This post is intended for end game in depth discussion so MAJOR SPOILERS! If you haven't finished the game, I suggest you haul your ass out of here pronto!

Firstly, thank you CDProjektRed for what has been not only an incredible individual game, but for me the most complete and satisfying gaming trilogy. Truley breath taking. I wish the movie industry would pay as much homage to source material as you have done here.

However, gratitude aside, there are a number of I guess plot holes (both series and book related) or things that remain unclear or wern't capitalised on. The reason I bring this up is because I'm trying to figure out what really is the best ending for Geralt and Ciri and co.

Game stuff:

1) The White Frost/prophecy - This apocolyptic force that Ciri sets out to battle, does she defeat the White Frost or merely survive (or die) that particular encounter before coming a Witcher/Empress? If she does, how?!?!?

2) Anais La Valette - I went to painstaking efforts in the Witcher 2 to make sure Anais was with Vernon Roche so the people of Temeria had that beacon of hope, I felt this was most congruent with the lore and characters yet I heard absolutely nothing about her throughout the game.

3) Phillipa and Saskia the gold dragon - Similar to above, at the end of Withcer 2 Phillipa still controlled the dragon (as I did Roach's path and didn't kill the dragon). What happened with all that in this game?

Book stuff/wishlist:

1) Can Ciri really be a witcher? - To be a witcher they have to do the Trials and the mutagens which converts them, gives them super human reflexes and allowing the consumption of potions, prolonged life etc. I don't think Ciri did this, nor would Geralt subject her to it. Ciri though is essentially human, her elven blood is very diluted so dispite her power, will live and age a normal human life.

2) It pissed me off in Avallach's lab when Ciri asked Yen if she had anything to do with the Lara Dorren eugenic research and she lied! Where was my button to call her out, or interupt? I love Yen as a character but I was so angry seeing her lie to Ciri like that. And it also would have been nice to see Yen suitably humbled in a fiery/emotional scene back on the boat or something. Then see Yen confess to Ciri. Would love her even more.

3) It would have been fooking amazing if they managed to bring or recruit Galahad from the mythos of our world into the Witcher world to fight the hunt (as they meet in the books, even Ciri is referred to as Gwenevere). Geralt would have some stiff sword fighting competition, what a duel that would be!

My take away/thoughts -

Ciri hasn't defeated the white frost. My ending had her become the Empress making comments to the effect of "I can do more good with Nilfgard" etc. Now, if the White Frost is still to be defeated, maybe an Empire and it's resources is more useful to achiving this. However if she did defeat the White Frost I think the Witcher skills are more useful in aidng her travels/adventure through space and time (now she's no longer pursued by the hunt). But I think training her as a Witcher is sad for her as she'd probably be the last one, I don't think Geralt would want that for her and would rather himsled and the other witchers be the last of the dying breed. Or the best possible ending for me, Ciri and Geralt have thier time together training and living the simple life, the death of the Emhyr is the cue for Ciri to take the thrown. Maybe Geralt and Yen/Triss can go with, laying foundation of whole new adventure against the white frost!

Regarding Anais. I think an opportunuty was missed for some great story telling. Imagine Vernon asking you to help protect her from the mad king Radovid prepapred to commit infanticide, because he wants to rule the whole of the north to rival Nilfgard. Gives even more motivation for eventual regicide.

Phillipa and the dragon - Again a missed opportunity, a quest to defeat her and finally free the dragon from her control (as was discussed at Withcer 2's ending), maybe against Yen's will as she wants Phillipa for the Lodge or something. Imagine having a fooking dragon as your ally at the battle of Kaer Mohren and end of the game, even more epic!

Anyway...

If people can enlighten, inofrm, educate or are curious on the above matters or point out something I've missed I'd aprpeciate it (I know it's a lot!). Also would be interestng to hear of people's experience of the game with a different politcal set up (i.e. uploaded a save from W2 with the Scoi'tel path). I get the sense that the game setting of Witcher 3 wouldn't have been influenced much at all by the previous games.

Love this game so much, the invention of this thread is evidence of that. I'm just so sad it's over, these are my last gasp finger tips still trying clinging onto it.

