The Witcher 3 Which Ending For Ciri Is Better - Empress Or Witcher

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The Witcher 3 Which Ending For Ciri Is Better - Empress Or Witcher

The "best" ending for Ciri has always been a subject for debate among The Witcher fans. Here are the pros and cons for each ending. The "best" ending for Ciri has always been a subject for debate among fans of . All in all, there are three to be exact: the one where she dies, the one where she becomes a Witcher, and the one where she becomes Empress of Nilfgaard. Of course, the first is just a terrible outcome, so we're going to leave that out - as it basically means Geralt is a bad father. Now, this brings us to a more grey crossroads; whether we want our in-game adopted daughter to be Queen of the World, or to follow in Geralt's adventurous footsteps. Both are extremes as far as social hierarchies in world go. So, to save you the trouble of having to spend another 50 or 70 hours just to try out another ending, we've presented the pros of each decision you can make for Ciri so you can weigh your options. Updated on August 4, 2022 by Ritwik Mitra: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt extensively focuses on Geralt's hunt to find Ciri after a bunch of events lead to her being chased down by the Wild Hunt. This quest makes for a great time, and the game still has many cards up its sleeve-even after players fulfill their major goal of finding Ciri. Near the end of the game, players can get an ending based on the actions they took for or against Ciri. Too many negative choices will lead to a bad ending, where Ciri succumbs to the might of the White Frost. The other two endings see Ciri becoming either a Witcher or the Empress, with both endings having their own merits. Which is better? We've added more to help you decide. THEGAMER VIDEO OF THE DAY

AS EMPRESS It' ll Help Her Mature

There's no denying that Ciri is way wiser than her years, given the amount of strife she's dealt with at such a young age already. However, the loss of a precious childhood has led to Ciri channeling her more childish side at times, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. This becomes an issue when , since she needs to show maturity and poise while ruling a kingdom. It also needs to be said that maturing is never a bad thing per se, and having these major responsibilities will help Ciri become a capable and beloved Empress who everyone in the kingdom would adore.

AS A WITCHER It' s What She Chose As Opposed To Being Forced Into

When Ciri decides to become an Empress, there's a certain melancholy attached to the events prior to her departure. Geralt tries to keep a friendly face, and smiles even though he knows that Ciri won't be by his side any longer-with his daughter making no effort to hide her feelings moments before her departure. The frosty setting serves only to make events feel even sadder, with some people of the opinion that this ending probably wasn't the fate that . This is why many players consider the ending where she becomes a witcher to be more of a fitting end to their tale. Ciri is visibly happier, with her connections to the royal family effectively being cut off after Geralt makes her demise official. It lets her finally breathe free, and pursue a life where she can stay close to the witchers who helped her grow up. It also allows her to put her talents to good use, for the sake of innocents who are being hounded by monsters and the like.

AS EMPRESS She' ll Probably Live Longer

Royalty are huge targets for those who look to destabilize a regime or cripple a kingdom, but that's why they have armies of guards standing around them at all times. By contrast, Witchers tend to be alone and facing the most bloodthirsty examples of both human and beast. Despite her powers, Ciri hasn't undergone the Trial of Grasses, so she doesn't have the enhanced physical prowess or longevity of a Witcher. Being an empress is a safer option for Ciri, and the comforts, protection, and amenities such a lifestyle provides means she'll probably live a far longer time.

AS WITCHER More Exploration Of Her Powers And Heritage

Being a ruler is busy work if you're serious about the profession-which Ciri certainly would be. A rich and powerful kingdom like Nilgaard probably has loads upon loads of books about magic, elves, the Elder Blood and more, but Ciri would almost have not time pore over such things. By contrast, being a Witcher means she can explore the world for more information about the Elder Blood, and she'll have the chance to seek counsel from friends such as Yennefer and Triss to help guide her down her hunt for knowledge and further training.

AS EMPRESS Safe Harbor For Sorceresses

King Radovid and the Church of the Eternal Fire became a constant threat to practitioners of magic throughout the Continent. Depending on the actions of Geralt, the Redanian threat was at least partially pacified, but that doesn't mean that hatred towards sorceresses, wizards, and nonhumans evaporated completely-quite the opposite. Emyhr held no specific bigotry towards these groups of people, but Ciri has active compassion for all of them. As the Empress of Nilfgaard, Ciri is almost certain to make more explicit overtures to protect magic-wielders and nonhuman peoples throughout the world.

AS WITCHER She' ll Probably Be Happier

Given what we know of Ciri, her hobbies, and her interests, it's pretty much a given that she would personally be far happier as a Witcher than the Empress of Nilfgaard. Personal happiness is important, but it can maybe be set aside when discussing such grandiose topics as being the empress of a major global power. That said, happiness isn't nothing, and Ciri was raised to be a Witcher. Being a Witcher would make her far happier and, if she were ever interested in pursuing such things, would allow her much more freedom in choosing a romantic partner.

AS EMPRESS It Was In Geralt' s Contract

From the very beginning of the game, Geralt's goal has always been to find Ciri at Emperor Emhyr's behest. This is regardless of how you accept Emhyr's proposition or whether you take the reward. Ciri is back, his real father wants her back on Nilfgaard and he hires you to track her down and get her back. It's a far cry from the usual monster-slaying quests Geralt does but certainly a more important task nonetheless. The Emperor of Nilfgaard also wants Ciri back for reasons more important than family reunion too, like deciding the fate of all the ; after all, Ciri is part of a big prophecy, something way beyond Geralt's volition.

