As fans impatiently wait for the next season of Netflix's The Witcher, they wonder what will be included. Will new characters appear? What new content from the books will surface? What other references to the games will be made?
When you're dealing with a world of fantasy and magic, there are of course amazing creatures to behold, and there are many monsters from the game series that may surface in the TV show. However, not all of them deserve to make an appearance, as some are better designed than others. Check out some of the best and worst monster designs from The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt.
10 BEST: Gargoyle
Gargoyles have undergone a drastic design change since their days in The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings, and they definitely received a design improvement. Though they are made from stone, as expected, they don't appear like the normal gargoyles that you might expect and almost appear like stone golems with solemn faces.
There is something creepy and disturbing about the serene faces of the gargoyles, especially when coupled with their large, lumbering bodies. The design is definitely memorable and works well within the game.
9 WORST: Arachasae
Arachasae are insectoid creatures that appear throughout The Witcher 3 and have many different variations and visual designs depending on what environment they are found in. The thing with these creatures is that they are pretty generic and would arguably fit into any fantasy game, or sci-fi game for that matter.
There is nothing memorable or outstanding to them, though it feels like the franchise could have drawn from better influences in designing these, or replaced them with additional enemies based on folklore rather than just throwing in some bugs.
8 BEST: Botchling
Though unbelievably disturbing, the Botchling's design is very cleverly done and it is one of the monsters that stay with players long after they've finished the game. Geralt encounters a botchling during the quest "Family Matters." They are based on the poroniec from Polish folklore, which also turns into a kłobuk when buried under the threshold of a house.
Botchlings come into being when stillborn infants are improperly buried. They can be transformed into benevolent spirits called lubberkin by performing the elven ritual known as Aymm Rhoin and giving them a proper burial.
7 WORST: Cyclops
The Cylops is not a new monster to The Witcher franchise and is most memorable for featuring in Homer's Odyssey. Cyclopes are known to have only one eye in the center of their forehead, but the design of the Cyclopes in The Witcher 3 seems to vary from this little a bit.
There is a sunken socket on the other side of the creature's nose that has been stitched up as if it did possess two eyes once. This makes players wonder whether these monsters are even true "Cyclopes."
6 BEST: Leshen
The Leshen, or sometimes "Leshy," is one of the most recognizable enemies in The Witcher 3 and they were used in a lot of promotional images prior to the game's release. These creatures are formidable forest spirits who are able to call on other creatures to aid them in battle, such as wolves.
The design of the Leshen is rather awesome-looking and certainly memorable. Its tree-like appearance isn't just for show either, as it can dig its tree-like limbs into the earth to then control roots that attack Geralt.
5 WORST: Nekkers
Nekkers are found in groups and have a nest that if left undestroyed will continue to spawn more Nekkers. They are likely based on the water spirit known as "Necks" from Germanic folklore, also known as "näcken." The Nekkers also feature in The Witcher 3's Blood and Wine DLC, which showed them to be evolving into more intelligent creatures who could paint.
However, despite the name, the Neck wasn't actually known for having a strange neck. They were actually shape-shifters that could take on many forms, most commonly a brook horse. This makes the strange visual design of the in-game Nekkers with their overlarge neck just bizarre.
4 BEST: Griffins
Griffins aren't new monsters by any means, but The Witcher franchise gave these beasts a makeover and made them look a little different from what fans might usually expect. Griffins are known to have the body of a lion, but the head and wings of an eagle.
The version in the games changes the normal stereotype by incorporating the front legs into the wings, as well as making the blend between lion and eagle more complete by giving it a feathery mane.
3 WORST: Djinns
Despite featuring as a main story staple in the TV show, book, and game relating to "The Last Wish," the in-game design on the djinn is rather lack-luster and appears as a face in an orb. It actually looks like some 90s special effect option or the talking head from The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland.
Even though their appearance is rather dull, these monsters are actually pretty difficult to defeat, even for witchers, and become more ferocious the closer they are to death.
2 BEST: The Crones
Also known as the "Ladies of the Woods," the three crones are encountered by Geralt in a quest of the same name. The crones are named Brewess, Weavess, and Whispess and they generally communicate through a magical tapestry or their servant, Gran. Gran runs the orphanage for the crones, where she fattens up the orphans for them to eat.
The crones appear to have been influenced by the Greek Fates, Baba Yaga, and the Weird Sisters from Shakespeare's Macbeth. The design of the three crones is very detailed and presents the many cruel and twisted facets of their nature in their appearance.
1 WORST: Drowner
Drowners, or vodniks as they are also known, are found in bodies of water throughout the game and they are believed to be the undead bodies of drowning victims. However, despite the fin running down the back and webbed hands and feet, these creatures are arguably more alien-like in appearance than aquatic.
A more effective appearance would have been more corpse-like, possibly bloated from time spent in the water, and even then it wouldn't be the most grotesque creature in the game.