Video game fans around the world simultaneously dove into The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt this past Tuesday to face fantastical villains and monsters, and to become immersed in a story and expansive open-world environment. Fans of the franchise have awaited the release of this game for over 2 years. For some diehard fans waiting with bated breath, they turned to cosplay to express the love, passion, and mounting anticipation they felt for the game. Now that the summer convention season is well under way (with E3 right around the corner next month), it is expected that more Witcher 3 cosplays will be strolling around than ever.
To celebrate The Witcher 3 and its fandom, Twinfinite presents the top 10 bestWitcher 3 cosplays out there on the Web.
Galina Zhukovskaia – Ciri (Cirilla) the Lion Cub of Cintra
Here, we are presented with a fantastic cosplay of Ciri by Russian cosplayer and YouTuber, Galina Zhukovskaia. What is particularly striking about this cosplay is not only the remarkable and uncanny resemblance Zhukovskaia has to Ciri, but the fact the set environments in which the photos are taken in dark forests, grassy plains, and next to caves and rock cliffs creates an impressively immersive and cohesive continuity to the portraits.
Check out the rest of Zhukovskaia’s Witcher 3 photo shoot, and her other cosplays on her Facebook and Instagram page. Zhukovskaia also hosts a YouTube videoblogging channel called RusGameTactics. She is creating release a series ofWitcher 3 Let’s Play videos – feel free to check those out as well!
Alma Cubrae – Geralt of Rivia
Alma Cubrae, a self-described “producer and entertainment medieval company and historical re-enactments” utilized a collaborative effort with the photography expertise of Ivan Sili to create a stunning and impressive Geralt of Rivia cosplay.
We are presented with an older and more grizzled interpretation of the legendary Witcher. Even though this Geralt seems to be more of a grandfatherly age, the fully adorned armor and that wicked piece of steel reminds us that he is never to be messed with. In one of his photos, Geralt was given a more “game” finished aesthetic and Cubrae recruited the talents of digital artist, Flo Tucci, to create a grittier and darker interpretation of the hero in a snow-capped environment.
Feel free to check out Alma Cubrae’s other fantastic medieval fantasy cosplays on Facebook (including Rhaegar Targaryen and Robert Baratheon). And check out the official website and blog as well!
Eve Beauregard, Hidrico Photography & What A Big Camera – Yennefer of Vengerberg
Chances are if you follow the world of cosplay, you would instantly recognize the name of Eve Beauregard. Beauregard is a professional cosplayer, model, and nerd hailing from Sydney, Australia where she traverses “the planet in search of the geekiest of geeky pursuits, attending conventions as a speaker, panelist, cosplay judge and/or exhibitor” in order to spread joy in nerd culture.
In lieu of the The Witcher 3, Beauregard constructed and modeled her fantastic costume of the powerful and seductive Yennefer of Vengerberg with photography by What A Big Camera and post-production by Hidrico Photography. Without trying to sound too biased, this is easily one of the best Yennefer cosplays out there – so much so that her work and passion allowed Beauregard to become one of the judges for the official Witcher 3 cosplay contest.
To check out more of the fantastic cosplay and modeling work of Beauregard, feel free to check out her official website, Facebook, and Twitter page. Feel free to also check out the world Hidico Photography on their DeviantArt and Facebook page, as well as What A Big Camera’s Facebook and official website.
Elena Nerium Oleander – The Lady of the Wood
In one of the creepier and more macabre (but equally amazing) additions to this list is the stunning costume, make-up, and modeling work of Elena Nerium Oleander in bringing to life one of the wretched Ladies of the Wood. Notice how her make-up work transforms the skin on her arms and hands into gnarled, peeling, and leather-like textures covered in boils and blood. The exacting and visceral nature of her cosplay simultaneously revolts and draws you in. Considering that this is the true form of one of the Ladies of the Wood, Oleander clearly succeeded in her endeavors.
Inspired by the SDCC 2014 Witcher 3 demo reveal that featured 30 minutes of gameplay within the Ladies of the Wood quest, her cosplay photo shoot even portrayed a significant plot point involving a severed human ear. Surprisingly, this cosplay was completed and modeled long before the actual release of the game in September 2014 – meaning that within a month after this was first revealed, Oleander’s costume was already built from ground up! Impressive!
Feel free to check out more of Oleander’s work on her DeviantArt and her Facebook page.
Xenia Shelkovskaya – Triss Merigold
#cosplay #witcher #wildhunt #triss #trissmerigold #russiangirl #followme #fantasy #tb
A photo posted by Xenia Shelkovskaya (@m_mellu) on
Next on our list is the astounding work by Russian cosplayer, Xenia Shelkovskaya, modeling as the powerful sorceress, Triss Merigold. Shelkovskaya brings out the stunning beauty and charisma of Triss to her fullest – it’s no wonder that Geralt of Rivia can so heavily fall head over heels in love with her (just don’t let Yennefer find out). We also extend heartfelt congratulations to her for winning 3rd place inThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt official cosplay contest!
