Do You Need to Watch The Witcher to Watch The Witcher: Blood Origin?

The Witcher has been a sensational hit with dark fantasy fans since its premiere on Netflix in 2019, captivating audiences with Henry Cavill’s iconic portrayal Geralt of Rivia and The Continent’s various twisted tales. But while this series is certainly the basis for Andrzej Sapkowski’s stories, some key lore is about to be unveiled that’ll change how you understand The Witcher lore in the form of Blood Origin. The Witcher: Blood Origin is coming soon to Netflix, and while it boasts some interesting new characters and plots, viewers might be confused what to watch first.

Should You Watch The Witcher Before Blood Origin?

You don’t have to have watched The Witcher before watching The Witcher: Blood Origin, as Blood Origin will establish a lot of the lore present in the hit Netflix series. You should consider watching The Witcher first though, especially if you would like to know the significance of Jaskier, the bard’s appearance in this miniseries despite belonging to the 2019 show’s era, 1,200 years after the events of Blood Origins. While you will certainly know what is going on a bit more from having watched 2019’s The Witcher, Blood Origin will lay foundations such as the Conjunction of the Spheres, the collapse of the Elves after the Golden Elven Era, and the creation of the first Witcher.

In many ways, it could be genuinely interesting to watch this show first before hopping into the series, especially since it’s a bite-sized, 4-episode miniseries format, and you won’t have to worry about this show’s crucial characters being recast. You’ll then be able to slip right into the already-released first 2 seasons available on Netflix, along with a third and final season to feature Cavill’s portrayal of Geralt before Liam Hemsworth takes the reins. It also doesn’t hurt that Blood Origin has an exciting cast, and promises some pretty spectacular sequences, given that its events are responsible for unleashing monsters into The Continent.

The Witcher: Blood Origin will release on Netflix on December 25, 2022, consisting of 4 episodes.