The Witcher 3 Best Ending Guide: How to Save Ciri

How to Achieve the Best Ending for Ciri in The Witcher 3

The fate of Ciri, your adopted daughter and the central figure of the prophecy, is the most important decision you'll make in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Your journey together culminates in one of three profoundly different conclusions, each shaped by an invisible system of trust and confidence built through five pivotal dialogue choices. This guide will demystify that system so you can steer Ciri toward the ending you desire.

Achieving the best ending for Ciri requires specific dialogue choices.

At the heart of the game's conclusion is Ciri's Confidence Point System, an invisible tracker that determines her fate based on five pivotal dialogue choices you make across Acts II and III. It’s a simple tally: positive choices boost her spirit, while negative ones undermine her confidence. The game tallies these behind the scenes, and your final score unlocks one of three primary outcomes in the epilogue quest, Something Ends, Something Begins.

Here are the three destinies your choices will unlock:

• The Witcher Ending: This is Ciri’s path to freedom. If she survives her confrontation with the White Frost, she’ll choose to become a monster hunter, following in your footsteps. To achieve this, you must make at least 3+ positive choices from the five key moments and, most critically, skip the meeting with Emperor Emhyr when given the option.
• The Empress Ending: This is Ciri’s path to duty and political power. She survives and ascends to rule Nilfgaard. Achieving this requires the same 3+ positive choices, but you must take her to meet Emhyr. Additionally, you need to ensure Nilfgaard wins the war by completing specific political quests—a topic we’ll cover in detail in a later section.
• The Worst Ending: This is the tragic conclusion no one wants. If you make 3+ negative choices that erode Ciri's self-belief, she will be consumed by the White Frost and disappear. The game implies her death, leaving Geralt to mourn her loss in a bleak, heartbreaking finale.

While your romantic choices with Yennefer or Triss and the political fate of the North are significant, they are separate from this core system determining Ciri’s survival and immediate path. Now that you understand the three possible outcomes and the confidence system that drives them, you’re ready to learn the exact, moment-by-moment decisions that will secure Ciri’s future.

The Witcher 3 Ciri Decision Points: Act 2 Critical Choices

This is the moment that matters. After the Battle of Kaer Morhen in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, you’ve lost Vesemir, and a shaken Ciri is struggling with grief and self-doubt. Her confidence is at a low point, and the two decisions you make here in the quest Blood on the Battlefield are your first major tests as a father figure. They’re not just dialogue choices—they’re the foundation of her survival and her ultimate path. Get these right, and you’re on track for a future where she thrives.

Meeting Emhyr is a critical decision point in Act 2.

The Snowball Fight: A Moment of Light

Immediately after the battle, you’ll find Ciri sitting alone, despondent. She’ll say she’s not good enough. This is your first critical prompt. You have two options:

• “Relax. You don’t have to be good at everything.” (Negative Choice)
• “I know what might lift your spirits.” (Positive Choice)

Selecting this positive line initiates a brief snowball fight at Kaer Morhen. You’ll control Ciri, using [LS] to move and [RT] to throw. Whether you “win” or “lose” this playful scuffle is completely irrelevant—the act itself is what counts. It’s a moment of catharsis and connection that tells Ciri you see her as more than just a weapon or a prophecy; you see a daughter who needs to laugh again. This single choice earns you the first crucial “positive point” toward her survival.

To Vizima or to Velen? The Path Splits

Right after the snowball fight, the conversation turns serious. Ciri wants to head to Bald Mountain in Velen to confront Imlerith and avenge Vesemir. Here, the game presents the most consequential Act 2 decision, one that locks in her potential destiny:

• “Velen, then.” (Positive Choice for the Witcher Path)
• “Gotta visit the Emperor first.” (Initiates the Empress Path)

If you want Ciri to become a Witcher—the path where she chooses freedom and follows in your footsteps—you must select “Velen, then.” This choice skips the meeting with her biological father entirely and is the single most important action for locking in that ending. It tells Ciri that her quest for justice and her own choices come before political obligations.

Navigating the Royal Palace (If You Visit)

If you choose “Gotta visit the Emperor first,” you’ll travel to Vizima and enter the Royal Palace. Here, you’ll meet Emperor Emhyr var Emreis, Ciri’s biological father and the ruler of Nilfgaard. His role is to formally recognize Ciri as his heir and offer you a reward for returning her.

