Content & Trigger Warnings for The Witcher (2019)
23 content warnings identified across 3 seasons for this show.
Quick Summary
Yes, The Witcher (2019) contains 23 content warnings : Racial slurs / racism (depicted), Death of a child, Death of a parent, Grief / bereavement (major focus), Gaslighting / emotional manipulation, Genocide / ethnic cleansing, Kidnapping / abduction, War / combat, Blood / medical gore, Body horror, Jump scares, Spiders / insects, Explicit sexual content / nudity, Sex trafficking, Sexual coercion / non-consensual situations, Alcohol abuse (depicted), Drug use (depicted), Child abuse / harm to children, Gore / graphic violence, Self-harm / suicide (depicted), Sexual assault / rape, Slavery / forced labor, Torture.
The most severe warnings are for Racial slurs / racism (depicted) (severity 4/5), Death of a child (severity 4/5), Death of a parent (severity 4/5), Grief / bereavement (major focus) (severity 4/5), Genocide / ethnic cleansing (severity 4/5), War / combat (severity 5/5), Blood / medical gore (severity 5/5), Body horror (severity 5/5), Jump scares (severity 4/5), Explicit sexual content / nudity (severity 4/5), Child abuse / harm to children (severity 4/5), Gore / graphic violence (severity 5/5), Sexual assault / rape (severity 4/5), Torture (severity 5/5).
Check the full breakdown below before you watch.
Set up your trigger profile to see which warnings affect you.
Does It Get Worse?
11 series-wide warnings apply across all seasons.
| Warning | Season | Severity | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identity & Discrimination | ||||
| Racial slurs / racism (depicted) | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Elves face persecution and discrimination from humans; the Scoia'tael resistance forms in response to oppression |
| Racial slurs / racism (depicted) | S2 | 4/5 | Depicted | Elven persecution escalates; the genocide of elves is depicted more explicitly; Francesca's elven baby's murder is racially motivated |
| Racial slurs / racism (depicted) | S3 | 4/5 | Depicted | Elven persecution continues; half-elves discriminated against; racial tensions drive political plots |
| Mental Health & Emotional | ||||
| Death of a child | S2 | 4/5 | Depicted | Francesca's newborn baby is murdered; the discovery is devastating and drives the elven revenge plotline |
| Death of a parent | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | Ciri's grandmother Queen Calanthe dies during the fall of Cintra; Ciri's parents' fates are discussed; parental loss defines Ciri's arc |
| Death of a parent | S2 | 3/5 | Referenced | Ciri's orphaned status remains central; parental loss themes continue as she seeks a new family with Geralt and Yennefer |
| Grief / bereavement (major focus) | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | Ciri's grandmother dies; Ciri loses her entire world; Yennefer's backstory involves loss and transformation; widespread death from war |
| Grief / bereavement (major focus) | S2 | 4/5 | Depicted | Francesca's grief over her murdered baby; Geralt's grief over Eskel; Ciri processing her losses from season 1 |
| Grief / bereavement (major focus) | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | Political betrayals produce loss; the destruction of the mage brotherhood; characters lose allies and mentors |
| Other | ||||
| Gaslighting / emotional manipulation | All | 3/5 | Depicted | Political manipulation and psychological deception are recurring themes |
| Genocide / ethnic cleansing | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | The Nilfgaard invasion destroys Cintra; elven genocide is referenced as historical backdrop; mass killing of civilians |
| Genocide / ethnic cleansing | S2 | 4/5 | Depicted | Elven genocide is shown more directly; the systematic persecution and killing of elves is a major plotline |
| Genocide / ethnic cleansing | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | The systematic persecution of non-humans continues as backdrop; Nilfgaard's conquests include ethnic cleansing elements |
| Kidnapping / abduction | All | 3/5 | Depicted | Characters are abducted and held captive across multiple storylines |
| War / combat | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | The fall of Cintra and the Nilfgaard invasion shown with large-scale battle sequences; the Battle of Sodden Hill |
| War / combat | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Political conflicts and smaller-scale combat; Nilfgaard's advance continues; the Scoia'tael fight back |
| War / combat | S3 | 4/5 | Depicted | The Thanedd coup is a large-scale battle; political warfare escalates; Nilfgaard's war machine advances |
