The Witcher 4 devs explain how Ciri's fighting style will differ from Geralt's: "He's nimble, but he feels like a block...she's liquid"

The Witcher 4's biggest change from CD Projekt Red's first three fantasy epics is in its main protagonist, transitioning away from the gruff Geralt and toward his understudy/surrogate daughter Ciri. Naturally, swapping out heroes means more than just a revamped character model, and CDPR has now hinted at how combat is changing alongside the protagonist.

While delving into the sequel's reveal trailer, senior communications manager Pawel Burza points at one particular shot that shows Ciri pinning a monster to the ground before performing a "really cool" somersault to land her finishing blow. Sure, it's badass, but it's also an example of how she'll move differently to Geralt. "You don't see Geralt doing these things," Burza says. "He's nimble, but he feels like a block, in some sense. She's like, liquid, compared to him."

Game director Sebastian Kalemba notes how "she moves like she was raised by wolves in Kaer Morhen," which "comes from her personality, her posture and stuff." Of course, someone with a different upbringing and fighting style is going to influence a completely different form of combat. We got little hints at how she'd play in The Witcher 3, but The Witcher 4 will properly emphasize how unique she is.

"You also need to think about it - her body type is much different than what you expect from Geralt," Burza continues. "He's more blocky, she's more nimble, and she's smaller, which lets her use that to her advantage, because she's more agile."

The Witcher 4 director refutes claims that Ciri's appearance has changed since the reveal trailer: "We have not modified it"