Netflix finally released The Witcher Season 2 Trailer, here’s what you may have missed

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During a panel at Lucca Comics and Games, The Witcher season two’s official trailer was finally revealed. The trailer features a whole lot of brand new footage, including our first look at two iconic monsters, new characters, and powerful magic. As always, we’re here to dissect every single frame and try to speculate what it means for season two. Before we begin, make sure to watch the trailer.


The Beauty, the Beast, and the Witcher

Geralt and Ciri arrive at Nivellen’s mansion

One of the most iconic Witcher short stories written by Andrzej Sapkowski, A Grain of Truth, is basically a dark parody of the classic fairy tale of “The Beauty and the Beast”. As is often true in the Witcher universe, the lines between Beauty and Beast are quite blurred, and Netflix appears to be honoring that in the new trailer.

Kristofer Hivju’s Nivellen

We’ve already seen “The Beast” Nivellen (Kristofer Hivju) in a clip shared by Netflix, taken from season two’s first episode in which he speaks to Geralt (Henry Cavill). We get to see (and hear) more of Nivellen in the new trailer, including a Nivellen quote used right at the start of the trailer.

Nivellen: “Something has changed, Geralt. The world’s acting strange these days. The North and South at war, monsters roaming when they should be hibernating. Maybe it’s the end of days.”

Geralt: “I’ve lived through three supposed end of days, it’s all horseshit.”

“It’s all horseshit”, according to Geralt

We’ve only seen brief glimpses of “The Beauty” Vereena (Agnes Bjorn) in previous marketing footage, but now we have a pretty good look at both of her forms: the pale, beautiful woman and the giant, terrifying bat.

Vereena is a bruxa, a form of vampire who has a supersonic scream, great speed, and the ability to transform into a giant bat. This fight will take place at the garden of Nivellen’s mansion, which will be drenched in snow. Geralt can be seen fighting the bruxa in both her forms, silver sword in hand.

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Vereena’s primal scream
Geralt defends using the Witcher Sign Quen
Geralt readies his silver sword as the vampire approaches
Behind you, Geralt!
Notice the giant bat in the background
The Beauty isn’t quite as pretty in this form

We finally get to see more of Yennefer’s journey

Yennefer after the Battle of Sodden Hill

Season one ended with Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra) singlehandedly defeating the Nilfgaardian army at the Battle of Sodden Hill when she unleashed a wave of fire on them. When the dust settled, Yennefer was gone, leaving her loved ones Tissaia and Geralt with no hints of her fate. With this trailer, we now have a pretty good idea what the raven-haired sorceress will be up to in season two, at least initially.

“Your precious leader’s after something. You’re a pawn to get to it.”

Yennefer begins her journey this season as a captive of the retreating Nilfgaardian army, led by Fringilla Vigo (Mimi M. Khayisa). It seems that Yennefer will try to convince Fringilla that Nilfgaard is using her, as she tells Fringilla: “Your precious leader’s after something. You’re a pawn to get to it.”

In this picture, Yennefer is still wearing her Sodden Hill costume
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It doesn’t take long before Yennefer and Fringilla are captured themselves by elves, as we can see in the image below as well as in the season’s last few teasers. These elves are led by two key characters, one of which is season one’s Filavandrel (Tom Canton), who is seen in the picture below. We will discuss the second key elven character, Francesca, later in the article.

The next step in Yennefer’s journey seems even less fortunate. We don’t know how or why the elves return her to the mages and specifically the villainous Stregobor (Lars Mikkelsen), but he appears to be torturing Yennefer in these next few photos. It’s possible he is attempting to tap into her power, as Yennefer appears to be engulfed in magical fire in the last photo (if that is indeed her, and not someone from another scene). The torture/experiment is probably happening at Aretuza, which is also seen in the trailer.

Aretuza, School of Sorceresses
Yennefer appears to be in great pain
Another reason to the long list of why we hate Stregobor, though Lars Mikkelsen certainly knows how to play a villain
Is this Yennefer? We are puzzled

So, all this torture must not sit well with Yennefer’s teacher and mother figure Tissaia (MyAnna Buring), right? Perhaps not. In another picture, we see Yennefer standing while Tissaia stands silently behind her. Was she taking part in the torture/experiment or did she know about it?

