History Awesome / TheWitcher3WildHunt

* ''Open Sesame'': the Ocean's 11 recruitment of possible gymnasts, safe-crackers, demolitions experts and break-in specialists is a joy to behold as the Stranger lays out his plan for robbing the Borsodi Auction House's vault. And while all of the potential partners are varying shades of awesome, the one who stands out in particular is the playful Elven trapeze artist, Eveline Gallo; she's able to perform OffscreenTeleportation ala Catwoman by [[NoOneCouldSurviveThat diving backwards]] off of Oxenfurt's western moat bridge spire to escape some of Radovid's Redenian pukes. If you hire her to take part in the heist the Stranger asks if she can scale the tower that is their point of entry in less than five minutes. She does it in less than ''one''. Then proves her LeParkour and CombatParkour is almost unmatched by tricking the tower's guard into thinking she's a pigeon by cooing from under the beam she's clinging to; the yutz looks out and she clobbers him with a [[SheFu flying monkey-spin kick that lands her on the platform in one go!]]

* The fight against the Griffin of White Orchard is a really good one from multiple perspectives. Geralt tracks down the creature's lair, discovers the Nilfgaardians killed its mate along with smashing their eggs and have driven the male berserk with grief. He and Vesimir then lay a trap for the creature using a reeking herb called buckthorn plucked from the river-bed as bait by stuffing it inside a sheep carcass and waiting in a fallow field, then plug a tracking bolt into its haunches from a Gabrielle cross-bow when it arrvives and follow its blood-trail to the major wind-mill. All of his preparations, though, don't keep Geralt from having a knock-down, drag-out fight with the beast. A monster which had devastated the countryside for quite some time. Geralt's opinion on the subject? [[ButForMeItWasTuesday "It's not the first time I've killed a griffin, nor is it likely to be the last."]]

* One for book readers, as a certain Princess of Cintra makes her debut! Presenting: [[=https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rGP-D0CasGY/VAFwTxFnNLI/AAAAAAAAPWo/BdUZ1OOLMUI/s1600/Ciri%2BIn%2BThe%2BWitcher%2B3%2BWild%2BHunt.jpg Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon!]]

* One for book readers, as a certain Princess of Cintra makes her debut! Presenting: [[http://www.hdwallpapers.in/walls/ciri_in_the_witcher_3_wild_hunt-wide.jpg Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon!]]

* One for book readers, as a certain Princess of Cintra; [[http://www.hdwallpapers.in/walls/ciri_in_the_witcher_3_wild_hunt-wide.jpg Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon]]. Makes her debut!

* An unexpected one can be found in Skellige if you don't help Hjalmar or Cerys take the throne. Birna Bran has managed to put her son Svanrige on the throne and thus far he appears to be a MommasBoy turned PuppetKing. She's about to have him sign a peace treaty with Nilfgaard, which each of the Jarls is disgusted with. The diplomat then demands to hear the agreement from the King's own mouth... only for Svanrige to completely wreck his mother's plans and prove [[TheWomanBehindTheMan he won't be her spineless puppet ]] by hitting the ambassador full in the face with his axe, attack the rest of the soldiers then lead the Jarls to attack the Nilfgaard fleet. The epilogue then states he united the clans and ruled with an iron hand.

* If Geralt plays his cards right during the confrontation with Menge, Triss gets one when she paralyzes TheWitchHunter commander and puts a dagger through his chin and into his skull. Triss wants to burn the entire place to the ground -- partially to cover up their trail, but mostly [[BewareTheNiceOnes to blow off steam]]. As for the KillEmAll approach, Menge himself classifies as a normal mook. AntiClimaxBoss aside, you have the options of [[OffWithHisHead dismem]][[AnArmAndALeg berment]], [[KillItWithFire fire]], or a [[LudicrousGibs Grapeshot.]] Sure his body will come intact in a cutscene, but it's the CatharsisFactor that counts. As this happens, not a single civilian lifts a finger to help the witch-hunters, and a number of the onlookers consider it LaserGuidedKarma.

