not-your-bro:

hmmMMM anyone else ever think bout that part in blood & wine when regis asks geralt why he’s risking so much and geralts like bitch……..it’s for u………

and then regis, the dude who Never Shuts Up, doesn’t know what to say

riviae:

as to why regis is such a universally accepted/favorite character in the witcher series (for both casual fans and those who’ve read the books), i think it boils down to 2 basic reasons: 

1) backstory:  

as cliche as it sounds, a good majority of people love a sinner redeemed storyline. no matter how pessimistic we, as a society, think we are, there’s something about a character redeeming themselves that is just inherently inspiring. so often a story ends with the hero destroying the villain. but i do think seeing a character absolve themselves of past misdeeds and strive to be better and do better is healing for many. we’ve all made mistakes, some graver than others, but if a character like regis, who had every reason to turn hateful and spiteful after being torn to pieces by scared villagers, chooses to use such an event as a catalyst for change, then surely we too can change our lives for the better at any time. 

regis is also an easy character to relate to imo. he’s not perfect. from his journal entries in tw3 we see that he still struggles at times with remaining sober. he second-guesses his morality and his stance on humanity. despite his somewhat haughty dialogue, he refers to himself as a monster multiple times with a hint of bitter self-deprecation. and as irony goes in the fantasy genre, it is of course the non-human characters, the beasts and monsters, which are the most human and relatable. 

also, it’s likely due to his past (along w/ the ‘life debt’ of course) that regis is so intent on rescuing dettlaff from whatever perils he’s gotten into in tw3 because regis is intimately aware of how a single mistake can lead to ruin. he likely wanted to support dettlaff in the same way that the humanist supported his change from blood drinker to barber-surgeon. which makes the one ending where regis kills dettlaff heartbreaking. 

because in killing his blood kin, regis has killed a part of himself. ultimately, he is sacrificing a relatively peaceful eternity for geralt, which brings me to my second point… 

2) his interactions with geralt: 

of characters presented in the witcher series, it’s geralt’s friends and family that often call him out on his bullshit (i.e., ‘i’m a witcher and my mutations have stripped me of emotion blah blah blah’). regis, for the amount of screen-time he is given, has a decent monopoly on this. even non-book players can see from his first interaction with geralt that they have a strong friendship and camaraderie. from the light-hearted banter to the more telling dialogue (i.e., the unseen elder path) indicates just how strong a bond geralt and regis share. 

i think this dlc did so well thanks to cdpr’s careful considerations regarding regis and geralt’s relationship. do i think every scene was perfect? of course not (i’m looking at the 3 unsatisfying endings imo)! but the tone of every scene was in the spirit of the books and helped solidify regis’ importance to geralt and vice versa. 

the character dynamic between the two is also wholly satisfying and entertaining to watch. maybe i’m just a sucker for polar opposites, but there’s something about a witcher and a ‘monster’ being comrades and friends that just warms my heart, ya know? long story short, regis is an interesting and dynamic character on his own–but his interactions with geralt and the close bond they share? beautiful. amazing. 10/10.