Yennefer and Tissaia in what will most likely be another emotional scene between these actresses
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The last time we saw Tissaia, she was searching for Yennefer on the battlefield at Sodden

Yennefer and Tissaia are one of the stand-out pairings in the first season, so we’re excited to see more of that dynamic in the second season. We don’t know much more about Yennefer’s arc in season two past this, with the exception being her meeting Ciri (more on that later). Due to leaked set pictures, we do know that Yennefer will be present for a major political meeting that was filmed at Fountains Abbey, and one shot from this scene can be seen below.


Ciri begins her training with the witchers at Kaer Morhen

Looks like deep stares and grunting are part of the witcher curriculum

As players of The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt will know, Ciri (Freya Allan) is destined to become quite the badass, wielding both swords and magic as she fights her way through the Continent. Before she can become a badass, however, she must train.

Perhaps the most hyped storyline coming up in season two is Geralt and Ciri’s arrival to Kaer Morhen, the witchers’ stronghold in the mountains of Kaedwen. There, she will meet Geralt’s own mentor and father figure Vesemir (Kim Bodnia), as well as the witchers Lambert (Paul Bullion) and Coen (Yasen Atour) pictured with Ciri below, and Eskel (Basil Eidenbenz) who is not-so-suspiciously missing from this trailer.

Lambert, Ciri and Coen

Old characters, new costumes: a new look at Triss, Istredd, and Cahir

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Another character Ciri will meet in season two is Triss Merigold (Anna Shaffer) who will be joining the witchers at Kaer Morhen as she does in the books. Triss has a new look in season two, with a completely different hairstyle and a green dress. The scene pictured above was featured in set leaks during filming, but we still don’t know exactly what it is all about. All we know this this scene is from Episode 5 of Season 2.

The second season one cast member we found in the new trailer is Istredd (Royce Pierreson) who appears to be casting a spell in the below images. We also see him walking beside Geralt in set photos (more on that later).

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The Nilfgaardian knight Cahir (Eamon Farren), who was last seen being tortured by Tissaia in the “Road to Season 2” Trailer, also appears wearing the brand new Nilfgaardian armor set. This happens to be the exact scene we leaked several months ago, our first look at the new Nilfgaardian armor. In this scene, Cahir and Fringilla join the elven sorceress Francesca, who can be seen plucking a white Sherrawaed rose in the trailer.

Cahir and Fringilla
Francesca plucks a white rose

Introducing some brand new characters: Francesca, Nenneke, and Rience

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Season two is set to introduce some brand new characters to the Continent, and though not all of them appear in the trailer, we do get a good look at the elven sorceress Francesca Findabair (Mecia Simson). She appears twice in the trailer, and another time in the above promotional photo. Notice that a man in red armor is standing behind her, presumably belonging to the Redanian army, which suggests the city where we see Francesca in the trailer is Oxenfurt.

Next up is the High Priestess of Melitele, Nenneke (Adjoa Andoh), who’s seen once in the trailer, speaking to Geralt. She tells him: “If what you say about that girl’s power is true, you can’t help her.”

Lastly, the trailer introduces the mage and french-fry Rience (Chris Fulton), who ironically appears to enjoy using fire magic. He does this both times he appears in the trailer. We hope the origin of his scar is kept true to the books.


Geralt and Ciri fight the Leshen

We’ve known for quite a while that season two will feature a leshen. Well, now we’ve seen it! The creature looks very cool indeed, and even cooler is the fact that Geralt and Ciri are fighting it together. We hope Ciri gets to use some of the skills she’s acquired in her training.

If you’ve been following our reports and the leshy business confuses you, you’re not alone. We already know that the witchers will be fighting a leshy monster inside Kaer Morhen in the second episode of season two (before Ciri begins her training), so it’s possible there are multiple leshies in season two. In the shot below, we can see Geralt fighting the leshen in Kaer Morhen.


Yennefer and Ciri finally meet

Geralt has met Yennefer. Geralt has met Ciri. In season two, Ciri and Yennefer will meet as well!

One of our most anticipated pairings for season two is Yennefer and Ciri, who are destined to meet as they do in the books. We’ve already known this would happen, and we’ve seen it in the leaks, but it’s still very exciting.


In the strangest shot from the trailer, Francesca approaches a house on chicken legs

The house may be a reference to the Slavic folklore figure Baba Yaga
What is Francesca doing here?

