The Witcher 3 Yennifer or Triss?

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James Gibson

James is a seasoned RPG specialist that will happily spend days upon days exploring vast, open worlds. Whether it's a Bethesda epic, another trip in the Animus to a moment in history, or something a little less mainstream, James takes to it like a duck to water. When not exploring and slaying beasts twice his size, James regularly competes for Jiu-Jitsu comps, and loves hiking and exploring his own reality

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The life of a Witcher is a difficult one. Not only are they tasked with staring down the hideous creatures in the world without thanks, but even worse, you might save a family from certain death only to become the victim of their horrible insult moments later. So is the life of the half-breed monster hunters. 

However, when you play the Witcher and experience life through Geralt’s eyes, you do get to see some moments that might make everything a little bit easier to deal with. I am, of course, talking about the sheer amount of interest Geralt receives from members of the opposite sex. 

Throughout the extended Witcher universe, Geralt is always displayed as a lady’s man, one rich with female interest and one-night stands; however, throughout every game, book, and TV show adaptation, there are always two main love interests that stick with Geralt throughout the years. Triss and Yennefer.

Yes, while Geralt is always seen to be involved with some quick-moving fling in random towns and villages, Triss and Yennefer are always the main love interest of our main character; the battle between the two, whether they know it or not, is always raging inside the heart of the White Wolf. 

So, with all this in mind, why don’t we delve a little deeper into Geralt’s relationship with these two women to decide, once and for all, who he should end up with?

First of all, let’s give a little background on the two women in question.

Yennefer of Vengerberg

As mentioned, Yennefer is one of Geralt’s love interests throughout the Witcher universe. However, she is much more than a simple romantic plotline for our main character, having her own motivations, flaws, and talents.

As you might imagine, Yennefer of Vengerberg was born and raised in Vengerberg, becoming a powerful sorceress in her late teenage years. However, before becoming a powerful sorceress, she experienced much hardship. She was born with a congenital disability, giving her an incurable hunchback and lesser foot mobility on one side. 

This congenital disability forced Yennefer’s father to leave her and her mother when Yenn was still a small child. Soon after, Yenn’s mother blamed the child for her father’s actions and beat her in frustration. This torment lasted for years until she finally grew into her powers and was called to the Aretuza school for sorcerers. Here, she not only learned how to harness and direct her innate abilities, but she also went through a magical process that cured her deformities, restoring her to the beautiful woman western audiences would accept as the female love interest in a popular fantasy series. 

Meeting the White Wolf

Geralt came to Yennefer after his friend, the bard Dandelion, fell ill at the hands of a djinn. Geralt had heard of a sorceress offering her services for coin in the town of Rinde and, therefore, sought her out.

However, when Yennefer agreed to help the Witcher, she intended to use Dandelion and Geralt to gain the powers of the djin, making herself the most powerful sorceress in the world. However, Geralt didn’t let this happen as he knew that her plan would kill his friend and the sorceress as her body could not withstand the creature’s power. The Witcher, therefore, intervened and ruined her plan, saving the lives of both endangered parties. 

Yennefer thought the ordeal was over and that she had gotten away scot-free. However, Geralt would soon explain that to save her life; he had to use the last djin wish to tie his and her fates together in perpetuity.

Triss Merigold

Triss is one of the weirdest characters in all of the Witcher in terms of how she fits into the grand narrative of the whole thing. While I concede that she does serve a purpose in the wider story, she is still mostly presented as a mere stumbling block between Geralt and Yennefer’s apparently destined happiness. However, for the interest of this article, let’s pretend that Andrzej Sapkowski has not written The Lady of the Lake yet and continue with Triss’ backstory.

Triss Merigold, the owner of the most high-fantasy name ever, was born in Maribor during the 13th century. Much like Yennefer, she presented with magical gifts during her early years and was subsequently schooled at the Aretuza school for sorcerers. Here, she spent her time specializing in making healing potions and all sorts of other concoctions. 

Due to her schooling and life as a sorceress, Triss and Yenefer’s lives frequently crossed in the years immediately following her graduation from Aretuza. The pair then became friends over time. 

Meeting Geralt

Triss and Geralt’s actual romance and how it came about is always going to be a subject of discussion between die-hard Witcher fans. You see, Triss only became interested in Geralt after discovering his relationship with her friend Yennefer. Intrigued by the pair’s unique dalliance and bind, she decided to find Geralt and use some of her power to seduce the Witcher. Thus the debate is whether or not Geralt would have become intimate with Triss without her magic and whether or not the use of said magic is a bit like sexual assault.

