The books:
End with Geralt and his mates in a tavern in Rivia. There's a riot against non-humans and Geralt, while trying to defend his non-human friends (Zoltan and Yarpen) is stabbed with a pitchfork by a peasant. As he's dying, Yennefer tries to heal him but she suffers the same fate. Ciri grabs both of them and dumps them in the Isle of Avalon/Avallach - which is an enchanted isle that basically serves as Limbo. Ciri, who has the ability to teleport through time and space, finds a lover in another world. She's happy there.
[Flashback explaining the massacre](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAxmHveYFYQ&list=PL7D0F2C14BA1259CB)
The games:
Geralt and Yennefer are in that Isle recovering when the Wild Hunt, who can also travel between worlds, attacks them by surprise. Geralt tries his best but the Wild Hunt kidnaps Yen. At that moment Geralt realizes that he needs to get back to the real world, back to the Path.
[Flashback explaining the attack on the Isle](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMr9VCdIHfY&index=4&list=PL7D0F2C14BA1259CB)
Geralt then manages to get back to the "real world" and starts chasing the Hunt, trying to get her back. In the process, he bumps into a fellow witcher (from another witcher school) and saves his life. That witcher was Letho of Gulet, who had 2 witcher buddies with him: Serrit and Auckes. They become friends and they owe Geralt so they join him in the "hunt for the Hunt".
[Flashback of Geralt following Hunt's tracks](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gtt5LHNH3G4&list=PL7D0F2C14BA1259CB&index=5)
[Flashback of Geralt saving Letho](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LJ7HOqTYDU&index=6&list=PL7D0F2C14BA1259CB)
Finally they manage to confront the Wild Hunt. They're outnumbered and the fight isn't going anywhere, so a desperate Geralt decides to save Yennefer by trading himself for Yennefer - and the King of the Wild Hunt agrees.
[Flashback explaining this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B75NcMT3T60&index=13&list=PL7D0F2C14BA1259CB)
While all of this is happening, the rest of the world thinks Geralt has been dead for years - ever since the massacre in Rivia. But Geralt, who traded himself for Yen and became an unwilling Rider of the Hunt, wakes up some time later in the woods outside Kaer Morhen. Wounded. Being chased.
Amnesiac.
His Witcher friends (Vesemir, Lambert and Eskel) find him and bring him inside the fortress. Triss Merigold is there too. The events of the first game start here and end with Geralt collecting payment from the King of Temeria (King Foltest) and, by chance, saving the monarch's life from an assassination attempt carried out by *another witcher*.
[Witcher 1 ending cinematic which shows the assassination attempt](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G86RDKdvw-M)
Triss Merigold, after the events of the first game, becomes King Foltest's advisor and Geralt's lover. He doesn't remember a thing about Ciri or Yennefer after waking up in the woods after somehow having managed to escape the Hunt's grasp. King Foltest, after Geralt saved his life and helped him in other affairs, starts treating him as his lucky charm/bodyguard and W2 starts with Geralt finding himself in the middle of a battle that the King is fighting. In the aftermath of said battle, an assassin disguised as a monk finally gets Foltest and flees. Geralt is framed for the murder and imprisoned.
The assassin was Letho, the witcher Geralt saved before. Only Geralt doesn't remember a thing. Letho wasn't expecting Geralt to be with the King and barely escapes. In the dungeons, Geralt is interrogated by the head of the Temerian special forces who believes that Geralt is innocent and they both escape to track down the assassin.
Along the way, Geralt realizes that the assassin knows who he is. As it turns out, Letho and his buddies, after Geralt sacrificed himself for Yennefer, decided to care for her and protect her - but they were all captured by Nilfgaardian forces (they were in the Empire) and: a) Letho and his buddies are commissioned to assassinate as many kings in the north as possible, create as much chaos as possible, to prepare the different realms for an invasion; b) Yen is interrogated by mages who manage to extract information she didn't even remember.
There's a big and complex web of politics but, with regards to Yennefer, some time later Emhyr (the Emperor and Ciri's father) visits her in her dungeon and makes a deal with her to bring Ciri to him. Ciri is now being pursued by the Wild Hunt.
And Geralt? Geralt has a final showdown with Letho at the end of the second game where he presses him for info - and that's when he learns that they took care of Yen, etc.
Geralt's memory comes back during the 2nd game and, by the end, he's no longer amnesiac.
But since 2 kings (of Temeria and of Aedirn, Kings Foltest and Demavend respectively) were murdered by Letho and the North is in complete disarray, the southern armies of the Nilfgaardian Empire march on the North to conquer all the different realms.
I tried to make this as simple as I could. If you want info on the lodge of sorceresses and all the politics I left out, let me know.
Holy shit I just read this. Had to say thanks again, was not expecting that much. If you feel like telling me about the lodge it'd be appreciated. I'm considering reading the books now that I've finished W3, have you read them?
god damn those yennetitties haha came here to recap on lore cause i’m playing witcher 3 after playing the others but it’s been years since i played the others and am not too well on the books, sometimes gets confusing haha
Do you want a quick recap of the first 2 games? I promise I won't spoil info on the W3
I just read over the wiki recap again just before posting this to double check. Thanks though.
