I'm also a big Iorveth fan. He was also developed as Geralt's friend by the end of the second game (if you chose to help him), so I was really bummed when he didn't show up in The Witcher 3.
@@ProperBird Someone said iorveth card ? How about a round of Gwent ? Seriously though i do not understand why the devolopers thought him to be out of place for the last title. The fate of the north was being desided on that side of the pontar Valley, all things he had done over the years had been smashed to the ground by the southern invaders and there were lots of elven warrior who needed his help but in the end he thought nope, I do not need to appear I do not have any kind of motivation to appear what so ever. P.S: I hope they correct that mistake some way some how.
@@ProperBird you can actually see him in the background on one of Fancescas gwent cards in the base game. I read it as implication that she secretly found a way to bring some scoiatael back to Don Blathana.
@@denizoztin1201 So they were planning on including him, but cut the quests that he was going to be a part of because they didn't work. It would've him, Shani, and like... 2 other people working to stop a plague.
If nothing else the ending montage got me with "Thank you for reminding me, I think my hatred of the species had abated a moment." That seems like a mood all its own.
Iorveth felt genuine, consistent, every ebb and flow of his character felt realistic almost like Eldain, as though he was merely the result of what had came before, which in the game felt made you feel like he was what would come next. Very interesting with a handsome scar as well? Oh my...
Eldain was a very interesting character too, very much taking on an opposite position to Iorveth in a lot of ways (although there also mentions of Iorveth in Thronebreaker).
Iorveth, Skellige, and Letho are my three favorite things in the Wicher games. I was stoked when you find the Scoia'tael in Witcher 3 and after I had found Letho I had my hopes set very, very high for Iorveth showing up. I can't tell you how crushed I was when he didn't. Awesome vid and subscribed!!
I went with Roche on my first playthrough, for various reasons. I had read Blood of Elves in between playing W1 and W2, so was less concerned about Triss knowing her backstory; plus I was working on the logic that running off with the elves who helped kill Foltest was really not conducive to clearing Geralt’s name. So it took me a while to realise how hilarious Iorveth can be.
@@ProperBird The VA does a superb job getting that mocking sneer into his voice; Yaevinn always came across as pompous to me but Iorveth’s manner worked a lot better for someone who kept fighting despite multiple losses and betrayals.
I'm so happy that you made this video. Iorveth is also my favourite The Witcher 2 character and I'm still mad that he didn't appear in The Witcher 3. In my second TW2 playthrough, I wanted to see Roche's path but when I was at that point to decide, which side I should choose I was like "Nah, let's follow Iorveth again." Thanks for giving this elf some spotlight again, he deserves it! :D And Harrison Ford sounded very motivated in those voiceovers... He clearly was very impressed by that idea. xD
Something that I do appreciate of Iorveth is that he gave an actual sense to the scoia'tael movement in the games. Also the relationship with Saskia is compelling. Roche is homie, but Iorveth is fam.
Iorveth and Regis rank quite high among my favourite characters of all time, and I believe you hit the nail right on the head as for the reason. In all honesty, every time I play Witcher 3 I wish they'd cut Roche instead of Iorveth - I do like him, but I feel Iorveth had more potential. I may be singing a different tune had Iorveth been butchered as badly as Roche and Ves, but that's a rant for another time.
Not 100 percent sure if this is correct or not, but I saw somewhere that they cut Iorveth precisely BECAUSE he was such a loved character: since they were running short on time, they didn't have the means to create a proper questline and didn't want to just shoehorn him in with a meaningless cameo
@@socialjihad5724 That's exactly it. Though the years a lot of leaks regarding Iorveth happened and he was also mentioned on an interview by CDPR posted on No Clip channel. Apparently, he would show up searching a cure for Catriona's plague, which was killing a lot of elves, and team up with Roche and Ves at some point. But late in development they realised this storyline wasn't working and didn't had much time as you said, so just cutted Iorveth and reduced Roche/Ves roles. There was sugestions of just killing him off and leaving a letter for us to read but it didn't happen because he was (and still is) a fan favourite and deserved a proper ending - hence the decision of doing nothing with him instead of not reaching the standards they aimed for/letting us down. If I recall correctly, part of Catriona's storyline was used in Hearts of Stone with some tweaks here and there.
I think this might be the "first" time you mentioned Iorveth :) on a serious note though i cam see why you the character so much ! Planning to play 2 again and i definitely will be paying more attention to his character ! Loving these videos and the new direction you're taking Jinzee ! I'm a broken record but as always keep up the amazing work :)
Kinda interesting I originally sided with Roche (Not for any particular reason just seemed to me at the time that the story was pulling in that direction , and honestly I was more engrossed in the action then the story at the time. Also killed Letho if that's any indication of where my mind was at) I remember watching one of your older videos and how you talked about Iorveth and when I played the Witcher 2 more recently I sided with Iorveth and I think I shall be doing that in any future play throughs. He is an absolutely amazing character and I'm kinda sad there wasn't more involvement with the Scoia'tael in the Witcher 3
Both sides are absolutely worth playing in the Witcher 2, you miss so much of the story otherwise! And yeah, the Scoia'tael were sorely missed in the Witcher 3. :(
I've always felt sorry for elves, they always tend to lose their home one way or another, apart from the Elder Scrolls perhaps elves from the Witcher, Dragon age and middle earth can learn a thing or two from them, I'm sure summerset would be happy to help Lorveth kill a few pesky humans lol.
even in the elder scrolls, there are examples of elves losing their homeland, even though loss of their homelands not as universal for elves in the elder scrolls series. the snow elves were wiped out by the nords who took over their homeland, with the surviving falmer becoming slaves to the dwemer (and eventually losing much of their sentience due to dwemer influence). also, due to the eruption of the red mountain, much of morrowind is basically uninhabitable, and many dunmer have become refugees in other lands (like skyrim), where they are not always treater well.
After this video it all comes together your love for Iorveth, your tattoo and much more and also you gave this particular noone a reason to play the witcher series again after all these years since it was released... and as stupid as it might sound another reason might be the cheeky tolkien reference; thank you Jinzee
This is one I've been looking forward to for a long time, and it was worth waiting for! That you didn't talk just about Iorveth but made broader points too made it even better. Thanks for a truly awesome video!
