It’s official. CD Projekt Red has finally dropped the curtain on the setting for the next Witcher saga, and we are heading much further north than anyone anticipated. Kovir—the golden kingdom tucked away behind the Dragon Mountains—is set to be the main stage for The Witcher 4 (Project Polaris). For anyone who has spent hours digging into Sapkowski’s books or chased the specific political endings in Wild Hunt, this is a massive deal.
Up until now, Kovir has just been a name dropped by mages or a wealthy abstraction on the world map. We’ve never actually set foot there in a game.
The lore behind this place is fantastic. Centuries ago, King Radovid the Great essentially gave this frozen, rocky wasteland to his exiled brother as a joke, thinking it was a worthless piece of tundra. It backfired spectacularly. Underneath all that ice, settlers struck the biggest mineral jackpot on the Continent. Today, Kovir doesn’t just survive; it dominates, exporting nearly 80% of the world’s gold.
But what makes this really exciting for The Witcher 4 isn’t just the economy—it’s the culture!
Novigrad in The Witcher 3 was suffocating, fanatical, and dangerous for anyone holding a wand or having pointy ears. Kovir is the exact opposite. Built on strict neutrality and progressive commerce, it’s always been a sanctuary for free thinkers, scholars, and mages fleeing the southern pyres. Triss Merigold herself has deep roots in the winter capital of Lan Exeter.
With Ciri stepping up as the new lead, throwing her into a thriving, magic-friendly northern empire changes the entire vibe of the Path. Expect less hiding in sewers and a lot more high-stakes, intricate magical intrigue in cities we’ve only ever read about!