The Witcher franchise is filled with terrifying monsters that Geralt has slain or otherwise dispatched. While the mantle of protagonist is officially moving from Geralt to Ciri in The Witcher 4, the developers at CD Projekt Red will continue the tradition of monster slaying. We’ve seen the first hints of that in The Witcher 4‘s reveal trailer, where Ciri goes up against a fiendish beast that’s terrorizing a town.
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In addition to many of the fan-favorite monsters we expect to reappear, here are the new monsters we can’t wait to see in action in The Witcher 4.
Bauk
This first entry is slightly cheating because the monster seen in The Witcher 4‘s reveal trailer is a Bauk. This monster is based on a Serbian myth and is said to lurk in dark spaces, waiting for its victim. In the reveal trailer, a young girl is being sacrificed to the six-armed monster before Ciri steps in.
CD Projekt Red probably isn’t going to cut the Bauk at this point, but the developer has had to drop monsters in the past due to time constraints. Here’s hoping the Bauk makes the final cut in The Witcher 4. If nothing else, we need to get revenge on that village for killing the poor girl.
Rusalka
Rusalka have been mentioned in the Witcher books; they specifically show up in the short story “A Grain of Truth.” However, we’ve never seen them in one of the games. These river-dwelling cousins of the dryads are similar to English sirens, luring men in with their beautiful singing.
Anyone who has played The Witcher 3 knows that the game does feature sirens, but it’s important to note that the sirens you fight in The Witcher 3 are more accurately nixa. Unlike the merpeople-like rusalka, nixa have wings and are generally more aggressive. Adding Rusalka could be a fun way to give Ciri a silly side quest, saving the young men of a village from the delay beauties.
Bannik
The Bannik is a creature from Slavic mythology. The monster is a tiny, old man who usually lives inside bathhouses. Myths also claim that he can shapeshift and predict the future, making him a fun potential hunt for Ciri.
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Plus, as we’ll dig into later, Ciri’s powers as a known carrier of Elder Blood mean she has powers over space and time. Seeing her match wits with a small creature who can guess her every move would fit right in with the side quests we’ve come to expect.
Barbegazi
Barbegazi are mentioned offhand in The Witcher 3 and feature as a card in Gwent. The insectoid monsters are large, rock-like beasts that have very sharp teeth and can imitate human speech.
While we don’t know where The Witcher 4 will take us, the mountainous region of Kovir has been mentioned in previous games. Plus, Ciri is originally from Cintra, which is located in the Northern Kingdoms along with Kovir. If we’re already there for her story, it shouldn’t be too hard to incorporate the Barbegazi into The Witcher 4.
Wendigo
As hinted at above, CD Projekt Red cut quite a bit of content from The Witcher 3, which was revealed in a 2014 leak. That included several notable monsters like the Wendigo. Like the Barbegazi, these man-eaters are found in the north.
Plus, they’d serve as a great boss fight for Ciri. We’ve heard about Wendigos several times during the events of The Witcher franchise. It’s time for CD Projekt Red to finally let us fight the mighty beasts.
Manticore
The Manticore was another late cut from The Witcher 3. These flying monsters are a mix of lion, bat, and scorpion, meaning they’d be a tough test for even the most seasoned witcher. They’ve been mentioned in all three games, but have never made an actual appearance.
The Witcher 4 is a great time to change that. Ciri is still relatively early in her Witcher journey, and taking down a Manticore would solidify her as a premier monster slayer and finally give fans the payoff they’ve been waiting for since the monster was first mentioned during the first The Witcher game.
Likho
The Likho is another monster from Slavic mythology. It’s been said that they can either appear as an evil male goblin or a skinny, old woman with one eye. Either way, they are the embodiment of evil fate and misfortune, making them perfect for The Witcher 4.
Ciri needs a monster that strikes fear into the hearts of players, and the Likho can easily fill that role. If CD Projekt Red wants to, it could even drag the encounter out over the game, having Ciri consistently meet up with the evil creature in black throughout the story.
Hanged Man
The Hanged Man is another monster from the 2014 The Witcher 3 leak. These creatures are essentially the battlefield version of a drowner. Those beasts were created when people drowned, and a Hanged Man is created when a man is hanged after war.
It might be a blessing in disguise that the Hanged Man missed The Witcher 3 because of the new battle chain mechanics we saw in The Witcher 4′s reveal trailer. If Ciri can use a chain to fight her enemies, there’s no reason a Hanged Man can’t use the noose around his neck to pull in his prey, making for a more dynamic fight.
