With every possibility on the lips of speculative fans,The Witcher 4has already garnered a substantial amount of buzz. Precious little has been confirmed, but what does exist spells excitement fresher than a witcher’s kill. Among those things is the witcher school gamers will play as.
In a promotional poster released by CD Projekt Red in early 2022, fans see a witcher medallion half-buried in the snow, shortly after confirmed to belong to the School of the Lynx. With the most prominent protagonist rumor ofThe Witcher 4being a brand new, customizable hero, examining the lynx itself brings forth strong suggestions for gameplay.
A Lynx Witcher Might Be What TW4 Needs to Freshen Up
The Continent’s Witcher Schools Succeed in Reflecting Their Animals
Little canon has been established regarding witcher schools other than Geralt of Rivia’s iconic School of the Wolf, astheWitchernovelsonly mention a Cat and Griffin as existing. CDPR massively expanded the number of them, influencing different in-game builds, but now shifts focus to an entirely original school with its own history — one that players might even have a hand in creating.
That being said, there are subtle differences found inThe Witchergames that could lead to early discoveries about the new lynx. Witcher schools seem to be informed by their chosen animal and have separate combat styles, and thereforeGeralt’s in-game buildsvary widely. For example, the School of the Bear favors heavy armor and strength over agility and the School of the Griffin utilizes more magic than others. And yet a brand-new school would not be restricting, as one might think, but open things up to a world of customization, especially given an examination of the lynx cat.
Traits of the Lynx May Define TW4 Gameplay
Firstly, lynx are solo predators, becoming independent at a young age. This could very well indicate the new protagonist is a younger witcher learning for the first time instead of the series’ usual fare. Those hoping for aCiri-ledWitchergamecould somewhat get their fix this way, not playing the grizzled and experienced slayer but someone who learns organically as the level.
Lynx are nocturnal, and known for being excellently stealthy stalkers. While it might be difficult to implement a focus on nighttime hunts, a mechanic in the game that comes with nocturnal buffs might still be interesting. Such an addition would lend itself aesthetically to this gritty fantasy world, asThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s most memorable questsand settings, such as Velen, came from the dark and dreary.
Lynx are also known for having exceptional hearing and eyesight. Witchers already have heightened senses, including the ability to see in the dark, but this trait might speak to enhanced witcher senses. Better yet, it would splendidly justify amore advanced witcher mutagen tree. A large disappointment about the buffs inTW3’s Blood and Wine DLC is simply that they came so late in the game, but this possible Lynx approach to physical progression would make strength feel more earned.
Possible Features of the Lynx Spell a Great Future for CDPR
With such strong support for the customizable witcher theory regarding the new protagonist, that route is looking more appealing by the day. For starters, it would follow CDPR’s other beloved RPG,Cyberpunk 2077, in character customization— a favorite feature in the genre by itself. And it would do so while completely bypassing the issues that would undoubtedly arise from trying to fill Geralt’s shoes with an existing character in the franchise, which is arguably the most challenging hurdle to continuing the series that created the developer’s fame.
Regardless of what CDPR eventually brews up,The Witcher 4remains one of the most discussed games ahead of its far-future release, and for a developer that pays so much loving attention to detail, it would serve gamers well to more closely examine what they have presented.