I low-key liked the story of Witcher 2 more than Witcher 3. Witcher 3 is still my favourite game of all time but I found Witcher 2's story more interesting
10:02 I see that 'Iorveth settling for something achievable' means 'Iorveth casually being a terrorist and not caring about elven lives at all in Flotsam'. When there are young elven girls burned alive, he refuses to help. He keeps on attacking Flotsam and merchants travelling nearby without any gains outside of killing humans. When asked why he helped Letho, Iorveth says that it's good one more human is dead and claims that Foltest was a bad king, even though we can clearly see that he's amongst the best kings out there. The order of flaming rose did not know the full extent of de Aldersberg's plans, motivations and dreams. They only knew he has magic, but considered the source of the magic to be divine. On top of that, once Alvin gets to Visima back in time, he's already using the fake name. We can deduce that from a number of in-game books and mentions of the Grandmaster.
'Iorveth casually being a terrorist and not caring about elven lives at all in Flotsam' - No, Iorveth has just accepted that he cannot save all elves. He would welcome each and every elf that lives in Flotsam into his band and protect them. But he knows he can't control what humans do - he has worked with humans in the past and they betrayed him and killed his people anyway - so as long as they choose to live amongst humans he knows he can't save them. Foltest didn't do anything to protect the elves during Witcher 1, so clearly he doesn't give a toss if his people slaughter the elves, so to Iorveth that makes him a bad king. This is why Iorveth is such a well written character, his actions and opinions make total sense from his point of view. That doesn't mean he's objectively right (most of the time he's shown to be wrong), but you can completely understand why he does what he does and thinks what he thinks. He has a grand dream that is impossible to achieve, but he knows that so he's just doing his best he possibly can to get as close to it as he can given the information he has and the terrible circumstances of the time in which he exists.
Lovely video as usual. A day earlier and it would have been on my birthday lol. I see what inspires your tattoo now, very nice. It makes me feel awkward so I can only imagine to read, but your a bombshell. I hope you feel confident lol
I know I've brought up Vagrant Story before (and I probably will again) but Sidney Losstarot, the cult leader you're chasing after, is still one of my favourite characters in any game I've played. He's not only an interesting character, he's also so well written you still don't quite know who he is by the end. That'll make perfect sense to anyone who knows what I mean ;)
@@ProperBird Yup, not trying to pressure you ;) It's definitley one that will always stand out for me though. I've always enjoyed stories that are complete but are also open to intellegent but unanswered questioning, if you know what I mean.
Just discovered your channel! Im a total simp for Iorveth, CDPR knew what they were doing haha. Very interesting character with some great lines and while sad he wasn't in W3, I think it's maybe a good thing too, it makes the mystery of what happened to him next all the more interesting (though the Scoia'tael camp near Novigrad do reference him!)... maybe he'll appear somehow in the "Witcher 4" development? Who knows...
Every time I hear Iorveth speak his voice always surprises me. I think my brain just sees elf and has prescribed elves to have some form of a classic RP accent. Like elves are meant to be reading me the news, or are the middle-upper class in a period drama. And those aren't really Iorveth...
I realize this could be FAR to generous to Iorveth, but I always felt a certain... understanding with his wanting a homeland for elves, to have that dream. Maybe it's just because I'm Jewish, but I see his reasons, how he came to them, and why he fits a good archetype of "practical dreamer". I want his dream to work. I want the elves to get a true homeland. One where they can feel safe and thrive. This isn't justifying his worst actions, especially against civilians, but it explains them and makes you sympathize with him and his dream. He's a complex and wonderful character. Fantastic video as always. Still sad it wasn't a 12 hour Iorveth worship, but I suppose this quality over unneeded quantity is fine :p
i think iorveth is single-handedly respinsible for me getting into the witcher series. a youtuber i like started a witcher 2 series, and i was like "sure, i'll watch it, why not?" even though i knew nothing about the game. i ended up enjoying iorveth's character immensely, and that enjoyment was a significant motivation for me to actually play the games and read the books.
Thank you for the thoughts on Iorveth! Us Iorveth appreciators (if that is a word; I’m not a native English speaker - I’ll check after the video 😉) must stand together! In both the first and second Witcher game, I would usually take the nonhuman path. Maybe the neutral path in the first game, almost never the human path. Well, only for the lore anyhow 😊 In the Witcher 2, I always got the sense that Geralt himself was more comfortable in Vergen, rather than in the Kaedweni war camp. Not necessarily because the believed in one side’s cause more than the other, but mainly because his friends were there. And speaking of his friends, it seemed like they also preferred the hospitality of Vergen, rather than the war camp’s vice versa 😊 Concerning Iorveth himself, I remember watching some of the backstage stuff that came with the version of Witcher 2 that I got back then. If I remember correctly, they spoke about how they wanted him to differ from the sort of “classic elves”, in Tolkien’s universe for example. That is why his armour looked it was pieced together from different pieces he got from different places, different enemies, and so on 😊 Of course, he still made it look good! 😉 Anyway, thanks again for video. Watched many of your Witcher videos (and Lovecraft), but first time poster 😊
You're absolutely right, in fact, when siding with Vergen you get a bit of dialogue between Geralt and Saskia where Geralt says he's here because his friends are. Saskia then asks if he'd also join those friends if they were on Henselt's side to which he answers "no Dwarf would ever fight for Henselt".
I love Iorveth, easily my favourite character in all of the Witcher franchise. Now I want to go back and replay the Witcher 2 lol. Also Roche is a fed, idk how anyone could prefer him over Iorveth
Commenting a whole bunch. Also green eye. Yeah I agree. The art of telling/explaining how a character is without dumbin expoistion on you is a difficult art to master. But if someone tries to let his character speak through actions and giving the reader/viewer/hearer some space of interpretation by letting some things unsaid - this will often hit the spot. Letting someone guess or think. Those can be very well written stories. Even your supposed to be boring skit about your adventures has it in it. One may ask themselvs "Why is she eating. It wasn't explained. And why is she eating specifially bread." There was no boring voice over like "and here you see her eating. because she needs nutrison like everyone does. but this day was different. today she eats beacuse she simpley loves bread" or something along those lines. Anyroad good video.