* Crach an Craite [[DyingMomentOfAwesome going out in style]] against Eredin; despite being mortally wounded and barely able to stand, Crach struggles back to his feet with [[AnAxToGrind an axe in hand]], shuts up Eredin mocking him and charges forward. He's cut down in an instant, but he goes out like a warrior of Skellige should.
-->'''Eredin''': [[EvilGloating Any last words?]]
-->'''Crach an Craite''': [[DefiantToTheEnd Shut your trap and fight!]]

* An option when dealing with the Unseen Elder has Geralt [[StaringDownCthulhu look the impossibly ancient, impossibly powerful]] VampireMonarch dead in the eye and tell him ''he has no choice but to help them:'' if Dettlaff gets his way, humans will inevitably strike back in numbers far too great for even a Higher Vampire to withstand, and then they'll come for the Elder himself. Even if the Elder could kill any knight or mage that messes with him, there's nothing stopping the humans from simply flooding the caves or collapsing them with explosives. The horrified Elder realizes Geralt is right and acquiesces.

** Best of all, the entire trailer is actually the ''epilogue'' to the entire game. The Higher Vampiress that Geralt fights is [[spoiler: Orianna, the vampire who ran the orphanage]] in ''Blood and Wine''. When Geralt promised he'd come back to deal with her, he backed it up.

* Hendrik, an agent of the Empire looking out for Ciri, has an OffScreenMomentOfAwesome. Over the course of several hours he gets ''tortured to death'' by the Wild Hunt for information on Ciri. Do they get a damn word of intel out of him? Nope! And let it not be forgotten that he had three key pieces of intel on Ciri, not to mention a ''key in his boot the entire time'' and a secret passage containing all his intel only a few feet away. All he'd have had to do was mention the key, or the passage, and he most likely would've been granted an end to his agony through a quick death, if nothing else, but he gave away ''[[HeroicWillpower nothing]]''.

* Hendrik, an agent of the Empire looking out for Ciri, has an OffScreenMomentofAwesome. Over the course of several hours he gets ''tortured to death'' by the Wild Hunt for information on Ciri. Do they get a damn word of intel out of him? Nope! And let it not be forgotten that he had three key pieces of intel on Ciri, not to mention a ''key in his boot the entire time'' and a secret passage containing all his intel only a few feet away. All he'd have had to do was mention the key, or the passage, and he most likely would've been granted an end to his agony through a quick death, if nothing else, but he gave away ''[[HeroicWillpower nothing]]''.

-->'''Geralt:''' Tougher than yours, that's certain. ''(interior monologue as they ride away at a trot)'' ''[[ShapedLikeItself Evil is evil.]]'' ''[[LesserOfTwoEvils Lesser,]]'' ''greater, middling - makes no difference. The degree is arbitrary.'' ''[[GrayAndGreyMorality The definition's blurred.]]'' ''If I'm [[SadisticChoice to choose between one evil and another]]...'' ''[[TakeAThirdOption I'd rather not choose at all.]]'' ''(dismounts and begins to draw his steel sword from his saddle's scabbard)''

-->'''Black One:''' Wha - wha - what are you doing?!

** Additionally, the shifts in music reflect the circumstances - foreboding as Geralt confronts her, action-packed as they fight, then shifting to a [[SympathyForTheDevil a more somber tone as Geralt puts her down]]. The entire cinematic is a master-class of ShowDontTell for everything from Geralt's [[CombatPragmatist fighting style]] and [[GuileHero cleverness]] to how a number of monsters are NecessarilyEvil, rather than doing it ForTheEvulz.

* Meeting the Emperor of Nilfgaard. Geralt can choose to forgo bowing, thus insulting the most powerful man in the world, or he can bow--then say ''it's just because he likes the man's chamberlain.'' Geralt knows the Emperor could have him killed at any time but he is '''not''' afraid of him.

-->'''Geralt:''' Pay attention now. You'll tell the truth - wanna know why?

