I wonder why she needs to be the empress, what is the mission that affected her? Does it fit the story, which is about finding Ciri and defeating Wild Hunt
What. You still spent 6+ months looking for her. You still raised her from a young age. Being a bit shit during the most stressful period before the final battle for the world is totally understandable. Ciri isn't some snot-nosed brat. If she was going to leave, she'd tell Geralt and Yen. She wouldn't just take off.
Empress ending also hurts a bit, because Ciri calls Emhyr "father", and that hurts Geralt. But you made a fair point, Emhyr didn't force her, she heard his offer and agreed on it herself. If you choose not to bring Ciri to Emhyr - you are making a choice for her. You are being a controling father who thinks he knows best what is good for Ciri without giving her a vote in the matter.
I dont understand how anyone can bring ciri to emhyr if u read the books he literally wanted to marry her and also ordered the attack on cintra where Ciri's grandmother the person who raised her was brutally murdered. The fact that he is her biological father doesn't mean anything Geralt is Ciri's true father and she would have wanted to become a witcher
Emhyr gaslights, manipulates and controls every relationship he can. He's a statesman who knows how to push people. He made sure he pushed all the right buttons when Ciri went to see him. He knows how to sway her in the desired direction ... was it really her choice she makes of sound mind? No. He doesn't get to see Ciri. He doesn't get to use her to further his own ends.
Counterpoint to that though. The game gives you the option to not share your opinion and just let Ciri decide for herself if she wants to see Emhyr. If you choose the "You have to decide for yourself" option, then Ciri insists that you give your opinion and at that point...what am I supposed to do? Tell her that I think Emhyr can be trusted when I definitely do not think that's the case? Emyhr has done nothing to earn my trust. If I ask him why he's looking for Ciri, he tells me that it's only for political reasons. He gives me no reason to believe that he won't try to take advantage of her and I'm not going to lie to her just to make this meeting happen.
Pretty sure in the books and in the games Emyr wants to impregnate Ciri for power. That's not exactly a secret to anyone who read the books. It's one of the reasons Ciri hated her father so much. Her own father wanted her as his wife.
@@jauneasharithespecialist7885 Yes, but when she visits you in Toussaint she tells you that Emhyr doesn't force her into anything. Ciri is not stupid either to be so easily manipulated. Again, if you choose to take her to Emhyr, then now she has TWO choices instead of one, and she decides to become The Empress for a reason. If she only had one choice (to become The Witcher), then it wasn't really a choice, it's just the lack of opportunities. Which means, that she would not live up to her potential.
@@jauneasharithespecialist7885 Not exactly. Emyr wanted the identity of Ciri hidden from powerhungry politicians and other threats. By making it seem he merely wants Ciri, to marry her, to secure the Cintran province he hides the fact that she is, his daughter. This is not well known, as Emyr's marriage to Ciri's mother is hidden as well, from the nilfgaardian nobility.
@@victorneistrup7277 from what i understand in the book, emhyr planned everything including the monster attack that grants him ciri's mother as a bride, emhyr have a good grip on nilfgraad, in both light and shadows, true, some secrets are held from the politicians but what emhyr planned, said and done is clear, to get the ultimate bloodline in his control, be it ciri or her future descendant. nilfgaard is a mere tool to achieve that, for he is sure, that the promised elder blood have a fate to rule the world. all his plan start to fall apart since geralt got his hand on ciri (by law of surprise) and anything done to prevent geralt to have ciri leads to the doom of cintra, and everything that entails it.
I personally think the bittersweet ending is the true ending to witcher 3 given that it is the longest. there's also the factor that Ciri could easily visit geralt and Yen whenever she wishes since they will be living in Toussaint on his Vineyard he gets at the end of blood and wine.
heres a good explanation on why ciri becoming empress is the best ending (found it online): Becoming Empress is ultimately Ciri's decision: allowing Nilfgaard to win the war and taking Ciri to see her father gives her the most choices, which is most fair to her as an individual who is sick and tired of others making her decisions for her. What makes Geralt special (provided you get a "good" ending) is that he is one of the only people she knows that respects her decision, even if it's ill advised. Beyond that, Ciri becoming Empress is also better in the long run for Geralt and Yennefer than her becoming a Witcher: they're both free to see her as often as they please if she is sovereign of the Empire, and she will never want for anything again (and what parent doesn't want that for his/her child?). However, if she becomes a Witcher, who's to say when, or even if Geralt and Yen will see their adopted daughter again? She could die in some forsaken woods hundreds of miles away from Geralt, and he couldn't know it. The Witcher's life is not pleasant: it's necessary for the good of society, and Witchers do it either for the greater good or because they know nothing else, but after all, no Witcher has died in his own bed. And of course, there's the obvious: Ciri becoming Empress and Nilfgaard winning the war is the best thing to ever happen to the Continent. Nilfgaard is willing to restore the old Kingdoms so long as they swear fealty, spreads safety from monsters and bandits where its armies march, is very tolerant (by comparison to the Northern Kingdoms) of mages and non-Humans, and is economically prosperous. While its rule of law is harsh, Ciri is described by Dandelion as possessing both political shrewdness and a sense of Human decency (which she inherited from Geralt): Ciri at the head of the Empire would undoubtedly make its policies more enlightened and just, and her ties to people in positions of power over other nations (such as the an Craites in Skellige, who consider her virtually family) make the prospect of global peace very possible.
@@yourmomuglysi9505 exactly it’s the same with the Roman Empire yer they were cruel at times but when the tribes were under there rule they were at peace for once and developed more then ever before and the Pax Romana was one of the most peaceful times in history. The north is the same the main kingdoms are always fighting there was never peace
The thing is though, she DOESN’T choose to be Empress, she’s manipulated into it. No matter what, either Geralt or Emhyr decide her future, by using different tactics. If it’s Geralt, she trusts him, and his opinion is very important to her. And if it’s Emhyr, he is very intelligent and knows just what to say to play on her emotions and good character. Now let’s dissect what each outcome is a result of regarding Ciri’s ending. Ciri views Geralt and Yen as her parents, so their opinion means a lot. At the time of the “see your father” option, Ciri doesn’t even mention Emhyr, she wakes Geralt up so they can go to the Sabbath and kill Imlerith. It’s Geralt (the player) that HAS to tell her about seeing Emhyr, and even when he/we do, she already knew, as Yen mentioned it to her. Yet she didn’t care. Then you have the CORRECT choice to tell her to decide for herself if she should visit him, but she doesn’t, it’s Geralt/Player, that HAS to decide for her, therefore forcing her down a path she should choose herself. Fast forward to seeing Emhyr and she finds out he wants her to rule etc etc and she leaves. But later receives a letter from him that changes her mind, and makes her decide to do what Emhyr asked. Do you honestly think that Emhyr, being as cunning and intelligent as he is, didn’t manipulate Ciri with that letter, (his life depended on her taking the throne) no doubt about the greater good, this or that etc? I’ve no doubt he did, as like I said, his life depended on it. So either way Ciri ISN’T deciding her ending, it’s Geralt or Emhyr. Through love, respect, and trust for Geralt. Or through clever words and playing on emotions and greater good etc for Emhyr. All Ciri’s life people wanted to use and manipulate her, the Lodge with their plans, Vilgefortz, even Emhyr wanted to have a baby with her to gain power. The Empress ending is something she doesn’t want, and yeah she might be able to do some good, but she loses the very thing she always wanted, freedom to live her life how she wants. And who’s to say all those things you said about ending slavery and war etc are likely? Emhyr had his own people against him because they wanted to act differently than he. So I see no reason to think Ciri will be different and won’t be in danger if she plans to end slavery and conquest etc if all her subjects and nobles etc still want those things. So to me, being a Witcher allows her to live how she wants, to not be used or manipulated, to be happy like she deserves ffs. And there’s also no stopping her from becoming Empress in the future if she decides to. So yeah, big fan of The Witcher, read all the books and played all the games, and this is my reasoning and answer to why I think the Witcher ending is the best one.
@Алексей Романов Wrong, she doesn’t make the decision. She knew Emhyr wanted to see her and didn’t care. It’s only when Geralt brings it up on his own, then tells her she should see him, does she do it. If he didn’t, she never would have gone. This is no different with Emhyr’s letter he sends her, it influences her to take the Empress position as he needed her to, and he’s smart enough to influence her and play on her good character to make her accept. Edit: TW3 is an RPG and it’s you the player that decides the outcome of mostly everything. This being the last outing for Geralt means the focus is on him. Which is why Yen gets sidelined watching Geralt and Ciri, when realistically her bond with Ciri is just as strong as Geralt and Ciri’s. We/Geralt have to bring Emhyr up, then We/Geralt can tell her to decide herself and she basically says no, you decide. Then you have to lie to get her to go by telling Ciri Emhyr just wants to talk, when We/Geralt know full well he doesn’t, he wants her for reasons of state as Emhyr himself already told Geralt/Us.
Disagree entirely. As Geralt you literally just present the options and can either try dissuade her, OR let her choose for herself. Emhyr tried to manipulate her sure, but she sees right through his bullshit.
@@Matt-bg5wg But you don’t though, when presenting the option for her to decide for herself in regards to seeing Emhyr she says no, and we the player are forced to tell her she should visit Emhyr. Therefore we’re deciding this outcome, not Ciri. We also have to lie to her by telling her Emhyr just wants to talk, when we already know that’s false as he tells us why he wants her during the first visit to Vizima. This pattern is prevalent all throughout the game, as we have to decide whether Ciri goes with us or alone to speak to the lodge. We decide whether she becomes a Witcher, Empress, or dead, based on the choices WE make, not her. Just like we decide the fate of Radovid, Emhyr, the Mages etc. It’s an RPG and we decide, none of the endings happen organically, it’s us that make each outcome a reality.
I really like the witcher ending because Ciri is happy and that's all that matters. Throughout the game, you can see she wants to stay away from all these.
I think that sells Ciri short as being selfish ..... She's not and she explains to Geralt before she goes to destroy that White Frost that she made that choice on her own because it was time for her to make a sacrifice to all those who had made sacrifices for her all her life .... It's called growth as a person .... There isn't a hero in the world that decided to take happiness over making the sacrifice you have to make to become a hero ..... When you run into a burning building to save a child the last thought on your mind is your own happiness, in fact it's not even a part of the equation
Ciri deserves some happiness here plus depending on choices she wouldn't be able to help how she wanted as empress anyway. She would only be there to cement her future husband's rule. Ciri as Witcher is canon can't convince me otherwise lol
I like him because he was kind of an underdog with him being banished because of his curse and him retaking his throne. But when I learned that he most likely killed Ciri’s mother and never loved her in the first place I stated to not like him. Also the slavery thing:)
@@jacobgull7274 yeah he is awful, but to be fair Foltest did... Similar things with his sister But in Foltest's case it wasn't because of political reasons like with Emhyr, Foltest loved his sister Adda (was it awful? Hell yes). But take it from Foltest and you have a good, intelligent king who cares about his people respects non-humans and is ready to sacrifice himself for family. Take Ciri marriage apart from Emhyr and you still have a guy who would do anything for power. Foltest all the way
I don’t really care tbh. She used to live with Emhyr in the first few years of her life so of course it’s likely that she had called him Papa before. And… Geralt has always been addressed as Geralt. Calling him Papa is just… cringe
@@depression-cherryciri was a baby when she was seperated from her parents. She has never known emyr as a father figure in any way, calling him "papa" is actually insane. She also does actually call geralt her father, even if they dont use terms in conversation
Here's the thing, this game isn't about saving the world or restoring peace to the land or anything like that. It's about a man looking for and after his daughter. Ciri sees Geralt as her father, not Emyr. She's chosen the life of a Witcher because it's what she enjoys and it makes her happy. Does Ciri seem happy to you when she's the empress? If you want her to be happy then the Witcher ending is the best one.
