CANON CRIMES: Inside ‘The Witcher 3’ Choice Contradictions Splitting the Next-Gen RPG Community

HOLY SHT… WERE WE ALL PLAYING GERALT WRONG THIS WHOLE TIME?! 😱⚔️**

You think you’re a true Witcher lore expert? Think again. The latest gameplay data analytics and lore-breakdowns from the community just revealed something DISTURBING: over 60% of players have made choices in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt that directly violate Geralt of Rivia’s core ethos from Andrzej Sapkowski’s books! ‼️🔥

From executing a specific lover-turned-sorceress over a stack of plague notes to walking away while Sigismund Dijkstra butchers Temeria’s finest… some of these selectable dialogue options don’t just feel wrong—they completely break the immersion of the entire Witcher saga! 🎮💔

But here is where it gets INSANE: there is ONE obscure choice involving a Skellige blood-debt that almost EVERYONE gets tricked into… and the lore consequence is so dark CD PROJEKT RED had to hide a specific journal entry written by Dandelion! 📜⚠️

Did you accidentally butcher Keira Metz? Did you hand Ciri over for a pouch of Nilfgaardian crowns? Or did you commit the ultimate cardinal sin with a harmless Doppler in Novigrad?! 🚨

The full breakdown of the 10 Choices Geralt Would NEVER Make—and why your current Next-Gen save file might be canonically ruined—has just dropped. You won’t believe #4…

Read the full shocking breakdown here BEFORE your next playthrough! 👇🔥

It was supposed to be the ultimate test of moral grey areas in modern gaming. When CD PROJEKT RED released The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, it was lauded worldwide for abandoning standard RPG light-versus-dark karma meters in favor of nuanced, player-driven decision-making. Fast-forward to the release of the Next-Gen v4.0+ Remastered Update, complete with path-tracing, dynamic combat cameras, and rebalanced gameplay mechanics—and a fierce narrative controversy has reignited across Reddit, Discord, and TikTok.

At the center of the storm is a uncomfortable reality: while CD PROJEKT RED built a masterclass in interactive storytelling, they also left several player choices on the table that completely obliterate Geralt of Rivia’s established character lore.

A viral breakdown originally highlighted by prominent Witcher lore archivist Neon Knight—whose detailed analysis accumulated millions of views—has ignited heated debates among hardcore Andrzej Sapkowski readers and casual RPG gamers alike. The verdict? Players routinely make decisions that the real Butcher of Blaviken would never, under any circumstances, execute.

From cold-blooded sorceress executions to selling out adopted royalty for Nilfgaardian coin, here is an in-depth investigation into the 10 choices Geralt would never make in The Witcher 3, the lore-breaking mechanics behind them, and how the community is responding.

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1. The Execution of Keira Metz (“A Favor for a Friend”)

Of all the controversial choices at Fyke Isle during the questline A Favor for a Friend, none carries a higher lore penalty than Geralt drawing his steel sword against Keira Metz.

In this scenario, after discovering that Keira utilized Geralt to clear Fyke Isle’s tower and retrieve Alexander’s research notes on the Catriona Plague, Geralt confronts her. Choosing the dialogue option demanding the notes leads to an immediate, lethal duel.

Why It Violates Canon:

Geralt’s lore across Andrzej Sapkowski’s eight novels establishes that he goes out of his way to protect sorceresses tied to Yennefer of Vengerberg. In Time of Contempt, Geralt actively saved Keira Metz’s life simply because of her association with Yennefer and the Lodge of Sorceresses.

Furthermore, the game’s narrative engine visibly fractures if Keira dies by Geralt’s hand. When Geralt travels to Skellige shortly after, Yennefer—who routinely probes Geralt’s mind—completely ignores Keira’s death. Triss Merigold later mentions it only off-screen, acknowledging that the Lodge somehow already knows.

“Killing Keira Metz irreversibly damages Geralt’s character integrity,” noted veteran Reddit moderator /u/KaerMorhenLibrarian. “Yennefer views Keira almost like a sister. If Geralt executed her over notes on a plague, neither Yennefer nor Triss would ever forgive him. The game has to skim over the narrative ripple effects because CDPR knew barely any canon-conscious player would pick it.”

2. Siding Against Temeria in “Reason of State”

Perhaps the most universally criticized choice in RPG history occurs at the conclusion of Reason of State. Following the successful assassination of King Radovid V of Redania, Sigismund Dijkstra reveals his master plan: to betray his co-conspirators—Vernon Roche, Ves, and Thaler—and rule Redania himself. Dijkstra asks Geralt to simply walk away and let his henchmen slaughter the Temerian patriots.

