Image of Ciri, with a sword across her back, resting after defeating a monster. The Witcher 3 has dozens of endings, but Ciri only has three possible outcomes, and one is much better than the others. The many variables that determine the game’s endings primarily affect the more minor details regarding the world’s state and Geralt’s impact on it. However, the three main ending cutscenes are determined by Geralt’s choices with Ciri, whose fate is most at stake in the game’s final moments. She can be set on one of three very different paths, but only one is truly suitable for Geralt’s adopted daughter.

Ciri’s three endings in The Witcher 3 differ significantly from each other. Two of the game’s conclusions are pretty straightforward, and most first-time players will probably experience one of these outcomes. The worst ending sees Ciri dying during the confrontation with the White Frost as a result of Geralt’s negative choices throughout the game. If he made better choices, Ciri survives the battle and becomes the Empress of Nilfgaard. However, the third ending is a bit more complex and requires Geralt to make crucial choices in moments that aren’t readily apparent.

Ciri’s Witcher Ending Is The Best Conclusion To The Witcher 3

Image of Ciri unsheathing the Witcher sword Geralt gifted her as he looks on.

The best ending in The Witcher 3 sees Ciri surviving the final battle and venturing onto The Path on her own as a proper Witcher. To get The Witcher 3’s best ending, Geralt must carefully choose actions demonstrating his trust in Ciri and her abilities. This gives her the confidence to believe in herself and pursue the life of a Witcher, which she has dreamed of living since she was young. From a technical perspective, this ending is considered the best because it is relatively difficult to achieve, effectively making it a hidden ending. From a character level, however, this conclusion makes the most sense to Ciri’s character arc.

Witcher 3 Endings – Why Ciri Becoming A Witcher Makes Perfect Sense

Image of Ciri, Yennefer, and Geralt aboard a ship looking toward their destination.

It can be argued that the Empress Ciri ending of The Witcher 3 is the best, as that life is much safer than that of a Witcher. However, it isn’t what Ciri wants from life, and she is unhappy to take the role. In The Witcher 3’s expansion, Blood and Wine, if Ciri visits Geralt as the soon-to-be Empress, she confides to him that she doesn’t know if she’s cut out for ruling and that she may yet abandon the position. While becoming a Witcher is more dangerous, it is the best outcome for Ciri since her life has prepared her for this role.

Ciri endured a tumultuous journey across the Witcher novels that The Witcher 3 subtly touches on. However, one of the most influential parts of her story is shown at the beginning of the game, her Witcher training at Kaer Morhen. Her time there helped guide her to the point where she and Geralt reunite in The Witcher 3 when Ciri is much older, and she has spent the majority of her life following a Witcher’s principles and way of life. It wouldn’t make sense for Ciri to have trained and lived like this to ultimately abandon it to fulfill a position she never wanted in the first place.

Moreover, in Blood and Wine, if Witcher Ciri visits Geralt, she tells him that she’s happy and doing all she ever wanted to do. This detail alone makes it clear that Ciri’s best ending in The Witcher 3 is to take on the role Geralt, Vesemir, and the other Witchers have prepared her so well for.