But just like Ciri told Geralt "i can make a real diffrence as the Queen" I want Geralt and Ciri to stay together and with Yen as a happy family but i also feel like thats a bit selfish. It might just be me
Well the thing is in this world there is no long term happiness every decision comes at the cost of hurting someone else or ruining their life best example is the bloody Baron questline no ending is really satisfying so is this world even as empress she would be a way better queen than any other dude but still at some point someone is gonna get hurt like the northern kingdoms or after she really dies someone is gonna go to war again hurting people so there is and never will be true peace for everyone in this world in my opinion you should do whatever makes you happy if you don't hurt anyone without a real reason so ciri should be happy and she has a right to it so she should become a witcher
@DeathGodRiku Way to miss the point of the Empress ending. The entire point of Geralt guiding her toward being empress is to show her the life of a witcher is hard and incredibly sad, people screw him out of payment, insult him, fear him and when he helps people they kick him out without so much as a thank you. Geralt shows her that her idealistic view of being a witcher is skewed and he wants better for her by being someone with purpose and duty. He forces her to grow up and leave childish fantasies behind.
@@somethindarker People hating on the very witchers that save them from monsters are exactly why she should become a witcher: why sacrifice yourself and be forced to endure petty political games, when you can be free? And why bother with improving the world, when since we visit Velen we know that it does not deserve it? Imaging life as a witcher to be all gloom and glory is indeed childish: but it is surely idiotic to sell your freedom to care about peasants who cannot even read or write.
I thought the relevant set of alternatives of "lesser evils" was either to go with Roche & Empress Ciri on the one hand or Djikstra & Witcher Ciri on the other. Avarti already described the benefits of the former in this video, but with the latter Ciri gets her freedom and the North keeps its culture without the massive pogroms of Radovid.
This is truly the best ending while Ciri becoming (honorary) Witcher is just a storybook ending. Ciri as Empress can make the difference for millions of people - Ciri as Witcher is just another Witcher on the road: Ciri following her dream of becoming Witcher shows that following your dream isn't always the right thing - indeed, Blood and Wine ending with Ciri on her way to become Empress shows that she has warmed to the idea (despite initial reluctance and knowing that she doesn't get to meet Geralt often), wanting to learn everything there is to be a good ruler to people she will be Empress of.
I know, right? Ciri as Witcher is in stark contrast to the message Witcher conveys, which is that sometimes you must make a choice you don't like. Ciri doesn't initially like the idea of becoming Empress, her dream is to be Witcher with Geralt who was more of a father to her than Emhyr, but the ending with her becoming Empress really shows that she is starting to welcome it and wants to be truly good ruler to people - and she is even getting closer to Emhyr - actually slipping from previously only calling him by his name and calling him Papa.
@@enternamehere7942 In no world does it make sense that Emhyr is ever a loving father, the dude is manipulative and wants Ciri to continue his blood line, if he can't turn her into an iron throne, cutthroat, ruthless empress then he marries her off to someone who he deems worthy of being that kind of king and resigns her to simply being a baby maker that provides him with grand children.
One thing is for sure that both Witcher and Empress endings have their good and bad side: Witcher ending: Ciri is happy for following her dream career but the player will have to carry the responsibility that he/she manipulated her a little bit to make her closer to Geralt (Fairytale ending) Empress ending: Ciri grows up and assume her own responsibilities by becoming the new empress of the land she grew into but she won’t be happy and her and Geralt will be more distant but still in contact with each other like an actual real family (Mature ending)
At the end of blood and wine if you get the empress Ciri ending and didn’t romance or romanced both yen and truss she’ll come to Corvo Bianco and tell Geralt that Emhyr isn’t forcing her to take the throne and it’s her own choice
@@deeznutz3617 "... and Ciri is an easily manipulated fool whose opinions you can't trust and as a man, it is your responsibility to make protect these silly women from themselves."
The thing that was the most dissapointing imo is that the world is not changed depending on your ending after finishing the game. I hoped you'd actually see Temerian guards everywhere loyal to Nilfgaard and see some other small changes. Maybe make a small quests where Ciri stays in Vizima for a couple days and invites Geralt. Maybe another quest if you finish blood and wine and keep Anna Henrietta alive they have a big ball with monarchs there, Ciri takes off her dress and sneaks off with Geralt to have some good old time fun and maybe give some updates as to how she's been doing (the current visit was a bit dissapointing to me). A quest where you just take a Witcher job together for old time sake and because she's done with the boring high life would've been great. The game is so in depth in many regards so I'm just a bit dissapointed they lacked in this aspect.
@@BoldBolod8 That is really on you brother, the way you phrased it was 10x worse. And you know what I mean, just being Witchers in the wild rather than having to pretend while being suffocated by a corset and ball gown.
@@yakovendelman7659 No pun intended but you've written " Ciri takes off her dress and sneaks off with Geralt to have some good old time fun" could've told in a different way
@@BoldBolod8 I think it is you who's rule 34'ing this shit in your mind. Normal people don't generally associate that stuff when talking about a father daughter kind of situation.
Guys she can always leave the throne and run away whenever she likes cause she is the empress. No-one can dare to stop her. so i think being her empress might not what she always wanted but it will benefit all the other people, mages and all i mean they will not suffer the rule of a cruel emperor and war will not affect them
The empress ending is my favourite. It has that "Yeah, this is the Witcher. Not purely good or bad, but the mix of the two" feeling. But if we go with the lore of the books and games, it's a false ending (no, I'm not talking about the 'false Ciri' storyline, because she wasn't even mentioned in the games). Ciri is destined to be free. Whenever someone tried to bind her (by marriage, capturing, offering her position in a specific organization or else), she or someone close to her eventually ended up ruining these plans, even if she didn't intend to (like the marriage with Hjalmar). She is the lady of time and space, she can't be the ruler of a country, because it's not her fate.
"She is the lady of time and space, she can't be the ruler of a country, because it's not her fate." By that logic neither is becoming a Witcher in a world where they are becoming less and less needed
perhaps s.o. found the same solution: I wish, Ciri and Avellac rescue all human and non human living from dying during the icetime through teleporting all of them into an other world. That can be a plausible and heroic end.
in the books she wants none of it but to be free as a witcher. her father who wanted to impregnate her finds someone he loves and makes a new child trying to better himself.
This pretty much convinced me to go with the Empress ending and all the points here make total sense. Plus the romance with Yennefer makes the most sense since it's been teased from the beginning and while Yen doesn't like Nilfgard, she's comfortable working with them and making deals and Geralt is working alongside her to find Ciri. Thus the Empress ending also makes the most sense if Geralt leans in on working more with and romancing Yennefer and is the "pro-Yennefer" ending. It's even symbolized by her preference of black and white clothing and for darker, more plain colors overall which fits in well with Nilfgard according to Emhyr's chamberlain.
Best and satisfied ending is witch ending.ciri changed to whicher (that is what she like).But based on the witcher story.geralt give a word to her grandmother that is he make her emperor.
@@mubzplay it's the best ending for Geralt but if you're thinking of the bigger picture then Ciri because she would become a greater empress than her father and would be a lot more humanitarian and fair than other rulers.
@@soggybiscuito1505 but she dont like to be a emperor.she like to a witcher like geralt.after she changed to emperor she gave her sword to geralt thats indicates she stopes to fight like a witcher .properly both are good.but satisfied one is cir is a witcher.she doent loose geralt
@@soggybiscuito1505 yeah the main storie of the witcher is she is being empire.the true ending is that.(real witcher storyline)but satisfied ending is she is being a witcher.examble game have choices to choose yen and triss.but main storie yen is his true love.
Dijkstra (hope I spelled that right) isn't a bad ending, even if he's essentially just a King without a crown and rules in a Fascist Manner, I think his treatment of the North would be fair. Granted I think his sole motivations in his decisions would be what's best for the nation and not what's morally right or anything else.
Ciri has run from everything. She says so herself... she has run to the far corners of this world and beyond, even running with the unicorns… But she realizes that running did nothing. People still suffer, racisms is rampant, and barbaric practices continue across the world and she has the power to stop that. I think this ending truly shows her maturing. I know she will be unhappy... but her actions will shape the world. I have no doubt she will be a truly just and wise ruler ... I simply pray she will be able to find happiness in the end.
Well, I think much is up for the debate. In Lord of the Rings and Lion king "Good person = Good king= Good times", but other perspectives (like Game of Thrones) disagree, and persons virtues can cause their downfalls. In W3 we don't know if Ciri will make a good ruler- we can speculate she will, given if she has enough time to learn how to navigate politics before Emphy kicks the bucket. But even if she turns out to be an excellent Empress- the fact she is good may just reinforce the trust in monarchy and thus delaying installment of democratic/oligarhic goverment (idea of whic was already presented in books).
@@justhair17 only thing that worries me in this ending is what Philippa says earlier in the game. She wants Yen to abandon politics so that she can replace her as Emhyr's mage and therefore end up becoming Ciri's advisor. However I really don't trust Philippa as she has a long history of betrayal. First Djikstra and then Radovid. Especially what she did to Saskia in the witcher 2 makes me suspect that she might wanna do the same with Ciri
@@meatbagkiller7174 that might be a possibility, but Ciri knows her and probably doesnt trust her. And she still has Emhyr, who is very sceptical of mages
I also think it makes the most sense because earlier after the defeat of the Wild Hunt she finally accepts that her fate is to destroy the White Frost and that decision was hers and hers alone for once .... It only makes sense that she would accept being Empress as also being her fate and necessary to make the world a better place ... As big of a tool as Emhyr is there is no way he could get the upper hand against Ciri now that she has reached her full potential as the Lady of Space and Time
if you get the witcheress ending and you dont romance anyone or tried to romance them both ciri will visit you in blood of wine and she herself says that she is happier this way GERALT: "So, no regrets? Choice you made?" CIRI: "Not at all. I'm doing what I ever wanted to do, being who I wanted to be. I believe that's one definition of happiness."
Ciri does not owe the North her happiness as Empress. She risked her own life as the "Elder Blood" to save everyone else's lives from the Wild Hunt. I wish there was a path for Ciri where she is neither a witcher nor joining Emhyr as Empress of Nilfgaard and is free to explore the world(s) on her swashbuckling adventures while creating her own legacy. She is literally the "Fifth Element" of her universe...slaying monsters on contracts or being involved in politics under Emhyr's banner would eventually become a drag. And both of those are pre-determined paths established from her "fathers". Just give Ciri the option of: "You are free of everyone's expectations. Go find your own path."
