The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has many elements that have made CD Projekt Red's baby so popular. It has endearing, multi-faceted characters, with even the side characters having great backstories and personalities. It has a nice balance of main quests and side quests, both of which are intriguing. It has great outfits for the characters, DLC content, dialogue choices, a combat system, a magic system... And it also has some beautiful scenery.
Some places in this game are just amazingly done, and we've ranked the ten most beautiful locations you can encounter on your adventures. Prepare to have your breath taken away.
10 Isle Of Mists
The Isle of Mists is worth a mention for the haunting beauty it provides... even if you can't see too far ahead of you at any given time. This is the place you'll encounter when you've finally tracked down Ciri and are about to go get her, having to sail from Skellige to this place. As you get closer, a mist will creep across the water and the hairs on the back of your neck will begin to stand up. It's surprisingly beautiful, considering there's not much you can see.
9 Vizima
It was once an elven place and now belongs to humans, the seat of Emperor Emhyr von Emreis — the city of Vizima. It's almost a typical medieval royal city, and looks particularly extravagant with its royal banners and lavish fountains. It's not particularly big and doesn't provide a whole lot to see, but it definitely has some nice detailing in the architecture and is nice to look at.
8 Oxenfurt
Located in Redania is the second largest city of the game. It's pretty look at it, and supposedly quite a progressive place — according to the game, it belongs mostly to young people who want the world to catch up with their ideas. It's supposedly deliberately similar to the city of Oxford in the United Kingdom, and the name supports this.
7 Novigrad
Another city in Redania (though it's technically a free city by this game), slightly more aesthetically pleasing — Novigrad! You'll be visiting Novigrad a lot in the game, so get used to the sight, but it definitely has a pretty skyline during the day and the architecture on the buildings is pretty neat.
6 Underwater Caves
The underwater caves in the game pop up every now and again, with Geralt forced to dive down and find things, emerging into a cave and much like the Isle of Mists, it's eerily beautiful down there. The colors of the water along with the caves themselves provide some really nice scenery although sadly, CD Projekt Red hasn't provided us with some lovely images of them. To experience them properly, you'll have to play through the game — but don't worry, you'll find loads, and realize they're actually very hauntingly beautiful. It helps that you'll usually find lots of cool items down there too.
5 Freya’s Garden
A sanctuary built a long time ago, this is a small location but worth the visit. Luckily, it's easy to visit, as it's part of the quest In Wolf's Clothing. This is a side quest, not a main — but even if you're not that into side quests, worth doing this one just to see the pretty garden that had some stunning artwork put into it.
Inside this garden, you'll meet a werewolf and will be given the choice to feed, free, or kill him. What you do is up to you — but it's a pretty unique quest and it just makes it all the better than it has such a stunning setting.
4 Hanged Man’s Tree
In Velen, there is a tree from which people are hung to remind people of war. It's admittedly a really grim concept — it is at it suggests, a tree covered in hanging bodies that have not been taken down and may just rot up there — but it provides a morbidly beautiful view with the bloody sunset in the background. It's one of the earlier locations you'll come across in Wild Hunt, and it really sets the tone for the whole game — beautiful, but pretty grim if you think about it for too long.
3 Kaer Morhen
Kaer Mohren is the first place you see in the game (or at least, the first place where you take control of Geralt). It's home to the witchers, and the place Geralt considers home (at least, until the end of Blood and Wine). It's also the place where the major battle at the end of act two will take place and with all the magic flying around, that creates even more awesome and terrible sights inside of these walls.
Kaer Mohren will always be an iconic place for the witchers, so of course it had to be this pretty.
2 Toussaint
Toussaint is a country you'll be introduced to when you begin the Blood and Wine expansion. Ruled over by Duchess Anna Henrietta, it's a place that seems to be very sunny and bright, where all the people are formal and elegant. It's reminiscent of France with the fashion and scenery, especially Beauclair, which is where the royalty lives. It's a shame the game saves this one for the expansion, since it means many players who didn't buy the expansions won't actually be able to see it, but it makes Blood and Wine all the more special.
1 Skellige
If we were to divide Skellige up by every place in it, the entire list would have been dominated by Skellige, so it was best to put it as one entry. But this country is absolutely stunning. Snow-capped mountains, remote islands, high up buildings in the sky — it has everything. It seems to be mainly based on northern Europe, such as Norway (even though the accents of the natives are inexplicably Irish), and it's easily the most beautiful place Geralt visits. Trust us — as a player, you won't be able to stop coming back here.