Few RPGs in history deliver consequences as weighty as those found in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. CD Projekt Red built a narrative machine where dozens of seemingly minor decisions ripple outward across dozens of hours, ultimately determining the fate of Ciri, Geralt, and the Northern Kingdoms. Understanding the Witcher 3 endings requires looking back at the entire journey, not just the final act. This guide breaks down every major outcome and the precise choices that lead to each one.
How the Ending System Works
The Witcher 3 endings are not determined by a single dialogue choice at the game's climax. Instead, they are shaped by a cumulative system of decisions made primarily during the main questline, especially during the quests involving Ciri in the third act. CD Projekt Red designed three broad ending states, with variations within each depending on Geralt's romance choices and the fate of the world's political landscape. Broadly, the outcomes split into: Ciri lives and becomes a Witcher, Ciri becomes Empress of Nilfgaard, or Ciri dies facing the White Frost.
The Three Critical Ciri Decisions
Three specific moments during the quest "Blood on the Battlefield" and surrounding missions function as the core variables. First, when Ciri asks to visit Skjall's grave on Hindarsfjall, agreeing to accompany her adds a positive point. Second, when the Lodge of Sorceresses summons Ciri before the final battle, you must choose to go with her or let her face them alone — going with her is the supportive choice. Third, after the battle of Kaer Morhen, when Ciri is despairing and asks Geralt to take her to Bald Mountain, you can either try to cheer her up by staging a snowball fight or respond harshly. The snowball fight adds another positive point.
Ending One — Ciri Becomes a Witcher
This is widely considered the best Witcher 3 ending for players who prioritize Geralt and Ciri's relationship above all else. To achieve it, you must have accumulated enough positive Ciri decisions AND tell Ciri during "Blood on the Battlefield" that you know she'll be fine — essentially encouraging her independence rather than offering to go with her to face the White Frost. Geralt then presents Ciri with a refurbished silver sword, she undergoes her trials, and the two continue as a father-daughter pair of monster hunters. It is emotionally resonant and thematically appropriate for the witcher game's core relationship.
Ending Two — Ciri Becomes Empress
If you have enough positive Ciri decisions but choose to accompany Ciri to Bald Mountain yourself — rather than encouraging her to go alone — the story branches toward the political ending. Emhyr var Emreis, Ciri's biological father and Emperor of Nilfgaard, is still alive (you must not have handed Ciri over to him for coin earlier in the game). Ciri accepts her birthright and takes the throne. Geralt parts ways with her, and the final scene shows him alone on the road. It is bittersweet — Ciri survives and gains immense power, but she and Geralt are separated by duty and destiny.
Ending Three — Ciri Dies
Accumulate fewer than three positive Ciri decisions and the ending turns tragic. Geralt is given a silver urn as a keepsake — implied to contain Ciri's ashes after she fails to defeat the White Frost alone. This ending also affects Geralt's own fate depending on his romance choices. Without Ciri and without Yennefer or Triss, Geralt becomes a shell of himself, hunting the last remaining Crone in a final act of grief-driven vengeance. This is the Witcher 3 endings scenario that most players want to avoid, but it serves as a powerful reminder of how meaningful the game's choices truly are.
How Geralt's Romance Affects the Epilogue
Beyond Ciri's fate, Geralt's personal ending is shaped by his relationship with Yennefer or Triss. Committing to Yennefer — by helping her obtain the last wish and choosing her during "The Last Wish" — results in the two settling down together in Kovir. Committing to Triss by telling her you love her in Novigrad leads to a life together in Kovir as well. Attempting to romance both triggers a famously brutal scene where both sorceresses abandon Geralt permanently. Staying with neither leaves Geralt solitary on the Path, which aligns naturally with the tragic Ciri death ending.
The Political State of the World
The Witcher series has always treated geopolitics seriously, and the witcher game's epilogue reflects the outcomes of the Nilfgaardian War. If you complete the secondary quest "Reason of State" and side with Dijkstra's assassination plot, Radovid is killed and Nilfgaard wins the war — but Temeria is restored as a vassal state. Siding against Dijkstra keeps Radovid alive, prolonging war and suffering. These choices do not change Ciri's fate but dramatically alter the world map shown during the ending slides, giving each playthrough a genuinely distinct geopolitical epilogue through the Witcher 3 endings sequence.
The Witcher 3 endings represent one of the most sophisticated narrative payoff systems in RPG history. Every conversation, every decision to be present or absent for Ciri, and every political alliance compounds into a unique epilogue. Play thoughtfully, and the game rewards you with a conclusion that feels genuinely earned.