Anyone who knows me knows that I adore The Witcher. Scratch that. I love it; there's no doubt that it's one of my favorite franchises of all time, with The Witcher 3 easily being among my top ten ever games. Like so many of you, I thought we were long finished with Wild Hunt following the best DLC ever (I'll die on this hill): Blood and Wine, but it seems that CD Projekt Red may be releasing one more bit of content, even after more than ten years since it released The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
Now, there are a few possibilities for this DLC, including another chance to say goodbye to your time with Geralt, as we know that Ciri is the star of The Witcher 4. However, as much as I love him, I don't want to play as Geralt if this rumored DLC does come to fruition - it's much more appealing to play as Ciri.
Blood and Wine honestly gives a really nice ending to Geralt's time as the main protagonist; some might even say it's perfect, particularly if you romance Yennefer (I'm a Triss girl through and through, but Yen's ending to Blood and Wine feels right). Geralt is ready to retire, spending time at his new home in Toussaint, whether that's by himself with visits from his adoptive daughter or with his partner.
To me, it would diminish the perfection of Blood and Wine to once again put us in control of Geralt ahead of The Witcher 4. Instead, it offers the perfect opportunity to give us a proper introduction to Ciri being in the lead. I suspect that if CD Projekt Red does go ahead with the DLC, it'll be to set you up nice and proper for the new game, and joining Ciri on an adventure seems like a great way to do that, perhaps on her first quest as a fully-fledged Witcher.
In the canon ending of The Witcher 3, Ciri becomes a Witcher, setting off on her own adventure after Geralt presents her with a sword - perhaps we get to see what she's doing while Geralt is off in Toussaint, or maybe we can see where she goes after she visits him at the chalet (though most of you probably romanced Triss or Yen).
Better still, it could answer some questions that fans have about Ciri's powers, with her seemingly undergoing quite the downgrade regarding her abilities, so the DLC exploring that seems somewhat plausible. Witnessing Ciri undergo the Trial of the Grasses, or seeing her learn how to handle no longer being a super god, is interesting to me. Even if the DLC doesn't broach this subject, I'm sure questions surrounding her skills will get answers in The Witcher 4.
So it's clear that I'd like to see us play as Ciri, and that Geralt already had a lovely goodbye to being the main protagonist. However, if I'm exploring all possibilities, and being realistic, Geralt is more than likely the character we play as, given The Witcher 3 is still his game. Plus, the recent leaks indicate that it's the White Wolf you're joining in what appears to be a desert - if this is the case, I can't wait to hear all about how it "looks like rain" and the "winds howling" in the middle of a desert.
If the leaks are accurate and it is Geralt, maybe we get to experience a flip of the script, and whatever happens to him in the DLC leads Ciri to look for him in The Witcher 4. No matter what, it will set up future events, as The Witcher 4 is the first game in a new trilogy, but it seems like a missed opportunity not to hand the reins over to Ciri now, especially as Geralt has a nice ending going for him at the moment. Even if, realistically, that was never going to last, and he and Yennfer (and hopefully Triss) are absolutely going to show up in The Witcher 4 to help with whatever Ciri faces.
Regardless of what awaits us in the DLC (because I firmly believe it's happening), I'll be curious to see what ending of Blood and Wine becomes canon and whether your choice to be with Triss or Yen has an ongoing impact, or if CD Projekt Red is choosing the 'correct' path for you to make things simpler when The Witcher 4 rolls around, but that's a conversation for another day, honestly.
Blood and Wine and Hearts of Stone are among the very best DLC you can play, so CD Projekt Red has a lot to live up to, and I honestly think handing the reins over to Ciri would cement another incredible bit of content that's worthy of being part of one of the best games of all time.