Hard to believe, but more than a decade after The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt launched, we may be only months away from fresh content – and the rumors say it could expand the RPG into a region the saga has barely explored: the mystical land of Zerrikania.
Who would have guessed that eleven years after The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt released, we wouldn’t just still be talking about it – we might even be closing in on brand-new content? CD Projekt’s RPG has never been entirely free of delayed add-ons. While its two major expansions arrived within 18 months of launch, the Complete Edition later added extra content as well, even if it was on a smaller scale. Now, however, the chatter has grown louder: increasingly persistent claims suggest the Polish studio has handed a new expansion over to Fool’s Theory, and that it would take Geralt to a completely new destination – not only for the game, but for the saga as a whole: Zerrikania.
So where did this rumor actually come from? The truth is that speculation is everywhere, but far fewer claims come backed by multiple Polish sources. In this case, it’s not only Mateusz Chrzanowski – a Polish analyst at Noble Securities – who said “100%” that new content for Geralt’s latest adventure is in the works. IGN Poland has also weighed in. According to the Polish branch of the site, anonymous sources close to CD Projekt claim the DLC isn’t just plausible – it’s allegedly headed in a specific direction, with the Zerrikan Desert singled out as the destination.
Zerrikania, Land of Dragons and Alchemy
Zerrikania is one of the most enigmatic – and arguably most fascinating – territories in The Witcher universe, even if it plays only a limited role in Andrzej Sapkowski’s canon. The strange part is that Sapkowski never truly takes readers there, yet its mere mention evokes a place radically different from the Northern Kingdoms: distant, eastern, arid, and culturally alien to the late-medieval European inspiration behind regions like Velen, Novigrad, and Toussaint. It’s a land built at arm’s length, through rumors, offhand remarks, and secondary characters – which only amplifies its near-mythical quality. In fact, because it remains physically absent yet conceptually powerful, Zerrikania has become one of the most striking parts of the lore over time: a region that represents everything Geralt doesn’t know, more mystical – and more overwhelming – than the Continent itself.
Readers will remember that the most significant reference to Zerrikania appears in “The Bounds of Reason,” a short story included in The Sword of Destiny, though it’s also been mentioned in the Netflix series. That story introduces Téa and Véa, two Zerrikan warriors traveling alongside the dragon Borch Three Jackdaws. Through them, Sapkowski sketches the region’s defining traits: Zerrikania is portrayed as distinctly matriarchal, with women trained for combat and guided by an understanding of honor and violence that differs sharply from Northern norms.
In that sense, Sapkowski’s influences are fairly clear. He drew from Scythian and Sarmatian cultures – warrior peoples of the Eurasian steppes who broke classical expectations, especially around women’s roles. Zerrikania’s matriarchal structure and the existence of disciplined female fighters also echoes the long-standing myth of the Amazons, a recurring motif in Greek and Roman sources describing far-eastern societies seen as outside “civilization,” and dominated by warrior women.
What Would This Mean for CD Projekt’s Witcher Saga?
From the video game canon perspective, the key point is that Zerrikania is tied to the Manticore School, whose witchers are known for heavy alchemy use and unconventional combat tactics. That alone could make the region an ideal gameplay backdrop for an expansion set there. Sapkowski has never hidden his irritation with CD Projekt’s “school” approach – at times resembling “Hogwarts houses,” in his view – but the explicit Manticore mention in Blood and Wine, plus Letho of Gulet’s (School of the Viper, former kingslayer) stated intention to travel to Zerrikania, creates direct in-game connective tissue waiting to be explored.
A land associated with powerful warriors and dragon cults is instantly appealing for any video game – even as an expansion for The Witcher 3. And narratively, it could also open a clean path to explore origins and backstory for figures like Azar Javed, antagonist of the first The Witcher, giving CD Projekt a strong excuse to connect past threads with future franchise events.
That said, not every theory points exclusively to Zerrikania. The Polish outlet also suggests another candidate: Kovir and Poviss, whose winter atmosphere could better match the visual identity shown so far for The Witcher 4, while also functioning as a more direct bridge between the third installment and its sequel. If the real goal of the DLC is to unify both stories, and if Fool’s Theory has chosen a more conservative “bridge expansion” structure, then Zerrikania – vast and far removed from the main narrative – might not be the perfect fit.
Either way, CD Projekt RED has officially confirmed nothing: no DLC announcement, no location, no story details, and no stated importance within the lore. For now, all that’s left is patience – and the possibility that we could be returning to Sapkowski’s world sooner than anyone expected.
Source: 3djuegos