She wanted to be a Witcher which is why she searched for Geralt after being in the 5th dimension or whatever. You are a little late in the story my friend
I think it's the best simply because this is her real choice. As in, the only way she doesn't choose this is if you refuse to let her hear the proposition
If you read the books bad ending is the only one that fits thematicly. Her being born as a chosen one and then continues to become a ruler or a free adventurer is as far removed from the message of the books as it gets.
Witchers are always said to be a dying profession, where geralt just earns enought to make ends meet( in lore, in game you could buy the kingdom by the end lol) it feels like she is starting her career in an already dying market.
The empress ending makes more sense! I hate to say it, but in the witcher universe, actual WITCHERS AREN'T THAT MUCH NEEDED ANYMORE. Here's Why: 1_monsters are becoming less common, with the expansion of cities, you'll mostly find monsters in caves, forests and abandoned areas (basically, places humans don't usually go to ).2_the increasing popularity of "witch hunters", Warriors and large armies of soldiers make witchers' role in this universe even more useless. 3_ You can tell by simply playing the game, that witchers are becoming a rare "species" and that humans are managing on their own without their help. Therefore, if Ciri were to become a witcher, she'll like it at first but with time she'll more likely feel less fulfilled and... useless.
Ciri becoming empress of Nifgaard, reminds me too much of the final season of Angel, in which Angel and his team were placed in charge of Wolfram and Hart, the evil law firm they were fighting, in the 4 seasons beforehand. They were given free rain to run it as a weapon for good and use it to help people, but as they discovered, there's a huge difference between helping people by signing papers that start up charities, compared to helping people on the front lines. Even though what you're doing is still good, you start to lose your connection to the people you're trying to help, the more red tape and responsibility you get. So yea, Ciri will do a lot more good as empress, but she'll likely lose her connection with those she's trying to help as well.
It only seems like the "Best" ending if you have a pathological need to control everyone else. For most people, the relationships you have in life, like those of a father figure and a daughter matter more than kingdoms that will just fall anyway. Ciri using her power in the tower averted the white frost so there's no reason for her to be Empress.
This. As much as it isn't well executed Ciri already took up responsibility and did what needed to be done. She has no responsibility to take over Nilfgaard. If anything she will inevitably do more good with her power as a witcher. Protect people on the ground as Geralt does.
Legit got the bad ending because I truly believed that she couldn't stop the wild hunt so geralt didn't have faith and she actually failed. Geralt then hunted down the last witch of crookbag bog.
A life of self indulgent and hollow happiness is always trumped by one of duty and purpose. I've always found Geralts life sad living hand to mouth scraping by helping people who scorn and fear him, having Ciri live like that seemed sad to me I've always liked her being an empress and leading her people toward a better life so much better.
Depends on what you consider hollow happiness. I'd rather see her live as Geralt than to throw her freedom away to serve a world in which hate, racism and ignorance will always dominate.
@@justthunderbolt40 by making Ciri empress you're helping the world become a better place because she's make sure to root out slavery, racism and persecution of minorities which in the long run would make Ciri much happier. He's right, a Witchers life for Ciri is hollow happiness because she's just doing it out of childish fantasies and overestimated expectations of what a Witchers life is like thinking it's adventures and thrill while it's mostly just killing drowners and barely getting by while being consistent a mutant and shunned by almost everyone you meet
@@saf4433 I don't see how she would find "hollow" the life of a witcher, when since she was a child it is all that she desired. Making her empress means to throw her in a pit of snakes who will try everything in their power to obstacle or outright killing her: not only that, but Ciri saved the world once. Why should she be denied her happy life, in favor of living in a golden cage? People can fight their wars on their own, Ciri has yet done her part for the world: there's no need to be trapped in some foolish notion of duty that will force her to be unhappy for her whole life.
@@justthunderbolt40 ''since she was a child it is all that she desired'' that's the point, it's a childish dream. What do you think is gonna happen when she gets old and weak since she doesn't have the mutations? What is she gonna do when she watches the world go to shit with slavery and mass persecution of minorities which are much bigger problems than monsters, and she realizes she could've stopped all this if she put aside her fantasies and worked on making the world a better place? And you're saying she'll be in danger in the game of politics, but what about the dangers of a Witchers life? Again, she doesn't have the mutations so she's more vulnerable to injuries and can't heal as quickly. And why do you consider it her throwing her freedom away when she herself chooses to become empress if you give emhyr the opportunity to make his proposition? No one's forcing her into it, she chooses to become empress even making it obvious by saying she could make a difference in the world in the end, but by not taking her to emhyr you're actually the one manipulating her into being a Witcher by blocking her decision and making sure she's only left with being a Witcher as a choice. And by not letting her become empress you're basically making sure slavery, mass persecution and bigotry towards minorities to continue because Ciri says she likes being a Witcher. It's honestly surprising how so many people here are willing to ignore slavery and persecution because their best girl is happier killing drowners in a sewer
@@saf4433 She's a far better fighter than Geralt, so injuries are not the problem thanks to her bloodline. Maybe old age will be an issue, but that's a problem in decades, not now. The main issue is: why should Ciri be forced to become empress? Why should she be forced to sacrifice her happiness because people can't stand for themselves? She doesn't care about Emyr, she never even thought about him: Geralt has to remind her and even underline her that he wants her to meet him. Basically, if you allow her to talk with Emyr, you're allowing an old fox, a mastermind who's been a politician for decades, to guilt trip her into becoming her puppet. Even if she manages to get free of his father's grasp, she will be forever bound to the rules of the court, and even if she manages to outlaw slavery(unlikely, since Nilfgaard is evily based on it, just like prejudice is a way of life in the north) she will spend her life in a golden cage. She was haunted by people who wanted to use her, or her power, for all her life, and for all her life she dreamed only about being free: to deny this to her, only to help a world that spits in the eye of those who protect it, is pure madness. People have a right to be free, even when they wield enormous power.
From Geralt's perspective the player also has to acknowledge that Geralt never does anything for the good of a nation or a people and instead, follows his own code. He wouldn't care about encouraging Ciri to be Empress for the good of the Continent, he'd want her to do what made her happy. There is also the issue that in the games at least, it's hinted that Geralt feels like he's... not good enough... I guess, meaning that he feels inadequate in his fatherly role as Ciri because he's not her "real father" among other reasons, so he'd likely be going full throttle toward doing what he thinks would make her happy IE: keeping her as far away from Emhyr as possible
This is not a real ending. Because in order to come to this ending, Geralt needs to get involved in politics, but he doesn't do this and keeps neutrality. And Ciri would never come to Emhyr, because he killed her mother, destroyed her relatives in Cintra, hired thugs who killed Ciri's friends when she was in a Rats gang, and then he wanted to rape her so that she would give birth to his child. Genious
You have to see it as that she's not very old, and is quite a broken person, never really being loved by anyone, and she doesn't want to disappoint geralt who she sees as a hero and really is a hero in her life. When she actually becomes and empress she asks Geralt "You aren't going to take me away are you?" It's basically a hidden cry for help of a child toward a parent, a child who can't communicate very well due to her bad experiences. She's also clearly a person with morality and see that she could probably do good for the world. The thing is that imo everyone says she should become an empress because its good for everyone else is actually the most selfish thing. Who is anyone to tell anyone how they should live their life especially when they have nothing to loose and things to gain from that person accepting something. Ciri has also fought her entire life to be free to do what she wants, and at the end taking that choice away is quite cruel.
So what is more important? Personal happiness and freedom or duty and 'possible' prosperity for everyone else? I'm in favor of people doing what makes them most happy so long as it doesn't come at the cost of someone else's, but if you have the chance to 'possibly' improve things for everyone at the cost of your own wants and some of your freedoms, is it worth it? This like a classic Mass Effect decision moment here.
Remember, it's more canon that voorhais* becomes the leader and Ciri becomes a Witcher, if you wanna try and blend the books with the game. Eventually emyhr dies, and the general takes over (who I've always liked ngl) so letting ciri become the emperor wouldn't be canon, or so I believe.
Funny is that the Nilfgardian court will try turn him from ruler into deity (simular to Japan) or how many of Ciri's children will try to do something simular to Herman Cortez
Hell no, the world doesn't deserve Ciri as empress, my playthrough focuses on keeping geralt's loved ones close and happy, the witcher's world and its people are too corrupt. This ending is is far from "the best" or at the least the best ending is left to the player's beliefs
Good person doesn't always make a good ruler. And Ciri will be married of to General Voorhis anyway so he will be the actuall ruler. Not to mention that Nilfgaard is an opressive fascist empire built on slavery and war. I believe Dijkstra ending is the best ending. The North must remain independent and strong, not be a province of Nilfgaard.
I got the witcheress ending even when I brought Ciri to the emperor, but let Dijkstra rule the north. The way I see the empress ending happen is if Nilfgaard wins the war.
I have my own personal head canon that Ciri decided to become Empress a while after being a Witcheress, seeing the people of the Nilfgaard and the newly absorbed Northern Realms, their need for a stable ruler who will see to them first, she decides to give up being a Witcheress and is crowned the new Empress. Thus her bloodline, known for their matron Cirilla Fiona Ellen Riannon, who saved all of life.
Frankly, if you bring her to talk to Emhyr, she becomes empress unless Radovid lives. So, YOU are not making a choice for her. You simply told her to meet with Emhyr and hear him out. That she realized that she could do more as Empress is her own decision. She could never be a witcher. No mutations, no ability to use any toxic potions, just her ability to manipulate space and time. She wouldn’t last long as a witcher, and it was always an immature career choice. Also, life often mean you choose to do what’s right and not what pleases you. She recognized that, while not what she would ask for, the opportunity to make a difference was much greater as Empress and would be foolish to refuse.
Totally agree. It’s not the “happy” ending, but it is the best ending. Bittersweet, but everyone ends up in a good spot. Triss/Yen aren’t hunted, Roche ves and Thaler survive, temería remains a vassal state... Ciri is safe, Geralt can relax. No more witch hunts/persecution of non humans etc. I also completely agree that this is the best ending because Ciri herself chooses it. As Geralt you never have the option of convincing her to do it, only convincing her NOT to do it, or just letting her do her own thing. So it’s her choice.
Isn't bringing up Emyr in the conversation kinda pushing her into that choice? If I remember correctly she only wants to go and fight the Wild Hunt, it's Geralt who reminds her of her biological father. Simply following her wish to fight isn't forcing anything.
No. What you’re describing is hiding the option from her. Isn’t it better to lay all the cards on the table and let HER decide? By not telling her about Emyhr, YOU are removing the choice for her.
@@Matt-bg5wg She surely didn't forget who her father is, nor could she ever forget her claim to the throne. If she doesn't mention it, it means that she doesn't care: it's completely different from me removing that choice.
