Summary
As any fan ofThe Witcherknows, Geralt of Rivia is a mutated warrior. Genetically enhanced and trained in combat, he is designed to kill the fiercest monsters on the Continent. This makes him a formidable foe in any battle, boasting immense stamina, agility, and sword prowess. Any human opponent facing Geralt inThe Witcheris utterly powerless against him. However, he is still fallible.
In addition to his strengths,Geralt suffers from a number of weaknesses. These can be physical as well as psychological. Such shortcomings become apparent in various situations from the books and games. At the end of the day, he’s only human. The Witcher realm is full of creatures more cunning and dangerous than any would-be hero.
6Mages
The Smarter Creators of Witchers
Witchers canmanipulate magic to some extent, but their small spells are mere party tricks next to the big guns. Sorcerers and sorceresses channel Chaos in truly spectacular ways. The most accomplished ones can level entire buildings. This obviously makes them tough to take down.
Geralt learns that firsthand. Whenever he battles practiced mages like Vilgefortz or Philippa, he’s always on the defensive. He has nothing to counter them with, so he must hide and dodge their attacks. His only hope is to outmaneuver them. Even that’s not easy since they’re smarter than mindless monsters. Mages created witchers, so the difficulty isn’t all that surprising.
5Yennefer Of Vengerberg
The Love of Geralt’s Life
One mage, in particular, packs a powerful punch. Yennefer is the love of Geralt’s life. Though frequently on each other’s nerves, they have an incalculable passion and deep-seated understanding of each other’s personal demons. However, when frustrated or remorseful, they both act like idiotic teenagers. Geralt’s supposed lack of emotions should help him save face, but he usually loses more dignity.
This love/hate dynamic gets him into several ridiculous situations. At one point, he agrees to duel a rival for her affections. At another,he dives into the freezing Skellige waters to help her find a sunken treasure. He even joins the spectral riders of the Wild Hunt to save her. In short, he can’t think clearly when Yennefer’s around. He’s well aware of that failure, yet remains unable to amend it. In the meantime, the sorceress has the Witcher wrapped around her finger.
4High-Class Gatherings
Dressing & Acting In High Stature Provides Discomfort
Geralt’s inexperience shows whenever he’s dragged to these gatherings. His attempts at respectful gestures are just clumsy and amateurish. Sometimes, he outright refuses to even try. This results in hostility from the more polished parties. Geralt’s tactless nature gets him into trouble, such as when he meets the Queen of Cintra orEmperor of Nilfgaard. They execute people for mere insolence. The only reason they don’t do the same to Geralt is that they need him at that moment. Otherwise, it’s best to stay out of this lion’s den. Whilst the Witcher may not play the political game, he can still lose.
3His Drinking Buddies
Witchers are solitary by trade, so the closest thing they have to family are their fellow witchers. In Geralt’s case, Lambert and Eskel are essentially his brothers. Like most brothers, they get into trouble together. Fans see that inThe Witcher 3when the heroes have time to kill at Kaer Morhen. That’s not a good combination.
The witchers use the opportunity to get blind drunk. Never in the franchise does Geralt get so inebriated. Their dulled state leads to dumb games andeven dumber ideas, such as prank-calling one of Yennefer’s colleagues while wearing her clothes. Eskel complains that it’s always like this whenever they meet up. If that’s the case, then they should stay far away from the bottle. A stiff wind could blow them over, so they wouldn’t want to tackle a monster.
2Amnesia
Forgetting His Identity Became a Crux
Following his fatal stabbing and subsequent struggle with the Wild Hunt, Geraltsuffers from amnesia. This issue dogs him throughout the first twoWitchergames. He doesn’t know his friends or even the basics of being a monster-slayer. Not only does he have to relearn everything from scratch, but he must gradually piece together the blanks through cryptic flashbacks. Until that happens, others must hold his hand.
An amnesiac Geralt functions at a fraction of his full potential. Aside from the obvious skill deficiency, it throws his priorities and relationships completely out of whack. The most egregious example comes when he romances Triss Merigold. He also doesn’t recognize Letho after the latter kills King Foltest. Knowledge of the past could have expedited these games' plots and avoided a lot of emotional complications. Instead, Geralt looks like a naive child to his friends and a brainless dolt to his enemies. Worse, the affair leaves a ton of messes he must straighten up when his memories finally return.
1His Conscience
The Morality Of A Witcher Is A Tough One
Geralt may profess his neutrality and lack of emotion, but he suffers from a fatal flaw: his sense of righteousness. Whenever he sees a person or creature being oppressed by another,he can’t help but step in, often against his allies' wishes. He passes it off as a foolhardy, subconscious need to be a white knight. The simple answer, though, is heroism. Geralt can’t abide bullies, especially when he can do something about them. Ciri’s desire to right the world’s wrongs definitely rubs off on him in that sense. Unfortunately, it’s a thankless task.
Geralt’s reluctant altruism often gets the short end of the stick. He sometimes winds up having to fight the oppressors, resulting in unwanted bloodshed and worsening his reputation as the “Butcher of Blaviken.” It also hampers his livelihood. The witcher may do a job for little to no payment. Alternatively, he might earn the ire of his employer if he spares a monster. These choices give him a clear conscience, but nothing else.
