New CD Projekt Red developers prepared for The Witcher 4's "vibe" by making that extra post-launch The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt quest that was added two years ago.
Here's something that'll make us all feel really old: The Witcher 3 turns 10 years old in 2025. That's a long time for the human brain, even for the talented developers at CD Projekt Red, so the team apparently reacquainted themselves with the fantasy series' atmosphere by adding yet another quest to their already huge pile of Witcher 3 quests via the threequel's next-gen update that came out a couple years back, alongside some visual tweaks and other goods. They were kind of soaking in grimdark vibes like Geralt soaks in bathtubs.
"Two years ago we released a new quest for The Witcher 3," Witcher 4 narrative designer Philipp Weber tweets. "New designers and writers worked on it preparing for the Witcher 4, together with one of our most senior quest designers, who is with us since the Witcher 1. All in all, it was the perfect start to getting back into the vibe."
That quest ended up being In the Eternal Fire's Shadow, which sees Geralt venture into a horror-tinged cave where a church had inhumanely locked up plague victims to stop the spread of disease. Of course, things aren't quite as simple as the church made it out to be - as is often the case - and Geralt begrudgingly gets to work with a disapproving growl - as is often also the case.
Inside, he then finds a former witcher a couple of centuries older than Geralt who's been possessed by some ungodly spirit, and what ensues is a mixture of what you'd expect from the game's sometimes genre-hopping nature. There's some combat, a lot of documents to find that'll enlighten the situation or help you with your upcoming battle, some twisted drama, and - since this misadventure deals with wraiths and possessions and religion - there's some spooks, too.
It's not all too dissimilar to the situation that Ciri finds herself in during The Witcher 4's reveal trailer as she treks into a misty forest to save a girl who stumbles away to sacrifice herself at the behest of her superstitious village, only to eventually die in the end anyway. Again, there are dark creatures, religious beliefs turned dangerous, tough choices that sometimes never yield emotionally satisfying answers, and a little horror sprinkled on top. So, I'd say maybe those CDPR newbies were onto something.