* If Geralt plays his cards right during the confrontation with Menge, Triss gets one when she paralyzes TheWitchHunter commander and puts a dagger through his chin and into his skull. Triss wants to burn the entire place to the ground - partially to cover up their trail, but mostly [[BewareTheNiceOnes to blow off steam]]. As for the KillEmAll approach, Menge himself classifies as a normal mook. AntiClimaxBoss aside, you have the options of [[OffWithHisHead dismem]][[AnArmAndALeg berment]], [[KillItWithFire fire]], or a [[LudicrousGibs Grapeshot.]] Sure his body will come intact in a cutscene, but it's the CatharsisFactor that counts. As this happens, not a single civilian lifts a finger to help the witch-hunters, and a number of the onlookers consider it LaserGuidedKarma.

-->'''Geralt:''' Triss, are you sure you wanna go with me? No offense, but-

-->'''Sigi:''' Mass mobilization, inciting peasants to take up their scythes, straighten them - where's the art in ''that''? [[WonTheWarLostThePeace Much harder to build a strong state]] with healthy commerce, manufacturing, solid alliances, progressive science, [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure and fair, independent courts that hand down just judgments.]] Vizimir and I managed to do ''just that'' - through ''years'' of [[PrecisionFStrike fucking]] hard work. I will not sit on my hands as that little shit ''squanders'' that. "Radovid the Stern" my arse. [[SketchySuccessor Radovid]] [[TheCaligula the Witless]], I'd say. Will you help me, Geralt?
* Cerys gets one with [[GuileHero her way of exorcising the monster driving a nearby Jarl mad]]. ''She kidnaps his baby and orders Geralt to toss it in an oven.'' Which sounds like it shouldn't be a CMOA but it is because it's all a trick and saves the man's soul when the monster thinks Geralt is a better target to torture--only to find out the baby is alive and well because there was a back hatch to the oven out of sight for the baby's quick removal, leaving the monster no choice but to depart.

* Dandelion, of all people, receives a minor one during one of the game's Ciri segments. While escaping from Whoreson Junior's house, where Ciri rescued Dudu, she is injured by their pursuers, falling to her knees after a particularly painful blow. Looking back, Dandelion sees a guard with a crossbow leveled at Ciri's head. Without a moment's hesitation, the completely human bard - who is, if anything, less tough than the average person - runs straight for her and attempts to leap in front of the potentially fatal bolt. The moment is somewhat subverted when he falls a bit short. Fortunately - although this further lessens the Awesome - Ciri teleported away at the last second, unintentionally leaving Dandelion to be captured by the Temple Guard. Doubles as a SugarWiki/{{Heartwarming Moment|s}}, knowing the bard was willing to lay down his life so willingly for his adoptive niece.

** One of the parts of said set-piece with the highest JustForFun/HolyShitQuotient is with the duel between Eskel and Caranthir. Not only did it establish the former as a bad-ass swordsman, but it also helps to set up the latter as a formidable threat - a fact you find out to be very accurate when you fight him yourself later. And the mocap choreography and camera work is absolutely perfect in this scene too.

** Imlerith's fight against Vesemir proves definitively why he's the General of the Wild Hunt. Throughout the whole fight, he's basically TheJuggernaut. Aside from totally overpowering the Witcher (who already has superhuman strength), he shrugs off every hit Vesemir gets in – including being stabbed in the lungs and impaled through the leg.

-->'''Imlerith:''' [[InLoveWithYourCarnage Who - taught - you to fight like this?!]]

* Some of the Witcher Contract quests count as this, but one of the most epic is the one done in Lindinvale around level 20 - Geralt is tasked with seeing what's stalking the woods, and eventually finds a Fiend... which has been killed [[AlwaysABiggerFish by a Chort]]. The ensuing fight can last up to 15 minutes of ''gameplay'', the equivalent of 2-3 hours in-game.

