The Witcher 3's now 2-year-old bonus quest is our first taste of the 'vibe' CD Projekt is going for in The Witcher 4

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(Image credit: CD Projekt Red)

The Witcher 3 Geralt and Reinald

The Witcher 3 turns 10 this year—in just a few months, even—and it sure doesn’t feel like it’s that old. Some parts of it actually aren’t: late 2022’s"next-gen" updateincluded a ray tracing overhaul, integrated a handful of mods, and even added one brand new quest, with Geralt voice actor Doug Cockle getting growly in the recording booth for the first time in years. Witcher 4 narrative designer Philipp Weber tweeted about that quest on Wednesday, framing it as a bit of a dry run for the sequel that is now in full-tilt development.

“New designers and writers worked on it preparing for the Witcher 4, together with one of our most senior quest designers, who is with us since the Witcher 1,“Weber wrote. “All in all, it was the perfect start to getting back into the vibe.”

When The Witcher 3’s next-gen update came out,CD Projektwas only talking in vague terms about its plans for future Witcher games—the “4” in the sequel’s title wasn’t even a sure thing yet. Now that the studiofinally showed off its plans for a Ciri-starring Witcher 4at The Game Awards last month, the bonus quest in The Witcher 3 is the most substantial preview we have of what to expect from the storytelling in its next RPG.

I decided to play it today to see how it stands against my memories of the best of The Witcher 3, and it only took a few minutes to get back to Velen and fast travel to The Devil’s Pit, the location where the quest takes place—I don’t think the game’s ever left my SSD in the last 10 years.In the Eternal Fire’s Shadowis a quintessential Witcher quest, with a bit of combat, some spooky exploring, and a few different outcomes that hinge on your Witcher skills and how you orient Geralt’s moral compass. It starts in classic form, with a conversation with a fresh-faced deacon who asks you to head into a cave where the church once locked up a whole bunch of plague victims to keep them from infecting more people.

2 years ago we released a new quest for The Witcher 3. New designers and writers worked on it preparing for the Witcher 4, together with one of our most senior quest designers, who is with us since the Witcher 1. All in all, it was the perfect start to getting back into the vibe. pic.twitter.com/VCpQ5UpLjZJanuary 8, 2025

If you’re thorough, you’ll end up with his recipe for a potion that buffs your attacks against his possessor, a nasty wraith called a Red Miasmal. It’s totally optional, but definitely helpful if you’re not loading up an endgame save file like I was. And if you don’t explore the cave enough to find it, you’re missing out on much of the backstory about what happened to Reinald as he tried to cure himself of the Miasmal’s influence, and what role the church had in the whole situation.

Reinald himself is easily the strongest part of the quest—he’s a witcher from some 300 years before Geralt’s time and also of the Wolf school, giving you some fun scraps of lore about the old days of the order. And the quest upholds one of my favorite things about The Witcher’s combat, tying together optional but savvy narrative choices (in this case, finding the recipe for Reinald’s potion) to give yourself an advantage in a fight. It’s a simple thing, but every time I took on a monster in The Witcher 3 and read its journal entry to suss out that I should fight it at midnight or use a particular oil on my blade, I felt more like I was roleplaying than at any other point.

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The Witcher 3 Next Gen New Quest - All ENDINGS - In The Eternal Fire’s Shadow - YouTubeWatch On

The Witcher 3 Next Gen New Quest - All ENDINGS - In The Eternal Fire’s Shadow - YouTube

A couple of the quest outcomes hinge on Geralt saying either “Don’t need a church to do good, priest” or “Crimes like these can’t be forgiven,” and it’s pretty obvious how both of those are going to play out. “I’m no saint, no miracle worker,” says Reinald. “Just a witcher.”

In the Eternal Fire’s Shadow is painting with a pretty broad morality brush, something I thinkmy favorite quests in The Witcher 3managed to avoid with murkier decisions. I think The Witcher is at its best when it puts personal motivations at odds with the greater stakes—so that even when you make a decision that feels emotionally correct, the outcome doesn’t necessarily result in the happiest ending. But The Witcher 3 also has quests where you make more straightforward right-and-wrong decisions and also has you herding a village full of people who’ve been turned into pigs—it’s a big game with an appropriately broad range of storytelling.

The Witcher IV — Cinematic Reveal Trailer | The Game Awards 2024 - YouTubeWatch On

The Witcher IV — Cinematic Reveal Trailer | The Game Awards 2024 - YouTube

TOPICSCD Projekt

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PRODUCTSThe Witcher 3: Wild HuntThe Witcher 4

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