What You Need to Remember Before Diving Into ‘The Witcher’ Season 4

Season 3 wrapped up with chaos. Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri are scattered across the Continent, but keeping track of who’s betraying whom has become a full-time job. With Liam Hemsworth stepping into Geralt’s boots and the story taking some wild turns, here’s what you should remember going into The Witcher Season 4.

Ciri’s Gone Full Outlaw Mode

So Ciri’s having what you might call an identity crisis of epic proportions. After that whole desert nightmare where she basically said “screw magic” and went feral, she hooks up with a gang called the Rats. These aren’t your garden-variety thieves – they’re young, violent, and exactly the kind of bad influence parents warn about.

She’s calling herself Falka now. Not exactly subtle, considering Falka was this legendary rebel princess who burned half the world down. Ciri’s first kill happens pretty much right after joining up, so she is no longer the sweet girl from Season 1 anymore. She’s traded royal gowns for blood-stained leather and seems pretty committed to the whole “villain origin story” vibe. What makes this especially wild is that everyone’s still chasing her for her powers, but she’s playing bandit queen instead of embracing her destiny. It feels like Ciri’s going through a classic phase of teenage rebellion, except with more murder.

Magic’s Having a Really Bad Time

The Thanedd Coup was a catastrophe for the wizards. Vilgefortz played everyone like fiddles, the Brotherhood crumbled overnight, and half the mages ended up either dead or running for their lives. 

Tissaia couldn’t handle watching her life’s work explode, so she took the permanent way out.  Now, Yennefer’s stuck picking up the pieces with whatever mages didn’t get massacred or flip sides. She’s gone from “problematic sorceress with commitment issues” to “reluctant leader of magical disaster relief.” Plus, Aretuza is no longer a thing. No more fancy academy, no more unified magical authority. It’s basically the Wild West for spellcasters now, which should make Season 4 interesting since nobody’s really in charge of keeping magical catastrophes in check.

Geralt’s Done Playing Switzerland

Geralt used to do that whole “I don’t get involved in politics” thing. But after getting nearly beaten to death by Vilgefortz, he’s changed his perspective. He’s teamed up with Jaskier (yay) and a new archer named Milva, and they’re heading straight into Nilfgaard territory. Not exactly a vacation destination when you’re public enemy number one. However, Geralt finally figured out that staying neutral doesn’t work when the people you care about are in constant danger.

This is probably the biggest character shift in the show so far. The guy who spent three seasons trying to avoid getting dragged into wars is now marching directly toward the biggest one on the Continent. 

Emhyr’s Family Reunion from Hell

Plot twist that nobody saw coming (except book readers): Emhyr is Ciri’s dad.  The emperor, who’s been hunting his own daughter across multiple seasons, turns out to be her biological father. But here’s where it gets really twisted – he’s got a fake Ciri sitting on his throne while the real one’s out robbing merchants with the Rats. 

This imposter routine serves his political needs perfectly, but it’s basically a house of cards waiting to collapse. Eventually, someone’s going to notice that his “daughter” can’t actually rip holes in reality. The whole situation is pure Emhyr: ruthlessly practical, morally bankrupt, and guaranteed to backfire spectacularly.

Philippa’s Power Play

While everyone was distracted by the magical apocalypse, Philippa Eilhart basically conquered Redania without anyone noticing. King Vizimir’s assassination cleared the way for her to become the real power behind the throne. And she’s not wasting the opportunity.

She is operating from the shadows, which is smart since openly ruling as a sorceress would paint a target on her back. But make no mistake, Redania is her kingdom now. The political chaos gives her cover to consolidate power while everyone else is still figuring out what happened. Philippa’s always been dangerous, but now she’s dangerous with an army. That’s a problem for pretty much everyone.

The Elves Got Played

The Scoia’tael thought partnering with Nilfgaard would solve their problems. It didn’t. Turns out Emhyr’s idea of an alliance involved murdering Francesca’s baby to keep the elves angry and motivated. 

Francesca discovering that her supposed ally orchestrated her greatest tragedy has pretty much shattered any trust left in this partnership. The elves are stuck – they can’t really go back to the humans who’ve been persecuting them for centuries, but staying loyal to the guy who killed their future queen isn’t exactly appealing either. This whole mess sets up what could be the most unpredictable faction in the coming war. Angry elves with nothing left to lose and serious magical firepower? That’s not going to end well for anybody.