This visit alone sets Ciri on the potential path to becoming Empress of Nilfgaard. However, you can still mitigate a negative influence here. After the tense audience, Emhyr will offer you a sack of coin. You have another choice:

• Accept the coin. (Negative Choice)
• Say “No thanks.” (Positive Choice)

⚠️ Watch out: Even if you’re aiming for the Empress ending, accepting the money is recorded as a bad mark against Ciri’s confidence. It frames your relationship as transactional. Always refuse the reward with “No thanks.”

With these two pivotal moments in Blood on the Battlefield handled, you’ve set the directional course for Ciri’s future. You’ve either secured the first positive point and locked in the Witcher path, or you’ve begun the more politically complex journey toward the throne. Your foundation is laid; now the choices in Act 3 will determine if that foundation holds strong.

The Witcher 3 Ciri Decision Points: Act 3 Critical Choices

Act 3 is where it all comes together. The choices you make here in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt directly shape Ciri’s final steps—whether she steps into her power or falters under the weight of her destiny. This is the home stretch, and every word matters.

Visiting Skjall's grave in Skellige is a critical Act 3 decision.

The Lodge Meeting: Building Her Independence

After the battle at Kaer Morhen, you’ll find yourself in Novigrad for the quest Final Preparations. The sorceresses Philippa Eilhart and Margarita Laux-Antille request a private audience with Ciri at the Rosemary and Thyme bathhouse. This is a crucial test of your trust in her.

When Ciri hesitates, you have two options. The confident, supportive choice is to tell her, “You’ll do fine on your own.” This sends her in alone, proving your faith in her ability to handle high-stakes situations. It’s a major positive point for her self-belief. The alternative—insisting on accompanying her—undermines that confidence and counts as a negative mark.

Wrecking the Laboratory: A Cathartic Release

Later, during The Child of the Elder Blood, you, Ciri, and Yennefer visit Avallac’h’s Lab on the isle of Undvik in Skellige. Here, an Aen Elle elf’s cruel words send Ciri into a rage. She wants to smash the place.

Your response is critical. Select “Go for it.” This encourages her to vent her fury, leading to a cathartic scene where she destroys equipment. It’s a healthy release of emotion and a bonding moment, scoring another positive point. Telling her to “Calm down” dismisses her valid anger and is a negative choice.

Skjall’s Grave: Honoring Grief and Friendship

The final, often overlooked, decision is one of simple empathy. After learning of Skjall’s fate—the Skelliger who died helping her on Hindarsfjall—Ciri will ask to visit his grave.

This occurs in Skellige, on Hindarsfjall. When she asks, you must choose. The supportive, positive path is to say, “Yeah, I’ll go with you.” Accompanying her to Skjall’s grave allows her to process her grief and find closure, honoring a friend’s sacrifice. It’s a quiet but powerful moment that reinforces her emotional resilience. Rushing her with a “No time” is a harsh, negative choice that can be the final straw that breaks her spirit.

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Nail these three Act 3 choices—supporting her independence, validating her anger, and honoring her grief—and you’ve done everything you can to ensure Ciri faces her destiny not with doubt, but with the unwavering confidence you helped build. The rest is in her hands.

How to Determine the Fate of the North in The Witcher 3

The fate of the North isn't decided on a battlefield—it's sealed in a grimy Novigrad warehouse. This is where you decide whether Emperor Emhyr's black banners fly over the continent, or if the torch-lit tyranny of Radovid continues. Your choices in the quest Reason of State are the linchpin for the entire political landscape in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, directly determining whether Ciri can become Empress and what kind of world Geralt retires to.

Emhyr's victory is one of the primary outcomes for the North.

To secure a Nilfgaardian victory—which is required for Ciri's Empress ending—you must navigate a treacherous web of alliances and complete a specific chain of events. It starts with the assassination of King Radovid on his ship at the Novigrad docks. This plot is orchestrated by Vernon Roche, the Temerian partisan leader, and his ally Thaler. You'll need to have completed the prerequisite quests "A Deadly Plot" and "Redania's Most Wanted" to even get the invitation.

The critical moment comes during Reason of State, inside the warehouse near the docks in Novigrad. After Radovid is dead, his spymaster, Sigismund Dijkstra, will confront you, Roche, and Thaler. Dijkstra sees a power vacuum and plans to kill the Temerians to seize control for himself. Here, you must make a definitive choice: side with Vernon Roche.

