If you're looking to get the best ending in The Witcher 3, this guide will set you on the path. There are a total of 36 possible endings in The Witcher 3, so naturally, it's subjective as to which is the "best," but there's definitely a bad outcome, and there's one that doesn't leave all of your favorite characters clawing at the mud in despair.

Ciri taking up the path of a witcher is widely regarded as the "best" ending in The Witcher 3, but again, that can be a matter of perspective. There is also the matter of sorting out Geralt's love life, which has more evenly divided players into Team Yennefer or Team Triss camps. No matter how you use this guide, where you're stuck, or what "good" ending you're trying to achieve, we'll ensure you reach your ideal conclusions when playing through The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Updated December 13, 2023 by Quinton O'Connor: In an effort to improve readability for some of our most popular articles, we're sprucing 'em up to ensure they're as easy on your eyes as possible - whether you're at your computer, your phone, your tablet, you name it.

Spoilers for the ending of The Witcher 3 follow

Ciri's Story

Ciri alone may be destined to three separate fates depending on what actions Geralt makes, making hers some of the most dynamic conclusions in the game. No matter what path you take, Something Ends, Something Begins is The Witcher 3's epilogue quest, which zeroes in on Ciri's fate.

Below are the main quests and side quests you'll need to keep an eye out for in order to successfully determine Ciri's fate in the epilogue:

Main Quests:

• Blood on the Battlefield
• The Child of the Elder Blood
• Final Preparations

Side Quests:

• An Eye for an Eye
• A Deadly Plot
• Redania’s Most Wanted (completable during Act Two)
• Reason of State (completable during Act Three)

Some of these quests contain multiple decisions that can impact what happens to Ciri at the end of The Witcher 3. In Blood on the Battlefield, for instance, it matters how you approach Ciri, whether you visit Emperor Emhyr, and if you do, whether you accept the promised coin for bringing Ciri to him.

Yes, it is possible to kill Ciri, which, above all, we are trying to avoid.

It's a lot to keep in mind, especially if you think Ciri is best fated to become Empress of Nilfgaard. Here's how it looks broken down.

How To Ensure Ciri Lives

Making any three wrong choices of the five pivotal decisions during the quests listed below will result in Ciri's death. Some unexpected advice from Gaunter O'Dimm can help you navigate the murky waters of parenting Ciri if you complete the Hearts of Stone DLC before trekking too far down the main quest line, but you'll have to make a tough call before reaching that sub-conclusion as well.

Blood on the Battlefield

1. Your first decision is how to comfort Ciri after the battle of Kaer Morhen. Don't brush off her frustration with her training progress by saying "Relax, you don't have to be good at everything." Instead, tell her "I know what might lift your spirits."

2. You can decide whether to insist Ciri visit Emperor Emhyr before persuing her chosen course of action from Kaer Morhen.

• It's easy to simply not press the issue, resulting in no visit to Vizima and one check off of securing Ciri's safety.
• If you do insist on paying a visit to the Emperor, you'll have another decision to make before ebbing the tides of Ciri's fate one way or the other.
  • When presenting Ciri to her father, do not accept the promised payment from Emhyr, or you'll not only give Ciri reason to doubt herself when she needs reassurance the most, but you'll be in for a painfully awkward cutscene as well.

Final Preparations

3. Do not accompany Ciri to the Lodge of Sorceresses, instead embolden Ciri to talk to them herself.

The Child of the Elder Blood

4. Validate and support Ciri's anger as opposed to telling her to "calm down" when she loses her temper.

5. Don't deny Ciri's request to visit Skjall's grave by telling her there is no time.

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If you've already made a misstep or two, that's fine. You don't need to parent perfectly through all five circumstances but tread lightly going forward and make sure you follow this section closely because you do need to make three out of five correct choices to ensure Ciri's survival.

These decisions only guarantee Ciri's safety, so if you're looking to influence the course of Ciri's destiny after avoiding death, you'll have to meddle a little deeper.

Ciri's Witcher Ending

To get this ending you'll need to make four out of the five previously mentioned positive decisions throughout the game to see Ciri follow the Witcher path. Here are the decisions laid out again in an easily digestible format:

1. In Blood on The Battlefield, refuse to bring Ciri before the Emperor.
2. When comforting her during the same mission, say, "I know what might lift your spirits."
3. In Final Preparations, encourage Ciri to go by herself to the Lodge of Sorceresses.
4. When she loses her temper in The Child of the Elder Blood, tell her to go for it.
5. During the same mission, accompany Ciri to Skjall's grave when she asks if there is time.

Empress Cirilla of Nilfgaard

This one is the most involved of Ciri's endings. While a lot of the decisions are made during the same missions as the other endings, you'll need to complete a series of side quests in Act Two and Three to ensure Ciri becomes the Empress of Nilfgaard at the end of The Witcher 3.