In my ending she defeats it. When she tells Geralt that she's going in, he asks why, and says that the Hunt has been defeated, to which she replies something along the lines of, "Yes, but not the White Frost." It's why she went in. As to how, she's a Source, and obviously the subject of Ithlinne's prophesy:

"The world will die amidst frost and be reborn with the new sun. It will be reborn of Elder Blood, of Hen Ichaer, of the seed that has been sown. A seed which will not sprout but burst into flame."

Yea I got the same dialogue with her and wished her goodluck etc. Regarding the prophecy though, she goes to another world to fight it via the conjunction of spheres, she doesn't fight it on her own world which is surely the subject of the prophecy?

Regarding the how, I get Ciri is the source and all but you don't see the fight, so I guess the question not how could she fight it but how did she fight the white frost?

There's been hints there will be more games in the Witcher universe which is another reason why I don't think it's been defeated. I could well just be over complicating things though =S

You are. There is never going to be a round-by-round account of 'how' she defeated it. It's one of those prophesy/mythology type mysteries. I believe you are over thinking it.

[Typo]

Ciri wasn't subjected to the Trials because they only works on males.

The most disappointing thing about the story was leaving out Saskia and Iorveth almost completely, for sure.
Wouldnt call it a major flaw, but it did kinda annoy me. It makes kinda sense, that they are not in this game, wanting to create a independend Aedirn and all.
Still, I prepared a savegame for Witcher 3 in which I joine Iorveth just to be able to save Saskia and break the magic spell from Philipa. In the end it seems like Witcher 3 only recognized whether or not Saskia was still alive. When she was alive it automatically put her back under control of Philipa.

Anyway, getting the "Witcher-ending" when playing Geralt like I remember from the books felt right to me.

(If it wasnt for the backstory from the books I would have never chosen Yen over Triss.. She really got on my nerves at times)

Is it they only work on males or males were the only ones subjected? Can't remember any explanation in the books as to why girls can't be witchers.

I actually thought the story with Yen was very intimate, the whole removing of the djin spell by another djin to test their love etc. When I found her notes mentioning her search for A djin I actually thought she wanted one to harness the power for her own political aspirations, or for the power, not for Geralt. Was good to be proved wrong. It was really hard to turn down Triss after the last 2 games, but after that whole quest I knew I made the right choice. And although she was frustrating, she had to be knowing that Geralt was such a moralist, to find Ciri they had to do some messd up stuff, no time for questions or debate. She wasn't what Geralt/player wanted but what was needed to find Ciri needed.

It's sad to hear you didn't have a different politcal back drop, this game does really seem to be seperate from the others apart from a bit of character history which is a shame. I would have happily waited another year(s) for them to include Saskia, Anais, Iorveth, etc.

Be interesting to see if any expansion packs will further ellaborate on the main story.

I wonder what will happen with that Crone who escaped Ciri towards the end?

I do not see why not. In the books, Ciri received fundamental witcher training in monster lore, endurance, agility and sword fighting. Although she was not subjected to the trial of the grasses, Vesemir fed her the so-called "accelerators", which are the secret witcher herbs and mushrooms - something like natural steroids, that accelerate recovery and promote physical development. So, although she may not be as good a swordsman as Vesemir or Geralt, and technically cannot use elixirs, she should have enough skill and brawn to fight most monsters and compensate for lack of elixirs with other abilities. Not all monsters require witchers to kill them - sometimes a mob of guards or dragon hunters do the job. Ciri would at least be as effective as a mob of gurads due to her teleportation powers.

Again, in the books, sorceresses can prolong their lives using magic. Yennefer is god knows how old, but definitely more than 100. Ciri possesses powerful magical abilities and was trained by Yennefer (in the books) and presumably Avallach (in the game) to control and use them. Thus, I do not see why she just cannot use the same trick as other sorceresses to prolong her life. On top of all that, she is the Lady of Space and Time.

I think a more interesting question that is left unanswered is whether she can have children. In the books, people using magic cannot have offspring except in rare cases.