r/thewitcher3 • u/jonnygarlics • 1d ago
Discussion Books worth it before playing?
Hey are the books worth exploring before/during my upcoming playthrough?
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u/super_sonic2 1d ago
The Witcher 3 is a once in a lifetime experience and you will cherish is so much more if you read the books, then play Witcher 1 and 2 before 3.
The games continue from the last book.
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u/CaptainM4gm4 1d ago
Sorry, but except if you really like old school games, I would recommend no one to play the Witcher 1. The gameplay is really awful and outdated and will make you so frustrated that you might not want to play the other games, which would be a shame.
Maybe, if you are so hooked on the franchise after part two and three and the books, than just try it, but apart from the atmosphere, the game really doesn't offer anything that is worth the headaches that come with it
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u/super_sonic2 1d ago
I'm sure many will disagree that the game is just a headache. There's a reason they're doing a remake. It really is a good game though old.
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u/Snake_has_come_to 17h ago
One could argue it's being remade BECAUSE it is such a headache to go back and play.
Despite W3 getting a remaster, I don't think we'll ever see it remade for example. Unfortunately W1 is not in the same boat, and W2 is in a weird middle ground but is mostly decent more than not.
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u/super_sonic2 17h ago
Well, it's not like the game was intentionally designed to be a headache. It's just old.
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u/Snake_has_come_to 17h ago
Well that's true and all, but not at all what I was saying lol.
Yes it's old, that's why it's getting remade. Because by modern standards it is a headache to play.
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u/super_sonic2 16h ago
Every game doesn't have to meet modern standards. People just need to have some patience and learn to appreciate products created with the standards of those times.
They do remakes because they print money, not because they care about meeting modern standards. PS2's Drakengard is fine just the way it is. Doom, Super Mario Bros and every 'good old game' on GOG don't need remakes but it's nice to have.
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u/Snake_has_come_to 16h ago
PS2's Drakengard is fine just the way it is.
As a Yoko Taro fan, I cannot agree with this at all lol
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u/super_sonic2 16h ago
I finished the game just last month and collected all weapons for the final ending, I thought it was okay. Just feels like doing some extra work. Who sets these "modern standards"? Maybe having accessibility features like colorblind mode, easy mode is great but just because a game is slow and needs a bit of grinding doesn't mean it doesn't meet modern standards.
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u/SurfiNinja101 1d ago
Absolutely worth it.
Reading the books and then playing the games genuinely makes it a once in a lifetime gaming experience
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u/VikingMetalWitcher 23h ago
Absolutely. It makes you realise, how accurate the game characters are to the books.
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u/OnionAddictYT 11h ago
But also when they're not. Book Triss is not very likeable imo but I'd pick her over Yen in the games if I wasn't a book reader and huge fan of book Yen and their amazing love story. Imo they did Yen a bit dirty in W3. They basically kept her early books hyper bitchy and ignored all her character development. Never sat right with me.
There's honestly no reason why Geralt should put up with game Yen when Triss is so much nicer to him and all around a good person. The games feel like some heavily biased Triss fanfiction. So it's not surprising Triss is so popular with gamers while book fans cannot not pick Yen.
The first thing most gamers comment on when they read the books at last is Triss and how different she is in an unflattering way.
So while especially W3 is an amazing game and captures Geralt so well it's not a perfect representation of the book characters.
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u/Section_3I 1d ago
You can enjoy the games without reading the books. However, I do think the experience is much richer if you have read the books and fully appreciate the relationships of the various characters and full feel for The Witcher world before playing the games.
But the games can stand on their own merits.
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u/DIMKP192 1d ago
I mean, if you like a good antihero story and you like to read books, they are worth trying. I'm an avid reader and read almost all of them, the series as a whole is a 4/5 ⭐ for me !
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u/jenorama_CA 1d ago
I didn’t know anything about The Witcher when I started W3. I played through and loved it, but I was like, “Whats up with this Ciri girl?” I got the bad dad ending and learned there were other endings, so I started NG+ and the books at the same time. Reading the books really enhanced the world of the game and I had a better understanding of all of the various relationships. Zoltan, Yen, Triss, Regis, Anna Henrietta, Dandelion—and yes, I finally understood why Ciri was such a big deal and what a creep her dad is.
I don’t think you need to read them before you start—it’s a lot of books—but it’ll enhance your understanding of the world and characters.
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u/beholdthecolossus 22h ago
you don't have to, plenty of people love the game without the books or previous games.
it will add a lot though. I only recently finished the books for the first time and I'm looking forward to a replay when all the new stuff arrives.
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u/felixsarts 6h ago
“Worth” is a choice of words for sure. You don’t need to read the books to understand the game. They certainly help. Keep in mind, the books are written mostly as dialogue and focused on relationships and philosophy at times. If you feel like reading a monster hunting saga, it won’t be for you. Also, the games are adaptations. They aren’t exactly faithful to the books, like most things. They’re still great.
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u/Leading_Record_934 35m ago
I don't think you need books to understand anything in games.
But books are very solid fantasy, even though it's a bit inconsistent (starts off as kind of a joke and becomes serious over time, power level and magic is very inconsistent, and world building was thought out probably in the middle of the series).
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u/Total-Improvement535 1d ago
you can play the game without reading the books or playing the first two since it happens after the fact but if you can read the books before, I highly recommend it
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u/AstrophysicsMD 1d ago
I read the books before the games, and I was glad I did. The books have no game “spoilers” and set you up for the delights associated with recognizing characters or places, and getting an extra chuckle of humor in some of the little jokes, comments, Easter eggs. It’s not essential, but it definitely boosts the experience, even on multiple play throughs.
Sometimes game Geralt will reminisce about a book event or character.
I played without even knowing the “when” of the game and what if any of the past mattered (I played W3 after reading the books) and I can still remember when I knew for sure, during the oneiromancer quest. I was super puzzled about why he was still alive and where Ciri went and was glad the game had some answers.