* If Geralt plays his cards right during the confrontation with Menge, Triss gets one when she paralyzes TheWitchHunter commander and puts a dagger through his chin and into his skull. Triss wants to burn the entire place to the ground - partially to cover up their trail, but mostly [[BewareTheNiceOnes to blow off steam]].
** As for the KillEmAll approach, Menge himself classifies as a normal mook. AntiClimaxBoss aside, you have the options of [[OffWithHisHead dismem]][[AnArmAndALeg berment]], [[KillItWithFire fire]], or a [[LudicrousGibs Grapeshot.]] Sure his body will come intact in a cutscene, but it's the CatharsisFactor that counts. As this happens, not a single civilian lifts a finger to help the witch-hunters, and a number of the onlookers consider it LaserGuidedKarma.

* During the last phase of Triss' story-line in Novigrad, she gives a RousingSpeech to the mages she's assembled to flee the city, and even [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Sigi Reuven is there to help]] with the effort.
** Then there's the exchange right as Geralt's about to drop into the sewers.
--->'''Geralt:''' Triss, are you sure you wanna go with me? No offense, but-
--->'''Triss:''' Offense taken. Just lead the way.

* Geralt defeating Morkvarg the Werewolf. While optional, he's a monster who has been menacing the Skellige region for a decade and is ''literally immortal.'' The fact Geralt can defeat him several times before finally putting him down after breaking his curse makes it all the sweeter.
** It's doubly funny if Geralt convinces a freed Morkvarg to give up the location of his treasure before killing him.

* In a DLC mission you investigate the massacre of a village. And discover that it was done by a witcher from the school of the cat. You hunt the perpetrator down, and you have the option of talking to him and learning his side of the story. After that, if you decide that he needs to die, you get this gem.

* Hendrik, an agent of the Empire looking out for Ciri, has an [[OffScreenMomentofAwesome off screen crowning moment of awesome]]. Over the course of several hours he gets ''tortured to death'' by the Wild Hunt for information on Ciri. Do they get a damn word of intel out of him? Nope! And let it not be forgotten that he had three key pieces of intel on Ciri, not to mention a ''key in his boot the entire time'' and a secret passage containing all his intel only a few feet away. All he'd have had to do was mention the key, or the passage, and he most likely would've been granted an end to his agony through a quick death, if nothing else, but he gave away ''[[HeroicWillpower nothing]]''.
* The Bloody Baron is not a good person, but cowardice is not on his list of faults. [[spoiler: When a basilisk grabs him and dumps him in his nest, fully intending to rip him to shreds, he pulls out his dagger and dares the beast to bring it.]] The man must have balls forged in Mahakam.
* During the battle for Kaer Morhen, [[spoiler: one of the Wild Hunt's warriors disarms Ciri, sending her sword flying. Before it can fall, Triss catches the sword with her magic, [[FlamingSword turning it white hot]], then [[ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks throws it back through the enemy warrior's chest]], at which point Ciri charges forward, grabs the hilt and uses her full weight to [[DisneyVillainDeath force the Wild Hunt fighter off the battlements]].]]

[[folder: Hearts of Stone]]

