CD Projekt Red started out their development journey with The Witcher series, releasing two titles that had relatively muted success before the third game blew everyone out of the water and cemented this franchise as one of the greatest video game series of all time.
A major reason for the success of The Witcher is CD Projekt Red's unwavering faithfulness to the core tenets of the books while crafting new elements of their own to make this game all the more appealing to players. The characters are a great way to illustrate this, with each figure being recaptured faithfully from the books, albeit with a few unique spins from the developer's end.
Dandelion is a great character that can show, in a nutshell, what CD Projekt Red has done to change up characters while making them still feel right at home with their book counterparts. That being said, there are some changes made to Dandelion's character that can be a bit too much for book readers to digest. Keeping this in mind, here are ten of the biggest differences between Dandelion in the books and the game.
10 His Name Itself Is Quite A Notable Change
The first thing that any person who's read the books or seen the Netflix show will notice is that Dandelion's name isn't really Dandelion at all.
In fact, it's actually Jaskier. Either due to translation issues or a need for the names to be easier to pronounce, the bard's name was switched to Dandelion instead.
9 His Hair Is Blonde In The Books But Brown In The Games
Dandelion's overall look has been changed quite extensively in the games as well.
His hair is one such change, with his blonde locks being converted into brown instead in the games. This alteration might seem minor in the grand scheme of things, but it's something that bears mentioning nevertheless.
8 He Looks Way Too Young For His Age In The Games
Perhaps one of the biggest changes about Dandelion that most people don't notice is just how young he looks in the game, especially when one considers his age!
With the games being pretty much a direct sequel to the books, Dandelion is definitely in his 40s during the events of The Witcher trilogy. However, one can't really tell that by looking at him, since he could easily pass for a bard in his early 20s.
7 His Clothing Is Not Nearly As Flamboyant As It Is In The Games
The clothing styles of the main characters tend to be quite unique compared to the other people on the Continent. While this does make sense for some characters — like Geralt — it certainly doesn't make sense for someone like Dandelion to dress like a bard all the time.
And yet, one can never see Dandelion in normal clothing throughout the games. Whether it be a flamboyant hat or a really loud color, there's always something about Dandelion's wardrobe that stands out from the crowd.
6 He Can Be A Bit Too Cowardly At Times (With Some Notable Exceptions)
Dandelion might be a ton of things in the books, but one can't really call him a coward. However, the games decided to forgo this notion altogether and turn Dandelion into a character that is constantly shaking in his boots at the first sign of trouble.
That being said, there are times when Dandelion has put his life on the line to protect the people he loves, with his 'sacrifice' for Ciri being a notable example.
5 His Negative Traits Are Exaggerated In The Games
It seems CD Projekt Red did a number on Dandelion's character by hamming up a bunch of his negative traits.
This is perhaps most notable when it comes to his reasoning skills and level of intelligence. Dandelion might not be the brightest person around in the books, but he's still way smarter than the absolute buffoon he turns into in the games.
4 For A World-Renowned Bard, He Doesn't Really Have Much Of A Reputation
Dandelion is apparently known around the world as a skillful and famous bard, whose tales and ballads have been sought out by kings and queens all over the Continent.
However, one can't really tell that in The Witcher trilogy. The games don't really show any sort of fan following or adoration for Dandelion, which contrasts notably with his established reputation as a well-known bard.
3 Doesn't Have The Magical Silver Tongue That Could Get Him Out Of A Tight Spot Any Time
The gift of gab is something that Dandelion has in spades. And yet, he can never talk himself out of a tough spot in the games for some reason.
For a person who's supposed to be one of the most convincing speakers in the books, it seems that there was no area where CD Projekt Red wanted him to excel in other than his music. And even that's been downplayed.
2 His Friendship With Geralt Is Downplayed & Altered
In the books, one can argue that Dandelion is easily Geralt's best friend by a long shot. While the witcher might get exasperated with some of the bard's actions, there's no denying the fact that he definitely enjoys having such a bright and jovial personality alongside him during his travels.
Meanwhile, Geralt from the games treats Dandelion's very presence as a burden pretty much all the time, expecting the bard to screw up in some way or the other without really giving him the benefit of the doubt.
1 He Really Can Be Way Too Much Of A Burden At Times
With the previous entry in mind, one can't deny that anyone would find it a chore to deal with Dandelion in the games.
We've already spoken at length about the many ways in which Dandelion's negative traits have been amped up in the games, and this leads to a situation where nothing Dandelion does actually ends up leading to a positive contribution in the grand scheme of things. Keeping this in mind, why wouldn't Geralt treat Dandelion like a burden?