I’m one of those Witcher Fans who was so disappointed that Iorveth didn’t appear in Witcher 3. I mean his storyline worked so great with Roche’s storyline. Maybe Geralt could have recruited Iorveth to aid him before the battle of Kaer Morwen along with some of his elven and Dwarven buddies. Perhaps Roche and Iorveth could have put their differences aside to fight the wild hunt or maybe kill one another based on caring old grudges. I wonder how Iorveth will react that the legendary wild hunt are actually a bunch of dimension hopping dark elves.
Can anyone help and tell me what does Iorveth's knife look like (the one on his chest)? I can't find any reliable source nor him unsheathing it in the cutscenes, and I want to forge it. I appreciate any help!
I totally get everything you just said haha. Iorveth is my absolute favorite character, I just love him ❤ I just had to pre-order his statue from prime1, even though my wallet is crying a thousand tears now
The Witcher 2 was my intro to the series as well. Iorveth definitely clicked for me. I sided with him in my very first playthrough. I love that game and that character.
Ughhhh, do you remember the theme that you've used in this video? Music in the beginning, I mean... I was too distracted to remember where I heard this while was watching the video 😭 OKAY! I KNOW WHERE IT WAS! Blue Fuelds from FF8 (or ff14, since it was used there too) Thank you for video, it was very interesting!
I'm certain Witcher 4 will be amazing BUT if all they gave me was a few hours of Ciri visiting Yen and Geralt in Toussant but getting side tracked on a mission with Iorveth and Regis I could die happy
I was really bummed out when wild hunt did not feature Iorverth. I did not side with Roche in any of my main saves and only for completion. Iorverth and Saskia forever.
@@ProperBird I liked Roche, but Iorverth clicked with me. Wild hunt was amazing but I guess it would have been too big for it's own good if they added Iorverth..... (Sarcasm)
I’m so thankful the witcher 3 was my first introduction to the witcher world because if I played 2 the third game would have been so disappointing without iorveth being in it. I’m still mad about it. At least he was in the white wolf fan made game. And with saskia! Hope you enjoyed that game!
After living among humans for over 30 years, for me is impossible not to support Iorveth; and after 1 year of looking into politics, it is impossible not to se Rouch as a sleeping fool
When I first played Witcher 2 and heard the name Squirrels, I didn't know that was the translation of Scoia'tael so I thought that it was a slur used for elves in that world.
Lorveth was definetly one of the most interesting characters in The Witcher 2. Real shame that he was absent from the 3rd game :/ I like that little dialogue you added at the end about the dimwitted human climbing the mountain of bones to yell out "I WIN" I can totally see that happening
I see Iorveth as kinda like an Elven Malcolm X. He's someone who's willing to get his hands dirty fighting for his people, and he does some questionable shit, but ultimately he's not a bad person and all he does is simply to protect his loved ones from oppression and to get a better lot for his people in the face of oppression
Iorveth is my all time favourite so I'm glad to see I'm not the only one obsessed. I swear, I've never been able to forgive Saskia for not being interested. She did him dirty.
I adore Iorveth. Chose him over Roche the first time and never ever sided any other way. Btw, is it weird that I think you would make a beautiful Saskia?
Really? you love Iorverth? Never noticed it in your previous and always great videos ;) Yes, the characters in The Witcher lore are the main reasons why people are so attached to this Univers, they are so well written and designed. In addition, there is never any moral judgement, except ours, as a reader/player. You are free to choose what fit the best with your own ethic or own personal experience. Will you side with the oppressed first owner of these lands, will you stand with the order party to protect people against terrorist attacks or couldn't help but saving the damsel in distress? It is up to you as a player but I really think the Iorverth one is the most interesting (so much great sub plots and interesting characters in there) and yes, Iorverth is a great character :)
@@ProperBird yes, you have to choose the lesser evil (according to you)! dammed, don't remember where I have read this sentence but it sounds great :). Never understand why CDPR remove Iorveth from TW3. As far as I know, they initially had content planned for him. he is still a very popular character in The Witcher fandom so we can hope seing him in the future.
I always sidding with the scoa'tell and Iorveth Was the reason why i play this games. I saw a picture on Pinterest and fell in love. I like character like him..
Hi Jinzee, did you read the books in English or Dutch? (is there Dutch version of the series?) or maybe both, if so which version is better according to you?
English, I actually hate reading books in Dutch and haven't done so since Harry Potter. Although I'll be honest, when I started reading the books only two were officially translated so I mostly read fantranslations initially. The more recent official translations for the Witcher books leave some to be desired unfortunately.
I dont understand why CDPR get rid of Iorveth all together in Witcher 3. If they able to some how squeeze a little side quest for Letho why not Iorveth? I choose the Iorveth storyline and when I met Vernon Roche in Witcher 3 I was like "where is Iorveth, the guy who I actually trust". They forced Vernon Roche on us and I dont like that. Yes I know he saved our asses several times in Witcher 2 but still.
I really need to play Witcher 2 for Iorveth and Letho. My introduction to the series was Witcher 3, but the gameplay between the two is so different. The Scoia'tel faction makes me think of the First Nationers in North America, colonists invading and behaving primarily with hostility. Even those who were also friendly paved the way more for other, more hostile colonists. Of course this isn't unique to the Americas either.