| War / combat | All | 5/5 | Depicted | Large-scale battles and military campaigns are depicted across multiple seasons |
| Phobias & Sensory | ||||
| Blood / medical gore | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | Copious blood from sword fights, monster kills, and battlefield scenes throughout all episodes |
| Blood / medical gore | S2 | 4/5 | Depicted | Significant blood from battles, monster encounters, and Ciri's training injuries |
| Blood / medical gore | S3 | 5/5 | Depicted | The most blood-heavy season; the Thanedd massacre, Vilgefortz's kills, and monster fights produce extensive bloodshed |
| Body horror | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | Mutated creatures including the striga (cursed princess), kikimora, and other monsters with disturbing biological features |
| Body horror | S2 | 5/5 | Depicted | The Deathless Mother and various monsters are deeply unsettling; Eskel's transformation into a leshen is grotesque; new creature designs push further |
| Body horror | S3 | 4/5 | Depicted | Monster encounters continue with disturbing creature designs; magical transformations and fire damage create body horror |
| Jump scares | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Monster reveals and sudden creature attacks provide jump scares, particularly the striga encounter |
| Jump scares | S2 | 4/5 | Depicted | More frequent monster-based jump scares; the Deathless Mother's appearances are designed to startle; creature attacks throughout |
| Jump scares | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | Monster attacks and sudden violence provide startling moments though less frequent than season 2 |
| Spiders / insects | All | 3/5 | Depicted | Giant insectoid and spider-like monsters appear in combat sequences |
| Sexual Content | ||||
| Explicit sexual content / nudity | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | Multiple nude sex scenes including Geralt with Yennefer and others; nudity in the mage transformation sequence; frequent throughout |
| Explicit sexual content / nudity | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Less prominent than season 1 but still present; sexual content with nudity in several scenes |
| Explicit sexual content / nudity | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | Sexual content between characters continues; less frequent but still present |
| Sex trafficking | All | 3/5 | Depicted | Brothels and sexual exploitation are depicted in the setting |
| Sexual coercion / non-consensual situations | All | 3/5 | Depicted | Coercive sexual situations involving power imbalances are depicted |
| Substance Use | ||||
| Alcohol abuse (depicted) | All | 2/5 | Depicted | Heavy drinking scenes in taverns throughout |
| Drug use (depicted) | All | 2/5 | Depicted | Potion use and magical substance consumption depicted |
| Violence & Physical Harm | ||||
| Child abuse / harm to children | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Ciri is a child in constant danger; hunted by Nilfgaard; witnesses the destruction of her home and death of her grandmother |
| Child abuse / harm to children | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Ciri endures brutal witcher training as a child; she is pushed to dangerous physical limits; multiple parties try to capture/use her |
| Child abuse / harm to children | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | Ciri remains targeted by multiple powerful factions seeking to exploit her Elder Blood; she is in constant danger |
| Child abuse / harm to children | All | 4/5 | Depicted | Children are harmed, experimented on, and subjected to violence in multiple storylines |
| Gore / graphic violence | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | Monster dismemberments, the Blaviken marketplace massacre (Renfri fight), decapitations, and creature innards shown graphically |
| Gore / graphic violence | S2 | 4/5 | Depicted | Monster fights produce graphic dismemberment; Eskel's death scene is bloody; the bruxa attack is visceral |
| Gore / graphic violence | S3 | 5/5 | Depicted | Vilgefortz's brutality includes extremely graphic violence; he kills with fire magic leaving charred remains; the Thanedd coup is bloody |
| Self-harm / suicide (depicted) | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Queen Calanthe chooses death rather than capture, throwing herself from a window during Cintra's fall |
| Sexual assault / rape | All | 4/5 | Depicted | Sexual assault and rape are depicted or strongly implied in several storylines |
| Slavery / forced labor | All | 3/5 | Depicted | Enslavement and forced labor of non-human races is depicted |
| Torture | S3 | 5/5 | Depicted | Vilgefortz tortures and brutalizes characters with disturbing calm; his methods are sadistic and shown in uncomfortable detail |
