Place
Most of the time, we’ve spent focusing on various aspects of Witcher gameplay. We talked about characters, quests, mechanics, and difficulties, but one aspect that we haven’t covered so far is location. We know that the world of Witcher is massive, and it’s filled with many natural and unnatural wonders. We know there are several kingdoms through which we can travel, and several only mentioned far away lands. But where do the Witcher games take place?
The setting of the Witcher games
As you’re probably aware, Witcher games are based on the series of novels written by Andrzej Sapkowski. The books also inspired a popular Netflix series, The Witcher. What all three forms of media have in common are the shared universe, characters, and places. Witcher games are not canon, but they share a common setting.
Both books, games, and Netflix series take place on the Continent. The Continent is an unnamed landmass that contains the Nilfgaardian Empire and Northern Kingdoms. Nilfgaardian Empire spans around 28 regions and vassal territories, with the most notable being Toussaint, which we have the pleasure of visiting during The Witcher 3: Blood & Wine.
Northern Kingdoms, on the other hand, are where the majority of games take place. Northern Kingdoms span around 11 kingdoms or independent territories. Most notably Temeria, Redania, Kaedwen, Aedirn, and Skellige Isles. But we’re going to discuss this in more detail in the rest of this post.
Where does Witcher 1 take place?
Witcher 1 takes place in Temeria and Kaedwen. Since the game is divided into 7 acts (including the prologue and epilogue), each act takes you through different locations that can be found within the aforementioned territories.
Geralt’s Journey in The Witcher 1 begins at Kaer Morhen. Kaer Morhen is located in the Blue Mountains of Hertch in the kingdom of Kaedwen. This is the historical seat of the Witcher School of the Wolf. The School has, arguably, seen better days. The main keep has fallen into a state of disrepair, and the terrain is dangerous and swarming with monsters.
The next act leads us to Vizima, where the rest of the game will be taking place. Vizima is the grand capital of the kingdom of Temeria. Temeria itself borders Redania, Kerack, Kaedwen, Aedirn, Mahakam, Lower Sodden, and Cidaris. The capital of Temeria, Vizima, is the largest city in Temeria. Prior to the Conjunction of the Spheres, the city was an ancient elven settlement.
Where does Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings take place?
Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings primarily takes place in Temeria and Aedirn. The prologue takes us to LaValette castle, which is situated in Temeria, which we previously discussed when we talked about the setting of Witcher 1. Temeria is followed by Flotsam forests. It’s hard to define where Flotsam is since the area borders several Northern Kingdoms Redania, Temeria, Aedirn, and Kaedwen.
As the story progresses, we move more toward Aedirn. Aedirn is one of the great Northern Kingdoms, constantly feuding with Kaedwen when it comes to territory. Dol Blathanna, a famous refuge of the elves, is situated here.
A large portion of the game takes place in Vergen, a dwarven town on the Aedirnian border. Vergen is a place of conflict and one of the main battlefields in Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings.
Where does Witcher 3: Wild Hunt takes place?
Witcher 3: Wild Hunt takes place in Temeria, Redania, Kaedwen, Skellige, and Toussaint. The Witcher 3 Prologue takes place in White Orchard. This small area was, prior to the start of the game, conquered by Nilfgaard and lost its independence. Soon after wrapping up all affairs in White Orchard, you return to Vizima once again. To be more specific, you visit the royal palace in Vizima for an audience with Nilfgaardian emperor Emhyr.
Next and the last region in Temeria that Geralt visits is Velen. This swampy marshland area is situated in northern Temeria. This region is known as No Man’s Land due to the high population of bandits, mercenaries, marauders, and monsters.
Leaving Velen, Geralt will travel to Novigrad, the largest city you have come across so far in your adventures. Novigrad is a free city situated in Redania, which means that it is independent and not subject to Redania’s laws for the most part. On the northern shore of the Pontar River and southeast of Novigrad, you can find Oxenfurt famous for its academy. A lot of quests added with Hearts of Stone expansion take place in Oxenfurt.
The last stop in finding Ciri takes Geralt to the Skellige Islands. This is the first time in the history of the franchise that the player travels to Skellige. This archipelago situated in the Great Sea is ruled by the High King, who has a seat in Kaer Trolde, a port city on the island of Ard Skelling, the largest city in the archipelago.
The coasts and mountain ranges of Skellige are legendary. The only thing that mars the natural beauty of the isles are its many corsairs and pirates looking for every opportunity to take advantage of unwary travelers.
Upon the conclusion of the Skellige storyline, we return to Kaedwen once again, more specifically, Kaer Morhen.
The last notable region that the player will visit in Witcher 3 is Toussaint. Toussaint was introduced with the Blood & Wine expansion. This small duchy serves as the vassal territory of the Nilfgaardian empire. Its capital city is Beauclair, ruled over by the Duchess Anna Henrietta. Toussaint is famous for its vine, art, great cheeses, and the beauty of the landscape.
And that’s pretty much it. As you can see, Witcher games span almost the entirety of Northern Kingdoms. To some locations, we return many times, like Temeria, and some we visit only once, like Skellige and Novigrad. When it comes to future installments in the franchise, we can’t even begin to guess where they might take place, but we’re sure that it’s going to be magnificent.
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