There are quite a few ways in which people can distinguish the appearance of a Witcher in CD Projekt Red’sThe Witchergames. Unlike normal humans, Witchers possess cat-like eyes that area side-effect of the Mutations they undergo at a younger age. They also wear special medallions around their necks that denote which Witcher school they come from. But arguably the easiest way to tell whether someone is a Witcher or not is by the two swords strapped to their backs.
These two swords serve as essential tools to the Witcher’s trade. There have been multiple instances inThe Witchergames where NPCs comment on Geralt’s iconic weapons, some of whom talk about the cumbersome way he carries them. While most players would dismiss this as idle banter, there is some wisdom to their words, as no real swordsman carries their weapon on their back.
RELATED:How the Witcher 1 Remake’s Geralt Will Differ From The Witcher 3
The Ease of Carrying a Sword At the Hip
The most often-heard example of NPCs belittlingGeralt’s transport of gearcan be found inThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. While making their way through a town, city, or settlement, players may sometimes hear people tell Geralt to put his swords closer to his hip instead of on his back. This is an attempt to make the Witcher conform to how other people in the world carry their swords. Carrying a sword near one’s hip allows a swordsman to easily sheathe and unsheathe his weapon as the need arises, and by pulling the sword forward, it can easily be readied for combat at a moment’s notice.
By contrast, taking a look at how Geralt of Rivia prepares for combat shows how inefficiently he is. He must first extend his sword arm to the fullest to pull the sword out vertically from its sheathe. Only then can he can properly assume the correct fighting stance. It puts a lot of strain on a Witcher, requiring a lot of flexibility and making it harder for them toapply proper oils to combat enemies like Drowners or Elementals. Seeing as Witchers have a habit of fighting more than one type of enemy at once, this isn’t the smartest way for them to be carrying their weapons.
A Witcher’s Lifestyle is a Physically Demanding One
Anyone who has worn a backpack will know just how much carrying a weight on the back can affect movement, especially as the wearer has to constantly adapt to the new weight to keep their balance. That’s not to mention how the cargo can get caught in certain areas and make life more difficult. All this and more iswhat Witchers like Geralt experiencewhen carrying their steel and silver swords on their back.
It can be argued that sinceWitchers underwent training in Kaer Morhenand have otherworldly mutations, they should be ready to lug two giant swords, but the fact of the matter is that these weapons will be cumbersome no matter who carries them. The swords will get stuck in tight areas such as caves and ditches - places where Witchers must go to defeat monsters. They will also impede a Witcher’s movement and make it especially hard to fight. Considering how much running, jumping, and rolling they do, it’s a wonder the Witchers' guild lasted so long when their members had to carry massive hunks of metal on their backs.
This is all in context of the video games, however.The WitcherNetflix series handles sword carryingmore realistically, as Henry Cavill’s Geralt usually brings only a single sword for the task at hand. Even though CD Projekt Red strives to include as much realism inThe Witchergames as possible, Geralt carrying two swords at all times isn’t realistic in the slightest.
The Witcher 3: Wild Huntis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
