Combat

Design philosophy

The Witcher IV redesigns combat around Ciri's fighting style. Where Geralt's combat in The Witcher 3 was described as "block" by the developers, Ciri's is described as "liquid." Her lighter build, faster reflexes from the Trial of the Grasses, and mixed martial-magical training produce a character who moves differently from any previous Witcher protagonist.

Game director Sebastian Kalemba, formerly CDPR's head of animation, has emphasized that Ciri's animations are built from scratch. Her style reflects Kaer Morhen sword training combined with Yennefer's magical instruction.

CDPR has acknowledged that gameplay was "a weaker element" of The Witcher 3 and aims to address that. Kalemba drew parallels to Cyberpunk 2077, telling IGN: "I believe the gameplay was more varied" in that game, suggesting TW4 will offer more diverse build options and encounter types. The studio also hired a lead designer from Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, which may influence the combat and RPG design.

Encounters with monsters will be tied to narrative context. CDPR stated that monsters will be "connected to stories" rather than appearing as random open-world filler. "In combat encounters, Ciri may not always start with the upper hand but always has the capacity to gain the advantage by striking at the opportune moment."

Melee weapons

Ciri carries two swords: a steel sword for humans and common creatures, and the silver sword Zireael for monsters sensitive to silver.

Her secondary weapon is a Chain Weapon, which replaces Geralt's crossbow. The chain grapples enemies at range, restrains targets for follow-up sword strikes, and pulls enemies closer. Ciri can imbue the chain with the Igni sign to set it ablaze. In the cinematic trailer, she used the flaming chain to control the Bauk's movement within a confined cave.

Witcher signs and magic

Ciri has access to Witcher Signs, including Igni (confirmed in both the trailer and tech demo). But her magical repertoire goes well beyond Geralt's five signs. She is described as a "Source Warlock," meaning she was born with innate magical talent and received formal sorcery training from Yennefer.

In the cinematic trailer's fight against the Bauk, Ciri draws water from cave walls and converts it into an electrical discharge. This elemental manipulation is closer to full sorcery than standard witcher signs.

Ciri can also perform a short-range teleportation dash, allowing rapid repositioning during fights. This appeared in her playable sections in The Witcher 3 and returns as a core combat mechanic.

Potions and mutations

The cinematic trailer shows Ciri taking a witcher potion before fighting the Bauk. Her eyes shift to the cat-eye form and her behavior changes from cautious to aggressive, matching how witcher potions function in the lore. In previous games, potions added to a toxicity meter that could damage the player if it got too high, encouraging strategic use.

Whether The Witcher IV keeps the toxicity system, the potion replenishment system (in TW3, potions restocked automatically when Geralt meditated with alcohol), or redesigns alchemy entirely has not been confirmed.

Elder Blood limitations

Despite carrying the Elder Blood gene, which granted reality-warping powers in The Witcher 3, Ciri's full Elder Blood abilities appear restricted. She retains the teleportation dash but cannot open dimensional portals or unleash uncontrolled energy blasts. The in-universe reason has not been explained, but from a design perspective it prevents Ciri from being overpowered during witcher contracts.

Comparison with The Witcher 3