Identity & Discrimination
Elves face persecution and discrimination from humans; the Scoia'tael resistance forms in response to oppression
Elven persecution escalates; the genocide of elves is depicted more explicitly; Francesca's elven baby's murder is racially motivated
Elven persecution continues; half-elves discriminated against; racial tensions drive political plots
Mental Health & Emotional
Francesca's newborn baby is murdered; the discovery is devastating and drives the elven revenge plotline
Ciri's grandmother Queen Calanthe dies during the fall of Cintra; Ciri's parents' fates are discussed; parental loss defines Ciri's arc
Ciri's orphaned status remains central; parental loss themes continue as she seeks a new family with Geralt and Yennefer
Ciri's grandmother dies; Ciri loses her entire world; Yennefer's backstory involves loss and transformation; widespread death from war
Francesca's grief over her murdered baby; Geralt's grief over Eskel; Ciri processing her losses from season 1
Political betrayals produce loss; the destruction of the mage brotherhood; characters lose allies and mentors
Other
Political manipulation and psychological deception are recurring themes
The Nilfgaard invasion destroys Cintra; elven genocide is referenced as historical backdrop; mass killing of civilians
Elven genocide is shown more directly; the systematic persecution and killing of elves is a major plotline
The systematic persecution of non-humans continues as backdrop; Nilfgaard's conquests include ethnic cleansing elements
Characters are abducted and held captive across multiple storylines
The fall of Cintra and the Nilfgaard invasion shown with large-scale battle sequences; the Battle of Sodden Hill
Political conflicts and smaller-scale combat; Nilfgaard's advance continues; the Scoia'tael fight back
The Thanedd coup is a large-scale battle; political warfare escalates; Nilfgaard's war machine advances
Large-scale battles and military campaigns are depicted across multiple seasons
Phobias & Sensory
Copious blood from sword fights, monster kills, and battlefield scenes throughout all episodes
Significant blood from battles, monster encounters, and Ciri's training injuries
The most blood-heavy season; the Thanedd massacre, Vilgefortz's kills, and monster fights produce extensive bloodshed
Mutated creatures including the striga (cursed princess), kikimora, and other monsters with disturbing biological features
The Deathless Mother and various monsters are deeply unsettling; Eskel's transformation into a leshen is grotesque; new creature designs push further
Monster encounters continue with disturbing creature designs; magical transformations and fire damage create body horror
Monster reveals and sudden creature attacks provide jump scares, particularly the striga encounter
More frequent monster-based jump scares; the Deathless Mother's appearances are designed to startle; creature attacks throughout
Monster attacks and sudden violence provide startling moments though less frequent than season 2
Giant insectoid and spider-like monsters appear in combat sequences
Sexual Content
Multiple nude sex scenes including Geralt with Yennefer and others; nudity in the mage transformation sequence; frequent throughout
Less prominent than season 1 but still present; sexual content with nudity in several scenes
Sexual content between characters continues; less frequent but still present
Coercive sexual situations involving power imbalances are depicted
Substance Use
Violence & Physical Harm
Ciri is a child in constant danger; hunted by Nilfgaard; witnesses the destruction of her home and death of her grandmother
Ciri endures brutal witcher training as a child; she is pushed to dangerous physical limits; multiple parties try to capture/use her
Ciri remains targeted by multiple powerful factions seeking to exploit her Elder Blood; she is in constant danger
Children are harmed, experimented on, and subjected to violence in multiple storylines
Monster dismemberments, the Blaviken marketplace massacre (Renfri fight), decapitations, and creature innards shown graphically
Monster fights produce graphic dismemberment; Eskel's death scene is bloody; the bruxa attack is visceral
Vilgefortz's brutality includes extremely graphic violence; he kills with fire magic leaving charred remains; the Thanedd coup is bloody
Queen Calanthe chooses death rather than capture, throwing herself from a window during Cintra's fall
Sexual assault and rape are depicted or strongly implied in several storylines
Enslavement and forced labor of non-human races is depicted
Vilgefortz tortures and brutalizes characters with disturbing calm; his methods are sadistic and shown in uncomfortable detail