I disagree. After thinking about the choice she decides to take it for the greater good. Instead of choosing her own self interests, she chooses a future where she can do the most good for the many. That’s called growth and character development. Instead of this “me me me” juvenile mentality.
@@Matt-bg5wg It can be seen like that. Or, it can be seen as the result of years of indoctrination: why choosing the greater good is better than living for yourself? Ciri doesn't own anything to the world, especially after she saved it from the White Frost. Everyone in their life tried to use her, Emyr, the Lodge, and the Aen Elle: she was almost convinced to follow their plan too. Considering how people treat who save their asses every time there's a monster around, only a fool would waste his time tryng to improve their condition.
Even though the witcher ending is the "happier" ending i myself choose the empress ending for my story. Like think about it in the witcher ending story it says that everyone in the continent has heard of the ashen haired witcheress so ofc emhyr has heard it to so whats stopping him from hunting geralt and yennefer until he kills them for lying to him lol?
@@anitaremenarova6662 so you admit being a hypocrite? good. i don't care how old your conment is, when i see something stupid i have to address it. cry me a river.
man, disappointed to hear that I have to choose between Djikstra ruling the north and Ciri ruling Nilfgaard. I want them both to rule in my current "money-hungry Feline Armor/alchemy/bomb" build
Empress ending is the most dramatic one. If i was a book author who tries to cause the most emotional turmoil in the reader, thats the ending i would choose. But as a player, as geralt, the witcher ending is what i need to feel complete and happy with the games ending. I searched for her for what feels like a lifetime in the game, so just giving her up to the throne is too much for me to handle. Hence the witcher ending, so i can sleep at night
If Ciri became Empress, basically you played a sociable Geralt. Not an egoistic Geralt. Well yeah, technically speaking, Ciri was "manipulated", but I disagree. Personally, this is the first ending that I get. And I like this ending. I felt that my Geralt has a responsibility of at least showing that "Geralt found Ciri" to Emhyr because basically it is Emhyr's request. Emhyr's request to Geralt is similar to a witcher contract, however, instead of killing something or somebody, you are asked to find someone. How to prove that you have fulfilled the contract? Show Ciri to Emhyr
As Geralt choosing not to take Ciri to Emhyr isn't Geralt being overprotective, it's Geralt deciding to value Ciri's decisions and consequences. What make's Geralt, Ciri and Yen the perfect family is always adhering to what the other person wants or wishes in any given moment willing-fully propelling themselves into the futures the others have chosen to walk and then walking that path alongside them. It has never been Geralt's place to decide for Ciri, he has always raised her to be her strongest self in the reflection of her own actions, Geralt as he is a Witcher having seen many child never make it to or past the trial of grasses understands that the cold reality of life is death if the person themself is not willing to undergo the hardships of life themself. So, supporting Ciri in her choices is not selfish or overprotective when it comes to choosing whether or not to take Ciri to Emhyr, in actuality it is selfish to bring up her duty of "responsibility" or "inheritance" as everything and everyone asides from Geralt (and very few others) has bound her to the two.
Well speaking historically and with limited understanding of the cultures in the game, 1. Aren’t Witcher’s sterile, meaning that Ciri would either need to adopt an heir (probably a close family member) or face constant threats to her legitimacy for being unable to provide one? This could be mitigated by cultural elements or biology I am unaware of. 2. How integral is slavery to the economy and power of highly placed individuals? If it’s a thoroughly entrenched institution then removing it entirely would either take decades of slow careful pushing against the powers that be or a great amount of iron fisting and expensive reparations for the loss to the Empresses noble support base. A failure to conduct this successfully would mean civil war. Essentially, the good ending’s benefits rely on Ciri’s political chops and a hopefully wide support base, which I would be skeptical to given her wandering status she appears to have, from my understanding. This outcome isn’t impossible but seems more likely to result in a jaded, paranoid rule.
Ciri isn't a witcher, she's Geralt's Child of Surprise (twice over, in fact). She trained at Kaer Mohren because she became his ward after Cintra (the kingdom of her family, yes that means Emhyr once ruled it, it's a long story about him pretending to be someone else and marrying Princess Pavetta) fell when Nilfgaard (again, yes, led by Emhyr now, after he faked his death and accidentally killed Pavetta) attacked it. She escaped, stayed with a family, the father was away, Geralt saved him, invoked the law of surprise, the father didn't know Ciri was at his home, and once Geralt realized he had now invoked the law of surprise on the same child twice, took her with him. Witcher's become sterile from the mutations they undergo during their trials, which Ciri never undergoes, before the game nor in the witcheress ending, so she could provide an heir, in fact in the books we get explicit mention she experiences a period. And as for two, slavery is integral to Nilfgaard so I'm doubtful she'd be able to end it.
I disagree I think the best ending is dijkstra rule the mages are safe and ngl the whole story mode ciri makes it clear she’s not fit for a role like that I don’t think she could do it
Agree. This is why I sided with Dijkstra. Radovid murders mages then turns his attention to non-humans after the mages leave. He's one of those rulers that always needs someone to persecute and blame for his lack of being a good ruler. As for Nilfgaard they practice slavery. For me Dijkstra was the best choice. He ends up being a pretty good ruler. I've never read the books or played the other games so I wasn't attached to Roache. That also made the decision easier for me.
@@vladdietheladdie7345 I know this is one year ago, but from the perspective of someone who just played Witcher 3 (even though I do know a lot of the lore) I liked Dijkstra so much more than Roach, he seems like such a boring character.
When did ciri become this nice? I recall in the books she had devolved into a murderhobo with a hard on for people bleeding to death by her hands( innocents too), did she get an explicit character development or she just grew out of it like it was some kind of extreme goth phase off-screen(narration?)?
Ciri alone in the court of the Empire, without no one to support her, would not be able to do much. I'm pretty sure she will be manipulated or out-manoeuvred by all the lords, generals and sorcerers at the capital. She would likely become just a puppet and slowly wilt away due to loneliness or if she decides to go against their will, will be overthrown just like her father in one of the endings.
This explanation is on point and with around 5 playthroughs of experience , I would,nt ever hesitate to grab this ending . Ciri becomes empress and Nilfgard wins the North . However , You need to sacrifice one of the very good written character ever , Dkjiktra . But I guess that's the lesser evil .
Just got this ending yesterday after finally bringing her to her father. I've always gone to the witcher ending but this ending really is bittersweet and the effort put in this ending feels like this is the ending CDPR wanted.
I think something important to note is we play the game from the prospective of Geralt and I don't think Geralt cares all that much for the safety of everyone on the continent.
I think Ciri has done enough for the entire world/realm by ending the White Frost and living up to her destiny. She deserves to be happy. As to Nilfgaurd it will fall apart after the Emperor dies without a clear successor there will be end fighting and the newly conquered lands of the north will most likely rebel in the chaos and gain there independence.
This is brilliant: points to empress ending
But I like this: points to witcher ending
Tbh
@@bradanmiller2090 but ciri literally has ptsd of Nilfgaardians
@@bradanmiller2090 yeah but after playing the game and getting to know ciri, i- i just cant do it to her!😞
@@bradanmiller2090 Eh i'm so tired of this cliche "greater good" thing. Just let her be a bit selfish for once god dammit xD
I wonder why she needs to be the empress, what is the mission that affected her? Does it fit the story, which is about finding Ciri and defeating Wild Hunt
I always liked the theory that Ciri didn't really die in the bad ending, she just didn't return to Geralt because you treated her like shit.
Lmao, I love that
That wouldn't actually make sense she came from the "cyperpunk" world because she missed geralt and yennefer
What.
You still spent 6+ months looking for her.
You still raised her from a young age.
Being a bit shit during the most stressful period before the final battle for the world is totally understandable.
Ciri isn't some snot-nosed brat. If she was going to leave, she'd tell Geralt and Yen. She wouldn't just take off.
@@eatme982 dude ciri is a hot head you can clearly see that in the whole game
@@eatme982 exactly that doesnt make sense
Empress ending also hurts a bit, because Ciri calls Emhyr "father", and that hurts Geralt. But you made a fair point, Emhyr didn't force her, she heard his offer and agreed on it herself. If you choose not to bring Ciri to Emhyr - you are making a choice for her. You are being a controling father who thinks he knows best what is good for Ciri without giving her a vote in the matter.
Totally agree.
To paraphrase a certain blue sage.... Emhyr may be her "papa" but he'll never be her daddy.
I dont understand how anyone can bring ciri to emhyr if u read the books he literally wanted to marry her and also ordered the attack on cintra where Ciri's grandmother the person who raised her was brutally murdered. The fact that he is her biological father doesn't mean anything Geralt is Ciri's true father and she would have wanted to become a witcher
Emhyr gaslights, manipulates and controls every relationship he can. He's a statesman who knows how to push people. He made sure he pushed all the right buttons when Ciri went to see him. He knows how to sway her in the desired direction ... was it really her choice she makes of sound mind?
No. He doesn't get to see Ciri. He doesn't get to use her to further his own ends.
Counterpoint to that though. The game gives you the option to not share your opinion and just let Ciri decide for herself if she wants to see Emhyr. If you choose the "You have to decide for yourself" option, then Ciri insists that you give your opinion and at that point...what am I supposed to do? Tell her that I think Emhyr can be trusted when I definitely do not think that's the case? Emyhr has done nothing to earn my trust. If I ask him why he's looking for Ciri, he tells me that it's only for political reasons. He gives me no reason to believe that he won't try to take advantage of her and I'm not going to lie to her just to make this meeting happen.
*Me:* _Why Ciri SHOULD Become The Empress Of Nilfgaard?_
*Avarti:* _For reasons of state, as always..._
Pretty sure in the books and in the games Emyr wants to impregnate Ciri for power. That's not exactly a secret to anyone who read the books. It's one of the reasons Ciri hated her father so much. Her own father wanted her as his wife.
@@jauneasharithespecialist7885 Yes, but when she visits you in Toussaint she tells you that Emhyr doesn't force her into anything. Ciri is not stupid either to be so easily manipulated. Again, if you choose to take her to Emhyr, then now she has TWO choices instead of one, and she decides to become The Empress for a reason. If she only had one choice (to become The Witcher), then it wasn't really a choice, it's just the lack of opportunities. Which means, that she would not live up to her potential.
@@jonts7 Well, giving her a chance to listen to Emhyr is an opportunity itself :)
But yes, I totally get you and that's fine with me.
@@jauneasharithespecialist7885 Not exactly. Emyr wanted the identity of Ciri hidden from powerhungry politicians and other threats. By making it seem he merely wants Ciri, to marry her, to secure the Cintran province he hides the fact that she is, his daughter. This is not well known, as Emyr's marriage to Ciri's mother is hidden as well, from the nilfgaardian nobility.
