Characters Who Are Better in the Books

The Witcher 3 is one of the greatest video games ever made, with the incredible storytelling and fun role-playing elevating this game’s status to the very top. Players love controlling Geralt on his final adventure as he struggles to hunt down Ciri by any means necessary, reuniting with some of the best characters from the books in the process.

While the character writing in The Witcher 3 is in a class of its own, some figures end up not having as strong an impact as book readers would’ve hoped. Most long-time Witcher fans would agree that the books do a better job of doing justice to these characters.

8 Sigismund Dijkstra

Way Smarter And More Calculated In The Books

• Notable Quest(s): A Deadly Plot, Count Reuven’s Treasure, Reason of State

For what it’s worth Dijkstra makes a decent impression early on in The Witcher 3, with his sly and conniving attitude being faithful to his persona in the books. However, things take a turn for the worse after his introduction.

Not only is it easy for Geralt to fool him with a lie early on, but the worst instance of this character being done dirty comes at the end of Reason of State. Instead of carrying out his plan in secret, Dijkstra announces his plan to betray the men behind Radovid’s assassination right in front of Geralt. It’s a boneheaded move, especially since book Dijkstra would’ve been more clever about this plan and not put himself in the crosshairs of a strong witcher who could easily kill him at a moment’s notice.

7 Dudu

The Doppler Actually Makes A Smart Business Decision In The Books Instead Of Just Being A Means To An End

• Notable Quest(s): Ciri’s Story: Visiting Junior, A Poet Under Pressure, The Play’s the Thing

During the quest to find Ciri, Geralt must take the help of his allies in Novigrad to steer him in the right direction. Since Dudu was one of the people who interacted with Ciri when she was running from the Wild Hunt, Geralt decided to hunt him down with an entertaining theatrical play that gave him the confidence to approach the White Wolf.

After leading Geralt down the right path, Dudu becomes a background character who contributes nothing to the plot after his moment. His intelligence could’ve been a great way to help this character remain relevant, especially since he’d shown a penchant for making business-savvy decisions when he was introduced in the books.

6 Eredin Breacc Glas

A Fleshed-Out Character Who’s Reduced To An Ominous Antagonist

• Notable Quest(s): The Cave of Dreams, The Battle of Kaer Morhen, On Thin Ice

Eredin may be a scary villain, but many fans will argue that he’s criminally underutilized in The Witcher 3. After a while, he becomes nothing more than an elf with a scary helmet who relentlessly pursues Ciri, with his goals being largely shrouded in mystery.

This is a far cry from Eredin’s appearance in the books, where his character is more fleshed out. He shows a sinister side when interacting with Ciri and makes it clear that he wants to use the power of the Elder Blood to help the Aen Elle become more dominant than ever before.

5 Crach an Craite

This Character Has Way More Depth In The Books

• Notable Quest(s): The King is Dead – Long Live the King, The Lord of Undvik, King’s Gambit

This may be a contentious decision since Crach an Craite is largely faithful to his appearance in the books. However, there’s one side of his character that is conveniently forgotten in the games — the history he shared with Yennefer.

In the books, it’s made clear that he’s infatuated with the raven-haired sorceress and goes out of his way to help her out. This could’ve given his character more depth in the games, but his lovestruck side never rears its head as he makes a valiant final stand and loses his life in the battle against the Wild Hunt.

4 Margarita Laux-Antille

Gets A Lot Of Time To Shine As A Founding Member Of The Lodge Of Sorceresses

• Notable Quest(s): The Great Escape

Given how Margarita only appears in a single quest where Geralt and Triss must save her before escaping the Novigrad prison, it’s easy to see why book fans will be disappointed by her muted presence. After all, she’s one of the founding members of the Lodge, which says a lot when it comes to the power she wields.

Instead, she fades into the background in the games and never shows the immense power she wields. It’s a shame since Margarita was more relevant in the books as the Rectoress of Aretuza who helped the Lodge of Sorceresses become a powerful force behind the scenes.

3 Mousesack

A Royale Family Court Druid Who Aided Ciri

• Notable Quest(s): Echoes of the Past, Blood on the Battlefield, The Sunstone

Back when Cintra was at the very heights of its powers, Mousesack helped the royal family as the court druid who dished out a lot of useful information. However, following the siege that decimated this city, Mousesack helped Ciri escape and was presumed to be dead.

However, The Witcher 3 revealed that he survived this assault and had become a hierophant for a circle of druids in Ard Skellig. He aids Geralt in his pursuit of Ciri, but his role and presence are diminished from the books, which may disappoint some fans.

2 Sile de Tansarville

Reduced To A Tortured Prisoner In The Witcher 3

• Notable Quest(s): The Great Escape

This may be more of a technicality since Sile de Tansarville may already be dead before the events of The Witcher 3, but her fate in this game is far worse than anyone could’ve expected. While trying to rescue the sorceresses from the witch hunters, Geralt finds a beaten and broken mage who is a shadow of her former self.

In the books, she was a founding member of the Lodge of Sorceresses who was feared as one of the strongest magic users in the North. The fact that other sorceresses feared her power cements her fall from grace in The Witcher 3, becoming nothing more than a mercy kill who is forgotten not long after.

1 Philippa Eilhart

The Central Figure of the Lodge of Sorceresses

• Notable Quest(s): Blindingly Obvious, Redania’s Most Wanted

In the books, Philippa is the central figure responsible for the Lodge of Sorceresses, devising their plans and keeping things under check. The fact that powerful mages like Triss were under her thumb is a testament to the power she wielded as one of the most powerful figures in The Witcher.

However, in Wild Hunt, Radovid has already pulled Philippa down a peg by plucking her eyes out. She may be a shadow of her former self, but this doesn’t stop Philippa from pulling the strings and shoving a dagger in Radovid’s back, getting her revenge and taking out the psychotic madman for good.