The world of The Witcher 3 is massive, easily boasting more than a hundred hours worth of content to explore and soak in. Even after all these years, players are still discovering hidden areas, references to pop culture, and places that provide depth to an already rich world.
There are a number of secret areas that players can find—too many for this article, in fact. So, instead, these entries will focus on the areas that the average player may not be aware of or areas that are the most interesting to find.
10 Trial Of Grasses Cave
One of the most mysterious and darker parts of the lore is the infamous Trial of the Grasses that turns chosen humans into legendary Witchers. Though the ritual has been lost to time, what’s known is that it involved humans consuming alchemical substances designed to strip away their humanity and replace it with some improvements.
In the Witcher 3, the player can discover the cave where Geralt was subjected to his Trial. It’s a great insight into the main character and a chilling reminder of his origins.
9 Killer Rabbit
There’s one cave that might make even the most veteran player nervous when first encountered. Just outside of the village Benek is a small cave with the entrance littered with bones and stained with blood. Sitting idly among the corpses is a small white rabbit.
This is a reference to the killer rabbit from the movie Monty Python And The Holy Grail, but, unfortunately, the developers didn’t make the rabbit dangerous, and it’s just a tongue in cheek reference. Perhaps some modder will turn the encounter into a quest where the rabbit will instakill the player unless first destroyed by a holy hand grenade.
8 Leo’s Grave
In the first game, Geralt is befriended by a young trainee named Leo who seeks to become a Witcher. Unfortunately for the lad, the fortress where the Witchers train known as Kaer Morhen comes under siege. It’s during the defense of this fortress that Leo is killed.
It’s a death that haunts Geralt, and, upon finding the solemn marker, he’ll comment on the meaninglessness of Leo’s death showing, that it’s a memory that bothers him still.
7 Farting YouTuber Trolls Cave
Yeah, you read that right. Near Ard Skellige there lies a cave inhabited by three disgusting trolls. When Geralt sneaks in, the trolls will discuss a meal they just had, revealing the food was rotten. The side effect of this rotten food is an explosive case of flatulence.
The three trolls are named Joe, Jesse, and Dodger. This is a not so subtle reference to three YouTubers Angry Joe, Jesse Cox, and Brooke Lawson who helped put the Witcher series on the map with their videos. What’s even more amusing is that the three trolls are voiced by the three YouTubers.
6 Sword In The Stone
In the DLC Hearts Of Stone, Geralt is on a quest to fulfill a contract for the Man of Glass. It’s during this quest that players can come across a hidden area with a sword in a stone. Despite the reference to the famous Excalibur, the sword is actually the Viper Venomous Silver Sword.
It’s a fairly powerful sword that deals poison damage, improves the chance of a critical hit, boosts critical hit damage, and gives a 25% boost to the Aard sign. But it’s most useful ability is the 20% bonus to experience gains when killing foes with the sword.
5 CD Projekt Red Painting
The Witcher series has been an incredible line of games and has made for one of the most interesting heroes in video games. The sheer detail and care shown in Witcher 3 makes it apparent that it was as much a passion project as it was a commercial product.
For those with the right mods, you can transport or fly Geralt to the top of the highest mountain in the Blood and Wine lands. At the peak is a painting of the entire CD Projekt Red crew. It’s a great tribute to the talented individuals who built an incredible game.
4 Hill Art
This area is unique in that it’s not considered a reference but more of a world-building easter egg that gives some depth to the history and lore of the world. On the Skellige archipelago, the player can come across patterns of strange white rocks that look meaningless up close.
But, if the player positions themselves some distance away and at a decent height, they’ll find the rocks form a large piece of hill art, similar to the Hill Figures found in Britain. There’s no explanation, comment, or information surrounding this ar, and that gives the world some added flavor.
3 Weeping Angels
Fans of the Doctor Who series will immediately recognize this reference, but not in time to spare themselves a minor heart attack. Near Lindenvale is a small church with two large angel statues sitting outside.
After the player ransacks the building, they’ll come outside to find the statues standing in the grass facing the player. To up the eerie factor, the angels will now rotate to follow the player's movements whenever they’re out of sight of the camera. Thank goodness they don’t attack or follow the player.
2 Sky Cell
Yet another interesting area found in the Skellige archipelago is a prison cell built into the side of a cliff with a side completely exposed to the drop and the elements. It’s a solid reference to the sky cells found in Game of Thrones—or in A Song Of Ice And Fire novels, if you prefer the books.
To sell the reference even further, the player can come across the corpse of a man who bears an uncanny resemblance to Tyrion Lannister who appears to have failed his escape in this universe.
1 Ghost Ship
Most players will rarely venture out into the open sea, as most of the action and quests are found on dry land. But, for those players who insisted on a high seas adventure, they could stumble across an interesting secret in the open ocean.
At night, those dark waters will randomly spawn a ghost ship that will sail without a wake or wind in their sails until it disappears into the distance. Fans have been wanting to know the reason behind its inclusion, but the old saying has proven true that dead men tell no tales, and nothing in the game explains this supernatural phenomenon.