CD Projekt RED revealed the first trailer for The Witcher 4 at the 2024 Video Game Awards. The trailer revealed Ciri as The Witcher 4‘s protagonist, but she had several notable changes. Notably, Ciri had visibly gone through the Trial of the Grasses, sporting the characteristic cat-eyes that mutated witchers bear. Ciri also appears to be older than when players last saw her in The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt.
While Ciri may only look a decade or so older than her last appearance, the Trial of the Grasses complicates the matter of her age and the timeline of The Witcher 4, as many more years may have passed and with little to no aging on Ciri’s part. Another factor that could muddle up the timeline is the use of magic, Ciri’s encounter with the White Frost, or even her Elder Blood. A more accurate indicator of Ciri’s age than her appearance would be CD Projekt RED’s comments on their reasons for choosing Ciri as the protagonist, which suggest many years have passed since The Witcher 3.
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Many Years May Have Passed Since The Witcher 3
Ciri was in her early twenties in The Witcher 3, and had spent much of her time away from Geralt and Yennefer running from the Wild Hunt. Her appearance in The Witcher 4‘s trailer shows that she’s matured, but she doesn’t look ten years older at most. This may be incorrect due to a number of factors, such as the Trial of the Grasses, her command of magic, and the Elder Blood. One of the endings of The Witcher 3 involves Ciri choosing the Path, and the events that unfolded in the trailer appear to be the natural conclusion of this ending.
The Trial of Grasses May Affect Ciri’s Timeline
If Ciri has indeed gone through the Trial of the Grasses, it could be difficult to estimate her age in The Witcher 4. Witchers are incredibly long-lived, and can likely live until something kills them. A more telling statement on The Witcher 4‘s timeline and Ciri’s age is a comment from The Witcher 4‘s game director, Sebastian Kalemba, explained that, “She [Ciri] is about to actually form her own codex, but on her own terms,” which possibly implies that Ciri’s Trial of the Grasses was a recent event.
Ciri’s Role as The Witcher 4’s Protagonist
A better indicator of Ciri’s age than her appearance is her experience, and CD Projekt RED’s intentions for her as a protagonist. The Witcher 4‘s developers have said that one of the reasons Ciri was chosen as the protagonist was because she has so much room and potential for storytelling ahead of her. While it is possible that Ciri is decades older than in The Witcher 3, it is likely that CD Projekt RED intended Ciri to be a character who’s more malleable for players to watch grow and help shape. It would create a greater differentiation between Ciri and Geralt as protagonists.
It’s less likely that The Witcher 4 is very far ahead in the future, with events that have happened to Ciri that will need to be explained. It’s more likely that Ciri is in her late twenties to mid-thirties, which gives her some years of practical experience as a witcher since The Witcher 3, but not so far in the future that she’s unrecognizable as a character, with experiences that fans would be unfamiliar with.
The Witcher IV is a single-player, open-world RPG from CD PROJEKT RED. At the start of a new saga, players take on the role of Ciri, a professional monster slayer, and embark on a journey through a brutal dark-fantasy world. Powered by Unreal Engine 5, it aims to be the most immersive and ambitious open-world Witcher game to date.