However, their romance didn’t last long as Geralt soon grew guilty about his ongoing feelings for Yennefer in the face of Triss’ evident love for him. He, therefore, ended the affair soon after. 

In Brief

• Both Yennefer and Triss are powerful mages, each with their unique abilities. However, Triss is also a skilled alchemist, giving her the ability to create potions and elixirs.
• Triss and Yennefer were friends before either met Geralt throughout their travels, having met in the Aretuza school for sorcerers.
• Yennefer and Geralt meet organically as the Witcher seeks her help to save Dandelion from the effects of a djin. However, Triss meets the Witcher only to investigate his relationship with Yennefer.

Choosing In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

We have already discussed how choosing Yennefer or Triss has been a significant plot point throughout the extended Witcher universe, with the books, TV series, and now the games, using this love triangle as an added point of tension for the ever-struggling Witcher to process and worry over.

However, this romantic triangle comes home to roost in the third video game installment of the series, with the decision being thrust into the player’s hands for the first time, allowing the player to decide which one Geralt ends up with and, therefore, affecting the entire course of the game. 

Choosing Triss

Should the player already be convinced that Triss is the one for them, they can start their pursuit of the sorceress by beginning the secondary quest “A Matter of Life and Death,” accessible in Novigrad after you have reached level 12 and completed the main quest “Count Reuven’s Treasure.”

During the quest, A Matter of Life and Death, the player must decide to kiss Triss during the masquerade ball. After this, the player can access different options during the Now or Never quest, wherein the player must defend a group of mages and rescue them from captivity alongside Triss. At the end of this quest, Triss will decide to leave for Kovir after deciding that her time in Novigrad is over and she would be safer and happier elsewhere. This decision will understandably provoke a reaction from the Witcher. However, the player must ensure they choose the correct expression to ensure that they get the correct romantic ending with Triss that they have been working so hard for. 

Firstly. The player is given two options once Triss announces her decision to leave, just before she boards the sailboat to Kovir. These decisions are as follows:

1. Geralt can ask Triss to stay with him and attempt to make their relationship work.
2. The Witcher can gush about just how much he loves Triss without the added pressure to stay. 

As you might imagine, many players have tripped up over this choice, thinking that the correct decision in order to get Triss and Geralt’s romantic ending is to ask the mage to stay. However, these people clearly haven’t watched enough romantic comedies in their time because it was fairly clear to me that this was the wrong option and that the wording would only drive Triss away, severing all hopes of a happy ending. This choice, therefore, results in Triss leaving for Kovir and Geralt being left alone to hunt the monsters of the night in perpetuity. 

The second option, wherein Geralt is actually honest with the woman he loves, is the correct option. Who knew? People tend to respond better if you’re upfront, honest, and not controlling. I guess we learn something new every day. Anyway, should the player choose this option, Geralt will pour his heart out to Triss, only to see her sail away to her new life; however, Triss’ leaving is only momentary as she soon returns to the player, and the couple ends up having sex in a nearby lighthouse. How romantic. 

Geralt’s ending with Triss sees the pair finally move to northern Kovir, wherein Triss begins working as an advisor to the king, and Geralt takes on the occasional Witcher contract as a way of keeping his skills sharp, protecting his neighbors, and making a bit of extra coin along the way.

Choosing Yennefer

As I have already mentioned, Yennefer is truly the main love interest of Geralt throughout the entire series; she is, therefore, the cannon choice for romance in the Witcher games. For this reason, and many others, I presume, Yennefer is by far and away the more popular choice amongst the community when it comes to Geralt’s romantic dalliances and who the Witcher should end up with. 

Throughout the entire game, the player will have ample opportunities to interact with Yennefer, during which the player can investigate whether or not the mage is the right one for them. One of these opportunities occurs during the “The King is Dead – Long Live the King” quest as the Witcher, if they play their cards right, can end up sleeping with Yennefer. To do this, the player must choose the black and white outfit at the quest’s beginning. Apparently, this choice serves as a little homage to Yennefer, which, for some reason, boosts your chances of sleeping with her. I don’t know either. Once the quest gets underway, and the Witcher deals with the earth elemental, the room will start filling with gas. An option will then be presented to the player, allowing them to kiss Yennefer should they so desire. Kissing her will not only move along the romance between the pair but will also incentivize Yenn to teleport the Witcher out of the laboratory and into the safety of her bedroom. I shouldn’t really need to explain to you what happens here; this game is for mature audiences, after all. 