* From a visual perspective, the Cursed Toad Prince is this. A disgustingly imaginative monster that really puts Geralt through his paces and is a good sign to come of the upped difficulty of ''Hearts of Stone,'' with its whip-lash meteor hammer of a prehensile tongue, ejecting big splodges of toxin through the bulbous warts on its body like cannon balls all the while hopping around five tonnes of its slimy blubbery bulk with ridiculous speed.
* The escape sequence from the Ofieri Knights. Geralt is bound and being dragged along the beach behind one of the Easterners, so he grabs the first disc-shaped piece of stone worn flat by the sea and chucks that baby at the sweet spot, the back of his captor's head. One crushed skull later and Geralt launches up from his back with his hands still tied, shoulder checks the next Knight, strips his scimitar off him and sends it flying to nail their Nordling guide straight through the spine. A spear-man and a shield-bearer then try the White Wolf on for size but the first gets flipped over Geralt's shoulder and the latter hammer-fisted across the mug. The CMOA of the sequence is when Geralt turns to face his fourth opponent, dodges two of his sword strikes and [[SuperReflexes allows the third downwards chop to perfectly cut his rope-cuffs like an absolute boss]].
* In return, the Ofier's Wind Mage steps up to deal with the unruly escapee and he is a force to be reckoned with. He can summon air-pocket explosions, deflect bolts and bombs with his staff, teleport out of your reach, blast vortex waves of sand and grit at you to blind and disorient and even summon a twister that will rip you to shreds.
* The entirely-optional but unavoidably nail-biting duel between Geralt and Olgierd von Everec. What makes this sequence so great? Is it the fact that the fight occurs often at the dead of night, [[BattleInTheRain in a bucketing thunder storm]]? The accompanying OneWomanWail motif? The circle of onlookers combined with a RingOfFire in the burning Garin mansion? Of course it's all of the above, the build-up is masterful and the pay-off fantastic.
** "Would you wait, sir, for the dribble to subside?"
*** Which, by the way, is a ShoutOut to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tFXZn9qNhg one of the greatest swordfights ever put to film in the history of Polish cinema.]]
** Olgierd's astonishingly epic saber slashing from the wrist. [[CoolVersusAwesome Real Polish fencing at its finest against Poland's finest make-believe witcher martial arts]].
*** The nonchalant way Olgierd applauds Geralt's fatal blow, before putting his head back on and spitting out some blood as he heals seamlessly.
* ''Open Sesame'': the Ocean's 11 recruitment of possible gymnasts, safe-crackers, demolitions experts and break-in specialists is a joy to behold as the Stranger lays out his plan for robbing the Borsodi Auction House's vault.
* Particularly standing out among the potential partners is the playful Elven trapeze artist, Eveline Gallo; she's able to perform OffscreenTeleportation ala Catwoman by [[NoOneCouldSurviveThat diving backwards]] off of Oxenfurt's western moat bridge spire to escape some of Radovid's Redenian pukes.
** If you hire her to take part in the heist the Stranger asks if she can scale the tower that is their point of entry in less than five minutes. She does it in less than ''one''. Then proves her LeParkour and CombatParkour is almost unmatched by tricking the tower's guard into thinking she's a pigeon by cooing from under the beam she's clinging to; the yutz looks out and she clobbers him with a [[SheFu flying monkey-spin kick that lands her on the platform in one go!]]
* Upon entering the not-so-dilapidated von Everec mansion, Geralt must contend with one of the nastiest pieces of work he'll ever encounter, something beyond ancient and unbelievably powerful... ''The Caretaker''. An embodied demon in thrall to Olgierd. This is then followed by Iris von Everec's Wraith of Portraits and ''then'' a manifestation of her worst fear. All three are fantastic [[PuzzleBoss puzzle bosses]] rife with atmosphere and pathos.
* Geralt (if the player chooses) managing to save Olgierd's soul from Gaunter O'Dimm, risking his own soul in the process. You beat ''the closest thing to the Devil the Witcherverse has'' at his own game of wits. Gaunter even applauds grudgingly as he's dragged back off to his home dimension.

[[/folder]]

* Yennefer striding out onto the roof of Kaer Morhen's keep and throwing up a magical shield that covers the ''entire'' castle and stops the Hunt from simply teleporting inside its defences for most of the battle and holding off The White Frost that the Hunt brings with them, only letting it drop when the effort of keeping it raised utterly drains her, causing her to [[PowerStrainBlackout collapse]].
* Triss, as the offensively specialized sorceress, takes on the role of artillery to support you on the battlefield. The display of power leaves even [[TheCynic Lambert]] astounded.
-->'''Lambert:''' Next time you get the feeling I'm about to piss off [[BewareTheNiceOnes Merigold]]... [[DopeSlap make sure to knock me upside the head.]]
* Zoltan leaping onto one of the Wild Hunt's soldiers, shanking him in the clavicle, then riding the expiring bastard's body off the inner walls to act as a cushion for his landing.
-->'''Zoltan Chivay:''' ''(kicking his opponent's dead body)'' DUVELSHEISSS!!!
* Ermion using the natural gas pockets below Kaer Morhen to delay the Hunt explosively.
* Roche and Ves using their commando training to trap the Hunt with brutal but effective spike traps. When Geralt and his fellow witchers go hunting, there's more than a dozen of the Red Riders and their hounds spitted on them.
* There's Triss protecting Ciri by catching Swallow in mid-flight with telekinesis when she's disarmed, turning the blade magically red-hot and sending the gnomish ghwyr straight through the offending rider like butter. Ciri then repays his slap by grabbing her sword while body-checking the imbalanced Red Rider, sending him plummeting off the ledge.
* The astounding witcher variant of BackToBackBadasses when Lambert, Geralt and Letho (If Geralt recruited him) are butchering over a dozen Red Riders while dancing the Viroledo group style back in full fore is ''endlessly'' glorious.
** Then Triss strikes their position with her own more controlled variant of Melgor's Fire and Lambert covers his brother wolf with an enhanced Quen Sign as the Wild Hunt's soldiers are sent flying in [[SlowMotion slooow moootion]]...