1. Bring Ciri to the Emperor during Blood on the Battlefield.
2. During Act Two, make sure to complete the following side quests: An Eye for an Eye, A Deadly Plot, and Redania's Most Wanted.
3. In Act Three, start Blindingly Obvious and make sure to be nice to Dijkstra.
   • If you feed Dijkstra information about Ciri, you will unlock a quest called Reason of State.
   • Complete that quest and side with Vernon Roche and Ves against Dijkstra.

4. Complete all the steps above, plus three of the positive choices listed in the previous sections to keep Ciri alive long enough to receive the crown.

Geralt's Fate

Here's an overview for our beloved protagonist:

1. Bring Ciri to the Emperor during Blood on the Battlefield.
2. During Act Two, make sure to complete the following side quests: An Eye for an Eye, A Deadly Plot, and Redania's Most Wanted.
3. In Act Three, start Blindingly Obvious and make sure to be nice to Dijkstra.
   • If you feed Dijkstra information about Ciri, you will unlock a quest called Reason of State.
   • Complete that quest and side with Vernon Roche and Ves against Dijkstra.

4. Complete all the steps above, plus three of the positive choices listed in the previous sections to keep Ciri alive long enough to receive the crown.
5. Where Geralt ends up at the end of The Witcher 3 is solely down to his romantic choices, though I reckon he could be a bit depressed depending on how the whole Ciri thing goes down. Here's where our grizzled witcher can end up and links to the guides on how to get there:
   • Romance Triss Merigold and Geralt will move to Kovir with her.
   • Remain loyal to Yennefer and the two will retire from their nomadic lifestyles to enjoy some peace and take baths together.
   • If you forgo any romance or try to woo both ladies, Geralt will end up alone and continue his witchering across the Continent with the occasional visit from his ol' pal, Dandelion.

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Sub Endings With The Direst Outcomes

The rest of the permutations for The Witcher 3's endings deal with side characters in the game. Some choices you make will result in different epilogue missions, while others will get short cutscenes that are interjected during the main ending cinematic.

Here are some of the biggest ending variations in The Witcher 3, as well as some dedicated guides for other pivotal choices you'll have to make throughout the game.

The Whispering Hillock: The Fate Of The Orphans, The Town of Downwarren, and Anna

There is a spirit trapped within an old tree that is plaguing the nearby town of Downwarren. It would seem simple enough for a monster slayer to kill the cursed spirit and liberate the townsfolk. However, the spirit trapped within The Whispering Hillock is Geralt's only chance at saving the orphans being cared for by the Bloody Baron's wife, Anna.

Though both Anna and the orphans are ultimately at the mercy of The Crones of Crookback Bog.

During The Whispering Hillock, you'll need to choose whether to kill the spirit trapped under the tree or free it.

Novigrad: The Fate of The Mages And Non-Humans

It would be hard not to notice the growing racial tension throughout Novigrad, with the heavy Witch Hunter presence and a massive stake set up in Hierarch Square. It's certainly not a friendly place for mages and non-humans, though that seems to be where all of Geralt's non-human friends like Zoltan and Dudu congregate.

Even the witcher's long-running tryst, Triss Merigold is staying in the city, hiding under the nosehairs of danger to help the other mages escape. Naturally, this is where Geralt gets roped into the grand fight for justice.

The Fate of Keira Metz

What becomes of Keira Metz in The Witcher 3 by the end of her story is a black-and-white good or bad scenario, as there is only one positive outcome for an intense personality such as Keira's. The other two alternatives lead a straight path to her death. Even so, it's remarkably easy to get her killed inadvertently, so let's go over how to save Keira Metz.

• After discovering Keira plans to leverage a scroll of medical notes as a bargaining chip with the witch-hating King Radovid, Geralt doubtlessly needs to stop her, knowing better than the sorceress that Radovid would never let her live.
• Any attempt you make at arguing or pressuring Keira into giving you the notes will end in an unexpected boss battle where you are forced to kill Keira.
  • A couple of the dialogue options you are presented with are evidently abrasive and won't do much to sway a hardheaded sorceress. However, if you try to be direct with "Gimme the notes," the conversation will go the same way.

• Your only chance at sparing Keira a sudden death is to convince her to abandon her plan and seek refuge at Kaer Morhen. This will lead to a happily ever after scenario where Keira and Lambert become an item, making for a surprisingly heartwarming departure from the new happy couple after the Battle of Kaer Morhen. Honestly, those two deserve each other.
  • Be sure to select the "Go to Kaer Morhen." dialogue when it appears as it is only available once, and it is the only bit of dialogue that will steer Keira from her intended course of action.