@@victorneistrup7277 from what i understand in the book, emhyr planned everything including the monster attack that grants him ciri's mother as a bride, emhyr have a good grip on nilfgraad, in both light and shadows, true, some secrets are held from the politicians but what emhyr planned, said and done is clear, to get the ultimate bloodline in his control, be it ciri or her future descendant. nilfgaard is a mere tool to achieve that, for he is sure, that the promised elder blood have a fate to rule the world. all his plan start to fall apart since geralt got his hand on ciri (by law of surprise) and anything done to prevent geralt to have ciri leads to the doom of cintra, and everything that entails it.
I personally think the bittersweet ending is the true ending to witcher 3 given that it is the longest. there's also the factor that Ciri could easily visit geralt and Yen whenever she wishes since they will be living in Toussaint on his Vineyard he gets at the end of blood and wine.
Yes, I'm glad to be empress.
heres a good explanation on why ciri becoming empress is the best ending (found it online):
Becoming Empress is ultimately Ciri's decision: allowing Nilfgaard to win the war and taking Ciri to see her father gives her the most choices, which is most fair to her as an individual who is sick and tired of others making her decisions for her. What makes Geralt special (provided you get a "good" ending) is that he is one of the only people she knows that respects her decision, even if it's ill advised.
Beyond that, Ciri becoming Empress is also better in the long run for Geralt and Yennefer than her becoming a Witcher: they're both free to see her as often as they please if she is sovereign of the Empire, and she will never want for anything again (and what parent doesn't want that for his/her child?). However, if she becomes a Witcher, who's to say when, or even if Geralt and Yen will see their adopted daughter again? She could die in some forsaken woods hundreds of miles away from Geralt, and he couldn't know it. The Witcher's life is not pleasant: it's necessary for the good of society, and Witchers do it either for the greater good or because they know nothing else, but after all, no Witcher has died in his own bed.
And of course, there's the obvious: Ciri becoming Empress and Nilfgaard winning the war is the best thing to ever happen to the Continent. Nilfgaard is willing to restore the old Kingdoms so long as they swear fealty, spreads safety from monsters and bandits where its armies march, is very tolerant (by comparison to the Northern Kingdoms) of mages and non-Humans, and is economically prosperous. While its rule of law is harsh, Ciri is described by Dandelion as possessing both political shrewdness and a sense of Human decency (which she inherited from Geralt): Ciri at the head of the Empire would undoubtedly make its policies more enlightened and just, and her ties to people in positions of power over other nations (such as the an Craites in Skellige, who consider her virtually family) make the prospect of global peace very possible.
Or triss lol
@@yourmomuglysi9505 exactly it’s the same with the Roman Empire yer they were cruel at times but when the tribes were under there rule they were at peace for once and developed more then ever before and the Pax Romana was one of the most peaceful times in history.
The north is the same the main kingdoms are always fighting there was never peace
@@yourmomuglysi9505 ciri has ptsd of the nilfgardian soldiers coming into cintra and killing everyone she ever knew
Tiber Septim should be.
False divine
He's not a god, just a genocidal and narcissistic emperor
@@ivans.5959 acceptable losses. Long live the septims!
He was really evil.
@@Altrantis so are the Thalmor
I dont really care about other people. I only care about Ciris happiness. And she sure seemed happier being a witcher rather than an empress.
Indeed best ending is witcher ending dont care about other people
No, I'm happy as an empress.
@@elizabethcomstock265 no you're not
@@Jnels27 yes, I am. I'm doing a lot more for people as empress then I would hunting monsters.
@@elizabethcomstock265 geralt did change the fate of Kings being a witcher ...
The thing is though, she DOESN’T choose to be Empress, she’s manipulated into it. No matter what, either Geralt or Emhyr decide her future, by using different tactics. If it’s Geralt, she trusts him, and his opinion is very important to her. And if it’s Emhyr, he is very intelligent and knows just what to say to play on her emotions and good character. Now let’s dissect what each outcome is a result of regarding Ciri’s ending.
Ciri views Geralt and Yen as her parents, so their opinion means a lot. At the time of the “see your father” option, Ciri doesn’t even mention Emhyr, she wakes Geralt up so they can go to the Sabbath and kill Imlerith. It’s Geralt (the player) that HAS to tell her about seeing Emhyr, and even when he/we do, she already knew, as Yen mentioned it to her. Yet she didn’t care. Then you have the CORRECT choice to tell her to decide for herself if she should visit him, but she doesn’t, it’s Geralt/Player, that HAS to decide for her, therefore forcing her down a path she should choose herself. Fast forward to seeing Emhyr and she finds out he wants her to rule etc etc and she leaves. But later receives a letter from him that changes her mind, and makes her decide to do what Emhyr asked. Do you honestly think that Emhyr, being as cunning and intelligent as he is, didn’t manipulate Ciri with that letter, (his life depended on her taking the throne) no doubt about the greater good, this or that etc? I’ve no doubt he did, as like I said, his life depended on it.
So either way Ciri ISN’T deciding her ending, it’s Geralt or Emhyr. Through love, respect, and trust for Geralt. Or through clever words and playing on emotions and greater good etc for Emhyr. All Ciri’s life people wanted to use and manipulate her, the Lodge with their plans, Vilgefortz, even Emhyr wanted to have a baby with her to gain power. The Empress ending is something she doesn’t want, and yeah she might be able to do some good, but she loses the very thing she always wanted, freedom to live her life how she wants. And who’s to say all those things you said about ending slavery and war etc are likely? Emhyr had his own people against him because they wanted to act differently than he. So I see no reason to think Ciri will be different and won’t be in danger if she plans to end slavery and conquest etc if all her subjects and nobles etc still want those things. So to me, being a Witcher allows her to live how she wants, to not be used or manipulated, to be happy like she deserves ffs. And there’s also no stopping her from becoming Empress in the future if she decides to.
So yeah, big fan of The Witcher, read all the books and played all the games, and this is my reasoning and answer to why I think the Witcher ending is the best one.
@Алексей Романов Wrong, she doesn’t make the decision. She knew Emhyr wanted to see her and didn’t care. It’s only when Geralt brings it up on his own, then tells her she should see him, does she do it. If he didn’t, she never would have gone. This is no different with Emhyr’s letter he sends her, it influences her to take the Empress position as he needed her to, and he’s smart enough to influence her and play on her good character to make her accept.
Edit: TW3 is an RPG and it’s you the player that decides the outcome of mostly everything. This being the last outing for Geralt means the focus is on him. Which is why Yen gets sidelined watching Geralt and Ciri, when realistically her bond with Ciri is just as strong as Geralt and Ciri’s. We/Geralt have to bring Emhyr up, then We/Geralt can tell her to decide herself and she basically says no, you decide. Then you have to lie to get her to go by telling Ciri Emhyr just wants to talk, when We/Geralt know full well he doesn’t, he wants her for reasons of state as Emhyr himself already told Geralt/Us.
Disagree entirely. As Geralt you literally just present the options and can either try dissuade her, OR let her choose for herself. Emhyr tried to manipulate her sure, but she sees right through his bullshit.
@@Matt-bg5wg But you don’t though, when presenting the option for her to decide for herself in regards to seeing Emhyr she says no, and we the player are forced to tell her she should visit Emhyr. Therefore we’re deciding this outcome, not Ciri. We also have to lie to her by telling her Emhyr just wants to talk, when we already know that’s false as he tells us why he wants her during the first visit to Vizima.
This pattern is prevalent all throughout the game, as we have to decide whether Ciri goes with us or alone to speak to the lodge. We decide whether she becomes a Witcher, Empress, or dead, based on the choices WE make, not her. Just like we decide the fate of Radovid, Emhyr, the Mages etc. It’s an RPG and we decide, none of the endings happen organically, it’s us that make each outcome a reality.
Beautiful truly truly beautiful 👏👏👏
@Y A T Z Y Stop projecting
I really like the witcher ending because Ciri is happy and that's all that matters. Throughout the game, you can see she wants to stay away from all these.
Seeking happiness alone is a shallow way to live. Our sacrifices can make a better world.
@@aguyfromnothere the world can go frost for all i care, people should just be happy with what they have and just let the inevitable happen
I think that sells Ciri short as being selfish ..... She's not and she explains to Geralt before she goes to destroy that White Frost that she made that choice on her own because it was time for her to make a sacrifice to all those who had made sacrifices for her all her life .... It's called growth as a person .... There isn't a hero in the world that decided to take happiness over making the sacrifice you have to make to become a hero ..... When you run into a burning building to save a child the last thought on your mind is your own happiness, in fact it's not even a part of the equation
@@aguyfromnothere
I think that’s called “depression.”
Ciri deserves some happiness here plus depending on choices she wouldn't be able to help how she wanted as empress anyway. She would only be there to cement her future husband's rule.
Ciri as Witcher is canon can't convince me otherwise lol
Didn’t know so many people didn’t like Emperor Emhyr. The whole time I was just impressed that they guy took his job as seriously as he did
I like him because he was kind of an underdog with him being banished because of his curse and him retaking his throne. But when I learned that he most likely killed Ciri’s mother and never loved her in the first place I stated to not like him. Also the slavery thing:)
@@jacobgull7274 and in the books he wanted to impregnate his own daughter don't forget that.
@@jinny8431 I knew I was missing something 😂
@@jacobgull7274 yeah he is awful, but to be fair Foltest did... Similar things with his sister
But in Foltest's case it wasn't because of political reasons like with Emhyr, Foltest loved his sister Adda (was it awful? Hell yes). But take it from Foltest and you have a good, intelligent king who cares about his people respects non-humans and is ready to sacrifice himself for family. Take Ciri marriage apart from Emhyr and you still have a guy who would do anything for power. Foltest all the way
@@wzdzysawzninosyn4905 very true 😂
Hearing her call Emhyr her "Papa" at the end of Blood and Wine is enough to make me want the Witcher ending. Such a gut punch.
But he is my papa.
I still love Garelt, I wouldn't have come to see him otherwise.
@@elizabethcomstock265 cringe
@@blazefa.😂😂😂
I don’t really care tbh. She used to live with Emhyr in the first few years of her life so of course it’s likely that she had called him Papa before.
And… Geralt has always been addressed as Geralt. Calling him Papa is just… cringe
@@depression-cherryciri was a baby when she was seperated from her parents. She has never known emyr as a father figure in any way, calling him "papa" is actually insane. She also does actually call geralt her father, even if they dont use terms in conversation
Here's the thing, this game isn't about saving the world or restoring peace to the land or anything like that. It's about a man looking for and after his daughter. Ciri sees Geralt as her father, not Emyr. She's chosen the life of a Witcher because it's what she enjoys and it makes her happy. Does Ciri seem happy to you when she's the empress? If you want her to be happy then the Witcher ending is the best one.
But just like Ciri told Geralt "i can make a real diffrence as the Queen"
I want Geralt and Ciri to stay together and with Yen as a happy family but i also feel like thats a bit selfish.