Nilfgaard gets an upgrade

Fringilla: “Rebuild our forces, strengthen our numbers. We are an empire, the war’s just begun.”

It appears that Nilfgaard has taken over Cintra and now Emhyr var Emreis may have his temporary residence here.


Geralt confronts another monster in a swamp

Is this another Bruxa or something more draconite?

Geralt frees Jaskier from prison

Another fan-favorite character is Jaskier (Joey Batey), who appears quite a lot in the new trailer. Jaskier seems to be held captive in a prison, wearing the same outfit he’s seen in during his concert in previous marketing pictures. If this goes anything like the books, it’s possible Jaskier gets captured and interrogated by Rience. It looks like, unlike the books, it will be Geralt who frees him in the show.

As with any scene involving Geralt and Jaskier, this one includes some fun banter between them.

Geralt: “We need your help.”

Jaskier: “Fine, but first…” Jaskier turns to a pair of rats eating from his plate. “Gentlemen, it’s been an honor. What? I made new friends, get over it. Jealous.”


Geralt fights the Michelet Brothers and Rience… inside the Temple of Melitele?

Circling a witcher may not be the best idea

One of the most memorable fight scenes in Blood of Elves, the book that season two adapts, is the fight between Geralt and the Michelet Brothers (and Rience). In the books, this occurs in the Redanian city of Oxenfurt, and includes an appearance from fan-favorite sorceress Philippa Eilhart (Cassy Clare). This scene appears to have been changed in the show, at the very least in terms of the setting.

As the images proves, this fight between Geralt, the Michelets, and Rience will happen inside the Temple of Melitele in the show. Hopefully, this doesn’t mean Philippa will skip this one.

Geralt making short work of a pitchfork, what could go wrong?!
Rience touching fire with ‘these hands’

The Witchers dope up for a massive fight at Kaer Morhen, and Jaskier is there for it

Another fight scene glimpsed in the trailer takes place at Kaer Morhen. Many witchers can be seen gathering with their weapons drawn and using the witcher sign Quen as debris is flung towards them. Among these witchers, we can see Vesemir (Kim Bodnia), Coen (Yasen Atour), Lambert (Paul Bullion), and a couple of original witcher characters. Surprisingly, Jaskier is also seen among them! Notice him in the above group shot, in the blurry background.

With Jaskier there, we must assume that this is not the same fight scene we learned about earlier where the witchers confront a leshen in Kaer Morhen, but a completely different fight. So, who are what are they fighting?

Another shot from the trailer may point to Rience. In the first frame attached below, we see what appears to be Ciri and Triss on the floor at Kaer Morhen, while someone out of frame is using magic to light a fire on his finger. In the next image, Rience is seen with a similar pose, in a similar environment. So is it Rience attacking Kaer Morhen as well as the Temple of Melitele? Notice the nail-studded jacket in both images? That’s definitely looks like the same coat. So this means we’re likely getting a Triss vs Rience fight in Kaer Morhen. bring it on!

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Rience the arsonist

A return to Cintra

One surprising leak during production revealed that season two will revisit the city of Cintra, which was conquered and destroyed by Nilfgaard in The Witcher‘s first season. Cintra is Ciri’s home, where she grew up with her grandmother Calanthe (Jodhi May) after her parents’ died in a storm at sea.

SPOILER WARNING! If you wish to watch season two with no prior knowledge, know that the next paragraph contains information that will surprise book readers and show watchers alike.

Nilfgaardian soldiers ride out of Cintra
The ravine created during Ciri’s escape from Cahir in the show’s first episode

In an old leak, we revealed that some of Cintra’s cast members will return: Ciri’s father Duny (Bart Edwards), her mother Pavetta (Gaia Mondadori), and her childhood friend Martin (Sonny Serkis) will be joining Calanthe in what may be a flashback or vision sequence, including one ballroom dance. But it seems that we will not just revisit a past version of Cintra, but a present version as well: and this version is held by Nilfgaard.

In the trailer, we can see shots of Geralt and Istredd approaching the conquered city (pictured below), even passing by the massive ravine formed by Ciri’s powers during the series’ pilot episode. If you’re wondering how we know these two figures are Geralt and Istredd, take a look at these leaked images from the set.

