We'll be honest here - The Witcher 3 is one of the greatest video games ever released, and we don't think that's a particularly controversial opinion. It seems as if everyone and their mothers adore this game, and one of the greatest aspects of it is the story. It's rich with detail, expansive, and filled with intriguing lore. But it's also a little problematic.
Due to the insane amount of detail found within the game, some fans have noticed various problems and plot holes within the game's story. Here we will present just a few.
These are ten plot holes in The Witcher 3 that were never explained.
10 The Novigrad Witch Hunt
It's established that Novigrad is essentially the Continent's version of Salem. They absolutely detest witches, alchemists, and non humans of any kind, and they seem to do everything in their power to burn them at the stake. However, Geralt is seemingly free to wander the city's streets, despite being a non human, an alchemist, and a user of magic. So, why is it that Novigrad lets Geralt walk free but will viciously hunt down other users of magic? Perhaps it's just an example of the gameplay being separate from the story, or maybe they're just afraid of Geralt, you know, being the most powerful Witcher in the world at what not.
9 Dandelion's Jail Break
One of the quests in the game sees you breaking a criminal named Dandelion out of jail. This involves you violently interrupting the prison transport, killing the guards, and freeing Dandelion himself. Naturally, this would be a MAJOR issue, and Dandelion would instantly be put on the country's most wanted list. You would think he would run away to start a new life somewhere, but no, he just waltzes back into the city and opens a cabaret! So, is he not wanted anymore? Does breaking out of jail mean you get to stay out in this world? Surely he would be the subject of a few suspicious glances.
8 The White Frost
Unfortunately for The Witcher 3, it created some plot holes between the game and the series of novels from which it was adapted. Near the end of the game, Ciri successfully stops the White Frost, which to us seems like a happy ending. However, Nimue later states that the White Frost is still happening. He states this in the novel The Lady of the Lake, which took place after the events of The Wild Hunt and was published in 2017, two years after the game. Is time travel involved somehow? Did Ciri temporarily stop its progress rather than stopping it for good? We don't know, but we really want to!
7 Keira's Fear Of Rats
Alright, here's a replacement: Keira's Fear of Rats - It is well established that Keira is highly afraid of rats. She also mentions that she never entered Alexander's tower because it was riddled with rats, and she just couldn't do it. So, we think it's pretty safe to say that she would show great discomfort, if not outright runaway, whenever confronted by rats or rat-like creatures. However, we later see rats walking directly beside her, and it's not until a little later that she uses magic on them. Why wasn't she showing discomfort when the rats were walking DIRECTLY beside her? Surely she would have shown SOME emotion. We guess her phobia isn't that bad after all...
6 Why Are Witchers Hated?
One of the most prominent and important aspects of The Witcher's story is that people REALLY hate witchers. They will act with incredible bigotry towards them, falsely accuse them of various malicious and illegal actions, call them freaks, act violently towards them, and just generally treat witchers like total outsiders. However, witchers are essentially professional monster slayers and often save these same people from terrific and unbelievable threats. So why exactly are they treated so harshly? They should be treated like royalty, not stomped into the metaphorical dirt!
5 Dudu Impersonating Whoreson Junior
It's well established in the lore that impersonating other people is difficult and mentally taxing. Not only do dopplers take on the physical appearance of their subject, but they also inherit all of their personality traits. As such, Dudu is extremely hesitant to impersonate Menge, as Menge is a terrifically evil person, and Dudu fears for his own mental health and sanity.
We later learn that Dudu was impersonating Whoreson Jr., a man equally as evil as Menge. Yet not only does Dudu manage to pass Whoreson off as a good person, he does so without any significant impact to his own personality.
4 The Baron
The Baron is not exactly a friendly man. He admits to "disposing" of his wife's new boyfriend and interloper, yet he completely gets away with it. Surely his wife would have suspected his involvement and reported him to the authorities? It's not like Temeria is some lawless wasteland where this type of action often goes unpunished. Surely The Baron would have been reprimanded and jailed for his highly illegal action? It's possible that they couldn't prove that he did it, and maybe his wife was too scared to report him or something. But either way, this should have been explored in a little more detail.
3 The Wild Hunt
There's a specific gameplay element that requires the Red Riders to be disposed of using the silver sword. This made sense earlier in the franchise, because the Red Riders were ghostly projections of some kind, and as such, required the silver sword to be disposed of. However, in The Wild Hunt, they are physically present, and therefore should be fatally subjected to any type of weapon. So why is the silver sword required? Seems to us like it's just a byproduct and established element of a past game and not an original concept to The Wild Hunt.
2 Fyke Island Witch Hunters
As we've established, the Church of the Eternal Fire in Novigrad doesn't especially like mages and magic. As such, a group of Witch Hunters eventually show up on Fyke Island and accuse the Peller of necromancy. Seems understandable enough. Until you consider that this ritual took place on Fyke Island, which is far away from Novigrad and in Nilfgaardian territory. This should mean that the Church has absolutely no jurisdiction over what happens on Fyke Island, which means Peller should have been free to do whatever he wants without interference from the Witch Hunters.
1 How Are The Mages Overpowered?
Speaking of mages and the Witch Hunters, something has always bugged us - how exactly are the mages overpowered by the Witch Hunters? The Witch Hunters obviously don't wield magic, and they are merely equipped with mortal weapons like swords and crossbows. Yet it's established that these men somehow overtook and captured the likes of Margarita Laux-Antille and Síle de Tansarville, both of whom were exceptional mages. These people have magic, and it's established that magic can obliterate entire armies. How is that a small pack of Witch Hunters are able to overcome such majestic mages? That'd be like a group of magic-fearing muggles taking down Dumbledore.