It might just be me
Well the thing is in this world there is no long term happiness every decision comes at the cost of hurting someone else or ruining their life best example is the bloody Baron questline no ending is really satisfying so is this world even as empress she would be a way better queen than any other dude but still at some point someone is gonna get hurt like the northern kingdoms or after she really dies someone is gonna go to war again hurting people so there is and never will be true peace for everyone in this world in my opinion you should do whatever makes you happy if you don't hurt anyone without a real reason so ciri should be happy and she has a right to it so she should become a witcher
@DeathGodRiku Way to miss the point of the Empress ending. The entire point of Geralt guiding her toward being empress is to show her the life of a witcher is hard and incredibly sad, people screw him out of payment, insult him, fear him and when he helps people they kick him out without so much as a thank you. Geralt shows her that her idealistic view of being a witcher is skewed and he wants better for her by being someone with purpose and duty. He forces her to grow up and leave childish fantasies behind.
@@somethindarker People hating on the very witchers that save them from monsters are exactly why she should become a witcher: why sacrifice yourself and be forced to endure petty political games, when you can be free? And why bother with improving the world, when since we visit Velen we know that it does not deserve it? Imaging life as a witcher to be all gloom and glory is indeed childish: but it is surely idiotic to sell your freedom to care about peasants who cannot even read or write.
@@justthunderbolt40 lmao thousands of civilians don’t deserve a good empress because they have shitty lives and worship bad entities
I thought the relevant set of alternatives of "lesser evils" was either to go with Roche & Empress Ciri on the one hand or Djikstra & Witcher Ciri on the other. Avarti already described the benefits of the former in this video, but with the latter Ciri gets her freedom and the North keeps its culture without the massive pogroms of Radovid.
This is truly the best ending while Ciri becoming (honorary) Witcher is just a storybook ending. Ciri as Empress can make the difference for millions of people - Ciri as Witcher is just another Witcher on the road: Ciri following her dream of becoming Witcher shows that following your dream isn't always the right thing - indeed, Blood and Wine ending with Ciri on her way to become Empress shows that she has warmed to the idea (despite initial reluctance and knowing that she doesn't get to meet Geralt often), wanting to learn everything there is to be a good ruler to people she will be Empress of.
I know, right? Ciri as Witcher is in stark contrast to the message Witcher conveys, which is that sometimes you must make a choice you don't like. Ciri doesn't initially like the idea of becoming Empress, her dream is to be Witcher with Geralt who was more of a father to her than Emhyr, but the ending with her becoming Empress really shows that she is starting to welcome it and wants to be truly good ruler to people - and she is even getting closer to Emhyr - actually slipping from previously only calling him by his name and calling him Papa.
Witcher ending: best for Geralt and Ciri.
Empress ending: best for the world.
Yes.
But... In blood and wine if you got the ciri as empress endings She calls emyher papa.. So.. Thats gonna be a no for me...
I only care for my daughter's happiness
@@enternamehere7942 In no world does it make sense that Emhyr is ever a loving father, the dude is manipulative and wants Ciri to continue his blood line, if he can't turn her into an iron throne, cutthroat, ruthless empress then he marries her off to someone who he deems worthy of being that kind of king and resigns her to simply being a baby maker that provides him with grand children.
@@Jayman1329 like didnt he also wanna try to marry her 🤢🤢
My favourite ending is ending in which Redania becomes republic ruled by Dijkstra, and an empire lying next to Nilfgaard destroyed by inner conflicts.
Milfguard
Unusually based ending.
One thing is for sure that both Witcher and Empress endings have their good and bad side:
Witcher ending: Ciri is happy for following her dream career but the player will have to carry the responsibility that he/she manipulated her a little bit to make her closer to Geralt (Fairytale ending)
Empress ending: Ciri grows up and assume her own responsibilities by becoming the new empress of the land she grew into but she won’t be happy and her and Geralt will be more distant but still in contact with each other like an actual real family (Mature ending)
At the end of blood and wine if you get the empress Ciri ending and didn’t romance or romanced both yen and truss she’ll come to Corvo Bianco and tell Geralt that Emhyr isn’t forcing her to take the throne and it’s her own choice
Emhyr is a master manipulator. I'm sure he found a way to make the throne seem like her idea
@@deeznutz3617 "... and Ciri is an easily manipulated fool whose opinions you can't trust and as a man, it is your responsibility to make protect these silly women from themselves."
@@libertarianvoter oh i really pity people like you
The thing that was the most dissapointing imo is that the world is not changed depending on your ending after finishing the game. I hoped you'd actually see Temerian guards everywhere loyal to Nilfgaard and see some other small changes. Maybe make a small quests where Ciri stays in Vizima for a couple days and invites Geralt. Maybe another quest if you finish blood and wine and keep Anna Henrietta alive they have a big ball with monarchs there, Ciri takes off her dress and sneaks off with Geralt to have some good old time fun and maybe give some updates as to how she's been doing (the current visit was a bit dissapointing to me). A quest where you just take a Witcher job together for old time sake and because she's done with the boring high life would've been great. The game is so in depth in many regards so I'm just a bit dissapointed they lacked in this aspect.
I agreed, all that would've been awesome. But we can't ask for even more perfection at this point... They already gave us the best game of all time
I agree with our point. But what did you mean by Ciri takes of her dress then have good time with Geralt? It sounds so weird...
@@BoldBolod8 That is really on you brother, the way you phrased it was 10x worse. And you know what I mean, just being Witchers in the wild rather than having to pretend while being suffocated by a corset and ball gown.
@@yakovendelman7659 No pun intended but you've written " Ciri takes off her dress and sneaks off with Geralt to have some good old time fun" could've told in a different way
@@BoldBolod8 I think it is you who's rule 34'ing this shit in your mind. Normal people don't generally associate that stuff when talking about a father daughter kind of situation.
Got Ciri to be empress so that she can learn the all powerful spell: summon the bitches
Guys she can always leave the throne and run away whenever she likes cause she is the empress. No-one can dare to stop her. so i think being her empress might not what she always wanted but it will benefit all the other people, mages and all i mean they will not suffer the rule of a cruel emperor and war will not affect them
The empress ending is my favourite. It has that "Yeah, this is the Witcher. Not purely good or bad, but the mix of the two" feeling. But if we go with the lore of the books and games, it's a false ending (no, I'm not talking about the 'false Ciri' storyline, because she wasn't even mentioned in the games). Ciri is destined to be free. Whenever someone tried to bind her (by marriage, capturing, offering her position in a specific organization or else), she or someone close to her eventually ended up ruining these plans, even if she didn't intend to (like the marriage with Hjalmar). She is the lady of time and space, she can't be the ruler of a country, because it's not her fate.
"She is the lady of time and space, she can't be the ruler of a country, because it's not her fate."
By that logic neither is becoming a Witcher in a world where they are becoming less and less needed
@@longjohn526 a witcher goes where they please, are bound to no country or place. It's a perfect fit.
NORTH REMAINS FREE. DOWN WITH NILFGAARD
perhaps s.o. found the same solution: I wish, Ciri and Avellac rescue all human and non human living from dying during the icetime through teleporting all of them into an other world. That can be a plausible and heroic end.
in the books she wants none of it but to be free as a witcher. her father who wanted to impregnate her finds someone he loves and makes a new child trying to better himself.
Yes, but now that I've had a taste of power I'm addicted.
@@elizabethcomstock265 Might be worth to pop a child or two in order to gain world domination :D
That's not true. Yes, he does marry fake Ciri, but no, he doesn't have another child. Ciri is his only child.
This pretty much convinced me to go with the Empress ending and all the points here make total sense. Plus the romance with Yennefer makes the most sense since it's been teased from the beginning and while Yen doesn't like Nilfgard, she's comfortable working with them and making deals and Geralt is working alongside her to find Ciri. Thus the Empress ending also makes the most sense if Geralt leans in on working more with and romancing Yennefer and is the "pro-Yennefer" ending. It's even symbolized by her preference of black and white clothing and for darker, more plain colors overall which fits in well with Nilfgard according to Emhyr's chamberlain.
Glad I made her the empress. Was so sacred towards the end. Had no idea that if I messed up. Happy I made Cerys Queen too.
Best and satisfied ending is witch ending.ciri changed to whicher (that is what she like).But based on the witcher story.geralt give a word to her grandmother that is he make her emperor.
@@mubzplay it's the best ending for Geralt but if you're thinking of the bigger picture then Ciri because she would become a greater empress than her father and would be a lot more humanitarian and fair than other rulers.
@@soggybiscuito1505 but she dont like to be a emperor.she like to a witcher like geralt.after she changed to emperor she gave her sword to geralt thats indicates she stopes to fight like a witcher .properly both are good.but satisfied one is cir is a witcher.she doent loose geralt
@@mubzplay i know and i agree, but what I'm saying is that ciri should become an empress for the good of the continent
@@soggybiscuito1505 yeah the main storie of the witcher is she is being empire.the true ending is that.(real witcher storyline)but satisfied ending is she is being a witcher.examble game have choices to choose yen and triss.but main storie yen is his true love.
Dijkstra (hope I spelled that right) isn't a bad ending, even if he's essentially just a King without a crown and rules in a Fascist Manner, I think his treatment of the North would be fair. Granted I think his sole motivations in his decisions would be what's best for the nation and not what's morally right or anything else.
Ciri has run from everything. She says so herself... she has run to the far corners of this world and beyond, even running with the unicorns… But she realizes that running did nothing. People still suffer, racisms is rampant, and barbaric practices continue across the world and she has the power to stop that.
I think this ending truly shows her maturing. I know she will be unhappy... but her actions will shape the world. I have no doubt she will be a truly just and wise ruler ... I simply pray she will be able to find happiness in the end.
Well, I think much is up for the debate. In Lord of the Rings and Lion king "Good person = Good king= Good times", but other perspectives (like Game of Thrones) disagree, and persons virtues can cause their downfalls. In W3 we don't know if Ciri will make a good ruler- we can speculate she will, given if she has enough time to learn how to navigate politics before Emphy kicks the bucket. But even if she turns out to be an excellent Empress- the fact she is good may just reinforce the trust in monarchy and thus delaying installment of democratic/oligarhic goverment (idea of whic was already presented in books).
So what? I mean monarchy is a pretty damn good system if you have a good monarch
Also, she would be advised by Emhyr, would possibly marry Morvran who could also assist her and could occasionally ask Yen for help as well
@@justhair17 only thing that worries me in this ending is what Philippa says earlier in the game. She wants Yen to abandon politics so that she can replace her as Emhyr's mage and therefore end up becoming Ciri's advisor. However I really don't trust Philippa as she has a long history of betrayal. First Djikstra and then Radovid. Especially what she did to Saskia in the witcher 2 makes me suspect that she might wanna do the same with Ciri
@@meatbagkiller7174 that might be a possibility, but Ciri knows her and probably doesnt trust her. And she still has Emhyr, who is very sceptical of mages
I also think it makes the most sense because earlier after the defeat of the Wild Hunt she finally accepts that her fate is to destroy the White Frost and that decision was hers and hers alone for once .... It only makes sense that she would accept being Empress as also being her fate and necessary to make the world a better place ... As big of a tool as Emhyr is there is no way he could get the upper hand against Ciri now that she has reached her full potential as the Lady of Space and Time
You give Ciri too much credit she's not smartest one you forget the merchant guild her father the same thing can happen to her
Isnt the merchant's guild issue the fact that Emhyr is constantly waging wars which is costly and hurts trade?
if you get the witcheress ending and you dont romance anyone or tried to romance them both ciri will visit you in blood of wine and she herself says that she is happier this way
GERALT: "So, no regrets? Choice you made?"
