The Witcher has quickly become one of Netflix's most beloved shows. After the sensational second season climbed into Netflix’s most-watched TV list in just one month, we can’t blame you if you've fallen in love with what the writers, directors, and the incredible talent of executive producer Lauren Schmidt-Hissrich have crafted here. The first two seasons (finally) united our three main characters; Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), Yennefer of Vengerberg played by the stunning Anya Chalotra, and completing the trio is Ciri (or Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon) portrayed by up-and-coming actress Freya Allan. It’s been a long road of epic battles, expertly orchestrated character development, and insane special effects with a budget reported to be on par with Marvel Disney+ shows. While the Season 2 finale might have seen our leading characters side by side, don’t expect any peace and quiet coming your way as you enter Season 3. So without further ado let’s dive back into the magical world of Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher.

Editor's Note: This article was updated on November 8, 2023.

What Happened in 'The Witcher' Season 2?

The writers of Season 2 had their work cut out following up on all the cliffhangers and storylines we were left with after Season 1. The first half of the season sees Ciri and Geralt travel to Kaer Morhen and the world's most awkward father-daughter relationship. Everyone thinks Yennefer is dead but spoiler alert, she isn’t. Yennefer loses her magic to a trapped demon, the deathless mother (that will be important later). The war between Nilfgaard and Cintra introduces elven sorceress Francesca Findabair (Mecia Simson) who forges an alliance with the Nilfgaardian Mage Fringilla (Mimi Ndiweni) however when Francesca is found to be pregnant, a spanner is thrown in the works. Up in Kaer Morhen Vesemir (Kim Bodnia) discovers Ciri’s powers are due to her possession of the elder blood, a long presumed extinct mutagen ingredient for creating new witchers. Despite the plot being constantly flung in our faces to set up the second half of the season, we also had some heart-wrenching scenes. Yennefer finally returns to Aretuza, and we have an emotional reunion with mother-figure Tissaia (who also presumed her dead). It has to be said that the center point of the season is defined by the reintroduction of Joey Batey as Jaskier with his spine-tingling rendition of "Burn Butcher Burn".

The second half of Season 2 informs us that Ciri is prophesied to destroy the world and she is linked to the monoliths scattered over it, she also insists on being the trial subject of the torturous witcher-making process using her own blood (Geralt steps in just in time). Geralt finds out Yenn is alive, just as Yenn finds out from the deathless mother that all she needs to do to get her powers back is deliver Ciri to… something bad. Surprise, Geralt, Ciri, and Yenn run into each other at the Temple of Melitele where Ciri is meant to be learning magic from the priestess Nenneke played by the fabulous Adjoa Andoh who you might recognize from another Netflix high flier, Bridgerton. Ciri is now being pursued by a fire mage with a mysterious task, to escape him, Yennefer teaches her how to portal and they go on a little road trip without Geralt. Yennefer actually helps teach Ciri some magic tricks but Ciri finds out Yennefer is betraying her. Yenn has a change of heart and we all get our hearts stolen when Geralt saves the day, sending Ciri away with Jaskier back to Kaer Morhen and declaring to Yennefer that Ciri is “mine”. A lovely display of character growth for the broody witcher since Season 1.

In the jam-packed finale, Francesca’s elven baby is murdered, causing such pain it releases the deathless mother (with whom she had also made a deal) who heads off to possess Ciri. Francesca, convinced of a Northern attack begins to murder human babies as she leads away the elves just as a possessed Ciri begins murdering sleeping witchers in Kaer Morhen. A hidden monolith in the witcher tree is revealed, and she releases basilisks on the remaining witchers, Jaskier, Geralt, and Yennefer. Yenn apologizes to Ciri and offers herself as a host to the deathless mother who releases Ciri and they are transported to a different world where they see the wild hunt approaching, after Ciri for her elder blood. Together they manage to escape just in time and Yennefer discovers her powers have returned. In a shock twist, we discover that Emperor Emhyr of the Nilfgaardian forces (Bart Edwards) is in fact Ciri’s father.