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The Fate Of The Bloody Baron

Players are introduced to Philip Strenger, better known as The Bloody Baron, early on in The Witcher 3 when they follow traces of Ciri's whereabouts to Crow's Perch. Deciding the fate of The Witcher 3's Bloody Baron, is one of the most depressing quests in the game. Not to mention it demonstrates the witcher's consistent lesser evil conflict painfully well.

Political Games: Redania Vs. Nilfgaard, And The Skelligan Succession

What becomes of all the rulers and kingdoms in The Witcher 3 comes down to a notoriously neutral witcher. Needless to say "best" is a highly subjective term here.

Emhyr Wins The War

Ciri can only claim her empress fate if her legitimate daddy is still alive to pass on the crown, which is the leading argument for why Nilfgaard winning the war is the best of The Witcher 3's political outcomes. But that means the Continent will be subjected to Emhyr's tyranny for several more years, before hopefully enjoying an enlightened age ruled over by Empress Cirilla.

To ensure Nilfgaard's victory, you'll have to do several things:

• Complete Now or Never and help the mages escape Novigrad.
• Assist in A Deadly Plot to assassinate King Radovid and spare Novigrad its great cleansing of witches and nonhumans.
• Kill Dijkstra when he betrays Vernon Roche after the assassination.

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These measures will allow Nilfgaard to seize total control over the Continent, but will allow Roche to maintain a bit of Temerian integrity with a claim to sovereignty over his land. Emhyr Var Emreis, "The White Flame Dancing on The Barrows of His Enemies," is unquestionably a tyrant, and has no qualms about smiting all those who think to oppose him. But at least the Emperor doesn't persecute magic users and non-humans.

Radovid Wins The War

If Radovid wins the war, the Continent's northern subjects will be spared Emhyr's tyranny. But that's only an optimal conclusion for humans that don't have any non-human friends or ever require assistance from a local mage, because Radovid is intent on purging magic from the Continent and will proceed full force with the stake burnings in Novigrad.

The only thing you need to do to ensure this outcome is to deny Triss your help in liberating the mages during the Now or Never quest. However, you can still complete the quest, but refuse to partake in Radovid's assassination attempt. This way Redania will still prevail in the war, but you won't feel that lingering guilt for letting Triss down and condemning her comrades.

Dijkstra Takes Power

Helping Dijkstra rise to power will prevent both Emhyr's tyranny and the witch burnings in Novigrad, in exchange for another tyrant who rules through fear and oppression. But that's okay, as long as the Continent's industry is prosperous, right?

To help Dijkstra seize power, you'll have to do the following:

• Liberate the mages during Now or Never.
• Partake in A Deadly Plot to assassinate King Radovid
• Side with Dijkstra and see Roche, Ves, and Thaler die.

Honestly, this is probably the worst outcome seeing you won't be sparing any of the Continents subjects from a terrifying rule, human or non-human alike. But if you are avidly anti-Nilfgaard, then this might be the best route for you.

Skellige's New Ruler

Cerys is largely considered to be the best contender to take up the Skelligan crown. Under her smart rule, Skellige will flourish with prosperity and avoid needless bloodshed. Whereas her brother, Hjalmar, would rule with brawn over brain, consistently heckling Nilfgaard and costing many lives of his people.

Worst of all, if Svanrige takes up his father's crown, the berserker attack at the late king's wake will go unsolved and unpunished, while Svanrige takes further measures to incite civil war and eliminate all other threats to his crown.

Here's what you'll need to do to ensure Cerys takes the crown:

• Help Cerys with her personal quest: The Possession.
• Support Cerys after the berserker attack at King Bran's wake and help her uncover the conspirator.

Hearts Of Stone: Should You Help Olgierd Von Everec?

Of the two ultimatums, it's a toss-up which is the best ending in Hearts of Stone, though reward-wise the game seems to be suggesting that letting Olgierd die is the lesser evil. When you break it down monetarily, the sword Olgierd rewards you with isn't worth the effort of saving him, especially in the later game.

Allowing the Master Mirror to take Olgierd Von Everec's soul is both the easier and more profitable option as Gaunter O'Dimm offers several rewards for your compliance, including step-by-step advice on how to keep Ciri alive through the end of the game.

Blood And Wine

The Witcher 3's Blood and Wine DLC offers so much additional content, it's almost a fourth game on its own, and with just as impactful endings which all boil down to the fate of Toussaint's Dutchess Anna Hennrietta and her exiled sister, Syanna. Oh, and a maddened vampire who decides to lay siege to Beauclaire in revengeful bloodlust.

Evidently, the best outcome is that both sisters live through the long night and begin their reconciliation, but ensuring both royals survive without being torn apart by a vengeful vampire or stabbing the other in the back is just as difficult as it sounds. Luckily we've written up a complete ending guide for Blood and Wine.

It's quite remarkable how many different options are available, but most players will likely want to see Ciri as a Witcher and Geralt with their preferred sorceress. Now that you know how to achieve this and much more, good luck on the path!