Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales

Lore & Background

Thronebreaker is set in the fantasy world of The Witcher, taking place entirely within the Continent, a northern region based on Slavonic mythology. The player controls Queen Meve, widow and sole ruler of Lyria and Rivia, whose realms are invaded by the imperialist nation of Nilfgaard at the onset of the second Northern War. The game explores five regions new to The Witcher franchise: Rivia, Lyria, Angren, Mahakam, and Lower Aedirn.

The story begins with Meve returning from a summit of Northern rulers, only to learn of Nilfgaard's invasion. After being betrayed by her own nobles and imprisoned, she escapes with the help of the thief Gascon and her loyal lieutenant Reynard Odo. Meve gathers allies including Dwarf warriors from Mahakam, and eventually receives aid from the witcher Geralt. The plot involves choices and consequences that affect alliances and character fates, culminating in Meve's restoration to rule and the defeat of Nilfgaardian forces.

Gameplay combines exploration across large isometric maps with card-based combat similar to Gwent. The player's army is represented by a customizable deck, and battles involve winning two of three rounds by playing cards with various values and abilities. Hero cards remain only as long as allied characters stay with Meve.

Reader's Guide

Thronebreaker is notable as a standalone single-player expansion of Gwent: The Witcher Card Game, originally conceived as a campaign expansion but repurposed as a separate title in August 2018. Its 30-hour campaign features a fully voice-acted story narrated by a character called the Storyteller, with a system of choices and consequences that shift the narrative and gameplay. The game introduces five regions never before explored in The Witcher video game franchise, expanding the lore of the setting. Combat uses a modified version of Gwent's card game mechanics, with each player taking turns to play cards and win rounds. Maintaining alliances is crucial, as hero cards leave the deck when allies depart. The game was released across multiple platforms from 2018 to 2021, including Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android. Its significance lies in bridging the card game Gwent with a full role-playing experience, offering a narrative-driven adventure set during the events of The Witcher books.

Did You Know?

• Thronebreaker was originally conceived as a single-player campaign expansion for Gwent before being repurposed as a standalone game in August 2018.
• The game's story is narrated by a character called the Storyteller, later revealed to be Borch Three Jackdaws.
• Queen Meve knights Geralt of Rivia, granting him his 'of Rivia' title during the game's events.