Watch the Trailers for 'The Witcher' Season 3 Volume 1 and Volume 2

On April 25, 2023, we got our first look at the third season. While we don't learn a ton of information, we do see just what our trio will be facing in the upcoming season. Check out our first look at The Witcher season 3 below.

We received the first full trailer for The Witcher Season 3 on June 8, 2023. It's over two and a half minutes showcasing where the story is headed and hypes us up for everything to come.

A montage from The Witcher Season 3 was released on June 9, 2023, teasing the domestic life of Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer. Then on June 18, we also got a new clip from The Witcher Season 3 that shows Ciri being attacked. Clearly, there are grave dangers awaiting the character this season. See it here:

Post the release of Season 3's first half, Netflix unveiled a trailer for The Witcher Season 3 Volume 2 on July 13. See it in the player below:

Since then, we've also seen a BTS clip that shows how the Shaerrawedd one-shot fight was made. More recently, on July 24, Netflix also released a new The Witcher Season 3 Volume 2 trailer. See it in the player below:

When Was 'The Witcher' Season 3 Released?

The Witcher returned to Netflix on June 29, 2023, with five new episodes. The season was broken up into two parts, with the second volume released on July 27, 2023. Netflix has slowly evolved its binge model to include weekly releases and or batches. Like Stranger Things 4, The Witcher also opted to have two halves compared to its previous seasons.

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Who Are the Cast of 'The Witcher' Season 3?

For starters, Cavill, Batey, Allen, and Chalotra all return as Geralt, Jaskier, Ciri, and Yennefer, respectively. This is also the final season where Henry Cavill stars as Geralt. The actor has left the show due to creative differences and will be replaced by Liam Hemsworth for Season 4. Also returning for Season 3 are Anna Shaffer as Triss, Graham McTavish as Djikstra, Mahesh Jadu as Vilgefortz, Bart Edwards as Emhyr, Mimi Ndiweni's Fringilla and Eamon Farren's Cahir. Sam Woolf appears as Rience, taking over from Chris Fulton, who played the character in Season 2. Other confirmed cast members include Cassie Clare, Tom Canton, Mecia Simson, MyAnna Buring, appearing alongside Lars Mikkelsen, Simon Callow, Kaine Zajaz, Royce Pierreson, Liz Carr, Jeremy Crawford, Terence Maynard, Ed Birch, Wilson Mbomio, and Therica Wilson-Read.

What Can You Expect from 'The Witcher' Season 3?

Starting with the obvious, Season 3 is a two-part story of five episodes each. We also know that this is not the last season, which means more cliffhangers are in your future. We are also (sort of) moving through the series of novels and short stories that make up Sapkowski’s The Witcher Saga in chronological order. The first two seasons took artistic license with the chronological order of the books, taking elements from the first three books: The Last Wish, Sword of Destiny, and Blood of Elves. Both seasons include narratives from some short stories. The first episode of Season 2 is in fact based on the short story A Grain of Truth and serves to reveal Geralt’s moral compass for the season.

We also know quite a bit about Season 3 for a different reason. Last year, Collider was among a select group of journalists invited to visit Longcross Studios, where most of The Witcher is filmed. We learned quite a lot about the season during the set visit. You can read all about that here and here's a quick summary of what we learned about the plot:

Season 3 explores more of the “found family” dynamic between Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri, with them living in a cottage by a lake, where Geralt and Yennefer train Ciri. However, their domestic life is interrupted when Geralt goes after the fire mage Rience (Sam Woolf). Meanwhile, Yennefer takes Ciri to Aretuza, where a major battle takes place, which brings all the main characters together. The main villain is Vilgefortz (Mahesh Jadu), who becomes a major antagonist for the series moving forward. Ciri also travels to the Korath desert in an episode focused entirely on her and has her first kill this season, a significant turning point for her. As for Jaskier, a new bard challenges his musical talents in Season 3 and Joey Batey reportedly drew inspiration from John Lennon for his performance. Jaskier and Ciri have more screen time together this season and Ciri also grows closer to Yennefer. Series creator Lauren Schmidt Hissrich also confirmed that Season 3 sticks closer to the books than previous seasons, adapting Sapkowski’s Time of Contempt.