Although Netflix’s The Witcher included characters many book fans wanted to see, like Borch Three Jackdaws and Filavandrel, there’s plenty of them that didn’t make the cut for the first season. Since the second season will most likely be airing sometime in 2021, which means more than a year of waiting, game fans may also, ahem, have a coin tossed their way in terms of newly introduced characters. Although the people behind the show have talked themselves hoarse explaining that the show is based on the books and not the games, the five characters we can’t wait to see belong to both mediums - and to our hearts.
Zoltan
The well-liked dwarf appears relatively late in the books - only in Baptism of Fire, the third novel in the Witcher saga, and the sixth book overall. In the games, he appears very early on: Geralt meets him in the Outskirts of Vizima, and Zoltan tells him he saw him die with his own eyes five years earlier. In the book, he explains that he is a kind-hearted dwarf who still understands that he can’t be good to everyone, so he decides to be good to himself and to those surrounding him. In the games, he is also considered an “unassailable optimist” (The Witcher 3) and a “dear and loyal friend.” In this world, surrounded by enemies, Geralt may well benefit from having Zoltan as a companion in the coming season.
Vesemir
Geralt’s only father figure after being abandoned at Kaer Morhen by his mother, Vesemir is the only remaining witcher from his generation. An attack on Kaer Morhen destroyed the keep and killed almost all witchers. Only Vesemir, hiding among the corpses, survived - but as he was only a fencing instructor, he did not possess the knowledge of mutagens needed to transform boys into witchers. Considering that the TV show has already introduced Geralt’s biological mother Visenna (who left him to Vesemir as a baby in the books, but as a young boy in the show), Vesemir is almost certain to appear very soon to continue the story of what shaped Geralt into the character he is in the present.
Eredin
The King of the Wild Hunt, Eredin is best known to gamers as the final boss of the third game. Eredin is hunting Ciri, who we know is a Source. In the books, however, he meets Ciri thanks to the help of another well-known elf, who will remain unnamed for the sake of evading some pretty serious spoilers. What follows will almost certainly be told through the show, so we won’t spoil anything - but the character is extremely important to Ciri’s story in both the books and the games, and we hope we get to meet him sooner rather than later.
Keira Metz
Keira Metz is part of the royal council of King Foltest, along with Triss Merigold and Fercart. The books have her play a very important role in the war with Nilfgaard, along with several other sorceresses - although we’ve met most of them already. Powerful in her own right, she is also headstrong and violent if need be. We’re especially looking forward to a certain scene of Keira punching someone in the face - and that’s all we’re going to say about it for now.
Lambert
If you played the third game and made the right choices, you may well see Keira and the witcher Lambert get together. Geralt’s friend from Kaer Morhen, he does not play a very large role in the books other than to make biting remarks to Triss, just like in the games. Even though the character may not be as important as some of the others we’ve mentioned to the storyline, it would be great to see other witchers at work (Vesemir doesn’t count. He’s ancient.) The witcher’s life is a lonely one, and having an episode set in Kaer Morhen at winter time when all the witchers come back to wait for spring would probably tug at our heartstrings through showing us the brotherhood at the heart of it all.