I like Iorveth. And Roche. In fact, most of The Witcher characters. And I do believe it is for the reason that they seldom break character. Iorveth won't take kindly to you if you irritate him. In fact, he will have you shot if you cross the boundaries. He won't suddenly like humans because Saskia's human form and Geralt look human. Most everything about the character is done right (maybe except few things, such as how he acts when you help Roche and then go free Iorveth from the prison barge), I enjoyed both the introduction in the cinematic and in the first in-game meeting. And I especially enjoyed how the nekker scene kind of paralels his position in these forests and then puts him in a completely opposite scenario. I remember that when I first played TW2, I chose Roche for the same reason I chose Siegfried in TW1. I just spent more time with him and learned more about the character beforehand. And I really think TW1 did a great disservice to the Scoia'tael by portraying Yaevinn and the Viziman commando like they did. If on one hand we have a group of religious zealots, whose representative is a relatively honorable, quite noble and good (if a bit stuck-up) knight and on the other we have a group of terrorists putting people in crypts and robbing banks, led by a scheming, murderous leader with a wish for human genocide, then I'm not going to stick with any of these groups and will probably choose the person I believe is better (although Siegfried has a mighty character break if we side with the elves). To add to the Iorveth connundrum, The Witcher 3 made most things irrelevant and it really pissed me off when I played it for the first time using the Iorveth path save. But the points about writing a character made in this video are very valid. And it not only works for writing a game, or a book, or a movie. I play/DM dungeons & dragons. A lot, lately. And while I'm not the best at it and I have many a flaw, there's a few things that even I can notice. Nothing hurts characters more than just saying their backstory. There's the old rule of "showing, not telling" and it's really easy and rewarding to implement in a TTRPG setting. And you wouldn't just start an adventure by saying everything there is to know about a character. But if a character acts a certain way, they do so because of a reason, because of who they are and what they want to achieve, basic interactions and dialogues can tell you more about a character than a 30 page backstory and an essay detailing their psyche. And there's the style of writing I absolutely adore but it takes up a lot of time, and basically consists of asking yourself "what would this character do in this scenario?" over and over again, instead of just having an idea of where the story needs to go or a set plan, making way for believable, complex characters and realistic scenarios. ...But I'm rambling now. Anyway. 'Tis a good video. Me liketh.
Helping Roche and then siding with Iorveth anyway actually has one of the best subtle storytelling beats in the game (at least to me). If you side with Iorveth consistantly, he will uncover his scar in Vergen when you talk to him because he now trusts you enough to be vulnerable in that way. If you side with Roche first and then join Iorveth anyway, he never uncovers his scar because he can't fully trust you. It's never mentioned, just shown, and I absolutely loved that.
@@ProperBird I must have totally forgot about it or missed it, then, whatever's the case, that's just another example of amazing character/world building, definitely making up for the immediate interaction (or lack there of) on the barge. Makes me want to replay the game just to see it with my own eyes. Got to delete a few saves before that, though... Thanks!
Ah, this is the video for me 😅 The Scoia'tael were always so much more interesting to me than, say, the Northern Realms. I still haven't played Roche's side in The Witcher 2 😂
Right? Although honestly Roche has some hilarious moments, he's a wonderful character too and I can definitely recommend his playthrough too. Only once though... only once.
" It's not because I hate humanity... much."
Relatable.
I'm also a big Iorveth fan. He was also developed as Geralt's friend by the end of the second game (if you chose to help him), so I was really bummed when he didn't show up in The Witcher 3.
Not even a letter, a card, nothing.
@@ProperBird Someone said iorveth card ? How about a round of Gwent ? Seriously though i do not understand why the devolopers thought him to be out of place for the last title. The fate of the north was being desided on that side of the pontar Valley, all things he had done over the years had been smashed to the ground by the southern invaders and there were lots of elven warrior who needed his help but in the end he thought nope, I do not need to appear I do not have any kind of motivation to appear what so ever.
P.S: I hope they correct that mistake some way some how.
@@ProperBird you can actually see him in the background on one of Fancescas gwent cards in the base game. I read it as implication that she secretly found a way to bring some scoiatael back to Don Blathana.
@@denizoztin1201 So they were planning on including him, but cut the quests that he was going to be a part of because they didn't work. It would've him, Shani, and like... 2 other people working to stop a plague.
"How morally grey should the elf be-"
"Yes."
Very, a lot.
Iorveth did nothing wrong.
@@jorritoudhof2768 "Iorveth has killed more humans than you've eaten chickens." -- I love Iorveth. ;-D
If nothing else the ending montage got me with "Thank you for reminding me, I think my hatred of the species had abated a moment." That seems like a mood all its own.
Honestly one of his all-time greatest moments.
Iorveth felt genuine, consistent, every ebb and flow of his character felt realistic almost like Eldain, as though he was merely the result of what had came before, which in the game felt made you feel like he was what would come next. Very interesting with a handsome scar as well? Oh my...
Eldain was a very interesting character too, very much taking on an opposite position to Iorveth in a lot of ways (although there also mentions of Iorveth in Thronebreaker).
tbh in every story the non human factions are already more interesting,
if i wanna see more humans i can go outside
That's fair. :p
Iorveth, Skellige, and Letho are my three favorite things in the Wicher games. I was stoked when you find the Scoia'tael in Witcher 3 and after I had found Letho I had my hopes set very, very high for Iorveth showing up. I can't tell you how crushed I was when he didn't.
Awesome vid and subscribed!!
"Jinzee is such a babe" - Iorveth probably
It's true, he said that, I heard him.
@@ProperBird I love you jinzee but I will get a step ladder and fight you to the death for iorveth
Oh Iorveth, really missed him in The Witcher 3 😭
I'm a simple man, i see Iorveth, i click.
A cultured individual I see.
I went with Roche on my first playthrough, for various reasons. I had read Blood of Elves in between playing W1 and W2, so was less concerned about Triss knowing her backstory; plus I was working on the logic that running off with the elves who helped kill Foltest was really not conducive to clearing Geralt’s name. So it took me a while to realise how hilarious Iorveth can be.
For sure, Roche seems like the logical choice at the very start. Iorveth grows on you though.
@@ProperBird The VA does a superb job getting that mocking sneer into his voice; Yaevinn always came across as pompous to me but Iorveth’s manner worked a lot better for someone who kept fighting despite multiple losses and betrayals.
I really love your voice and pronunciation. If they make a witcher 4 they should definitely ask you to voice a character.
I see Jinzee, I see Iorveth. I immediately like it.
The only correct response. :p
I'm so happy that you made this video. Iorveth is also my favourite The Witcher 2 character and I'm still mad that he didn't appear in The Witcher 3. In my second TW2 playthrough, I wanted to see Roche's path but when I was at that point to decide, which side I should choose I was like "Nah, let's follow Iorveth again."