CIRI: "Not at all. I'm doing what I ever wanted to do, being who I wanted to be. I believe that's one definition of happiness."
Ciri does not owe the North her happiness as Empress. She risked her own life as the "Elder Blood" to save everyone else's lives from the Wild Hunt.
I wish there was a path for Ciri where she is neither a witcher nor joining Emhyr as Empress of Nilfgaard and is free to explore the world(s) on her swashbuckling adventures while creating her own legacy.
She is literally the "Fifth Element" of her universe...slaying monsters on contracts or being involved in politics under Emhyr's banner would eventually become a drag. And both of those are pre-determined paths established from her "fathers".
Just give Ciri the option of: "You are free of everyone's expectations. Go find your own path."
She wanted to be a Witcher which is why she searched for Geralt after being in the 5th dimension or whatever. You are a little late in the story my friend
I think it's the best simply because this is her real choice. As in, the only way she doesn't choose this is if you refuse to let her hear the proposition
This is my take on it as well. This is the ending you get if you support Ciri AND let her know what all of her choices really are.
If you have read the books, the only right ending is Ciri becoming a witcher, being free
If you read the books bad ending is the only one that fits thematicly. Her being born as a chosen one and then continues to become a ruler or a free adventurer is as far removed from the message of the books as it gets.
Ciri needs to be a Witcher so she can star in a spin-off
No, I will not be a slave to game developer money! Look at what happened in last of us part 2.
That WILL NOT happen to the witcher series.
A spin off I won't buy
@@elizabethcomstock265 maybe, just maybe, wait for the game to release instead of pre ordering it and if it looks good, only then buy it?
Felt sad but fulfilled when got this ending.
Dude why are you still underrated? You are really good.
Witchers are always said to be a dying profession, where geralt just earns enought to make ends meet( in lore, in game you could buy the kingdom by the end lol) it feels like she is starting her career in an already dying market.
The empress ending makes more sense! I hate to say it, but in the witcher universe, actual WITCHERS AREN'T THAT MUCH NEEDED ANYMORE.
Here's Why: 1_monsters are becoming less common, with the expansion of cities, you'll mostly find monsters in caves, forests and abandoned areas (basically, places humans don't usually go to ).2_the increasing popularity of "witch hunters", Warriors and large armies of soldiers make witchers' role in this universe even more useless. 3_ You can tell by simply playing the game, that witchers are becoming a rare "species" and that humans are managing on their own without their help.
Therefore, if Ciri were to become a witcher, she'll like it at first but with time she'll more likely feel less fulfilled and... useless.
Ciri becoming empress of Nifgaard, reminds me too much of the final season of Angel, in which
Angel and his team were placed in charge of Wolfram and Hart, the evil law firm they were fighting, in the 4 seasons beforehand. They were given free rain to run it as a weapon for good and use it to help people, but as they discovered, there's a huge difference between helping people by signing papers that start up charities, compared to helping people on the front lines. Even though what you're doing is still good, you start to lose your connection to the people you're trying to help, the more red tape and responsibility you get. So yea, Ciri will do a lot more good as empress, but she'll likely lose her connection with those she's trying to help as well.
I agree! Ciri should Become The Empress Of Nilfgaard!
thats one way of saving roche then thats way better then dijkstra rule
You don't take into account the rules for rulers and the way empires work. She cant just give up slavery without costs
It only seems like the "Best" ending if you have a pathological need to control everyone else. For most people, the relationships you have in life, like those of a father figure and a daughter matter more than kingdoms that will just fall anyway. Ciri using her power in the tower averted the white frost so there's no reason for her to be Empress.
This. As much as it isn't well executed Ciri already took up responsibility and did what needed to be done. She has no responsibility to take over Nilfgaard. If anything she will inevitably do more good with her power as a witcher. Protect people on the ground as Geralt does.
The best ending is Dikstra becoming king
I liked this ending more than when she becomes a witcher.
Legit got the bad ending because I truly believed that she couldn't stop the wild hunt so geralt didn't have faith and she actually failed. Geralt then hunted down the last witch of crookbag bog.
It is the most emotional ending, and most in line with the themes of the books.
the north under digstra is my way of going
A life of self indulgent and hollow happiness is always trumped by one of duty and purpose. I've always found Geralts life sad living hand to mouth scraping by helping people who scorn and fear him, having Ciri live like that seemed sad to me I've always liked her being an empress and leading her people toward a better life so much better.
Depends on what you consider hollow happiness. I'd rather see her live as Geralt than to throw her freedom away to serve a world in which hate, racism and ignorance will always dominate.
@@justthunderbolt40 by making Ciri empress you're helping the world become a better place because she's make sure to root out slavery, racism and persecution of minorities which in the long run would make Ciri much happier. He's right, a Witchers life for Ciri is hollow happiness because she's just doing it out of childish fantasies and overestimated expectations of what a Witchers life is like thinking it's adventures and thrill while it's mostly just killing drowners and barely getting by while being consistent a mutant and shunned by almost everyone you meet
@@saf4433 I don't see how she would find "hollow" the life of a witcher, when since she was a child it is all that she desired. Making her empress means to throw her in a pit of snakes who will try everything in their power to obstacle or outright killing her: not only that, but Ciri saved the world once. Why should she be denied her happy life, in favor of living in a golden cage? People can fight their wars on their own, Ciri has yet done her part for the world: there's no need to be trapped in some foolish notion of duty that will force her to be unhappy for her whole life.
@@justthunderbolt40 ''since she was a child it is all that she desired'' that's the point, it's a childish dream. What do you think is gonna happen when she gets old and weak since she doesn't have the mutations? What is she gonna do when she watches the world go to shit with slavery and mass persecution of minorities which are much bigger problems than monsters, and she realizes she could've stopped all this if she put aside her fantasies and worked on making the world a better place?
And you're saying she'll be in danger in the game of politics, but what about the dangers of a Witchers life? Again, she doesn't have the mutations so she's more vulnerable to injuries and can't heal as quickly.
And why do you consider it her throwing her freedom away when she herself chooses to become empress if you give emhyr the opportunity to make his proposition? No one's forcing her into it, she chooses to become empress even making it obvious by saying she could make a difference in the world in the end, but by not taking her to emhyr you're actually the one manipulating her into being a Witcher by blocking her decision and making sure she's only left with being a Witcher as a choice.
And by not letting her become empress you're basically making sure slavery, mass persecution and bigotry towards minorities to continue because Ciri says she likes being a Witcher. It's honestly surprising how so many people here are willing to ignore slavery and persecution because their best girl is happier killing drowners in a sewer
@@saf4433 She's a far better fighter than Geralt, so injuries are not the problem thanks to her bloodline. Maybe old age will be an issue, but that's a problem in decades, not now.
The main issue is: why should Ciri be forced to become empress? Why should she be forced to sacrifice her happiness because people can't stand for themselves? She doesn't care about Emyr, she never even thought about him: Geralt has to remind her and even underline her that he wants her to meet him. Basically, if you allow her to talk with Emyr, you're allowing an old fox, a mastermind who's been a politician for decades, to guilt trip her into becoming her puppet. Even if she manages to get free of his father's grasp, she will be forever bound to the rules of the court, and even if she manages to outlaw slavery(unlikely, since Nilfgaard is evily based on it, just like prejudice is a way of life in the north) she will spend her life in a golden cage. She was haunted by people who wanted to use her, or her power, for all her life, and for all her life she dreamed only about being free: to deny this to her, only to help a world that spits in the eye of those who protect it, is pure madness. People have a right to be free, even when they wield enormous power.
From Geralt's perspective the player also has to acknowledge that Geralt never does anything for the good of a nation or a people and instead, follows his own code. He wouldn't care about encouraging Ciri to be Empress for the good of the Continent, he'd want her to do what made her happy. There is also the issue that in the games at least, it's hinted that Geralt feels like he's... not good enough... I guess, meaning that he feels inadequate in his fatherly role as Ciri because he's not her "real father" among other reasons, so he'd likely be going full throttle toward doing what he thinks would make her happy IE: keeping her as far away from Emhyr as possible
This is not a real ending. Because in order to come to this ending, Geralt needs to get involved in politics, but he doesn't do this and keeps neutrality.
And Ciri would never come to Emhyr, because he killed her mother, destroyed her relatives in Cintra, hired thugs who killed Ciri's friends when she was in a Rats gang, and then he wanted to rape her so that she would give birth to his child.
Genious
Exactly. People call this the "mature ending". I call it the moronic ending... because according the lore it would make 0 sense.
You have to see it as that she's not very old, and is quite a broken person, never really being loved by anyone, and she doesn't want to disappoint geralt who she sees as a hero and really is a hero in her life.
When she actually becomes and empress she asks Geralt "You aren't going to take me away are you?" It's basically a hidden cry for help of a child toward a parent, a child who can't communicate very well due to her bad experiences. She's also clearly a person with morality and see that she could probably do good for the world.
The thing is that imo everyone says she should become an empress because its good for everyone else is actually the most selfish thing. Who is anyone to tell anyone how they should live their life especially when they have nothing to loose and things to gain from that person accepting something.
Ciri has also fought her entire life to be free to do what she wants, and at the end taking that choice away is quite cruel.
So what is more important? Personal happiness and freedom or duty and 'possible' prosperity for everyone else? I'm in favor of people doing what makes them most happy so long as it doesn't come at the cost of someone else's, but if you have the chance to 'possibly' improve things for everyone at the cost of your own wants and some of your freedoms, is it worth it? This like a classic Mass Effect decision moment here.
Remember, it's more canon that voorhais* becomes the leader and Ciri becomes a Witcher, if you wanna try and blend the books with the game. Eventually emyhr dies, and the general takes over (who I've always liked ngl) so letting ciri become the emperor wouldn't be canon, or so I believe.
Funny is that the Nilfgardian court will try turn him from ruler into deity (simular to Japan)
or how many of Ciri's children will try to do something simular to Herman Cortez
F that I want Ciri to be happy
Hell no, the world doesn't deserve Ciri as empress, my playthrough focuses on keeping geralt's loved ones close and happy, the witcher's world and its people are too corrupt. This ending is is far from "the best" or at the least the best ending is left to the player's beliefs
The Nilfgaard ending is my favorite ending. Peace on the contient, all under one heaven.
it is the best in long term
ME:screw that ,i am taking ciri with me
Yes, I am the empress, all hail me!
Actually best and satisfied ending is she change to a witcher.but based on the story line geralt have a word to her grand mother to make her emperor
Good person doesn't always make a good ruler. And Ciri will be married of to General Voorhis anyway so he will be the actuall ruler. Not to mention that Nilfgaard is an opressive fascist empire built on slavery and war. I believe Dijkstra ending is the best ending. The North must remain independent and strong, not be a province of Nilfgaard.