To see more photos please check out Shelkovskaya’s DeviantArt, Facebook, and Instagram pages!
Elena Kuranova (Love-Squad) – Ciri (Cirilla) the Lion Cub of Cintra
Coming in at 2nd place in the official cosplay contest is a fantastic rendition of Ciri modeled by Russian cosplayer, photography, and graphic artist Elena Kuranova (as known as Love-Squad) and photography by Yuri Kravtsov. Kuranova bears an amazingly uncanny replication of her Witcher 3 counterpart. She truly showcases her skills as an artisan with impressive leather-working and stitching skills. Furthermore, according to one of the judges in the cosplay contest, Kuranova had done custom woodwork on the sword. Such attention to detail and nuance truly comes through in her photos.
Another reason why Kuranova should garner praise and acclaim is her willingness to push the boundaries of the character into a creation that equally more empowering yet still honoring the roots and origins of the original. In one of herfeatured DeviantArt pieces, she expressed both her love and a well-meaning critique of Ciri:
Andrzej Sapkowski wrote a number of great female characters, but Ciri has always stood out for me. She has an amazing story arc. She’s a warrior, tough but graceful, she’s emotional, but strong-willed. She knows how to survive on her own, but values family – the family she found for herself – above all. She’s also the first lesbian character I’ve encountered in fantasy books.
That’s why Ciri’s game design rubbed me the wrong way. She’s an adventurer, moreover, she’s on the run, trying to escape her enemies. Why would she travel on heels, wearing a corset and a low-cut shirt?
So I came up with an alternate design for her. Something practical, that wouldn’t restrict her movements. Something I think Ciri herself would approve of.
Thus, Kuranova presents us with a re-designed Ciri cosplay wearing intricate, functional, and truly bad-ass looking armor to fantastic effect. Seriously, look at the fantastic job she did on that leather shoulder pauldron! CD Projekt RED developers – take note. This is definitely an alternate skin that should be part of a DLC update.
Feel free to check out more of Kuranova’s work on her DeviantArt, Twitter, and Instagram pages!
Kevin Leab Thong (Tarrer) – Eredin, The King of the Hunt
In a contest, there can only be one, true victor worthy of the crown. Taking first place is none other than this wickedly constructed costume of Eredin, The King of the Hunt, by Kevin Leab Thong (also known as Tarrer). Thong is an accomplished cosplayer and prop maker, and he undoubtedly displays his mastery over the craft in bringing to life this accursed villain. Equally as fascinating is the copious amounts of work in progress and behind the scenes content he posts to illustrate his amazing works from start to finish.
For more equally excellent cosplay photos (such as Dead Space‘s Isaac Clarke) feel free to visit his Facebook, DeviantArt, Twitter, and Instagram pages!
Aelirenn – Geraltina of Rivia
Coming up on the heels of Eredin is this splendid and intricate gender-bent rendition of Geralt of Rivia, playfully dubbed as “Geraltina” by cosplayer Aelirenn, originally posted on Reddit. Her costume is a collaborative effort in which she made the leather corset from scratch and had historical prop and armor makers craft the chainmail fixings. This more than anything makes me wish that Geraltina was a real character in the The Witcher 3.
As an added bonus, Aelirenn had also posted cosplay photos of her as Ciri, looking ready to crack skulls and kick down doors.
Alberti – General Caranthir
Among the truly terrible foes that can stand toe-in-toe in wretchedness and villainy next to Eredin is none other than the fearsome General Caranthir – a hulking and armored behemoth that can teleport and manipulate ice giving our heroes, Ciri and Geralt, plenty to contend with. Expert Russian costume maker and cosplayer, Alberti, brings this terrifying juggernaut to life and uses digital retouching techniques to perfectly replicate visuals of fantastical displays of sorcery. Little do players know that General Caranthir actually has a soft spot behind all that chilly iciness that resonates in its core. It’s hard to imagine, I know. However, Alberti provides the irrefutable and damning evidence to erase any such doubts. Behold!
Feel free to check out Alberti’s DeviantArt page for more stunning displays of cosplay!
Vera Green (ver1sa) – Yennefer of Vengerberg
Vera Green goes above and beyond with her Yennefer cosplay in every imaginable way. Her likeness to the powerful and beautiful sorceress is unrivaled. Her costume is meticulously detailed and sports an elegant fusing of leather, lace, and fur into a truly awe-inspiring garment. Perhaps even more impressive is the equal amount of incredible attention she puts into the environment around her when setting up her photography shoots including all sorts of fantastic set and prop pieces such as ancient tomes, chalices, antique furnishings, and a bloody bird of prey!
As a bonus, Green has collaborated on a cosplay photo shoot with Xenia Shelkovskaya reprising her role as Triss Marigold.
For more cosplay photos, check out Vera Green’s / ver1sa’s Facebook, DeviantArt, and Instagram pages!
Which one of these cosplays was your favorite? Do you have a Witcher 3 cosplay that you would like to share? Feel free to comment and share below!
