Summary
The Witcherseries is largely focused on the Northern Realms. This setting is largely inspired byThe Witchercreator Andrzej Sapkowski’s native Poland landscape, and draws its influences from Eastern European aesthetics, folklore, and culture.TheWitcher 3takes Geralt to Ard Skellige, an archipelago that has a very different feel and influence to the mainland of the Continent and the Northern Realms.The Witcher 4could follow the same path, but instead show a never-before-seen region of the Continent: Ofir.
TheCeltic influence of Ard Skelligeprovided a different insight into the world and depth to the lore inThe Witcher 3. Depicting Ofir inThe Witcher 4could do something similar, but could go even further thanks to Ofir’s distance from the Northern Realms. As Ard Skellige’s culture encouraged better smithing, Ofir offers a more diverse take on runecrafting, as seen inHearts of Stone, which could also be explored.
Why Ofir Would Be a Good Destination in The Witcher 4
Ofir is an empire located south of Nilfgaard. Despite its reputation as a purely desert environment, it’s a conglomeration of diverse peoples and landscapes, all united under one Empire. Ofiri people travel to the Northern Realms to trade, so Ofiri people and their customs are not unknown to players ofThe Witcherseries, butThe Witchergames have not yet actually depicted any part of Ofir in-game before.
Because Ofir is such a massive region, it could be unrealistic to expect it to be one of manyother regions inThe Witcher 4, especially in a game where the Northern Realms are the primary setting. However, having certain coastal parts of Ofir accessible could still expose players to the culture of Ofir, while also adding entirely new environments to the series.
Ofir lies some distance away, and is often referred to in the Northern Realms as a land “beyond the seas.” This nickname is deceiving as Ofir is technically still on the Continent and is just a great distance from the Northern Realms, most easily accessed by ship. It’s described as being a land of vast steppes, savannas, mountains, and massive lakes. In addition to different landscapes, Ofir also has very different wildlife analogous to real-world Africa and Asia, with striped horses, elephants, snakes, and tigers.
The Practicalities of Getting to Ofir in The Witcher 4
As Ard Skellige is accessible by ship, it wouldn’t be too strange forOfir to be a new location inThe Witcher 4.The Witcher 3has already set a precedent for allowing the player character to reach settings that are both further away and distinctly different from the Northern Realms, even as a part of the base game rather than extra content such as expansion packs or DLC.
DepictingOfir would go beyond novelty forThe Witcher 4, as it would give the developer the freedom to include new types of monsters for the region, alongside new superstitions, cultural beliefs, and traditions to deal with the monsters and magic. The new witcher protagonist would have to adapt to these circumstances, as well as answer the question of there being witchers in Ofir. Traveling to Ofir would be a great undertaking, but not as arduous as it could be, especially by ship.TheWitcher 3depicts many Ofiri traders, implying the journey isn’t impossible.
