5 horrific moments from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Fans of Witcher 3 know all about its dark fantasy elements as you follow Geralt on his journey. Let’s take a look at some of its scariest moments.

As the third and most popular entry into the Witcher franchise, it’s no surprise that Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt contains some of the most disturbing imagery out of the entire franchise. The game follows the journey of monster-slayer, Geralt of Rivia, as he tries to track down his missing foster daughter, Ciri.

Along the way, he encounters griffins, sorceresses, evil witches, demons, wraiths, ghosts, and other terrifying monsters. Here are some of the most horrifying moments from the game.

5. The Botchling

I feel like I don’t even have to explain this one in full, fans of the game will know exactly what I’m talking about. In one of the early main quests in Witcher 3 you’re required to assist the Bloody Baron in finding his wife and daughter. The quest eventually leads you into discovering the Baron ruthlessly beat his wife until she miscarried.

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Depending on which option you chose from that point, you may be forced to watch the fetal remains transform into the hideous creature known as the botchling as it attempts to terrorize the family it was borne from.

4. The Ladies of the Wood

Velen is full of all kinds of grotesque monstrosities, three of the biggest ones come in the shape of horrifying witches nestled in the woods. These are not your Disney witches, that’s for certain. When I think of the Ladies of the Wood I envision they are what the Brothers Grimm envisioned.

They even adorn a long walkway with “treats” for children to be lured towards them and then eaten in a giant cauldron. At one point in the game you even have to fight them and it’s terrifying.

3. Whoreson Junior’s lair

There is one part in the game where you have to go on a quest to find, and potentially kill, Whorseon Junior. He’s a big crime boss in Novigrad. After meeting him and seeing the kind of horrors in his den, it’s hard to imagine someone who would decide against killing him. Whorseon is known for buying escorts and then brutally slaughtering them.

He doesn’t kill them in any typical way either. He tortures them, strings them up, and leaves their bodies hanging around his murderous lair like hideous adornments. You can see the visceral gore yourself while looking around for him.

2. Fyke Isle

A strange seemingly deserted island in the middle of Velen waters is creepy enough, but you actually have to go to the Isle while on a particular side quest involving sorceress Keira Metz. The quest has you investigating a mysterious old tower rife with ghosts. It is revealed that the inhabitants of Fyke Isle were victims of a plague. But more than that, a man named Alexander was conducting horrific experiments on rats, and then live human subjects. You can find the remnants of his experiments in the top room of the tower.

Perhaps most disturbingly of all is the fate of a mage’s daughter, Annabelle. She was given a potion that paralyzed her and allowed the rats to eat her alive. Eventually, you have a choice of whether or not to help Annabelle’s ghost, depending on what you choose, you may mistakenly unleash a violent plague maiden who murders a man back on Velen.

1. Yennefer’s Necromancy

In all stories involving fantasy or magical elements, necromancy is spoken of in hushed tones. It is often seen as the ultimate taboo. But Yennefer, the sorceress, is forced to use it during a quest in Skelliege to track down Ciri. Skjall, the last person known to have associated with Ciri, is forcefully brought back to life by Yennefer using dark magic on his corpse.

It’s an eerie cutscene that involves grotesque and uncanny body movements in addition to the spine-chilling alteration of his voice. Both Yennefer and Geralt, who have both seen unspeakable things in their lifetimes, were both unsettled by the moment.

Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt is now available to purchase and a television series on Netflix is now in the works. 

Which moments from Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt did you find the most disturbing? Were you creeped out by any this list? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!