The Witcher 3: Wild Huntis known for its unforgiving and harsh world where tragedy shapes its narrative, characters, and choices. These tales of loss, sacrifice, regret, betrayal, and heartache are not mere plot devices. They are integral to themoral dilemmas Geralt of Rivia facesthroughout his journey, forcing players to make difficult choices whereeven the best intentions can lead to devastating consequences.
Unlike traditional role-playing games,The Witcher 3offers no clear right or wrong. Morality is blurred, and justice and mercy rarely align. Whether driven by fate or consequence, these tragic stories will leave players pondering the inevitable “what if?” moments.
In this list, we dive into the most heartbreaking talesThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunthas to offer, covering both the main campaign and side quests.
The list below contains major spoilers for both the main campaign and side quests ofThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. It is recommended that playersbeat the gamebefore reading further.
5The Fall of Vesemir (Battle of Kaer Morhen)
A Great Sacrifice and the Cost of War
Vesemir,the oldest and most revered witcher, meets a tragic end during the Battle of Kaer Morhen inThe Witcher 3, sacrificing himself to protect Ciri from the Wild Hunt. As Geralt’s mentor and a father figure to all witchers, Vesemir is portrayed as a source of wisdom and stability, making his loss deeply personal for both the characters and the players.
His brutal execution at the hands of Imlerith, however, was a necessary (and pivotal) story point as it drives Ciri to take vengeance on the Wild Hunt. Vesemir’s death is one ofThe Witcher 3’s most heartbreaking moments, embodying the cost of war and the sacrifices made in the fight against destiny.
4The Tragic Love Story of Graham & Annabelle (A Towerful of Mice)
An Eternal Curse Born of Betrayal
Few tragedies inThe Witcher 3: Wild Huntare as haunting and gruesome asthe fate of Anabelle. Seeking refuge in the Fyke Isle Tower during a peasant revolt, she drank a potion believing it would grant her a painless death. Instead, the potion left her in a paralyzed state, allowing her to fool the mob but dooming her to an even worse fate.
Unable to move or cry for help,she was still alive when the rats swarmed later to devour her alive. Her restless spirit began haunting the tower, forever yearning to reunite with her lost love, Graham, who she throught betrayed her in the end by not saving her.
In the end, Geralt must make a grim choice: bring Graham to the tower to reunite with Anabelle’s ghost or deliver her remains to him, hoping to grant her peace. Neither path leads to a happy ending inThe Witcher 3. If Geralt brings Graham to the tower, the curse is lifted, but Anabelle’s kiss kills Graham. If Geralt instead takes her remains to Graham, he unknowingly unleashes a plague maiden, a harbinger of disease and death,dooming countless others to sickness and suffering.
3The Cannibals of Deadwight Wood (Without a Trace)
A Feast of Desperation and Disturbing Moral Dilemmas
“Without a Trace"is another unsettling and tragic story inThe Witcher 3. What begins as a simple search for a missing herbalist’s assistant takes Geralt to a strange village that is completely deserted except for an old couple. They claim that the other villages left for Novigrad. The gruesome truth, however, comes out to be thatthey are cannibals.
When confronted, the frail couple insists that they only scavenge dead bodies because they are too old to hunt. Killing them makes for an unsettling execution.Geralt slays monsters, not old, unarmed peasants, even if they are cannibals. The better choice seems to be sparing them with a severe warning to never eat human flesh again. However, when Geralt returns to the village later on, he finds the old man mourning his wife,who starved to death. Whether they were murderers or mere victims of circumstance, players are left to answer that on their own.
2The Pact of Olgierd von Everec (Hearts of Stone)
Three Wishes, and a Lifetime of Regret
Desperation, loss, and unintended consequences define the life of Olgierd von Everec. His is one of the most tragic stories inThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Born into nobility before financial ruin stripped him of everything, including Iris, the woman he loved, Olgierd made a pact withGaunter O’Dimmto grant him wealth, power, and immortality. Olgierd did it to win back his love. However, his wishes came at an unthinkable cost. He had to sacrifice someone he loved. Olgierd chose his brother, unknowingly condemning himself to a hollow existence where he gained everything he wanted, but lost the ability to feel anything at all.
What followed was a slow and inevitable downward spiral. Though he married Iris, the love that once defined their relationship faded as his cursed immortality drained him of empathy. She watched as the man she loved became cold and unrecognizable, retreating into dark rituals in a futile attempt to break the pact. When Iris’ father confronted him, Olgierd, now devoid of remorse, killed him without hesitation. That was the final straw. Iris, abandoned and left to waste away in sorrow, died alone, her spirit trapped ina realm of painful memories.
By the time Geralt meets him, Olgierd is a broken man clinging to vengeance and reckless indulgence. When Gaunter O’Dimm returns to collect his soul, Olgierd is forced to face the ultimate reckoning. If Geralt intervenes, he is freed, his emotions are restored, and he is finally able to grieve the life he destroyed. If not, he meets a fittingly bleak end, devoured by the same darkness he once sought out. Either way, his story is one of a man who gambled with fate and lost everything that truly mattered.
1The Bloody Baron (Family Matters)
A Dark Tale of Domestic Abuse, Regret, and Forgiveness
“Family Matters"is a harrowing and gut-wrenching quest that proves some tragedies cannot be undone. Philip Strenger, a once-proud Nilfgaardian soldier, turns his home into a nightmare for his wife, Anna, and daughter, Tamara. His drunken rage and violent outbursts lead Anna to suffer a miscarriage, and without a proper burial, the unborn child returns as a cursed botchling. Whether Geralt kills the creature or lifts its curse to give it a peaceful burial,the damage done to the Baron and his family is irreversible.
The Baron also seals the fate of his wife and daughter inThe Witcher 3. Anna falls into the hands ofthe Crones of Crookback Bog, cursed and enslaved. If Geralt fails to break the curse, she loses her mind completely; if he succeeds, she still succumbs to the trauma. Tamara, unwilling to forgive her father, permanently severs ties with him.
Despite his desperate attempts at redemption,the Baron cannot escape the weight of his sins. If Anna dies, he hangs himself in despair. If she survives, he abandons everything to care for her, but with no real hope of saving her.The Bloody Baron’s tragic story inThe Witcher 3provides a grim reminder that no magic can fix a broken family.
