If you're looking to get the best ending in The Witcher 3, this guide will set you on the path. There are multiple endings in The Witcher 3, and it's obviously subjective as to which is the "best", but there's a pretty clear bad ending, and there's also one where all your favourite characters don't end up clawing at the mud in despair.
Players have a ton of choices that can affect The Witcher's story, and this has been true for the entire CD Projekt Red series. Most famously, The Witcher 2 has a completely different second chapter based on a decision you make towards the end of the first. The Witcher 3 might not be quite as dynamic, but your choices throughout The Witcher 3 will still result in a possible 36 different endings.
Related: Is The Witcher 3 DLC Worth It?
Spoilers for the ending of The Witcher 3 follow Ciri joining Geralt as a witcher and Geralt living with Yennefer is probably what you want to see in your ideal Witcher 3 ending (unless you're a Triss truther). It would be a shame to play for 50 hours, fall in love with both, and then lose them. Life is pretty harsh when you're a mutant monster slayer, eh? Thank god for guides writers.
Following this guide (or using it as a starting point) will ensure that you can achieve your best possible ending when playing through The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Let's jump right in with how to get the best outcome for Ciri.
How to save Ciri in The Witcher 3
The most dynamic of conclusions deal with Ciri. She has a total of three different outcomes depending on what actions Geralt makes. No matter what choices you make, The Witcher 3's epilogue, which focuses on Ciri's fate, will be called Something Ends, Something Begins. Here are the main quests and side quests that decide Ciri's fate:
Main quests:
- Blood on the Battlefield
- The Child of the Elder Blood
- Final Preparations
Side quests:
- An Eye for an Eye
- A Deadly Plot
- Redania’s Most Wanted (completable during Act Two)
- Reason of State (completable during Act Three)
Some of these quests contain multiple decisions that can impact what happens to Ciri at the end of The Witcher 3. In Blood on the Battlefield, it matters how you approach Ciri, whether or not you visit the Emperor, and whether or not you accepted coin from the Emperor for bringing Ciri to him. It's a lot to keep in mind. Here's how it looks broken down. We'll start with how to do it all wrong.
The Witcher 3 bad ending – Ciri Dies
Achieving this ending (you cold-hearted git) will require you to make multiple negative decisions. Any three of the five decisions listed below will result in Ciri's death.
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In Blood on the Battlefield, have Geralt say, "Relax, you don't have to be good at everything."
- Later in the same mission, accept payment from the Emperor for escorting Ciri to him, and say, "Definitely need it more than you."
- In Final Preparations, accompany Ciri to the Lodge of Sorceresses.
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During The Child of the Elder Blood, tell Ciri to "calm down" when she loses her temper. People love that.
- In that same mission, deny Ciri's request to visit Skjall's grave.
You don't need to do all five, but that will 100% ensure that Ciri's fate is sealed by the end. If you're a normal person and you want Ciri to survive, there are still multiple outcomes there. Here's how those play out:
Ciri Lives, Becomes a Witcher
To get this ending, you're basically going to be doing the opposite of the last set of instructions. You'll need to make four positive decisions throughout the game to see Ciri join Geralt as a Witcher. Here are the decisions laid out in an easily digestible format:
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In Blood on The Battlefield, refuse to bring Ciri before the Emperor.
- When comforting her during the same mission, say, "I know what might lift your spirits."
- In Final Preparations, encourage Ciri to go by herself to the Lodge of Sorceresses.
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When she loses her temper in The Child of the Elder Blood, tell her to go for it.
- During the same mission, accompany Ciri to Skjall's grave when she asks if there is time.
Ciri Lives, Becomes Empress
This one is the most involved of Ciri's endings. While a lot of the decisions are made during the same missions as the other endings, you'll need to complete a series of side quests in Act Two and Three to ensure Ciri becomes the Empress at the end of The Witcher 3.
- Bring Ciri to the Emperor during Blood on the Battlefield.
- During Act Two, make sure to complete the following side quests: An Eye for an Eye, A Deadly Plot, and Redania's Most Wanted.
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In Act Three, start Blindingly Obvious and make sure to be nice to Dijkstra.
- If you feed Dijkstra information about Ciri, you will unlock a quest called Reason of State.
- Complete that quest and side with Vernon Roche and Ves against Dijkstra.
- Complete all the steps above, plus three positive choices from the Ciri becomes a Witcher choices in the previous section.
Geralt's Fate
Where Geralt ends up at the end of The Witcher 3 is solely down to his romance options, though I reckon he'll probably be a bit depressed depending on how the whole Ciri thing goes down. Here's where our grizzled witcher can end up:
- Romance Triss Merigold and Geralt will move to Kovir with her.
- Stay loyal to Yennefer and the two will retire from their hunting lifestyles to occasionally take baths together.
- If you forgo any romance or try to woo both ladies, Geralt will end up alone and continue witching through the country.
Miscellaneous Endings
The rest of the permutations for The Witcher 3's endings deal with side characters in the game. Some choices you make will result in different epilogue missions while others will get short cutscenes that are interjected during the main ending cinematic. This is very similar to how Mass Effect handled side characters showing up in sequels. There are too many to list, but here are some of the biggest ending variations in The Witcher 3, as well as some dedicated guides for other choices in the game.
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During The Whispering Hillock, you can choose to kill the creature or free it.
- Killing it will see Velen at peace while the latter will see the town destroyed.
- Completing Now or Never will see the mages escape Novigrad. Ignoring it will turn Novigrad into a mage deathtrap.
- What becomes of Keira Metz in The Witcher 3.
- Deciding the fate of The Witcher 3's Bloody Baron, one of the most depressing quests in the game.
- What becomes of all the rulers and kingdoms in The Witcher 3.
If you're looking for more, we also have guides for how to get the best ending in Hearts of Stone, as well as an ending guide for Blood and Wine.
It's quite remarkable how many different options are available, but most players will likely want to see Ciri as a Witcher and Geralt with Yennefer. You now know how to achieve this, so happy hunting.
Next: The Witcher 3: The 10 Rarest Armor Sets, Ranked (& How To Find Them)