Thanks for giving this elf some spotlight again, he deserves it! :D
And Harrison Ford sounded very motivated in those voiceovers... He clearly was very impressed by that idea. xD
Harrison Ford hated the idea as much as we did I've no doubt. :p
Something that I do appreciate of Iorveth is that he gave an actual sense to the scoia'tael movement in the games. Also the relationship with Saskia is compelling.
Roche is homie, but Iorveth is fam.
He's definitely the glue that held a lot of the Scoia'tael faction together.
I would totally watch Adventures of Jinzee, my new favourite show! 🙆♀️
She eats toast *almost daily*. -The End-
Iorveth and Regis rank quite high among my favourite characters of all time, and I believe you hit the nail right on the head as for the reason. In all honesty, every time I play Witcher 3 I wish they'd cut Roche instead of Iorveth - I do like him, but I feel Iorveth had more potential.
I may be singing a different tune had Iorveth been butchered as badly as Roche and Ves, but that's a rant for another time.
Perhaps Iorveth will return in a future game, you never know. His content sounded so interesting too, throwing Isengrim into the mix.
@@ProperBird oh, I'd play the _hell_ out of that game. Fingers crossed!
Not 100 percent sure if this is correct or not, but I saw somewhere that they cut Iorveth precisely BECAUSE he was such a loved character: since they were running short on time, they didn't have the means to create a proper questline and didn't want to just shoehorn him in with a meaningless cameo
@@socialjihad5724 That's exactly it. Though the years a lot of leaks regarding Iorveth happened and he was also mentioned on an interview by CDPR posted on No Clip channel. Apparently, he would show up searching a cure for Catriona's plague, which was killing a lot of elves, and team up with Roche and Ves at some point. But late in development they realised this storyline wasn't working and didn't had much time as you said, so just cutted Iorveth and reduced Roche/Ves roles. There was sugestions of just killing him off and leaving a letter for us to read but it didn't happen because he was (and still is) a fan favourite and deserved a proper ending - hence the decision of doing nothing with him instead of not reaching the standards they aimed for/letting us down. If I recall correctly, part of Catriona's storyline was used in Hearts of Stone with some tweaks here and there.
I think this might be the "first" time you mentioned Iorveth :) on a serious note though i cam see why you the character so much !
Planning to play 2 again and i definitely will be paying more attention to his character !
Loving these videos and the new direction you're taking Jinzee ! I'm a broken record but as always keep up the amazing work :)
Me? Mentioning Iorveth? I would never!
Enjoy another playthrough!
Kinda interesting I originally sided with Roche (Not for any particular reason just seemed to me at the time that the story was pulling in that direction , and honestly I was more engrossed in the action then the story at the time. Also killed Letho if that's any indication of where my mind was at) I remember watching one of your older videos and how you talked about Iorveth and when I played the Witcher 2 more recently I sided with Iorveth and I think I shall be doing that in any future play throughs. He is an absolutely amazing character and I'm kinda sad there wasn't more involvement with the Scoia'tael in the Witcher 3
Both sides are absolutely worth playing in the Witcher 2, you miss so much of the story otherwise!
And yeah, the Scoia'tael were sorely missed in the Witcher 3. :(
never clicked on a video so fast... thank u Jinzee for the quality iorveth content
I hadn't used it in a while, it was time. :p
I've always felt sorry for elves, they always tend to lose their home one way or another, apart from the Elder Scrolls perhaps elves from the Witcher, Dragon age and middle earth can learn a thing or two from them, I'm sure summerset would be happy to help Lorveth kill a few pesky humans lol.
Elves in general always seem to fall into "the strongest" or "the downtrodden" in any story.
even in the elder scrolls, there are examples of elves losing their homeland, even though loss of their homelands not as universal for elves in the elder scrolls series.
the snow elves were wiped out by the nords who took over their homeland, with the surviving falmer becoming slaves to the dwemer (and eventually losing much of their sentience due to dwemer influence). also, due to the eruption of the red mountain, much of morrowind is basically uninhabitable, and many dunmer have become refugees in other lands (like skyrim), where they are not always treater well.
After this video it all comes together your love for Iorveth, your tattoo and much more and also you gave this particular noone a reason to play the witcher series again after all these years since it was released... and as stupid as it might sound another reason might be the cheeky tolkien reference; thank you Jinzee
Enjoy, it's always a fantastic ride!
I loved this video! Also absolutely love how you pronunciated his name!
This is one I've been looking forward to for a long time, and it was worth waiting for! That you didn't talk just about Iorveth but made broader points too made it even better. Thanks for a truly awesome video!
I'll save the "me rambling about Iorveth for a while" for the Patreon/Ko-fi. :p
I just discovered this channel and I love it.
The Tale of Jinzee was self serving with many glaring omissions!
Like the total lack of streaming footage... and cats ;)
The cats shun publicity if no cat candies are involved.
I low-key liked the story of Witcher 2 more than Witcher 3. Witcher 3 is still my favourite game of all time but I found Witcher 2's story more interesting
Blue Fields at the beginning. Love it!
One of my favourite tunes of all time. ^^
10:02 I see that 'Iorveth settling for something achievable' means 'Iorveth casually being a terrorist and not caring about elven lives at all in Flotsam'. When there are young elven girls burned alive, he refuses to help. He keeps on attacking Flotsam and merchants travelling nearby without any gains outside of killing humans. When asked why he helped Letho, Iorveth says that it's good one more human is dead and claims that Foltest was a bad king, even though we can clearly see that he's amongst the best kings out there.
The order of flaming rose did not know the full extent of de Aldersberg's plans, motivations and dreams. They only knew he has magic, but considered the source of the magic to be divine. On top of that, once Alvin gets to Visima back in time, he's already using the fake name. We can deduce that from a number of in-game books and mentions of the Grandmaster.
