The Witcher season 3 volume 1 episode titles revealed

It’s almost time to head back to the Continent! We’re just a few weeks out from the premiere of The Witcher season 3 on Netflix, which means the streamer is releasing a steady string of teases to get us prepared. This season is the final one with Henry Cavill in the lead role as Geralt of Rivia, and is expected to cover some pretty major events from Andrzej Sapkowski’s Witcher novels.

It’s shaping up to be quite an event. Netflix will release the season in two chunks, like it did with Stranger Things 4. Volume 1 will contain five episodes, and now we know the names of them all thanks to the show’s official Twitter account:

The Witcher season 3 volume 1 titles hint at what’s to come

First up we have “Shaerrawedd,” which is the easiest title to decode. We’ve known for a while now that the season premiere will feature a huge action set piece at the elven ruin of Shaerrawedd. Geralt and Ciri visit the ruin in Sapkowski’s novel Blood of Elves, which formed the (very loose) basis for season 2. There wasn’t time to hit on Shaerrawedd then, but it’s nice to see it show up in season 3.

Next up we’ve got “Unbound.” This title is much more ambiguous, but there is one small hint: the image of what looks like a mask or helmet. I think this could be a helm worn by a rider of the Wild Hunt, who we know will appear this season since we saw them in the trailer. We might get a quick but terrifying glimpse at them in this episode.

The other possibility is that this is a more generic mask of some kind. It has been previously mentioned that this season will feature a Beltane celebration where Geralt and Yennefer will reconnect. The mask could also be a reference to that. Perhaps both will happen in the one episode?

Episode 3, “Reunion,” has another ambiguous title. The symbol for the title is a wolf head, which is the symbol of Geralt’s school of witchers who reside at Kaer Morhen. We know that Jaskier and Geralt will share some screentime this season, so maybe the title refers to them? Maybe Yennefer will cross paths with other sorceresses? Geralt and Ciri could meet up with other witchers? Really, there are any numbers of reunions this title could be referencing.

Next up is “The Invitation.” I’m betting this will be the episode where Geralt, Yennefer, and various rulers and power players receive their summons to Aretuza, where a massive summit will take place to decide the fate of the Continent. That’s a major event in Time of Contempt, the book on which this new season is mostly based.

Lastly, “The Art of Illusion” title card shows two people dancing, each clasping a hand on a sword between them. There’s a good chance this is referring to the Aretuza summit and the various mages who will attend. “The Art of Illusion” could refer both to how much illusion magic these mages use, as well as how certain politicians and spies hide their true motives.

The most interesting thing to me about these episode titles is how they hint at the overall shape of the season. Things will go sideways pretty badly at Aretuza. After seeing these titles, my guess is that the fifth episode will feature the orderly part of the gathering, and the sixth will cover what happens after, which we won’t spoil here. Then the final three episodes of season 2 will cover the fallout.

The Witcher season 3 volume 1 premieres on Netflix on June 29. Volume 2 will follow a month later on July 27.

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