Why It Violates Canon:

Geralt is notoriously loyal to his comrades. Roche and Ves put their lives on the line for Geralt during the Battle of Kaer Morhen. To suggest Geralt would passively watch his brothers-in-arms get cut down to preserve political neutrality goes against his fundamental moral framework.

Beyond Geralt’s character, the community frequently points out that Dijkstra’s writing in this moment suffers from severe character regression.

• “Dijkstra is a master spy and political genius,” argued YouTuber Neon Knight. “He knows Geralt better than almost anyone. Expecting Geralt to step aside while his friends are murdered in front of him is hilariously out of character for Dijkstra to even propose.”

The narrative dynamic was so widely disliked by players that modders created Dijkstra’s Doppler, a popular PC mod for The Witcher 3 that causes Dijkstra to drop a Doppler Mutagen upon death—canonizing the fan theory that the real Dijkstra was replaced by an impostor during this mission.

3. Executing the Novigrad Doppler (“An Elusive Thief”)

In the Novigrad Witcher Contract An Elusive Thief, Geralt tracks down an elusive thief stealing food across the city. The culprit turns out to be a Doppler—a shape-shifter—who was merely stealing provisions to feed starving non-humans and elven refugees hiding in the slums. After a chase, the Doppler transforms into Geralt to defend himself before surrendering.

The player is given the choice to execute the Doppler or let him leave Novigrad under the condition that he stops stealing.

Why It Violates Canon:

Witcher lore explicitly dictates that Geralt does not kill sentient, non-hostile creatures—especially Doppler species, who are inherently peaceful and non-aggressive. This quest directly mirrors Geralt’s canonical backstory with Dudu (the Doppler who later becomes a core ally in The Witcher 3).

In fact, if the player chooses to execute the Doppler, the game’s own internal narrator—Dandelion—expresses disgust in the Quest Journal entry:

“To this day, I think Geralt did wrong in killing that Doppler. In my opinion, his crimes did not match the punishment meted out to him.”

Gameplay collectors often make this non-canon choice solely to acquire the rare Doppler Mutagen required to craft the Doppler Decoction, highlighting a tension between RPG completionism and lore fidelity.

4. Accepting Emhyr’s Coin for Finding Ciri (“Blood on the Battlefield”)

Following the battle at Kaer Morhen, Geralt can choose to bring Ciri to Vizima to meet her biological father, Emperor Emhyr var Emreis. Upon delivering her, Emhyr attempts to hand Geralt a massive pouch of Nilfgaardian gold crowns as payment for the contract.

The player can choose to accept the payment or refuse it.

Why It Violates Canon:

Accepting payment for Ciri effectively treats Geralt’s adopted daughter—the person he spent years searching the continent for—as a bounty target. Accepting the coin visibly devastates Ciri, shattering her trust in Geralt at a critical psychological juncture.

From a narrative standpoint, Geralt views Ciri as his child, bound by the Law of Surprise. Taking money from the emperor who invaded Ciri’s homeland and caused her immeasurable trauma is an act of betrayal that Geralt’s book or game persona would never commit.

5. Refusing to Visit Skjall’s Grave (“Child of the Elder Blood”)

In the emotional aftermath of Ciri’s journey through Skellige, she requests that Geralt accompany her to Lofoten to visit the grave of Skjall—the young man who sacrificed his life and reputation to help her escape the Wild Hunt.

The player can choose to refuse, claiming there is “no time” and that higher-priority matters await.

Why It Violates Canon:

Geralt is deeply empathetic toward Ciri’s emotional trauma and grief. The excuse that there is “no time” falls flat within the game’s own pacing, as Geralt routinely engages in side contracts, Gwent tournaments, and horse races throughout the main narrative.

Notably, if players complete the Hearts of Stone expansion before finding Ciri, Gaunter O’Dimm explicitly advises Geralt on how to save Ciri from her destiny:

“There will come a time when she will grieve for a friend. Grieve with her.”

Refusing to visit Skjall’s grave directly triggers one of the negative points toward Ciri’s ultimate demise in the game’s tragic ending sequence.

6. Turning In the Halfling Merchant to Witch Hunters (“Hey, You Want to Look at My Stuff?”)

In an easily missed unmarked side quest in Novigrad titled Hey, You Want to Look at My Stuff?, Geralt encounters a Halfling merchant secretly selling magic artifacts salvaged from mages who were captured or executed by Radovid’s Witch Hunters.

When Witch Hunters approach the alley, the Halfling flees. The Witch Hunters question Geralt about why the merchant ran. Players can either cover for him with a sarcastic remark or outright inform the Witch Hunters of the Halfling’s contraband operation.

Why It Violates Canon:

Geralt harbors absolute contempt for King Radovid’s Order of the Flaming Rose and the Witch Hunters. Ratting out a street merchant to religious zealots guarantees the Halfling will be burned alive on a pyre at Hierarch Square. Geralt consistently refuses to act as an informant for state authorities, particularly those persecuting non-humans and mages.