'Iorveth casually being a terrorist and not caring about elven lives at all in Flotsam' - No, Iorveth has just accepted that he cannot save all elves. He would welcome each and every elf that lives in Flotsam into his band and protect them. But he knows he can't control what humans do - he has worked with humans in the past and they betrayed him and killed his people anyway - so as long as they choose to live amongst humans he knows he can't save them. Foltest didn't do anything to protect the elves during Witcher 1, so clearly he doesn't give a toss if his people slaughter the elves, so to Iorveth that makes him a bad king.
This is why Iorveth is such a well written character, his actions and opinions make total sense from his point of view. That doesn't mean he's objectively right (most of the time he's shown to be wrong), but you can completely understand why he does what he does and thinks what he thinks. He has a grand dream that is impossible to achieve, but he knows that so he's just doing his best he possibly can to get as close to it as he can given the information he has and the terrible circumstances of the time in which he exists.
FF8 sound in the background of an I love Iorveth video? I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!
Lovely video as usual. A day earlier and it would have been on my birthday lol.
I see what inspires your tattoo now, very nice.
It makes me feel awkward so I can only imagine to read, but your a bombshell. I hope you feel confident lol
I uploaded it for Patrons and Ko-fi a day earlier so TECHNICALLY it was still a birthday video. :p
Nice to see a Iorveth video again. My favorite Elf.
that compilation on the end was great
Accidentally skipped forward a bit, and the first thing I hear is Arnold scream “shut up”
We need a video of adventure of jinzee with the dwarf mustache 😂
Just me eating peanut butter toast all day. (in the mines)
@@ProperBird that great content right there 😂
History is written by the victor or how one person's terrorist is another's freedom fighter
I have been expecting this video for a long time now, *nice*
It was time, at last.
I know I've brought up Vagrant Story before (and I probably will again) but Sidney Losstarot, the cult leader you're chasing after, is still one of my favourite characters in any game I've played. He's not only an interesting character, he's also so well written you still don't quite know who he is by the end. That'll make perfect sense to anyone who knows what I mean ;)
Vagrant Story is still on my list, one day I'm sure a video will appear when I inevitably play it. :p
@@ProperBird Yup, not trying to pressure you ;)
It's definitley one that will always stand out for me though. I've always enjoyed stories that are complete but are also open to intellegent but unanswered questioning, if you know what I mean.
Love the old topics with the new style!
The Witcher 2 is still my favourite Witcher game because the story is fantastic in my opinion. Gameplay is ... something else though, for sure. :p
Just discovered your channel!
Im a total simp for Iorveth, CDPR knew what they were doing haha.
Very interesting character with some great lines and while sad he wasn't in W3, I think it's maybe a good thing too, it makes the mystery of what happened to him next all the more interesting (though the Scoia'tael camp near Novigrad do reference him!)... maybe he'll appear somehow in the "Witcher 4" development? Who knows...
me at the start of another Witcher 2 playthrough: THIS TIME I'M PICKING ROCHE I SWEAR
me when it's time to choose: next playthrough it is!
What a beautiful Video.! I love your witcher content. Pls tell us more about your favourite witcher Characters:)
I mean, I have several videos about Regis even!
1 dislike is from Roche.
The Blue Stripes banding together to express their disapproval.
No idea what to say - commenting for the algorithm points lul, keep up the fascinating videos
Well thank you very much!
Thanks for your content!
i simply ADORE iorveth!! my little bloodthirsty elf
Every time I hear Iorveth speak his voice always surprises me. I think my brain just sees elf and has prescribed elves to have some form of a classic RP accent. Like elves are meant to be reading me the news, or are the middle-upper class in a period drama. And those aren't really Iorveth...
He actually had a different voice initially, much more posh. I really prefer the voice they used in the final version. Same for Letho. ^^;
I just googled that and wow... Letho's voice sounds so wrong.
@@nemo5336 Right? It's so oddly rough I'm really glad they changed it.
I realize this could be FAR to generous to Iorveth, but I always felt a certain... understanding with his wanting a homeland for elves, to have that dream. Maybe it's just because I'm Jewish, but I see his reasons, how he came to them, and why he fits a good archetype of "practical dreamer". I want his dream to work. I want the elves to get a true homeland. One where they can feel safe and thrive.
This isn't justifying his worst actions, especially against civilians, but it explains them and makes you sympathize with him and his dream.
He's a complex and wonderful character.
Fantastic video as always.
Still sad it wasn't a 12 hour Iorveth worship, but I suppose this quality over unneeded quantity is fine :p
happy pride month to you Jinzee and to whoever at cdpr decided to give Iorveth a deep neckline and long eyelashes
Someone is looking out for us up there.
Yes! One of my favorite characters ever, (in an interesting concept sense.)
Love ur videos
i think iorveth is single-handedly respinsible for me getting into the witcher series. a youtuber i like started a witcher 2 series, and i was like "sure, i'll watch it, why not?" even though i knew nothing about the game. i ended up enjoying iorveth's character immensely, and that enjoyment was a significant motivation for me to actually play the games and read the books.
I don't know, I'd think The Adventures of Jinzee would be a hidden gem of a story.
Cancelled after half a season tbh. :p
Thank you for the thoughts on Iorveth! Us Iorveth appreciators (if that is a word; I’m not a native English speaker - I’ll check after the video 😉) must stand together!
In both the first and second Witcher game, I would usually take the nonhuman path. Maybe the neutral path in the first game, almost never the human path. Well, only for the lore anyhow 😊
In the Witcher 2, I always got the sense that Geralt himself was more comfortable in Vergen, rather than in the Kaedweni war camp. Not necessarily because the believed in one side’s cause more than the other, but mainly because his friends were there.
And speaking of his friends, it seemed like they also preferred the hospitality of Vergen, rather than the war camp’s vice versa 😊
Concerning Iorveth himself, I remember watching some of the backstage stuff that came with the version of Witcher 2 that I got back then. If I remember correctly, they spoke about how they wanted him to differ from the sort of “classic elves”, in Tolkien’s universe for example. That is why his armour looked it was pieced together from different pieces he got from different places, different enemies, and so on 😊 Of course, he still made it look good! 😉
Anyway, thanks again for video. Watched many of your Witcher videos (and Lovecraft), but first time poster 😊
You're absolutely right, in fact, when siding with Vergen you get a bit of dialogue between Geralt and Saskia where Geralt says he's here because his friends are. Saskia then asks if he'd also join those friends if they were on Henselt's side to which he answers "no Dwarf would ever fight for Henselt".