You can also make her into the empress by just saying nothing when she goes into the frost
Yep , siding with Roche and making Ciri empress is the best, nilfgaard rules under ciri makes perfect sense
Someone clearly didn't speak to the General at Vizima before Emyr on the brothers in arms quest.
I got the witcheress ending even when I brought Ciri to the emperor, but let Dijkstra rule the north. The way I see the empress ending happen is if Nilfgaard wins the war.
I have my own personal head canon that Ciri decided to become Empress a while after being a Witcheress, seeing the people of the Nilfgaard and the newly absorbed Northern Realms, their need for a stable ruler who will see to them first, she decides to give up being a Witcheress and is crowned the new Empress. Thus her bloodline, known for their matron Cirilla Fiona Ellen Riannon, who saved all of life.
Frankly, if you bring her to talk to Emhyr, she becomes empress unless Radovid lives. So, YOU are not making a choice for her. You simply told her to meet with Emhyr and hear him out. That she realized that she could do more as Empress is her own decision. She could never be a witcher. No mutations, no ability to use any toxic potions, just her ability to manipulate space and time. She wouldn’t last long as a witcher, and it was always an immature career choice.
Also, life often mean you choose to do what’s right and not what pleases you. She recognized that, while not what she would ask for, the opportunity to make a difference was much greater as Empress and would be foolish to refuse.
Totally agree. It’s not the “happy” ending, but it is the best ending. Bittersweet, but everyone ends up in a good spot. Triss/Yen aren’t hunted, Roche ves and Thaler survive, temería remains a vassal state... Ciri is safe, Geralt can relax. No more witch hunts/persecution of non humans etc.
I also completely agree that this is the best ending because Ciri herself chooses it. As Geralt you never have the option of convincing her to do it, only convincing her NOT to do it, or just letting her do her own thing. So it’s her choice.
Isn't bringing up Emyr in the conversation kinda pushing her into that choice? If I remember correctly she only wants to go and fight the Wild Hunt, it's Geralt who reminds her of her biological father. Simply following her wish to fight isn't forcing anything.
No. What you’re describing is hiding the option from her. Isn’t it better to lay all the cards on the table and let HER decide? By not telling her about Emyhr, YOU are removing the choice for her.
@@Matt-bg5wg She surely didn't forget who her father is, nor could she ever forget her claim to the throne. If she doesn't mention it, it means that she doesn't care: it's completely different from me removing that choice.
I disagree. After thinking about the choice she decides to take it for the greater good. Instead of choosing her own self interests, she chooses a future where she can do the most good for the many. That’s called growth and character development. Instead of this “me me me” juvenile mentality.
@@Matt-bg5wg It can be seen like that. Or, it can be seen as the result of years of indoctrination: why choosing the greater good is better than living for yourself? Ciri doesn't own anything to the world, especially after she saved it from the White Frost. Everyone in their life tried to use her, Emyr, the Lodge, and the Aen Elle: she was almost convinced to follow their plan too. Considering how people treat who save their asses every time there's a monster around, only a fool would waste his time tryng to improve their condition.
I love your videos. Keep up the amazing work
I'm gonna make her a Witcher because that is clearly where her heart lies and I think she should be happy.
My goodness, I am so happy I encountered another individual with the same reason as I for choosing the Nilfgaardian ending.
LONG LIVE THE EMPRESS!
On my first walkthrough Ciri became a witcher and of all the endings I think that was the best because she was happy.
And have Ciri call Emhyr "Papa"? No thanks.
Even though the witcher ending is the "happier" ending i myself choose the empress ending for my story.
Like think about it in the witcher ending story it says that everyone in the continent has heard of the ashen haired witcheress so ofc emhyr has heard it to so whats stopping him from hunting geralt and yennefer until he kills them for lying to him lol?
I still think Ciri becoming a witcher is the best ending. She doesn´t own the world shit, she should pursue her own happiness.
happiness? ah yes, being covered in monster blood and constantly in danger.
yes that sounds very happy.
@@bubblegumgo "This thing I don't like can't possibly be liked by anyone else! I am always correct!"
@@anitaremenarova6662 oh so, basically you?
@@bubblegumgo Basically anyone. You're over here getting mad at someone's opinion from a year ago. Get a life.
@@anitaremenarova6662 so you admit being a hypocrite? good.
i don't care how old your conment is, when i see something stupid i have to address it.
cry me a river.
man, disappointed to hear that I have to choose between Djikstra ruling the north and Ciri ruling Nilfgaard. I want them both to rule in my current "money-hungry Feline Armor/alchemy/bomb" build
Are you ever going to make RDR2 related videos? Love your videos !
Agreed. If you want what's best for the realm: Ciri as empress. If you want what's best for Ciri: Ciri as witcher.
Ciri's Witcher ending seems to be canon. In the comic The Witcher: Curse of Crows she's an adult witcher.
Yeah first ending I got was ciri becoming a witcher and I felt so fucking guilty after because she wasn't allowed to make an informed decision.
This is the ending I got in my initial playthrough
I think Ciri as empress can make world a little better place. Considering her kind nature and influence her empire have.
Empress ending is the most dramatic one. If i was a book author who tries to cause the most emotional turmoil in the reader, thats the ending i would choose. But as a player, as geralt, the witcher ending is what i need to feel complete and happy with the games ending. I searched for her for what feels like a lifetime in the game, so just giving her up to the throne is too much for me to handle. Hence the witcher ending, so i can sleep at night
If Ciri became Empress, basically you played a sociable Geralt. Not an egoistic Geralt. Well yeah, technically speaking, Ciri was "manipulated", but I disagree. Personally, this is the first ending that I get. And I like this ending. I felt that my Geralt has a responsibility of at least showing that "Geralt found Ciri" to Emhyr because basically it is Emhyr's request. Emhyr's request to Geralt is similar to a witcher contract, however, instead of killing something or somebody, you are asked to find someone. How to prove that you have fulfilled the contract? Show Ciri to Emhyr
As Geralt choosing not to take Ciri to Emhyr isn't Geralt being overprotective, it's Geralt deciding to value Ciri's decisions and consequences. What make's Geralt, Ciri and Yen the perfect family is always adhering to what the other person wants or wishes in any given moment willing-fully propelling themselves into the futures the others have chosen to walk and then walking that path alongside them.
It has never been Geralt's place to decide for Ciri, he has always raised her to be her strongest self in the reflection of her own actions, Geralt as he is a Witcher having seen many child never make it to or past the trial of grasses understands that the cold reality of life is death if the person themself is not willing to undergo the hardships of life themself.
So, supporting Ciri in her choices is not selfish or overprotective when it comes to choosing whether or not to take Ciri to Emhyr, in actuality it is selfish to bring up her duty of "responsibility" or "inheritance" as everything and everyone asides from Geralt (and very few others) has bound her to the two.
Well speaking historically and with limited understanding of the cultures in the game, 1. Aren’t Witcher’s sterile, meaning that Ciri would either need to adopt an heir (probably a close family member) or face constant threats to her legitimacy for being unable to provide one? This could be mitigated by cultural elements or biology I am unaware of. 2. How integral is slavery to the economy and power of highly placed individuals? If it’s a thoroughly entrenched institution then removing it entirely would either take decades of slow careful pushing against the powers that be or a great amount of iron fisting and expensive reparations for the loss to the Empresses noble support base. A failure to conduct this successfully would mean civil war.
Essentially, the good ending’s benefits rely on Ciri’s political chops and a hopefully wide support base, which I would be skeptical to given her wandering status she appears to have, from my understanding. This outcome isn’t impossible but seems more likely to result in a jaded, paranoid rule.
Ciri isn't a witcher, she's Geralt's Child of Surprise (twice over, in fact). She trained at Kaer Mohren because she became his ward after Cintra (the kingdom of her family, yes that means Emhyr once ruled it, it's a long story about him pretending to be someone else and marrying Princess Pavetta) fell when Nilfgaard (again, yes, led by Emhyr now, after he faked his death and accidentally killed Pavetta) attacked it. She escaped, stayed with a family, the father was away, Geralt saved him, invoked the law of surprise, the father didn't know Ciri was at his home, and once Geralt realized he had now invoked the law of surprise on the same child twice, took her with him. Witcher's become sterile from the mutations they undergo during their trials, which Ciri never undergoes, before the game nor in the witcheress ending, so she could provide an heir, in fact in the books we get explicit mention she experiences a period. And as for two, slavery is integral to Nilfgaard so I'm doubtful she'd be able to end it.
I took her to the emperor and still got the good ending
I disagree I think the best ending is dijkstra rule the mages are safe and ngl the whole story mode ciri makes it clear she’s not fit for a role like that I don’t think she could do it
Roche dies though...
Agree. This is why I sided with Dijkstra. Radovid murders mages then turns his attention to non-humans after the mages leave. He's one of those rulers that always needs someone to persecute and blame for his lack of being a good ruler. As for Nilfgaard they practice slavery. For me Dijkstra was the best choice. He ends up being a pretty good ruler. I've never read the books or played the other games so I wasn't attached to Roache. That also made the decision easier for me.
@@vladdietheladdie7345 I know this is one year ago, but from the perspective of someone who just played Witcher 3 (even though I do know a lot of the lore) I liked Dijkstra so much more than Roach, he seems like such a boring character.
@@fawkes1363 he likes the fat guy..
The good of the many vs. the good of the few
When did ciri become this nice? I recall in the books she had devolved into a murderhobo with a hard on for people bleeding to death by her hands( innocents too), did she get an explicit character development or she just grew out of it like it was some kind of extreme goth phase off-screen(narration?)?
Ciri alone in the court of the Empire, without no one to support her, would not be able to do much. I'm pretty sure she will be manipulated or out-manoeuvred by all the lords, generals and sorcerers at the capital. She would likely become just a puppet and slowly wilt away due to loneliness or if she decides to go against their will, will be overthrown just like her father in one of the endings.
This explanation is on point and with around 5 playthroughs of experience , I would,nt ever hesitate to grab this ending . Ciri becomes empress and Nilfgard wins the North . However , You need to sacrifice one of the very good written character ever , Dkjiktra . But I guess that's the lesser evil .
Yeah, that sucks, but otherwise, you would need to sacrifice Roche and Thaler
There's a reason that Ciri became a Witcher ,its her destiny ! And she's the best Witcher ever .
Just got this ending yesterday after finally bringing her to her father. I've always gone to the witcher ending but this ending really is bittersweet and the effort put in this ending feels like this is the ending CDPR wanted.
I think something important to note is we play the game from the prospective of Geralt and I don't think Geralt cares all that much for the safety of everyone on the continent.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who actually thinks this is a good ending!
This right here is compelling me to replay Witcher 3
I think Ciri has done enough for the entire world/realm by ending the White Frost and living up to her destiny. She deserves to be happy. As to Nilfgaurd it will fall apart after the Emperor dies without a clear successor there will be end fighting and the newly conquered lands of the north will most likely rebel in the chaos and gain there independence.
If you get Ciri to become empress, can you still fight the last crone?