From morally complex decisions, darker storylines, or just more climactic spectacles, Ciri’s adventures in The Witcher 4 have more than a few ways to pay homage to the series while still pushing it forward. Although The Witcher 4 already seems to be off to a great start with the nightmarish Bauk shown in its reveal trailer, the over-decade-long wait for a sequel wouldn’t feel complete without at least a few of these iconic creatures.
Trolls Are A Staple Of The Witcher Series For Good Reason
While Trolls are one of the more likely creatures to appear in The Witcher 4, given that they’ve managed to show up in just about every entry since, the more generic monster type is a staple to the setting for good reason. Being intelligent monsters capable of communication, Trolls have become a fan-favorite for their comedic personalities that contrast with their intimidating appearances.
Being more than capable of speech, Trolls are also a perfect example of how a conversation with an intelligent monster can be even more rewarding than a simple combat encounter. From the ice trolls in Skellige to standard rock trolls like Boris and Bart in Velen and Novigrad, respectively, Trolls could be a unique way to learn more about the new regions or subspecies inhabiting them for Ciri to come across.
Ciri’s Connection To Unicorns Can’t Keep Being Ignored
While far from a traditional monster type, the lack of Unicorn encounters outside a few illusory spells feels like a major missed opportunity given how vital a role they play for Ciri in the original novels. On top of sharing Ciri’s ability to travel between dimensions in The Witcher 3, both the novels and TV show adaptation showcase her short yet pivotal relationship with the Unicorn Ihuarraquax, which is never acknowledged in the games.
With Ciri now a hardened Witcher of her own, the introduction of powerful dimension-hopping Unicorns into The Witcher 4‘s story could have a completely different outcome than the source material, especially if their reaction towards Ciri differs depending on the kinds of choices that you make throughout its storyline.
Another Draug Would Make For A Fantastic Spectacle Of A Fight
Although Draug can vary drastically in their appearance and implementation, the ferocious arch-wraith is always a force to be reckoned with, especially during its appearance in The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. Appearing in cursed battlefields and cemeteries alike, Draug are created from the souls of legendary heroes brought back by pure hatred and bloodlust.
Even if it doesn’t have the same kind of complex morality offered by many of the other legendary monsters across the series, the sheer level of spectacle that a straightforward and bloody encounter with the arch-wraith would be one of the most intense fights The Witcher 4 has to offer, while also letting veteran players take their revenge on one of the series’ hardest fights all these years later.
The Return Of Higher Vampires Could Have A Whole New Context
Vampires and Higher Vampires alike have already gotten their chance to shine with an entire expansion dedicated to them in The Witcher 3. Even so, Ciri’s magical abilities could turn them from an end-game story encounter into a formidable side quest investigation instead.
Although the games have been a bit loose on the differences between vampires so far, it’s a fact that witches typically avoid higher vampires due to their abilities surpassing their own mutations. With Ciri’s unique abilities, however, she could have a much easier time handling a traditional higher vampire that can fully integrate into human society, offering a unique chance for a questline of investigation and deception as you uncover one’s true identity.
Rusalkas Are Far More Than A Simple Siren
More commonly referred to as Naiads, Rusalkas have made brief appearances in both the first Witcher game and the fourth season of The Witcher TV series, but we still haven’t actually seen much of them outside the books. Similar to Sirens, Rusalkas use beautiful songs and their often attractive appearances to either lure men to what could potentially be their deaths, or torture through exhaustion.
Found near swampy riverbeds, The Wticher 4 could still take an entirely different approach to how Rusalkas are represented compared to the show, with plenty of opportunities for moral dilemmas regarding their mutual relationships with villagers, each other, or even Ciri herself that could make for a unique questline.
An Aguara Could Make For A Creatively Challenging Encounter
While The Witcher series offers several encounters with cursed monsters like werewolves that can transform from man into beast, we’ve yet to see a fully non-humanoid Aguara that’s capable of blending in with humanoids, which was first introduced in the sixth novel of the series. While not as physically impressive as other monsters, the real danger of an Aguara comes from its incredibly powerful illusion magic.
The fox-like antheroins are typically feared for kidnapping children as the sole way of reproduction through transformation, but the books showed they still have plenty of room for complexity in their goals. As a bonus, they’re also able to cast illusion spells so powerful that even a veteran Witcher like Geralt couldn’t tell reality from fiction.
A Leshen Would Be Even More Terrifying In The Witcher 4’s Deep Woods
Having made its very first game appearance in The Witcher 3, a Leshen might feel a bit too recent to warrant being brought back in The Witcher 4, but its iconic status is exactly why it deserves a return in the upcoming sequel. Given that there’s bound to be a few repeats, the superstitious population of The Witcher 4‘s far north, embedded in deep woods, feels like the perfect home for a Leshen
Even being the subject of a crossover with Monster Hunter World, the deadly ferocity of Leshens combined with the unique way they use their environments could make for some incredibly creative fights, which quickly turn a standard hunting affair into a full-blown horror experience if one manages to catch you off guard.
The Return Of A Striga Could Take The Series Back Full Circle
Being the very first monster that introduces us to the world of The Witcher and their unique abilities in both the first Witcher game and book, bringing back a Striga for Ciri to face off against would be the perfect test of her skills as a fully-fledged Witcher, especially with how long it’s been since their last appearance in one of the games.
Aside from being an incredibly deadly force of nature, what makes Strigas such an interesting monster is the number of ways to actually take one down, leaving the choice of whether you want to simply kill it or attempt to save the human underneath entirely up to the player. While the binary choice has been done several times already, it would still be interesting to see how Ciri’s methods of tackling the challenge would differ.
A Manticore Fight Has Been Decades In The Waiting
Despite appearing in a cutscene for The Witcher 2, alongside countless mentions and a developed encounter in The Witcher 3, an actual Manticore has never actually made its way into the game series as a huntable monster. Being one of the most exceptionally deadly monsters in The Witcher franchise as a whole, finally fighting a Manticore would be a massive win for fans of the series.
While there’s still a chance it doesn’t make the cut again, The Witcher 3‘s initial reveal trailer already showcased a fully fledged Manticore flying over Ciri’s head before she smiles, which seems to be a fairly on-the-nose hint that the long wait to face off against one will be over soon.
The Appearance Of Dragons Would Be Massive For The Witcher 4’s Story
While a Dragon did play a significant role in The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings, the legendary creatures haven’t shown up again since, despite being such an iconic and legendary creature. Although Geralt does deny that there are any dragons left in the world to others, it’s more than likely that this is simply a fabrication made up to protect their dwindling numbers after having several encounters with the creatures.
Given that Witchers typically have an aversion to slaying intelligent and powerful creatures like Dragons, it’s more likely that Ciri would have to negotiate with one rather than outright fight it at first, but with how much freedom The Witcher 4 is likely to offer, it could also lead to one of the more challenging encounters in the series.
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Unreal Engine 5
- Franchise
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The Witcher