7. Murdering Friendly Rock Trolls (Bart & Thaler’s Troll Triumvirate)

Throughout The Witcher 3, players encounter several sentient Rock Trolls. While some trolls are hostile or actively consuming human flesh (such as the trolls cooking Folan alive in Skellige), several key encounters involve harmless, intelligent trolls:

1. Bart the Troll: Guards Dijkstra’s vault in Novigrad, loves rocks, and is under a spell cast by Philippa Eilhart.

2. Ogg, Pogg, and Rogg: The troll trio holding Thaler captive because they want him to make them shoes.

In both instances, players are given the dialogue option to draw weapons and slaughter them.

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Why It Violates Canon:

Witcher Code—while largely a self-imposed guideline Geralt uses to refuse unethical jobs—strictly forbids the killing of non-hostile, sentient species. Bart is gentle and easily persuaded once Philippa’s magic wears off. Similarly, Thaler’s captors display no genuine malice; they simply desire footwear. Butchering these creatures directly contradicts Geralt’s life philosophy regarding monster hunting.

8. Leaving Abandoned Children to Starve in Velen (“Man’s Best Friend”)

In a small, unmarked micro-quest in Velen titled Man’s Best Friend, Geralt stumbles upon a group of orphaned children hiding in a dilapidated cottage. Their parents were killed by Nilfgaardian soldiers or plague. The children are starving and beg for help.

The player can choose to give them food, give them 25 crowns, or simply walk away saying, “Farewell and good luck.”

Why It Violates Canon:

Leaving starving children to die when Geralt’s inventory is routinely stocked with food and crowns is an absurdity of player agency. Returning to the cottage later if no help is provided reveals the children have vanished—implied to have perished. Geralt, who was himself an orphan given away to the School of the Wolf at Kaer Morhen, consistently displays a protective soft spot for helpless children throughout the books and games.

9. Murdering Volund for Simon (“An Unpaid Debt”)

In the Skellige quest An Unpaid Debt, Geralt can accept help from a prison inmate named Simon to escape Madman Lugos’s dungeon. Later, Simon tracks Geralt down near Kaer Trolde and demands Geralt fulfill his end of the bargain by killing a man named Volund.

When Geralt confronts Volund, he learns the truth: Simon previously murdered Volund’s brother, and Volund has been seeking justice ever since. Simon is simply using Geralt as an enforcer to eliminate a witness.

The player can choose to murder Volund to honor the debt, or refuse.

Why It Violates Canon:

When pressed, Geralt gives the canonically correct response: “Out of the question, Simon. I’m no murderer.”

Geralt does not take assassination contracts on human beings under any circumstances. The concept of “Skellige honor”—which Simon attempts to leverage to force Geralt’s hand—means nothing to Geralt when it involves cold-blooded murder. Refusing the contract causes Simon to attack Geralt, justifying Simon’s death in self-defense.

10. Indiscriminate Witcher Contract Executions: The Succubus & Silverton Sylvan

Throughout various Witcher Contracts—such as Deadly Delights (Novigrad Succubus) or The Sylvan of Lindenvale—players can choose to execute creatures that have caused minor disruptions or acted purely in self-defense.

In Deadly Delights, a Succubus kills Redanian guards who ambushed and cornered her in an alley. Geralt can choose to kill her or let her flee Novigrad after gathering evidence.

Why It Violates Canon:

Geralt’s lore interactions with relics, succubi, and sylvans consistently emphasize negotiation over slaughter whenever human life is not actively in danger. In the short story The Edge of the World, Geralt actively protects a Sylvan (Torque) from local villagers who wish to murder him. Killing creatures who demonstrate human-level reasoning and remorse flies directly in the face of Geralt’s morality.

Summary Table: Canon Integrity vs Player Choice

The following summary outlines the primary non-canon choices in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, their location, and the underlying lore breach:

The Future of Choice Architecture in The Witcher 4 (Project Polaris)

As CD PROJEKT RED transitions full production to the next chapter in the franchise—codenamed Project Polaris—the balance between player agency and established protagonist lore remains a central topic of discussion among RPG developers.

The Next-Gen Remastered edition of The Witcher 3 proved that players deeply value narrative freedom, even when given options that stretch character logic to its limits. However, with rumors circulating that Project Polaris may feature a custom-created Witcher or a protagonist with less rigid literary backstory, developers may no longer face the same canon constraints that made certain choices in The Witcher 3 so jarring.

For now, millions of players continue to traverse the Continent in The Witcher 3 Remastered, navigating the murky waters between optimal gameplay rewards and staying true to the White Wolf’s legendary legacy.