There are few games as narratively ambitious in the RPG genre as The Witcher 2. It’s simply filled with moments where your choices as the player matter to the game’s plot and to the world. Sometimes these are signposted and obvious, sometimes decisions happen without you even noticing.
The Witcher 2 offers a massive amount of choice, even giving the player an entirely different second act depending on decisions made in the first. So it’s no wonder that the game also has a colossal amount of endings, with the original version having sixteen different outcomes you can experience (eight in the PC version and Enhanced Editions).
What happens in the game even has effects which reverberate in The Witcher 3. Here’s a rundown of the decisions you can make in The Witcher 2, and how they affect the game’s endings.
Note: Spoilers for the end of The Witcher 2 lay beyond this point.
Siding with Iorveth or Roche
One of the biggest decisions in the entirety of The Witcher 2 is if you decide to side with Roche or Iorveth at the end of Chapter I. This decision splinters the game and gives you a different Chapter II depending on what you’ve chosen.
If you side with Iorveth you’ll experience the game alongside the rebellious Scoia’tael, Roche, however, will see you fighting alongside the humans with King Henselt’s army.
This will be the largest decision you make and will heavily influence which options you’ll have available to you at the end of the game. So make your choice carefully! Or play the game twice.
Iorveth Ending – Saskia or Triss
If you side with Iorveth, near the end of the game you’ll be presented with another choice. This is between saving Triss or helping Iorveth save the life of Saskia, who’s being controlled in her dragon form to attack.
Whilst Triss will survive no matter what option you take, it will change Iorveth and Saskia’s fate, changing the ending radically.
Roche Ending – Anaïs or Triss
If, however, you went with Roche, you will be given a different choice. This time it’s between Triss and King Foltest’s daughter, Anaïs. Both Triss and Anaïs will survive if you choose the other, but Roche and Anaïs’ eventual fates can be deeply cursed by refusing to aid them when given the chance.
Roche Ending – Henselt’s Fate
King Henselt is a jolly sort, until you get to know him better. If you side with Roche in Chapter I you’ll get to know King Henselt rather well, which is deeply unpleasant. At a point in Roche’s storyline you’ll get the chance to decide King Henselt’s fate, with drastic consequences for both the ending of The Witcher 2 and also Geralt’s reputation going into The Witcher 3.
By the end of the game, if Henselt is dead you’ll see Roche be labelled a traitor and Temeria disintegrate into baronies. If Henselt lives, however…well. Can you live with that decision, knowing what you find out about him during the game? It’s your choice!
Anaïs with Natalis or Radovid
The final decision which influences what ending you get in The Witcher 2 is determined by whomst you sent Anaïs with, either King Radovid or John Natalis.
If you send her with Radovid it means the merging of Temeria and Redania with little hope for Anaïs’ country to be free again. Sending her with John Natalis means Temeria won’t descend into civil war, but it may mean future problems for this now-weakened nation.
So there you have it, if you’re planning on playing The Witcher 2 you should now know what you need to do to reach your desired ending, or if you’re skipping it you can get up to speed on the characters and decisions. Which ending did you choose if you played it? Head over to our Community Forum and have your say.
