The characters of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt are always well-written. One of the draws of this sprawling open-world RPG is that even when a character appears for just a few minutes, their personality and history as tangible. Whether pulled from the books and developed further for the games or created by the devs from scratch, they make sure that everyone is believable, relatable.
One of the characters that tugs on the heartstrings of players everywhere is Iris von Everec. One of the saddest characters it's possible to come across, she simply wreaks of sorrow. Everything about her is sad, from the look in her eyes to her veil but because she's part of the optional DLC and not the main quest, players often miss a lot about her.
10 Iris Valued Her Family Over Olgierd
Most players know that Iris was married to Olgierd von Everec when she was alive. It becomes pretty obvious that he didn't always treat her well, and was actually stone cold towards her — hence the title of the DLC. But Iris didn't always prioritize him either.
When her family decided they disapproved of him, she actually made the decision not to marry him for a while, not wanting to upset her family.
9 Her Parents Didn't Like Olgierd Because Of The Company He Kept
Why didn't they like Olgierd? It was actually due to the company he kept.
Iris' father expressed concerns about the fact that the company he kept seemed to be bandits. It's not painted as a class divide but rather, Iris' family being worried about their daughter in such an environment. It's hard not to understand that.
8 Olgierd Lost Feelings For Iris First
Despite her reluctance to marry him because of how her family felt, Olgierd was actually the one to lose feelings for Iris first.
Thanks to the deal struck with Gaunter O'Dimm, he became stone-cold before she did and it's part of why she ended up so miserable. Imagine being married to someone who didn't feel much for you, and not knowing why for a while?
7 Her Father Was Killed By Olgierd
Olgierd actually ended up killing her father due to his nasty temper and hitting a breaking point. There was a confrontation — presumably one of many — where her father kept expressing his disapproval and Olgierd actually killed him.
That's a pretty extreme temper, but Olgierd is a villain, which isn't necessarily clear at the start of the DLC.
6 That's Why She Lost Feelings For Him
This was when Iris lost feelings for Olgierd. She never seemed to be unconditionally in love with him — after all, she took a while to come around because of her family — and she certainly didn't support him when he murdered her father. Despite her sorrow in the game, she seems to have been a pretty strong woman on her own.
5 Her Maiden Name Is Bilewitz
The details put into the characters are very thoughtful, and Iris is even given a middle name to make her her own person entirely.
Olgierd's sword is named after her too. If Geralt chooses to side with Olgierd, he gifts him the sword named Iris Bilewitz and walks off into the sunset.
4 No One Knows How She Became Aware Of Gaunter O'Dimm
Iris seems to be aware of the deal made with Gaunter O'Dimm in the game, but one thing the game does not specify is exactly how she found out. Did Olgierd tell her? Did she find out after she died? There are many ways she could have been let in on the secret, but no one specifies.
3 Her Costume Is One Of The Most Intricate In The Game
When playing on a low brightness setting and not paying too much attention, her costume looks pretty bland and basic all in black. When looking closer, however, it's actually beautifully intricate with some awesome patterns throughout. The detail put into even a side character is breath-taking.
2 & Many Choose To Cosplay Her
The Witcher has a very active cosplay community, even for Iris. This cosplayer, for example, has created a beautiful version of Iris that looks as if it could have been taken straight from the game, and they're far from the only one. There are many haunting photoshoots of Iris online, inspired by that costume. The purple rose is also a beautiful touch.
1 There's A Trophy/Achievement For Defeating All Of Her Nightmares
One of the main things Geralt has to do in the game is to defeat Iris' nightmares to lay her to rest. If you're willing to go hard, you can provoke them all into fighting you and defeat them all at once, which will unlock a trophy or achievement when playing on console. If you're going for the platinum, or you just want to trophy-hunt as much as possible, you'll have to attempt this difficult task.