The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has been out since 2015, with players have finding more and more Easter eggs and references throughout the game and its two dlcs. In fact, it seems the game is chock full of interesting and funny surprises that pay homage to a variety of pop culture.
From Game of Thrones to old Japanese lore, The Witcher 3 has covered a lot of different media. These references can be a little hard to find at timesm but with a little guidance, they are extremely noticeable. With that in mind, here are the 5 best Easter eggs and references found in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
Doctor Who: Weeping Angels Easter Egg
Located in a cemetery just east of Crow’s Perch in Velen is a small mausoleum. Situated just outside this mausoleum, players can find two white angel statues that closely resemble the weeping angels seen in Doctor Who. The episode “Blink” in Doctor Who depicts demon-like angel statues that move every time a person takes their eyes off them. It is rather creepy, and The Witcher 3 has recreated this creepiness once players enter and exit the Mausoleum east of Crow’s Perch.
When players leave the mausoleum, the angels will have moved so that they are looking straight at the player. If players pass the statues so that they are no longer in eyesight, and then turn around to face them, the statues will have moved again. It is extremely creepy even if players are not familiar with the weeping angels episode of Doctor Who and simply stumble upon this Easter egg.
Kill Bill/Hattori Hanzo reference
Within the quest Of Swords and Dumplings lies a subtle reference to both Kill Bill and some older Japanese culture. During this quest, players help an elf named Hattori bring his blacksmith shop back to glory. Unfortunately, the elf is forced to make dumplings because he has been cut off from the blacksmith trade by local powers. They restrict his ability to get good supplies and try to charge him a high tax for crafting and selling swords so the once legendary blacksmith is now a dumpling master instead.
Players help restore Hattori’s stance in the community as a top blacksmith and are rewarded at the end of the quest with a useful sword. For those unaware, Hattori Hanzo is the name of the sword maker in Kill Bill and made all of the impeccable blades used by key characters in the movie. After Bill, Hattori’s student, used the sword he was gifted for dishonorable purposes, Hattori swears he will never make a sword again. That is until Hattori meets Beatrix who convinces him she has the skill to defeat Bill. Hattori is then honor bound to make a sword once again for Beatrix so she can take on Bill. The quest Of Swords and Dumplings is a nod towards both Kill Bill and greater Japanese culture as the character was named after the real legendary samurai, Hattori Hanzo.
Game of Thrones: Skycell
There are multiple Game of Thrones references in The Witcher 3, but the most obvious and arguably most interesting is a Tyrion Lannister Easter egg. This Easter egg can be found on an island directly west of the main harbor on Skellige. Once there, players will have to face a slew of bandits or pirates before traveling up to the keep; once in the fortress, players can make their way down to the dungeon and face the remaining pirates. The last pirate players kill will have a key to the cells. If players use this key, one of the cells will reveal a skycell like the one found in Game of Thrones.
In Game of Thrones, Lysa Arryn imprisons Tyrion Lannister in a skycell as he awaits judgment. Lysa Arryn was well known for making criminals “fly” by forcing them through a hole in her court room and falling into the abyss. When players open the skycell, they can find a dead dwarf that closely resembles Tyrion Lannister. When he notices the dwarf Geralt says, “Skycells. Nice idea for a prison without bars. Shame he didn’t know how to fly.”
Monty Python’s The Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog Easter Egg
This Easter egg can be found in a cave near Benek and is a clear reference to Monty Python and the Holy Grail. In the movie, King Arthur leads his comrades on an adventure to find the Holy Grail and loses a lot of them on the way. One way in which a few of his compatriots meet their miserable end is by the hands of a small white rabbit called the Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog. The group finds the rabbit outside a cave surrounded by piles of dead bodies, bones, and blood. When they confront the rabbit, it attacks.
If players travel to the cave just southeast of Benek, they will find a very conspicuous looking snow hare surrounded by piles of bones and dead bodies. This is a clear reference to the killer rabbit in Monty Python. If players try and attack the rabbit, it will take no damage. Players can try using signs, bombs or basic combos, and nothing will faze this killer snow hare.
Pulp Fiction “Gimp” Reference
If players travel to the Bloody Baron’s keep and travel down into the dungeon area they can find two guards having a very interesting conversation taken directly from Pulp Fiction. The first guard says, “Well, bring out the gimp” the next guard says, “the gimps sleeping.” The first guard replies, “Well… then you’ll just have to go wake him up now wont you?” This is a line of dialogue found in the scene from Pulp Fiction where Butch and Marcellus fight their way into Zed’s shop. At first look, the shop is just a pawn shop, but after the two are knocked unconscious, Zed and his coworker have the aforementioned line of dialogue and take them down into their own dungeon of sorts.
Easter eggs and references like these are found everywhere in The Witcher 3. These five are some that simply stand out but many more exist and it is likely players will continue to find them as they explore the game more and more, even as old as it is.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is available now on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
