Something Ends, Something Begins is the epilogue of The Witcher 3, named after Andrzej Sapkowski’s short story. How it plays out depends on the choices Geralt made in his relationship with Ciri throughout the game, and there are three main endings.
The three endings
In the witcher ending, Geralt returns to Vizima to tell Emhyr that Ciri is not coming back, and then rides to White Orchard, where Ciri is waiting, packed and ready to set out on the Path as a witcher. In the empress ending, Ciri survives and goes to her father, taking her place as heir to the Nilfgaardian throne, and Geralt says goodbye to her as she steps into a very different life. In the tragic ending, Ciri does not return from the White Frost, and Geralt is left to deal with his grief alone.
What decides it
Five key moments shape the result: the snowball fight or drinks in Blood on the Battlefield, how Geralt handles Ciri’s audience with Emhyr, how he reacts in Avallac’h’s laboratory in Child of the Elder Blood, whether he lets Ciri handle the villagers in Skjall’s Grave, and whether he lets her go alone to the Lodge meeting. Supporting Ciri’s own choices, rather than treating her like a child, is what leads to her surviving. The epilogue also includes Geralt’s own ending with Yennefer or Triss, depending on who he chose, making it a fitting farewell to a story many players will never forget.