⚠️ Watch out: If you hesitate or walk away, Dijkstra kills Roche and Thaler. This leads to Dijkstra ruling the North, which blocks the Nilfgaard victory needed for Ciri to become Empress.

Choosing to side with Roche means drawing your sword against Dijkstra. You and your allies must kill him then and there. It's a brutal but necessary betrayal to ensure the plan proceeds: with Radovid and Dijkstra eliminated, Nilfgaard's path to conquest is clear, and Roche negotiates to restore Temeria as a vassal state under Emhyr's rule.

The Political Domino Effect

Your decision in that warehouse ripples out to every corner of the epilogue:

• Nilfgaard Wins: This is the outcome you create by killing both Radovid and Dijkstra while siding with Roche. Emhyr consolidates power, conquers the North, and—if you brought Ciri to him—has a stable empire to offer her. The persecution of mages and non-humans ends, though under the heel of a different emperor.
• Radovid Wins: If you never complete Reason of State at all, Radovid lives. He wins the war, and his witch hunts intensify, turning Novigrad into a charnel house. This outcome makes Ciri's Empress ending impossible.
• Dijkstra Wins: If you side with Dijkstra or let him kill Roche, he takes the throne. His rule is enlightened but brutally pragmatic, maintained through fear and a network of spies. Nilfgaard loses the war.

Trust me, the "best" political outcome is subjective—it depends on whether you value stability under a tyrant (Emhyr), ending persecution at the cost of a new tyranny (Dijkstra), or avoiding Nilfgaard's conquest entirely (Radovid). But if your goal is to see Ciri on the throne, there's only one path: secure that Nilfgaardian victory by standing with Roche in that dusty warehouse.

With Radovid and Dijkstra gone, the board is set for Emhyr's final move. The North's fate is in your hands.

How to Reach the Best Skellige Ending in The Witcher 3

The future of Skellige’s throne is decided not in a grand melee, but through a quiet investigation in the halls of Kaer Trolde. In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, the succession quest King's Gambit is your chance to influence the isles' future—and securing the best outcome means backing the right candidate.

Geralt exploring the rugged terrain of Skellige.

After the attack on the an Craite clan, you’ll be pulled into the power struggle. You have three potential outcomes, but only two involve your direct intervention. Your choice boils down to which sibling you assist during their respective investigations.

• Cerys an Craite is the strategic, forward-thinking daughter. To support her path, you must choose to follow her during King's Gambit to investigate the mysterious massacre at the feast. Her quest, Possession, involves solving a supernatural mystery on Hindarsfjall. A Cerys-led Skellige ushers in an era of peace, diplomacy, and prosperity, moving away from constant raiding.
• Hjalmar an Craite is the traditional, warrior son. Choosing to follow him in King's Gambit means hunting down the culprit through more direct means on the island of Undvik. His quest, The Lord of Undvik, is a classic monster-hunt. A King Hjalmar continues Skellige’s raiding traditions, ensuring the isles remain a martial, aggressive power.

⚠️ Watch out: You can technically complete both siblings' quests, but you must explicitly choose to follow one during the King's Gambit conversation to endorse them for the throne.

There’s a third, often overlooked outcome. If you completely ignore the King's Gambit quest and never help either sibling, the crown defaults to Svanrige. This distant cousin becomes an absolute monarch, ruling through fear and bloodshed, and is widely considered the worst outcome for the people of Skellige.

Trust me, taking the time to complete King's Gambit and install a ruler you support is worth it. It’s one of the most impactful world-state decisions in the game, and with Cerys on the throne, you can rest easy knowing the isles are in good hands.

Best Romance Endings for Geralt in The Witcher 3

Your journey through The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is about more than saving the world—it’s about who you save it for. After the dust settles, Geralt’s ultimate reward is a chance at a peaceful life, and that means choosing between the two powerful sorceresses who’ve shaped his path. This is your guide to securing a happy retirement with either Yennefer of Vengerberg or Triss Merigold, and avoiding the lonely path that awaits those who can’t commit.

Geralt's romance choices determine his final retirement destination.

