Warning: spoilers for The Witcher season 3 part 1.
The Witcher season 3 Part 1 made some big and shocking reveals that will define the course of the rest of the series. Its biggest reveal was that the real enemy to defeat is Vilgefortz (Mahesh Jadu), which raised the question of how powerful he really is compared to Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer of Vengerberg, and Ciri. The Witcher season 3 Part 1 is packed with action and twists and turns, especially regarding Ciri’s safety and those going after her. This season, the main threat was Rience (Sam Woolf), the mage who uses the forbidden practice of fire magic, who was revealed to be working for a powerful mage linked to Nilfgaard.
Geralt and Yennefer’s investigation, with the help of that by Istredd and Triss, led them to believe Stregobor was the mage backing Rience. However, right at the end of The Witcher season 3 Part 1, Geralt and Yennefer realized that Stregobor, while not innocent, was framed and the real mage backing Rience is Vilgefortz. The Witcher season 3 Part 2 promises a battle between mages, with Vilgefortz at the front and center, but how powerful is he compared to the witcher, the sorceress of Vengerberg, and the Lion Cub of Cintra?
How Powerful Vilgefortz Is Compared To Geralt
Although Geralt is the most powerful witcher out there and the mutations he was subjected to gave him extraordinary abilities, these are very different from those of mages. In Vilgefortz’s case, he was raised by druids who taught him about magic when his natural abilities were discovered. A young Vilgefortz originally refused the deal of a mage to take him in and train him, and he ended up serving as a mercenary and a spy, which took him to a dark place within him. Sometime later, he joined the Brotherhood, and even though he never attended a magical school, like Ban Ard Academy (from which Rience was expelled), his talents and skills made him a force to be reckoned with.
Geralt, on the other hand, was abandoned by his mother and taken in by Vesemir, who took him to Kaer Morhen. There, Geralt was trained to be a witcher, and as such, he went through the Trial of the Grasses, a painful process trainees had to go through in order to gain the abilities and skills of a witcher as well as other enhanced abilities. Geralt was subjected to further experimental mutagens after that, granting him greater speed, strength, and stamina. In Netflix’s The Witcher, Geralt has shown that he can cast simple magic spells (known as “signs”), but they don’t compare to the magic used by mages and sorceresses.
While Geralt is highly skilled in combat, Vilgefortz is more powerful than him and he proves it in the novels. In Time of Contempt, the book The Witcher season 3 is mostly based on, Geralt confronts Vilgefortz during the Thanedd Coup and the witcher is defeated and left severely wounded. Geralt is sent to the forest of Brokilon to recover, while Vilgefortz’s face is left scarred after Ciri escapes.
Related: Giving Up On The Witcher After Henry Cavill's Exit? Here's What Happens To Geralt
How Powerful Vilgefortz Is Compared To Yennefer
Unlike Vilgefortz, Yennefer attended the magical school of Aretuza in order to learn how to channel and control her chaos. In Netflix’s The Witcher, Yennefer has already shown how powerful she is, especially during the Battle of Sodden Hill, though that led her to temporarily lose her powers. In season 3, Yennefer showed she’s strong enough to hold one of Rience’s portals, but all this doesn’t really compare to Vilgefortz’s power. Although he hasn’t really shown his power in the series, Vilgefortz’s powers and abilities go beyond Yennefer’s, and it doesn’t help that the sorceress has been weakened since the Battle of Sodden Hill. Vilgefortz might have not been trained at a school like Yennefer, but that only shows how naturally powerful and dangerous he is.
How Powerful Vilgefortz Is Compared To Ciri
Vilgefortz is more powerful than Geralt of Rivia and Yennefer of Vengerberg, and defeating them might be easy for him, but the same can’t be said if he faces Ciri. The Princess of Cintra has Elder Blood (which is why half the Continent wants to capture Ciri) and is a Source, which is a person with a natural affinity for magical abilities, though once they bloom, are quite difficult to control. Ciri’s powers and potential are such that she can either save or destroy the world, depending on which side she joins and who trains her. Ciri is still training in Netflix’s The Witcher, and while she already considers herself a witcher (and has proven she can fight and kill monsters), she still has a long way to go in her magic training.
Once Ciri reaches her full potential and learns to control her chaos and use abilities like her powerful scream to her benefit, she can become the most powerful character in The Witcher. There’s a lot to be seen and learned about Vilgefortz and Ciri, especially when it comes to their respective powers, and it’s to be seen if the series will have these two characters confront each other at some point.