AS A WITCHER It' s Less Complicated

It's easy to understand Ciri's plight; what rests on her shoulders is more than just the world but also several worlds given her abilities. For most of her life, she was probably conditioned to cater to the prophecy attached to her blood-- any teenager knows that that can be quite the burnout. As such, a Witcher's life for Ciri might be a breath of fresh air. It holds a lot less responsibility than being an Empress of nearly the whole world. Jumping from one destiny to another can be a monumental and exhausting feat. Breaking the mold and becoming a witcher instead can save Ciri from a lifetime of administrative headaches involved in running kingdoms.

AS EMPRESS It' s Her Birthright

Let's not forget one of the most obvious reasons why Ciri should be an Empress: she was born into it. Emhyr, her biological father, is the Emperor of Nilfgaard and her mother is also royalty from Cintra. Since Emhyr has no son but is still willing to give the throne to a female heir, then Ciri's ascension to the throne is pretty self-explanatory. There's also the fact that it was one of Emhyr's intentions all along when he asked Geralt to find Ciri. Heck, even if Ciri had chosen to become a Witcher, she would still have the best claim to the throne regardless of how long she left. The throne of Nilfgaard is an open offer for Ciri as always, especially with her lineage.

AS A WITCHER She Gets To Be With Her Family

One of the obvious reasons why some players prefer Ciri to be a Witcher instead is that the vocation won't be as lonely. Sure, she might become poor and hungry periodically, but at least she'll be with the only real family she knew, which is Geralt and the other witchers along with Geralt chooses to settle down with. Geralt was, after all, destined to take Ciri in as his ward based on witcher recruitment rules. That he did and Ciri went on to join the , even partaking in the Trial of the Grasses. Meanwhile, Triss also ensured that Ciri's mutation never became as severe as male witchers' thankfully. Emotionally, the School of the Wolf and their sorceress friends mean a lot more to Ciri than the Niflgaardian throne.

AS EMPRESS She Can Bring Peace And Security

Sadly, adoptive familial ties pale in comparison to what Ciri can do for all the nations of the realm in The Witcher universe. It has been said in one of the endings of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (through Dandelion's remarks) that Ciri inherited Emhyr's political instincts while still preserving the basic human decency she learned from Geralt, basically getting the best from her two fathers. What this means for Nilfgaard and the Northern Kingdoms or any of the neighboring kingdoms is that Ciri is the perfect monarch. while still making everyone's lives better, whether peasant or lord. Plus, she's no sitting duck on the throne, Ciri's powers pretty much insulate her from any assassination attempts. As such, Ciri can do more for the world as an Empress than as a Witcher.

AS A WITCHER More Freedom

Anyone who's had responsibilities will know that those are essentially invisible chains that restrict anyone's sense of personal freedom. Now, imagine if you're responsible for millions of lives while also looking over your shoulder periodically for any extradimensional anomalies. Good luck sleeping at night. A witcher's life, for that matter, is a lot more carefree than an Empress.' You often only have to worry about monsters whose appearances are gradually becoming rarer based on the books' and the games' lore. Being a witcher also means getting to travel a lot for odd jobs here and there, certainly something Ciri will enjoy better.

AS EMPRESS A Powerful Friend

Ciri is already a powerful friend as she is, but a time-and-space-jumping Empress is something else entirely. Ciri will practically become a goddess of her particular dimension if she chooses to become an Empress and can change the world on a whim. If you can recall, she did stop an apocalypse (the White Frost) near the end of the game. Having a goddess as your closest friend is definitely no small achievement. Geralt, Dandelion, Triss, Yennefer, and all the other witchers might as well be part of Ciri's court; there's no reason to think that she wouldn't come to them for advice or respite, making her their friend in a really high place.

AS A WITCHER Because Emyhr Is A Sick Person

via: vollhov.deviantart.com Depending on your choices in-game, Emhyr actually can get assassinated (if Djikstra lives); that is a great outcome for Ciri if she becomes Empress because the books explicitly tell of Emhyr's twisted plans for her own daughter: impregnating her. This is because Ciri's prophecy apparently concerns any child she will have, not just her. Emhyr assumes that such a prophecy will still be fulfilled regardless of who gave Ciri a child, and he wants his child to be part of this prophecy, even if it means marrying and impregnating his own daughter. The games make no mention of this, of course, probably for the best.

AS EMPRESS It' s More Stable Than A Witcher' s Life

Both in the books and the games, the usual public sentiment for witchering is that it's a dying profession. Turns out witchers were brutally effective in their heyday that their bread-and-butter (monsters) became close to extinction by the time we get to Geralt's generation. In the books, there even certain moments where Geralt was literally starving trying to look for witcher jobs, an that the video games didn't recreate faithfully. Now, being a witcher means a bad career choice for Ciri since the job market is relatively over-saturated; too many witchers, too few monsters, or at least that's how it eventually will be.

AS A WITCHER It' s The Happy Ending

via: therefinedgeek.com.au We discussed earlier that there is a "bad" ending (as in bad father), which makes the Empress and Witcher endings the only good ones. However, the Empress ending is quite bittersweet, which makes it the for Ciri. For many, it's akin to Ciri and Geralt's parting which the game makes seem permanent even though Ciri could just teleport to Geralt from time to time. In any case, regardless of whether Ciri picks to be an Empress or a Witcher, it's her choice and there's not much to do but be happy for her.