The day has arrived. A new season of The Witcher is upon us. This one will be bittersweet as it is Henry Cavill’s last season in the role of Geralt, so in preparation of saying goodbye, let’s recap some of the major plot points from The Witcher season 2.
The Witcher recap: What do you need to remember before season 3?
Geralt, Ciri and Yennefer
After finally uniting with his child of surprise, Ciri, at the end of Season 1, Geralt spent Season 2 protecting her. This involved taking Ciri to Kaer Morhen, the home of the witchers, where she began training to defend herself.
After thinking she was dead, Geralt also learned Yennefer was alive and brought Ciri in the hopes the sorceress would be able to help her control her powers. What he doesn’t expect is for Yennefer to betray him by turning Ciri over to Voleth Meir (the Deathless Mother), in exchange for getting her magic back. This betrayal hangs over them going into Season 3.
Having been possessed by Voleth Meir, in the season finale, Ciri begins wreaking havoc at Kaer Morhen, unleashing monsters onto the castle and slaughtering witchers. Here, Yennefer offers herself up as a host for the Voleth Meir, and Ciri uses her magic to transport them to another realm, where the spirit leaves Yennefer’s body. However, that realm is inhabited by the Wild Hunt, who chases them back to their world.
Geralt realises too many people are now after Ciri, so he decides they have to move on from Kaer Morhen.
A surprise return
The big twist at the end of The Witcher season 2 was the reveal that Emperor Emhyr, the ruler of Nilfgaard who is hell-bent on conquering the Continent, was, in fact, Ciri’s long-thought-dead father, Duny.
If you want a recap on that whole story go back and watch Episode 4 of Season 1, which explains the marriage between Ciri’s parents and how Geralt invokes the Law of Surprise.
What about the Elves?
Alongside Geralt and Ciri’s story is the struggles of the remaining Elves. As is explored throughout Season 2, the Elves, aka the original inhabitants of the Continent, have been continually oppressed and massacred.
The remaining Elves have been struggling to establish a new kingdom of their own. Led by Francesca, she is guided by the vision of an oracle who foresees something that could save the elves. This leads her into alliances with Voleth Meir, who gives Francesca a pure-born-elf pregnancy, only for her to find it murdered later in the season, which she blames on the Nothern Kingdoms.
In the finale, Francesca learns about Ciri and realises she may be the one mentioned in the prophecy that could save the Elves.
If you’d like a broader overview of what happened in the last couple of seasons of The Witcher we suggest you check out Netflix’s recap video below.
The Witcher Season 3 Vol 1 premieres in 10 hours!
Here’s a recap of everything that happened in Season 1 and 2! pic.twitter.com/ucRXUzMxmR
— Netflix (@netflix) June 28, 2023
Which books is The Witcher story based on?
Both The Witcher TV series and the video games are based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s fantasy novel series. The first season draws from the collection of short stories presented in The Last Wish and The Sword of Destiny, while the second season takes on Blood of Elves.
The third season will draw from The Time of Contempt.
The Witcher Season 3 Volume 1 is streaming on Netflix as of today. Season 3 Volume 2 will be released on July 27.
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