We’re not sure yet how Geralt and Istredd meet and what they plan to do together, but one must remember that Istredd was last seen siding with Nilfgaard in season one. Unless he changed his allegiance once again, it’s possible that Istredd is leading Geralt for some sort of meeting with the White Flame himself, Emperor Emhyr var Emreis. This would be supported by another, very recent leak which confirms that the Emperor’s identity will be revealed in season two (book readers and players of The Wild Hunt will know).

Also in the vicinity are Yennefer and Ciri, who will be meeting this season. We see them riding together through a very similar landscape, so it appears they are also on their way to Cintra (for whatever reason). A highly spoiler-filled leak sheds some light on what’s happening in this sequence, which appears to take place in the season finale. Read the report at your own discretion, and remember that we lack the context to fully understand the scene.

Geralt and Yennefer take on Nilfgaardian soldiers
This shot is likely from the same sequence, as Ciri is wearing the same outfit as the one she does when riding with Yennefer

This brings us to the fight scene pictured above, where Geralt is seen fighting a Nilfgaardian soldier beside Yennefer. As revealed by the leaks, Geralt, Yennefer and Ciri will reunite at the end of the season. They will be fighting waves of incoming Nilfgaardian soldiers, finally together as a family. Now we know that this reunion takes place just outside of Cintra.

So, what are they doing there? One particular quote from the new trailer comes to mind.

Ciri: “It’s my home, my fight.”


That’ll be all for our analysis of season two’s first full trailer. The Witcher season two will launch on Netflix on December 17.

6 comments on “Netflix finally released The Witcher Season 2 Trailer, here’s what you may have missed”

  1. In a scene where Geralt is fighting with Nilfgardian soldiers, and Yennefer is…holding a stick (:D) we can actually see dwarves in the baskground. For 99% sure it’s Yarpen and his crew

  2. Even having read all the books multiple times is still hard to piece this season together. The trailer looked great, the cinematography and special effects have improved, the monsters and the magic and the witcher signs looks fantastic. My only problem was that Geralt’s eyes looked better last season. Maybe they’ll look better in the series though, who knows. Other than that Geralt looks incredible. My only concern seeing the trailer and reading all the leaks is that maybe they try to fit too much story into the season again and that will hurt the character’s relationships. Although the new elements they added look great (especially the creatures) I really need time for Geralt and Ciri to bond and Ciri and Yen to bond and Geralt and Yennefer to reunite and them to fresh out their relationship a little bit. For a fantastical world to be believable it must the characters and their relationships to be believable. I mean, I love Jaskier but what is he doing on Kaer Morhen? (although maybe I’ll enjoy that part). And why is Istredd still part of this? I hope his role starts and ends with him showing Geralt the prophecy and maybe excange some bitter words bc of Yen but don’t expand his character beyond that. We don’t need a backstory for every guest character. We need real time with our main characters. We need to see them becoming a family. Knowing what’s coming, that’s pretty crucial to do now. To show us their love for e/o and why they’d do anything for e/o. The audience needs to feel this.

  3. With every new info RI you are killing me. I’ll admit it, I have a bad feeling about the season. The visuals, the battles, the locations, everything look stunning but I’m worry about the story. Geralt/Triss, Yen being tortured, Geralt & Yen’s ex scenes. I’m scared that again we’ll have very little time with our main characters together. I thought they learned their lessons from season 1 but.. sigh. When Lauren spoke about more relationship depth I thought she meant between the main trio, not them with other characters. Yenralt needs more time ffs. Idk I hope I’m wrong and the trailer is misleading and we don’t have all the clues yet.

  4. What a strange music for the trailer, completely ill-fitting for the genre. What is the point of having that sort of rap music for the trailer when there is a whole lot of excellent original music, for instance from the Witcher 3 games, available? Is it meant to put off fans of the Witcher world? I very much hope that won’t be the music used in the 2nd season, because that would really be a reason for not watching it. And while some of the cinematography, costumes, make up and set design look much better than in season one, it is doubtful if the story will be coherent and closely related to the books. It seems to deviate quite a bit. What are Stregebor and Istridd doing there? They don’t appear in any significant role at this point any more.

  5. Anna Shaffer looks totally different in those stills. I have hardly recognized her. The makeup and hairstyle have changed her a lot.

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