Developer CD Projekt RED has revealed that it started training its staff for the themes and style in upcoming title The Witcher 4 by having them design a quest for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The quest, titled In the Eternal Fire’s Shadow, was added to The Witcher 3 through the update that also brought it to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
The Witcher 4‘s narrative designer Philipp Weber took to social media platform X to talk about this, revealing that new designers and writers worked on the quest alongside a senior quest designer that had been with the studio since the first game.
“2 years ago we released a new quest for The Witcher 3,” posted Weber. “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.”
In the Eternal Fire’s Shadow involves protagonist exploring a cave that was previously used to keep plague victims quarantined by a local church. The quest features a few themes, as well as a horror-styled atmosphere. As is usually the case for quests in The Witcher 3, there are also plenty of plot twists to encounter.
Development on The Witcher 4 had gone into full swing back in November. The game was officially unveiled with a trailer during The Game Awards back in December, and will feature Ciri as its main protagonist. Geralt is also going to be present in the game in some capacity, albeit more details haven’t yet been revealed.
The reveal that Ciri would be the new protagonist was quite controversial, leading the studio to release its own statement on the matter where it reiterated that the game will not be breaking the canon set by the works of Andrzej Sapkowski. The studio has also announced that the role of Ciri has been recast, with Jo Wyatt, who voiced the character in The Witcher 3, will not be returning to reprise her role.
When it comes to combat, Ciri will apparently play differently from Geralt. Where Geralt was known for his elegant swordplay in the previous titles, Ciri will instead be a more agile character, focusing on quick strikes and plenty of evasion. As the trailer revealed, Ciri will also be able to use of the same alchemical potions that Geralt was able to use to fight off monsters in a variety of environments.
Despite it being a current-gen sequel to The Witcher 3, the upcoming title will keep things in check by having its open world be around the same size as its predecessor. There will be quite a bit of density when it comes to the things players can encounter, however, with the director going as far as saying that “every single NPC” will look like “they’re living with their own story.”
The Witcher 4 is currently in development for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. The studio hasn’t yet announced a release date for the game. For more details about The Witcher 4, here are 10 details about it that you might not yet be aware of.
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/VCpQ5UpLjZ
— Philipp Weber (@PhiWeber) January 8, 2025