The Two Paths to Romance

You can only have one true romance in The Witcher 3. The choice is binary, and the final confirmation comes during each character’s dedicated quest. You must fully commit to one and gently but firmly reject the other.

To romance Yennefer of Vengerberg, you must complete her quest The Last Wish on the isle of Undvik in Skellige. After you defeat the Djinn, she’ll ask if your feelings are real or just magic. You must choose the dialogue option, ‘I still love you’. This locks in your relationship with her. For the full experience, also complete the secondary quest No Place Like Home in Novigrad to help her settle a personal matter.

To romance Triss Merigold, you must complete her questline in Novigrad, culminating in Now or Never. At the docks as she prepares to leave, you must first ask her ‘Stay with me’, and then when she presses for your true feelings, declare ‘I love you’. This convinces her to stay in Novigrad with you.

⚠️ Crucial Warning: You cannot have both. If you tell both women you love them, you will trigger the infamous “threesome” scene at Kaer Morhen, after which they will both reject you and Geralt will end up alone. This is the Avoiding the Threesome strategy in its simplest form: pick one and be loyal.

Your Home in the Sun

Your romantic payoff comes in the Blood and Wine expansion. After you complete the main story and help restore the vineyard, you’ll receive the quest Be It Ever So Humble.... This is where your chosen partner comes to visit you at Corvo Bianco, your new home in Toussaint.

• If you romanced Yennefer, she will arrive, and the two of you will settle into a peaceful, domestic life away from politics.
• If you romanced Triss, she will visit, and you’ll discuss a future together in Kovir, where she serves as an advisor to the king.
• If you romanced no one (or tried to romance both), Ciri will visit if she survived. If Ciri did not survive, your old friend Dandelion will come instead.

This final scene at Corvo Bianco is your earned happy ending—a quiet moment with the person you chose to share your life with after saving the Continent.

Making Your Choice

So, who should you choose? There’s no “best” option—only what feels right for your Geralt.

• Choose Yennefer if you value deep history, fiery passion, and a bond that feels destined. Her romance is intense, mature, and considered the “canon” choice from the books.
• Choose Triss if you prefer a warmer, more supportive relationship built on kindness and a fresh start. Her romance offers stability and a chance to build something new.

The key is to be decisive. Once you’ve made your choice in their respective quests, simply avoid triggering the other’s romance dialogue. With your heart set and your home in Toussaint waiting, you’ve secured the personal happy ending Geralt deserves.

The Witcher 3 Epilogue: Something Ends, Something Begins Walkthrough

This is it—the final stretch of your journey in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The quest “Something Ends, Something Begins” is your epilogue, the last playable sequence that reveals the fate of Geralt and Ciri. It’s not a long, sprawling quest, but a poignant, personal conclusion that plays out in three distinct ways based on your choices. Here’s exactly what to expect for each ending.

Ciri with her new sword in the Witcher ending.

The Witcher Ending: A New Path Begins

If you’ve made Ciri confident and skipped the meeting with Emperor Emhyr, this is your reward. The sequence begins in Vizima, where Geralt must deliver the grim news to Emhyr that Ciri is dead and her body is lost. Trust me, it’s a tense but brief scene—your dialogue choices here don’t affect the outcome.

From there, Geralt travels to White Orchard, the game’s starting area. On the road to the Nilfgaardian Garrison, you’ll meet a group with a stuck wagon; their comments on the war reflect your choices in “Reason of State.” At the garrison ruins, a blacksmith arrives and presents you with a Masterfully Crafted Silver Sword. You’ll get to choose an inscription for it—a final, personal touch.

The payoff is at the White Orchard Inn. Inside, you’ll find Ciri, disguised in a hood. Present her with the sword, and with her eagerness to test it, Geralt’s line, “Not here, you’ll have ample opportunity soon enough, Witcher,” seals her new destiny. It’s a perfect, hopeful conclusion to her arc.

The Empress Ending: A Bittersweet Farewell

This ending triggers if Ciri survived and you took her to meet Emhyr, with Nilfgaard winning the war. You start in a snowy White Orchard, at the inn with Zoltan, Dandelion, and your romanced sorceress. After chatting with them, head out into the cold.

Your first stop is Mislav’s hut (the hunter from “The Beast of White Orchard”). He’ll tell you the person you’re looking for has already left. Follow the marker to a ridge where you’ll find Ciri. She’ll ask you to accompany her to an old griffin nest. On the way, a Forktail will attack—take it down quickly.

