One of the most dazzling details about The Witcher franchise is Geralt of Rivia’s swordplay. The White Wolf knows how to swing a sword, and he knows how to swing it well. This is highlighted in the books, video game series, and the Netflix television series.
However, as dazzling as Geralt’s swordplay is, there are many things that you could easily miss about it at a glance. Even playing through the Witcher games, you may not realize certain things about Geralt’s fighting style. Today, we are going to look at some hidden details of Geralt’s fighting style. Expect some spoilers for the Witcher book and videogame series.
10 Misdirection
The first major detail about Geralt’s fighting style is that he’s actually a master of misdirection. He uses a short longsword with a two-handed hilt, but he often holds it with one hand. He still uses two hands while swinging, but this is more by choice than necessity.
The confusion with the sword and how many hands it requires is solved by remembering that Geralt’s strength and stamina were enhanced by the Trial of Grasses. The reason he switches up his style with the sword is to misdirect his opponents and make them forget that his other hand is free to cast magical signs, throw bombs, or even draw his crossbow.
9 Fear
Geralt’s executions in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt are often incredibly brutal. He will lop off heads, split enemies in two, or take off limbs. This changes up the visuals and makes some kills more viscerally distcint than the regular old slice-and-fall-down.
However, this also serves a tactical purpose of intimidating the enemies. By showing how brutal Geralt can be, he frightens his foes and makes them more reluctant to get near him. This is shown by the recoiling of human foes and the pause they have after an execution kill.
8 Same Fighting Style For Humans And Monsters
This is a very lightly hidden detail of the game, as it is something that can be easily noticed by the player. Geralt actually uses the same style of attacks with his sword whether he is fighting a human or a monster in The Witcher 3.
This could be an oversight, but there is an argument for it being intentional. If Geralt is using a specific fighting style suited for an armed opponent, there’s no reason to throw caution to the wind and treat an unarmed opponent differently. Either way, the sword still cuts, and the foe still bleeds.
7 He Keeps An Iron Sword In The Books
This isn’t really a hidden detail either unless you have never read or researched Andrej Sapkowski’s Witcher book series. In the books, Geralt only carries around one sword at a time. He does have a silver sword, but he only pulls it out for special occasions.
His primary sword isn’t steel though; it’s iron. Steel is better than iron…unless you deal with magical creatures on the regular. There is a long history in fantasy and fairytales of magical entities having a weakness to iron, so this choice actually makes a lot of sense.
6 Geralt’s A Bit Of A Sword Artist
Another detail that might escape your notice is just how often Geralt pirouettes and twirls his sword in the game and books. This is of course to keep the blade constantly moving to attack and block, but it’s also a bit of a stylistic choice.
To keep his fighting unpredictable and mysterious, Geralt seems to have cultivated a style that involves constant movement and swinging of the blade to keep his opponents guessing.
5 Lots Of Legwork
Similarly, Geralt is also constantly moving around in sword duels. This is partially up to the player’s discretion, though The Witcher 3 does actively encourage the players to keep moving and dodging in the games. That said, Geralt will automatically shift his feet often in combat.
This dodging and movement are often mentioned in the books as well, and it shows more of Geralt’s preferred fighting style. He is constantly moving, on his toes, and doesn’t allow himself to become content in a fight. It also shows how Geralt is used to fighting multiple opponents or large and vicious beasts.
4 Confusing Monsters
Moving back to Geralt’s pirouetting — there is another reason he likes to keep his swords moving, especially while fighting monsters. Geralt tries to flash light off his swords to confuse monsters. He wants to play off the more primeval instincts of monsters to disorient them.
This is something first mentioned in the Last Wish, and it shows the creativity in Geralt as well as writer Andrej Sapkowski.
3 In The Show, Geralt May Have Some Eastern Influences
Something likely noticed by viewers of The Witcher Netflix series is that Geralt reversed the grip of his sword in his fight against the bandits in Blaviken. According to this interview with an Italian longsword expert, this is something not often done in European sword combat.
The longsword expert, named Gregory Mele, refers to Geralt’s fighting style seeming more implied by “Ninja and Zatoichi movies from the 1980s.” A sword in reverse grip is often seen in Eastern media, particularly Japanese manga and anime. That said, there is little real-life documentation of this being used in eastern Asia either.
2 In The Games, There Are Three Different Sword Styles
Again, this is something not really hidden for those who played the first Witcher game. In the tutorial of the first Witcher game, Lambert educates Geralt on the three Witcher fighting styles.
There is the “strong style,” which Lambert calls the Temerian Devil. The “fast style” is called the Fiery Dancer. Lastly, there is the “group style” for taking on multiple opponents, which Lambert refers to as Nine Sun Swords.
1 It Relies On His Enhanced Strength And Speed
One unspoken thing that is often shown throughout the Witcher games is how much Geralt’s fighting style does rely on his increased strength and speed. He is only able to take on monsters and multiple opponents because of his enhanced physiology. He can only withstand hits as he does because of his quickened healing.
Also, most individuals can’t split a man in two with a single sword stroke, but Geralt is able to do this because of his superhuman strength. Geralt’s fighting style comes from skill, experience, and age, but it also comes from the fact that he is practically a super-soldier.
NEXT: The 10 Most Heartbreaking Moments In The Witcher 3