@@ProperBird Oh right, forgot all about that conversation :-) been years since I played Witcher 2 ;-) But it makes a lot of sense, I think! :-)
I love Iorveth, easily my favourite character in all of the Witcher franchise. Now I want to go back and replay the Witcher 2 lol. Also Roche is a fed, idk how anyone could prefer him over Iorveth
Glad to have found another Iorveth enjoyer
9 years later people still remembering Iorveth. Good shit m8
Commenting a whole bunch.
Also green eye.
Yeah I agree.
The art of telling/explaining how a character is without dumbin expoistion on you is a difficult art to master. But if someone tries to let his character speak through actions and giving the reader/viewer/hearer some space of interpretation by letting some things unsaid - this will often hit the spot. Letting someone guess or think. Those can be very well written stories.
Even your supposed to be boring skit about your adventures has it in it.
One may ask themselvs "Why is she eating. It wasn't explained. And why is she eating specifially bread." There was no boring voice over like "and here you see her eating. because she needs nutrison like everyone does. but this day was different. today she eats beacuse she simpley loves bread" or something along those lines.
Anyroad good video.
It's true, I was hungry. My stories always have a very deep layer (of peanut butter).
Also I forgot how much I loved Iorveth's voice
I have to replay Witcher 2. Wish I have the time. Being an adult is hard. Thanks Jinzee.
Yes, yes you do!
Commenting because I like your content and want the algorithm to favour you 👍
Thank you for paying homage to the algorithm Lords!
I’m one of those Witcher Fans who was so disappointed that Iorveth didn’t appear in Witcher 3. I mean his storyline worked so great with Roche’s storyline. Maybe Geralt could have recruited Iorveth to aid him before the battle of Kaer Morwen along with some of his elven and Dwarven buddies. Perhaps Roche and Iorveth could have put their differences aside to fight the wild hunt or maybe kill one another based on caring old grudges. I wonder how Iorveth will react that the legendary wild hunt are actually a bunch of dimension hopping dark elves.
i like how you deep dive on the witcher lore. I would love it if you also read Berserk to know your opinion on it.
Your are awesome! I also love the Witcher a loot, i've read all books as well. In RPGs and MMORPGS my toon is always called Gwynble :)
I was called Iorveth Faoiltiarna in FFXIV for the longest time. :p
after this video i think i can say it seems you like this iorveth fellow
You know what, I'm pretty fond of him I guess.
Can anyone help and tell me what does Iorveth's knife look like (the one on his chest)? I can't find any reliable source nor him unsheathing it in the cutscenes, and I want to forge it. I appreciate any help!
I totally get everything you just said haha. Iorveth is my absolute favorite character, I just love him ❤
I just had to pre-order his statue from prime1, even though my wallet is crying a thousand tears now
The Aen Aelle after they colonize a new world and massacre their native population: "ight imma head out"
if the Witcher 2 was your introduction to the franchise i can say: welcome to the club
The Witcher 2 was my intro to the series as well. Iorveth definitely clicked for me. I sided with him in my very first playthrough. I love that game and that character.
Ughhhh, do you remember the theme that you've used in this video? Music in the beginning, I mean... I was too distracted to remember where I heard this while was watching the video 😭
OKAY! I KNOW WHERE IT WAS! Blue Fuelds from FF8 (or ff14, since it was used there too)
Thank you for video, it was very interesting!
I'm certain Witcher 4 will be amazing BUT if all they gave me was a few hours of Ciri visiting Yen and Geralt in Toussant but getting side tracked on a mission with Iorveth and Regis I could die happy
I was really bummed out when wild hunt did not feature Iorverth. I did not side with Roche in any of my main saves and only for completion. Iorverth and Saskia forever.
I honestly love Roche but the fact that Iorveth's path just didn't have any kind of closure in 3 was definitely very saddening.
@@ProperBird I liked Roche, but Iorverth clicked with me. Wild hunt was amazing but I guess it would have been too big for it's own good if they added Iorverth..... (Sarcasm)
You should try add some more to that slice of bread...It would be a good start xD
Hey now, there is peanut butter on that toast I will have you know.
I’m so thankful the witcher 3 was my first introduction to the witcher world because if I played 2 the third game would have been so disappointing without iorveth being in it. I’m still mad about it. At least he was in the white wolf fan made game. And with saskia! Hope you enjoyed that game!
Iorveth reminds me a bit to Mance Rayder, he gave them a goal and made them stronger.
After living among humans for over 30 years, for me is impossible not to support Iorveth; and after 1 year of looking into politics, it is impossible not to se Rouch as a sleeping fool
When I first played Witcher 2 and heard the name Squirrels, I didn't know that was the translation of Scoia'tael so I thought that it was a slur used for elves in that world.
Honestly it still is sometimes used that way. They wouldn't call themselves squirrel using the regular common speech.
Lorveth was definetly one of the most interesting characters in The Witcher 2. Real shame that he was absent from the 3rd game :/
I like that little dialogue you added at the end about the dimwitted human climbing the mountain of bones to yell out "I WIN"
I can totally see that happening
9:30 heterochromia iridum or just contact lenses?
Contact lenses ^^
I see Iorveth as kinda like an Elven Malcolm X. He's someone who's willing to get his hands dirty fighting for his people, and he does some questionable shit, but ultimately he's not a bad person and all he does is simply to protect his loved ones from oppression and to get a better lot for his people in the face of oppression
I was disapointed Iorveth wasn't in TW3. It felt like he never existed and the elves were sept under the story-rug. :(
Iorveth is my all time favourite so I'm glad to see I'm not the only one obsessed. I swear, I've never been able to forgive Saskia for not being interested. She did him dirty.
When are we getting the full version of Adventures of Jinzee.
Totally agree!!!
I adore Iorveth. Chose him over Roche the first time and never ever sided any other way.
Btw, is it weird that I think you would make a beautiful Saskia?