* Keira Metz, if invited to the showdown, will telekinetically pick up five of the Hunt's foot soldiers and send them blasting into the ruined crenelations all at once to protect Lambert.
* One of the parts of said set-piece with the highest JustForFun/HolyShitQuotient is with the duel between Eskel and Caranthir. Not only did it establish the former as a bad-ass swordsman, but it also helps to set up the latter as a formidable threat - a fact you find out to be very accurate when you fight him yourself later. (And the mocap choreography and camera work is absolutely perfect in this scene too.)

--> '''Ciri:''' See? I can do it too.
* Blink and you'll miss it but Hjalmar an Craite, during the final battle in the inner courtyard, tackles a rider of the Hunt right back into one of the navigator portals with him along for the ride. It disappears and seconds later he'll jump straight back out of the next one to spawn covered in frost -- but ''[[NoOneCouldSurviveThat unharmed]]''!
* Vesemir flooring [[TheDragon Imlerith]] and humiliating [[BigBad Eredin]] while trying to protect Ciri, the only reason he's incapacitated is because he knocks his ward away from the battle with an Aard, leaving himself open. And then, making damn sure he won't be used as collateral is nothing short of awe-inspiring (he shanks Imlerith with a hidden dagger, [[HeroicSacrifice knowing it will goad the Wild Hunt's general into killing him]] and ensure Ciri won't surrender herself for his sake.
* Ciri letting loose with the full power of the Elder Blood, annihilating the Dearg Ruadhri en masse through a psychic maelstrom that manifests from the turmoil of watching her surrogate grandfather being murdered in front of her.
** Imlerith against Geralt? Challenging boss battle. Imlerith against an angry Ciri? He's the first one to flee through the navigator portal Caranthir opens.

** Eredin even gets his ''only'' small but noticeable one when [[TheDeterminator he's able to muscle his way through the hurricane of untamed magic while his men die around him]] to nearly seize Zireael before Caranthir saves him from a fatal aneurysm.
* The whole father/daughter team-up that follows. Ciri and Geralt go to Bald Mountain for some much-deserved revenge on Imlerith for killing Vesemir. Geralt takes on the General of the Wild Hunt and Ciri goes to take out the Three Crones. Geralt manages to kill the Darth Vader-esque lieutenant by searing away his face with a fire-stream Igni Sign, (heating the genocidal lunatic's helmet up so much that his pointy ears ''melt'') then smashing his exposed crispy head to a bloody pulp with his own mace. Ciri takes on Whispess, Brewess and Weavess ''all at once'' and manages to kill two of them and sent the last one fleeing... albeit after stealing [[TragicKeepsake Vesemir's wolf medallion]].