The second encounter of this nature occurs during the “No Place Like Home” main quest. In this mission, Yennefer and the Witcher may leave the dinner together, arriving at the mage’s bedroom should the pair already have slept together during the “The King is Dead” quest. 

Ultimately, the player can end up with Yennefer more easily than with Triss, as many players luck their way into the scene without realizing that their choices have led them to life with the most dangerous sorceress in the world. Should the player kiss Yennefer at the aforementioned times and snub any advances made towards him by Triss, the player will end up with Yennefer almost by default.

Should the player end up with Yennefer, the pair will retire together during the “The Last Wish” mission. This quest will see the couple finally stepping back from their lives of chaos, death, and political intrigue, instead opting for peace and tranquility somewhere far away. 

In Brief

• The player has some very clear choices throughout the game concerning who they want to end up with. Ultimately, you will end up with either Triss or Yenn, depending on who you decide to pursue.
• The player must reject the advances of whichever woman they don’t plan to end up with. Otherwise, the player will face disastrous consequences should they try and romance both characters.
• Both are equally good and useful in a fight. Therefore, this point of comparison between the two is moot. 

Choosing Both

Should you decide that one beautiful and all-powerful mage is not enough for the White Wolf and decide to pursue both characters, the player will end up losing both of them, bound, quite literally, to remain as a lonely Witcher for the rest of their days until some creepy drowner bests them.

If the player has been attempting to pursue both women romantically throughout the game, there will come the point when the two women have clearly been talking, revealing the dirty dealings of the grizzled warrior; therefore, the pair hatch a plan to teach the player a lesson.

During the secondary quest, “It Takes Three to Tango,” both Yennefer and Triss will approach the player after you meet with Ciri and Philippa. The two women and romantic leads of the franchise will offer the Witcher a night of passion he will never forget. They continue to tell the player that they have resolved their issues and no longer intend to fight over you; instead, they have opted to share. After this, you are instructed to head over to the Kingfisher Inn and purchase a bottle of wine before making your way up to the room. Once you have made it to the Inn and purchased your 60 crown bottle of wine (an expensive night, to say the least), make your way up the stairs and find the correct room. 

After finding the correct room, the player will be greeted by both Yenn and Triss, who wear very little clothes. The pair will continue seducing the Witcher until the group makes it over to the bed. They will then proceed to push the Witcher onto the bed, strapping him into some manacles and chaining him to the bed. However, these manacles do not serve some sexy purpose; they are there to ensure the Witcher cannot escape while the pair leave with his wine and dignity. The player is then left chained to the bed until Dandelion, the ever dependable bard, makes his way to the Inn and saves his companion. 

Ultimately, Geralt loses both women and is bound to continue his Witching ways, with no chance for a loving and peaceful retirement anytime in the near future. The Witcher’s journal seems to further mock the player at the end of this quest, reading, “Don’t keep two irons in the fire (especially if by ‘irons’ we mean sorceresses, and by ‘keep in the fire’ we mean ‘simultaneously profess your love to both’)” – an awkward motto, true, but Geralt of Rivia would have been wise to adopt it. Triss and Yennefer punished the two-timing Witcher with admirable ingenuity and wit.” if this entry isn’t a final kick in the teeth, I don’t know what is.

Other Romantic Interests

Throughout the entirety of the Witcher universe and the third game, Geralt has many paramours and ample opportunities for brief flings. In the main game of The Witcher 3 alone, the player can become romantically involved with Keira Metz, Madame Sasha, and Jutta an Dimun. The expansions increased the love interests by also adding Shani and Syanna. 

I mention these women because, unlike Triss or Yennefer, engaging with these women will not damage your relationship with the two main love interests in Geralt’s life. Apparently, the two sorceresses only deem it appropriate to care about whether the Witcher is cheating with another mage or not; anyone else is fine in their book. However, there is no way to end the game in a relationship with any of these women, so I wouldn’t go booking your retirement home with them just yet. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

So, there you have it, a comprehensive guide to the love life of the White Wolf, Geralt of Rivia, with a particular focus on the two main romantic paramours in the series, Yennefer, and Triss. 

What I like the most about these two female characters is that they are people in their own right, not solely concerned about the thoughts and decisions of Geralt, the male protagonist. Instead, they go about their own lives and make choices that are the best for them and their people, regardless of the effect on their love life. This is very rarely seen in the high fantasy genre and is, therefore, quite refreshing. 

I hope you enjoyed this guide and found the information helpful for your next playthrough or readthrough of The Witcher. Until next time, good luck!

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