One of Netflix’s The Witcher's most significant book changes is actually good for The Witcher season 3’s story. Following Henry Cavill’s exit from The Witcher ahead of season 4, The Witcher season 3 will have to deal with the expectations and the pressure of continuing an already-established Netflix franchise. Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf and The Witcher: Blood Origin both prove that The Witcher can sustain a franchise, but only if the main show continues to work in season 3 and beyond.
The Witcher has made changes to the source material, which is usually necessary regarding book-to-screen adaptations. However, storylines like Yennefer losing her magic or moments like Eskel's death in The Witcher season 2’s premiere were controversial and risked deviating The Witcher from the books too much. That said, one of The Witcher’s first significant book changes will be paid off in The Witcher season 3 thanks to Yennefer and Ciri’s story.
The Witcher Made Mages More Prominent Than Early Witcher Books
Netflix’s The Witcher has made wizards a significant part of the story since season 1. For example, by exploring Yennefer’s backstory, which wasn’t really revealed in the books apart from a few tidbits, The Witcher season 1 focused a lot on the Aretuza school of sorcery and how the relationship between the kingdoms and their designated sorcerers works. The Witcher has also heavily featured the Council, a gathering of wizards consisting of characters like Tissaia, Stregobor, and Vilgefortz. However, when it comes to Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher books, mages only really became a significant part of the plot in Time of Contempt.
For example, the Brotherhood of Sorcerers’ Council of Wizards, which has been part of Netflix’s The Witcher since season 1, only appeared for the first time in Time of Contempt, the second The Witcher novel. The Council of Wizards had been previously mentioned in Blood of Elves, the second collection of The Witcher short stories. While mages and magic itself had been part of Geralt of Rivia’s story since The Last Wish, which served as the inspiration for The Witcher season 1 and part of season 2, it was only in Time of Contempt that the inner works of mages and sorcerers were fleshed out.
Mages Change Sets Up Season 3’s Version Of Time Of Contempt
The Witcher season 3’s synopsis reveals that Yennefer will take Ciri to Aretuza, where Yennefer was first trained to be a sorceress, in order to find out more about Ciri’s powers and continue the princess’ training. By returning to the Aretuza school, The Witcher season 3 all but confirms that it will adapt the events of Time of Contempt, whose major plot points begin on the Isle of Thanedd. However, where Aretuza only appeared in the books for the first time in Time of Contempt after being mentioned in Blood of Elves, The Witcher season 1 already showed a lot of Aretuza and the Isle of Thanedd.
The Thanedd coup, a sort of The Witcher’s sorceress civil war, is one of the main events in Time of Contempt. Given how The Witcher’s books hadn’t revealed much about the mages and how they organize until that point, the second The Witcher novel spends a significant time with mages' worldbuilding. In that sense, The Witcher season 3 has an advantage over the books, as it has already introduced and fleshed out concepts like the Aretuza school and the Council of Wizards. Essentially, incorporating elements from Time of Contempt already in The Witcher season 1 proved to be the right decision in the long term.