** It's even sweeter to see "the midget-king" get his comeuppance, as if you read 'The Flower and the Flame' in the first game, you discover that the [[ReligionOfEvil Eternal Fire]] and [[ChurchMilitant the Order of the Flaming Rose]] were re-founded not in Temeria, but Redenia. That's right, it's heavily implied, especially with Salamandra contacting Radovid in the magic mirror; that he was the ManBehindTheMan for Jacques, or as the fans know him... 'A'. In order to take his first slice of the North for himself, of course his plan failed because of a certain white-haired witcher and Radovid's secret loathing grew even more... The Lodge also had their own plans for divvying up the North and that was why they had to go. it's pretty much a toss up between who the human BigBad of the series is, as Emhyr mellows considerably at several key moments despite him being the root of many of the atrocities heaped on the Northern Kingdoms and (unintentionally) his own daughter in the books due to the moral bankruptcy of the men sent to retrieve her. Radovid it seems is the greater of two evils due to his FreudianExcuse leading to the pogroms in Novigrad, oh and the little matter of him being an undeniably ''insane chess-master''.
-->'''King Radovid V:''' [[HeKnowsTooMuch You know too much]]. You [[MagnificentBastard impede me]] [[XanatosGambit too often]]. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking And I find your arrogance an annoyance]].
* Ciri gaining mastery over her powers when Geralt is caught in the ice storm summoned by Caranthir, she gains an epic BattleAura and can one-hit kill anything that gets in her path, culminating in throwing the chief sorcerer of the Hunt around like a child after beating him at a TeleportSpam match and capping it all off with a great UnstoppableForceMeetsImmovableObject moment that is only slightly lessened by Caranthir averting SquishyWizard and Ciri being a GlassCannon like her foster father.

-->'''Caranthir:''' Witcher...? So be it. Let us end this.
** A villainous example at the battle's end: despite being [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice mortally wounded]] by Geralt, Caranthir [[DefiantToTheEnd uses his last strength]] to [[TakingYouWithMe teleport them underwater in the hopes of drowning Geralt]]. It doesn't work, but the Aen Elle sorcerer deserves credit for letting not even his own impending death stop him from trying to defeat the Witcher.

** During the fight with the giant, it's possible to take it down with a single shot with the oft mocked crossbow by shooting it in [[GoForTheEye the eye]]. Doing so nets the player an achievement.

* While small. During the main questline of the DLC Anarietta criticizes Geralt on not being able to find Dettlaff. She begins to equate hunting for him like hunting foxes and sarcastically suggests that the hunting dogs might be a better choice. You can either roll along with the insult, offer a minor quip, or, and here's the awesome part, call her out:
-->Allow me to point out certain essential differences between foxes and higher vampires.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-C8yTTfuXQE The Trail Cinematic Trailer]], in all its [[SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome pre-rendered glory.]]

** During the fight with the giant, it's possible to take it down with a single shot with the oft mocked crossbow by shooting it in [[GoForTheEyes the eye]].

-->'''Sigi:''' Mass mobilization, inciting peasants to take up their scythes, straighten them - where's the art in ''that''? Much harder to build a strong state with healthy commerce, manufacturing, solid alliances, progressive science, [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure and fair, independent courts that hand down just judgments.]] Vizimir and I managed to do ''just that'' - through ''years'' of [[PrecisionFStrike fucking]] hard work. I will not sit on my hands as that little shit ''squanders'' that. "Radovid the Stern" my arse. [[SketchySuccessor Radovid]] [[TheCaligula the Witless]], I'd say. Will you help me, Geralt?

* One of the parts of said set-piece with the highest {{HSQ}} is with the duel between Eskel and Caranthir. Not only did it establish the former as a bad-ass swordsman, but it also helps to set up the latter as a formidable threat - a fact you find out to be very accurate when you fight him yourself later. (And the mocap choreography and camera work is absolutely perfect in this scene too.)

* Hendrik, an agent of the Empire looking out for Ciri, has an [[OffScreenMomentofAwesome off screen crowning moment of awesome]]. Over the course of several hours he gets ''tortured to death'' by the Wild Hunt for information on Ciri. Do they get a damn word of intel out of him? Nope! And let it not be forgotten that he had three key pieces of intel on Ciri, not to mention a ''key in his boot the entire time'' and a secret passage containing all his intel only a few feet away. All he'd have had to do was mention the key, or the passage, and he most likely would've been granted an end to his agony through a quick death, if nothing else, but he gave away ''nothing''.