The Kingdom of Kovir, rumored to be the setting for The Witcher 4, is a less-explored realm mentioned briefly in The Witcher 3. Details about this land are scarce.
Dive into the rough and luxurious world of The Witcher 4 with its fresh unveiling! CD Projekt Red just dropped a tech demo showcasing this epic game, revealing the long-awaited setting of Kovir on-screen for the first time.
If you're confused about Kovir, you're not alone. This Northern Kingdom is a region mentioned only in passing in past CDPR games (and in author Andrzej Sapkowski's Witcher books). The history of Kovir is shady and obscure enough that it's not easy to remember.
So, let's zoom in on this enigmatic land. With minimal mentions in popular RPG The Witcher 3 and references scattered across the Witcher books, we've dug up all the dirt we could find on Kovir for you.
Unveiling Kovir: The Setting of The Witcher 4
A Poverty-Turned-Wealth Saga
Kovir's most significant mentions can be spotted in The Witcher 3, with a lore book entitled "Kovir and Poviss" resting on various bookshelves throughout the game. This book offers a wealth of essential information about the region, including its history and reputation, as well as its contrasting poverty and wealth. For example, before its monstrous growth, Kovir was the poorest area spoken about in common sayings. Some commonly-known phrases included calling a particularly impoverished person "poorer than a mouse from Poviss," referring to bone broth as "Koviri delight," and terming beggars as "praxedes."
A Fast-Growing, History-Rich Region
Kovir and Poviss were once part of Redania, under the rule of King Radovid I, known as "Radovid the Great." Radovid the Great handed dominion over them to his hated brother, Troyden, with one condition: Troyden would remain inside his newly-acquired demesne and not interfere in matters of state. However, unbeknownst to Radovid, this political stunt eventually transformed into Kovir becoming one of the richest regions in the North due to its enormous priceless metal and rock salt deposits. Over time, industrial growth flourished, and mills, forges, and workshops sprung up like mushrooms after a heavy rain. This discovery led to Redania deciding to re-conquer the northern frontiers, initially considering Kovir's army to be no match for their combined forces. However, this plan failed, and Kovir won the bloody battle, granting it independence from Redania while binding it to eternal neutrality, a promise its rulers have kept to this day.
Kovir's Prosperity and The Witcher Series
Kovir is currently ruled by Esterad Thyssen's son, King Tankred Thyssen, and is a major focus in the events of The Witcher 3. Should you choose to romance Triss Merigold over Yennefer, you'll learn that Triss and Geralt move to Kovir after the game's events. Triss acts as a court advisor to King Tankred Thyssen in this alternate reality.
In the Witcher book series, author Andrzej Sapkowski delves deeper into Kovir's technical details. Kovir stands apart geographically, situated north of Redania on the Gulf of Praxeda. It's renowned for its vast mineral resources, including gold, chromium, copper, platinum, salt, glass, iron ore, lead, zinc, nickel, silver, tin, titanium, and tungsten. Kovir is the world's largest exporter of mineral resources and even accounts for 80% of the world's gold, according to the fourth Witcher book, The Tower of the Swallow. Other notable elements of Kovir are its booming glass industries and mining activities. The region's University of Lan Exeter is also considered one of the leading institutions of higher learning in the North, surpassing the famous Oxenfurt Academy in some respects.
With the upcoming CD Projekt Red game, The Witcher 4, set to introduce this intriguing region, we'll finally get the chance to explore Kovir ourselves. Potential territories like Creyden, Narok, Poviss, Talgar, and Velhad may await as well, although CD Projekt Red has yet to release more information on the new game's map.
Stay tuned for more details on this exciting adventure as they trickle in. If that isn't enough excitement for you, here are other brand new games heading our way in the coming future!
- The Witcher 4 tech demo hints at a focus on Kovir, a region only briefly mentioned in past RPG games and Witcher books, with a history of contrasting poverty and wealth.
- In The Witcher 3, a lore book titled "Kovir and Poviss" gives essential insights into Kovir's past, including its origins as a impoverished region and eventual growth into one of the NORTH's richest due to valuable metal and rock salt deposits.
- Should you choose to romance Triss Merigold in The Witcher 3, you'll find Triss acting as a court advisor in Kovir in an alternate reality, with the ruler being King Tankred Thyssen, Esterad Thyssen's son.
- The Witcher book series by Andrzej Sapkowski delves deeper into Kovir's geographical location, technical details, mining industries, university, and its place as the world's largest exporter of mineral resources.
- With the release of The Witcher 4, we'll have the opportunity to delve further into Kovir and possibly explore other territories like Creyden, Narok, Poviss, Talgar, and Velhad, as more details about the game are yet to be announced. Meanwhile, other new games are headed our way in the near FUTURE.