Ciri seems distressed, so Geralt suggests fishing to lighten the mood. At a frozen lake, scare off a bear by tossing a bomb near it, then demonstrate the “witcher’s way” by bombing the fishing hole. After collecting the fish, the truth comes out on the walk back: Ciri has accepted her role as Empress, and this is her last day of freedom before returning to Nilfgaard. Your final meeting is back at the White Orchard Inn for a heartfelt, bittersweet goodbye.

The Worst Ending: Doubt, Death, and Despair

If Ciri’s confidence was undermined, prepare for a grim, combat-focused epilogue in Velen’s Crookback Bog. You’ll immediately encounter a werewolf. You have a choice: draw your sword and fight it, or spare it to fight alongside you. If you spare it, it will aid you briefly.

Next, you’ll find hunters who have captured a wolf. You must confront and kill all of them (this nets you 180 XP). Your final destination is the old orphanage, where The Weavess, the last surviving Crone, holds Ciri’s Medallion.

⚠️ Watch out: The fight with The Weavess is assisted by drowners and a grave hag. Her style is similar to the Bald Mountain encounter—use [B] to dodge her spells and [Y] for heavy attacks when you close the gap. Focus on the adds first if they overwhelm you.

Defeating her rewards 900 XP and lets you loot her house to reclaim the medallion. The final cutscene is pure despair: Geralt finds the medallion in the swamp, and as monsters close in, the screen fades to black. It’s the most haunting conclusion The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt offers.

With the final quest complete, your story is told. Whether it ends with hope, sacrifice, or sorrow, your choices have truly shaped this world.

The Witcher 3 Blood and Wine Best Ending Guide

This is it—the final act of your grand adventure in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, where the sun-drenched vineyards of Toussaint hide a dark, personal tragedy. The fate of Duchess Anna Henrietta and her estranged sister Syanna rests entirely in your hands, and achieving their reconciliation is one of the most narratively satisfying conclusions in the entire game. It requires navigating a treacherous path through fairy tales and vampire lairs, but trust me, seeing these sisters make amends is worth every step.

The sisters reconcile in the expansion's best ending.

Your journey towards this "best ending" for Blood and Wine is defined by one critical mission: The Night of Long Fangs. When the choice comes, you must decide to seek out Syanna, not the unseen elder. This leads you into the magical Land of a Thousand Fables, a twisted storybook world where you'll find Syanna and learn the depth of her bitterness. Here’s the trick most guides miss: your actions in this whimsical prison are what make or break the ending.

Inside the Land of a Thousand Fables, you must find the Little Flint Girl. She holds the single most important item for this ending: Syanna's Ribbon. You can win it from her in a round of Gwent or buy it for 500 crowns. Do not leave this realm without it.

This ribbon isn’t just a trinket—it’s a literal lifesaver. Later, at Tesham Mutna, the ancient vampire Dettlaff will launch a fatal attack on Syanna. If you have the ribbon, it protects her, allowing the story to continue. If you don’t, Syanna dies here, and any chance of reconciliation dies with her. After securing the ribbon, you’ll face Dettlaff himself. You must defeat this vampire boss to proceed to the sisters' trial.

The final, and most delicate, phase happens back in Beauclair. With Dettlaff defeated and Syanna saved by the ribbon, you’ll attend the trial at the Palace. Here, you must persuade Syanna to forgive Anna Henrietta. This is a dialogue challenge. You must choose options that reveal Anna’s genuine, lifelong grief over losing her sister. Avoid blaming the Curse of the Black Sun or accusing Syanna of simple jealousy. Instead, focus on Anna’s actions and her pain. If you’ve read all the diary entries in Syanna’s old playroom earlier in the quest, you’ll have the full context to make the most compelling case.

If you succeed, the scene is unforgettable: Anna Henrietta forgives Syanna, the sisters embrace, and the deadly feud ends. Both survive to rule Toussaint together, and Geralt can retire to his vineyard in true peace. If you fail the persuasion, Syanna will stab Anna Henrietta during their embrace, leading to a bloody conclusion where both sisters perish.

With the ribbon in your pocket and words of reconciliation on your lips, you can heal this royal family’s deep wounds and secure the happiest possible future for the beautiful land of Toussaint.