Really? you love Iorverth? Never noticed it in your previous and always great videos ;)
Yes, the characters in The Witcher lore are the main reasons why people are so attached to this Univers, they are so well written and designed. In addition, there is never any moral judgement, except ours, as a reader/player. You are free to choose what fit the best with your own ethic or own personal experience. Will you side with the oppressed first owner of these lands, will you stand with the order party to protect people against terrorist attacks or couldn't help but saving the damsel in distress? It is up to you as a player but I really think the Iorverth one is the most interesting (so much great sub plots and interesting characters in there) and yes, Iorverth is a great character :)
And whatever choice you make there's always a problem, just how I like it. :p
@@ProperBird yes, you have to choose the lesser evil (according to you)! dammed, don't remember where I have read this sentence but it sounds great :). Never understand why CDPR remove Iorveth from TW3. As far as I know, they initially had content planned for him. he is still a very popular character in The Witcher fandom so we can hope seing him in the future.
I always sidding with the scoa'tell and Iorveth Was the reason why i play this games. I saw a picture on Pinterest and fell in love. I like character like him..
ok Jinzee i respect Iorveth being your husbando, but Roche is my waifu so we must agree to disagree here
Pistols at dawn.
Darling your videos are like fine wine to my life.
Hi Jinzee, did you read the books in English or Dutch? (is there Dutch version of the series?) or maybe both, if so which version is better according to you?
English, I actually hate reading books in Dutch and haven't done so since Harry Potter. Although I'll be honest, when I started reading the books only two were officially translated so I mostly read fantranslations initially. The more recent official translations for the Witcher books leave some to be desired unfortunately.
I dont understand why CDPR get rid of Iorveth all together in Witcher 3. If they able to some how squeeze a little side quest for Letho why not Iorveth? I choose the Iorveth storyline and when I met Vernon Roche in Witcher 3 I was like "where is Iorveth, the guy who I actually trust". They forced Vernon Roche on us and I dont like that. Yes I know he saved our asses several times in Witcher 2 but still.
Yeah and no side quest with Ciri in Cyberpunk, just her pic on a magazine which you can only see on a corpo lifepath, that's so lame.
I really need to play Witcher 2 for Iorveth and Letho. My introduction to the series was Witcher 3, but the gameplay between the two is so different.
The Scoia'tel faction makes me think of the First Nationers in North America, colonists invading and behaving primarily with hostility. Even those who were also friendly paved the way more for other, more hostile colonists. Of course this isn't unique to the Americas either.
Good video
I like Iorveth. And Roche. In fact, most of The Witcher characters. And I do believe it is for the reason that they seldom break character. Iorveth won't take kindly to you if you irritate him. In fact, he will have you shot if you cross the boundaries. He won't suddenly like humans because Saskia's human form and Geralt look human. Most everything about the character is done right (maybe except few things, such as how he acts when you help Roche and then go free Iorveth from the prison barge), I enjoyed both the introduction in the cinematic and in the first in-game meeting. And I especially enjoyed how the nekker scene kind of paralels his position in these forests and then puts him in a completely opposite scenario.
I remember that when I first played TW2, I chose Roche for the same reason I chose Siegfried in TW1. I just spent more time with him and learned more about the character beforehand. And I really think TW1 did a great disservice to the Scoia'tael by portraying Yaevinn and the Viziman commando like they did. If on one hand we have a group of religious zealots, whose representative is a relatively honorable, quite noble and good (if a bit stuck-up) knight and on the other we have a group of terrorists putting people in crypts and robbing banks, led by a scheming, murderous leader with a wish for human genocide, then I'm not going to stick with any of these groups and will probably choose the person I believe is better (although Siegfried has a mighty character break if we side with the elves).
To add to the Iorveth connundrum, The Witcher 3 made most things irrelevant and it really pissed me off when I played it for the first time using the Iorveth path save.
But the points about writing a character made in this video are very valid. And it not only works for writing a game, or a book, or a movie. I play/DM dungeons & dragons. A lot, lately. And while I'm not the best at it and I have many a flaw, there's a few things that even I can notice. Nothing hurts characters more than just saying their backstory. There's the old rule of "showing, not telling" and it's really easy and rewarding to implement in a TTRPG setting. And you wouldn't just start an adventure by saying everything there is to know about a character. But if a character acts a certain way, they do so because of a reason, because of who they are and what they want to achieve, basic interactions and dialogues can tell you more about a character than a 30 page backstory and an essay detailing their psyche.
And there's the style of writing I absolutely adore but it takes up a lot of time, and basically consists of asking yourself "what would this character do in this scenario?" over and over again, instead of just having an idea of where the story needs to go or a set plan, making way for believable, complex characters and realistic scenarios.
...But I'm rambling now. Anyway. 'Tis a good video. Me liketh.
Helping Roche and then siding with Iorveth anyway actually has one of the best subtle storytelling beats in the game (at least to me). If you side with Iorveth consistantly, he will uncover his scar in Vergen when you talk to him because he now trusts you enough to be vulnerable in that way. If you side with Roche first and then join Iorveth anyway, he never uncovers his scar because he can't fully trust you. It's never mentioned, just shown, and I absolutely loved that.
@@ProperBird I must have totally forgot about it or missed it, then, whatever's the case, that's just another example of amazing character/world building, definitely making up for the immediate interaction (or lack there of) on the barge. Makes me want to replay the game just to see it with my own eyes. Got to delete a few saves before that, though... Thanks!
Such a pity Iorveth was left out of the third game. Due to time constraints I think, but honestly, It wouldn't take much to patch him in
Ah, this is the video for me 😅 The Scoia'tael were always so much more interesting to me than, say, the Northern Realms. I still haven't played Roche's side in The Witcher 2 😂
Right? Although honestly Roche has some hilarious moments, he's a wonderful character too and I can definitely recommend his playthrough too. Only once though... only once.
@@ProperBird Ah well, maybe one day I finally will. But I'll definitely have to play Iorveths path again then as well, it's been a while! 😅
we know you love him! xD
Well of course, it's in the title!
Not even watched it but so true
💕Iorveth💕