The Witcher 4 might let us fight a foe that Geralt never faced in The Witcher 3
The Witcher 4 may finally add a monster that was already scheduled to appear in Wild Hunt, to the enthusiastic response of fans.
The Witcher 4 can finally fulfill fans' dream of fighting the monsters that was missing in the original trilogy. At least if judging by what CD Projekt Red studio showed during the tech presentation at State of Unreal.
Extinct manticores
If you are a fan of Andrzej Sapkowski's books, you probably know that among the monsters Geralt hunted, you could find a manticore: a monster from Indian and Persian mythology, with the body of a lion, a human head, dragon wings, and a scorpion tail (usually, as there are various descriptions). The monster is mentioned, among others, in the introduction to "Time of Contempt."
However, to the disappointment of many players, the manticore didn't appear in any game of the series. What really annoyed the fans was that in Wild Hunt, you could find manticore armor, not to mention other lesser-known creatures like zeugls that Geralt faced in the whole trilogy. Mentions of the monster appeared in the statements of several NPCs and in the spin-off Thronebreaker.
Moreover, a leak from 2015 indicated that CD Projekt Red planned to add manticores in The Witcher 3, but these plans were ultimately abandoned. Similar to many other afterthoughts (as is often the case during game development, via Reddit), this didn't prevent players from constantly asking, complaining, or speculating about the manticore.
Kovir, Cintra and Sodden?
That's why the tech demo got some fans excited, not just with the graphics, but also with the insights into the developers' solutions. First and foremost, players could finally see the manticore in the game, albeit in a very early, trial version. Ciri also mentioned the monster.
Although this is not just about revealing the beast. Some players even figured out which specific variant of the manticore appeared at the CD Projekt show: the imperial manticore, found in the vicinity of the Armush Mountains, on the border of Cintra and Sodden. And at least there, Geralt was supposed to kill one of such monsters.
This, as players claim, allegedly confirms at least two locations that we will visit in The Witcher 4. Actually, three, because during the presentation, they also showed the surroundings of the kingdom of Kovir.
Of course, it should be kept in mind that this is just a tech demo. So there is no guarantee that its content will make it to the final version of the game. Of course, the fact that the devs have prepared these locations and the manticore proves that they are at least being considered as part of The Witcher 4 content. After all, why waste time creating and refining something that you don't intend to add to the game?
- „It's not The Witcher 4 yet.” CD Projekt Red talks about the challenges and innovations it is making in UE5 to make its games better
- The Witcher 4 without downgrade? Game Director responds to players concerns, media predicts target platforms
- Ciri's appearance in The Witcher 4 tech demo with some explanation. It's pretty much Ciri from The Witcher 3, but with two small changes
