The Radovid Dilemma--Do You or Don't You?

Now that I've officially completed XCOM 2, I have returned to the familiar waters of The Witcher 3.  This choice was spurred on by the fact that I firmly believed that the last DLC pack, "Blood and Wine," was going to be released in March.  I figured that I could start a new game and get to the point where I would be ready to start the DLC when it was finally released.  It turns out that the March release date that I remember reading about was probably very premature and that the new content most likely isn't due for release for quite awhile.  But who cares?  The Witcher 3 was my favorite game of 2015 so another adventure in that world isn't a bad thing.  Possible minor plot spoilers ahead.

I really enjoyed the first DLC, "Hearts of Stone," and have been looking forward to a longer adventure in a brand new setting.  "Blood and Wine" is supposed to take place in the country of Toussaint and screenshots released in December show a beautiful country filled with lush greenery and bright, vibrant buildings.  The new campaign also promises to add 20-30 hours of new content.  I can't wait to see what the next DLC has to offer!

Radovid V--The Crazy...err Stern.

As I have been progressing through the campaign in The Witcher 3, I have been thinking about some of the smaller but plot/world significant choices that I have made or will make.  One of those choices concerns the king of Redania.  Geralt meets his former BFF/frenemy Vernon Roche who sets up a meeting with a "Redanian contact" at a chess club outside the city of Oxenfurt.  Upon arrival at this discrete location, Geralt discovers that Roche's "Redanian contact" is actually Radovid V.  As the conversation progresses it becomes apparent that Radovid is a little loony--there is a very awkward exchange where he questions Geralt about whether he can hear the chess pieces and implies that each chess piece is actually alive and has a heartbeat that he can hear.  It's very apparent that at best he's a little weird and at worst he's completely insane.

The Radovid issue becomes much more complicated once you really gain an understanding about what is happening in Novigrad.  The persecution of anyone even remotely associated with magic illustrates how far he is willing to go to pursue his hatred of mages...and really anyone who doesn't fit into the perfect human world.  Pyres used to execute those who he finds unworthy have become a main attraction in the city.  Everything gets personal as Geralt helps his former lover Triss, one of the most highly sought after sorceresses, escape from the witch hunters.  Soon after Triss escapes, Geralt is drawn into a complex plot to assassinate Radovid.  During the meeting with the other conspirators, Geralt is given the choice to withdraw from the group and leave them up to their devious plotting.

As someone who has played through the campaign several times, I know how each choice plays out.  If you choose to assassinate Radovid a plan is hatched to draw him into a trap involving his arch-nemesis, the sorceress Philippa Eilhart.  Of all the characters in The Witcher, Philippa has the most reason to want to end Radovid.  One of the most dramatic scenes in The Witcher 2 takes place in a dungeon in Loc Muinne.  Radovid, who endured Philippa's cruel tutelage throughout his childhood, orders her eyes to be gouged out in what is supposed to be the first act in the torture and eventual death of the sorceress.  Fortunately for Philippa the chaos that occurs later on in the chapter allows her an opportunity to escape.  After her reappearance in The Witcher 3, she becomes a willing participant in the assassination plot and is the one who actually commits the act.

After you finish the campaign and the epilogue rolls you find out that the choice to end the royal nutjob was not necessarily a good thing.  Even though Radovid is murdering mages and non-humans, his true strength as a ruler lies in his prowess as a commander and strategist.  He is the only leader in the Northern Kingdoms who has the ability to oppose the might that is Nilfgaard.  By killing him you have essentially doomed the North to serfdom in the Nilfgaardian empire.  So much for a free Temeria...

If you opt to have Geralt walk away from the plot things turn out much differently.  Radovid manages to rally the remnants of the shattered North and successfully repel Nilfgaard.  All of the conquered Northern Kingdoms are then united under Redanian rule.  Things aren't so great for the mages and non-humans who live in his empire.....but at least there's no Nilfgaard, right?

I found the assassination option much more satisfactory than simply walking away.  As a Philippa fan the scene where she finally gets her revenge felt so good.  I am looking forward to finally reaching the point where I can watch it again.

The whole Radovid issue is another instance of what I enjoyed about many of the choices in The Witcher 3.  They aren't your typical "good choice" or "bad choice" options.  No matter what choice you pick things don't turn out perfectly.  Even the seemingly better choice has it's drawbacks--letting him live means that mages and non-humans will face condemnation and death at the hands of Radovid's witch hunters.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.