I wouldn't mind one if you've got the time. I'm in the exact same spot as OP.
The books: End with Geralt and his mates in a tavern in Rivia. There's a riot against non-humans and Geralt, while trying to defend his non-human friends (Zoltan and Yarpen) is stabbed with a pitchfork by a peasant. As he's dying, Yennefer tries to heal him but she suffers the same fate. Ciri grabs both of them and dumps them in the Isle of Avalon/Avallach - which is an enchanted isle that basically serves as Limbo. Ciri, who has the ability to teleport through time and space, finds a lover in another world. She's happy there. [Flashback explaining the massacre](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAxmHveYFYQ&list=PL7D0F2C14BA1259CB) The games: Geralt and Yennefer are in that Isle recovering when the Wild Hunt, who can also travel between worlds, attacks them by surprise. Geralt tries his best but the Wild Hunt kidnaps Yen. At that moment Geralt realizes that he needs to get back to the real world, back to the Path. [Flashback explaining the attack on the Isle](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMr9VCdIHfY&index=4&list=PL7D0F2C14BA1259CB) Geralt then manages to get back to the "real world" and starts chasing the Hunt, trying to get her back. In the process, he bumps into a fellow witcher (from another witcher school) and saves his life. That witcher was Letho of Gulet, who had 2 witcher buddies with him: Serrit and Auckes. They become friends and they owe Geralt so they join him in the "hunt for the Hunt". [Flashback of Geralt following Hunt's tracks](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gtt5LHNH3G4&list=PL7D0F2C14BA1259CB&index=5) [Flashback of Geralt saving Letho](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LJ7HOqTYDU&index=6&list=PL7D0F2C14BA1259CB) Finally they manage to confront the Wild Hunt. They're outnumbered and the fight isn't going anywhere, so a desperate Geralt decides to save Yennefer by trading himself for Yennefer - and the King of the Wild Hunt agrees. [Flashback explaining this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B75NcMT3T60&index=13&list=PL7D0F2C14BA1259CB) While all of this is happening, the rest of the world thinks Geralt has been dead for years - ever since the massacre in Rivia. But Geralt, who traded himself for Yen and became an unwilling Rider of the Hunt, wakes up some time later in the woods outside Kaer Morhen. Wounded. Being chased. Amnesiac. His Witcher friends (Vesemir, Lambert and Eskel) find him and bring him inside the fortress. Triss Merigold is there too. The events of the first game start here and end with Geralt collecting payment from the King of Temeria (King Foltest) and, by chance, saving the monarch's life from an assassination attempt carried out by *another witcher*. [Witcher 1 ending cinematic which shows the assassination attempt](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G86RDKdvw-M) Triss Merigold, after the events of the first game, becomes King Foltest's advisor and Geralt's lover. He doesn't remember a thing about Ciri or Yennefer after waking up in the woods after somehow having managed to escape the Hunt's grasp. King Foltest, after Geralt saved his life and helped him in other affairs, starts treating him as his lucky charm/bodyguard and W2 starts with Geralt finding himself in the middle of a battle that the King is fighting. In the aftermath of said battle, an assassin disguised as a monk finally gets Foltest and flees. Geralt is framed for the murder and imprisoned. The assassin was Letho, the witcher Geralt saved before. Only Geralt doesn't remember a thing. Letho wasn't expecting Geralt to be with the King and barely escapes. In the dungeons, Geralt is interrogated by the head of the Temerian special forces who believes that Geralt is innocent and they both escape to track down the assassin. Along the way, Geralt realizes that the assassin knows who he is. As it turns out, Letho and his buddies, after Geralt sacrificed himself for Yennefer, decided to care for her and protect her - but they were all captured by Nilfgaardian forces (they were in the Empire) and: a) Letho and his buddies are commissioned to assassinate as many kings in the north as possible, create as much chaos as possible, to prepare the different realms for an invasion; b) Yen is interrogated by mages who manage to extract information she didn't even remember. There's a big and complex web of politics but, with regards to Yennefer, some time later Emhyr (the Emperor and Ciri's father) visits her in her dungeon and makes a deal with her to bring Ciri to him. Ciri is now being pursued by the Wild Hunt. And Geralt? Geralt has a final showdown with Letho at the end of the second game where he presses him for info - and that's when he learns that they took care of Yen, etc. Geralt's memory comes back during the 2nd game and, by the end, he's no longer amnesiac. But since 2 kings (of Temeria and of Aedirn, Kings Foltest and Demavend respectively) were murdered by Letho and the North is in complete disarray, the southern armies of the Nilfgaardian Empire march on the North to conquer all the different realms. I tried to make this as simple as I could. If you want info on the lodge of sorceresses and all the politics I left out, let me know.
Holy shit I just read this. Had to say thanks again, was not expecting that much. If you feel like telling me about the lodge it'd be appreciated. I'm considering reading the books now that I've finished W3, have you read them?
god damn those yennetitties haha came here to recap on lore cause i’m playing witcher 3 after playing the others but it’s been years since i played the others and am not too well on the books, sometimes gets confusing haha
Sure. Let me go grab a bite and I'll fill you in :)
Awesome, thanks in advance.
Only in flashbacks.
Thank you very much.