The Witcher 2 EE Artbook

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ARTBOOK 2012

INDEX

  4|WORLD MAP   6|PROLOGUE  26|ACT I  46|ACT II  70|ACT III  88|ARENA  94|PLACEABLES 104|CHARACTERS 166|MONSTERS 194|FLASHBACKS 206|INTRO 214|PAPERCRAFTS 218|COVER ARTS 226|OUTRO

WORLD MAP

One of our primary goals when working on this part of the game was to base clothing and architecture on actual historical ones. This also included other elements of the world we were building, so the  aesthetics of the Northern Kingdoms’ map were to be as close to medieval cartographic standards as possible. It was a great chance for our graphic artists to show their skills. The results of their efforts and truly Benedictine work can be seen above. The color map features stylized portraits of the rulers of the three most powerful kingdoms – Redania, Temeria and Kaedwen. An empty throne with a crown placed on it symbolizes the Aedirnian interregnum, while the troubles in the La Valette lands and in

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Lormark are marked with flames on the boundaries of these domains. The map’s decorative rim is adorned with plant motifs, fantastic animals and allegoric silhouettes holding standards and heraldic shields. The alphabet used to write names on the map is Glagolitic – the eldest Slavic alphabet that first appeared in early Middle Ages.

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PROLOGUE

8 | THE BEGInNING 10 | siege MACHINERIES 12 | La Valette Castle 14 | FortificationS 18 | THE TEMPLE 22 | the hermitage 24 | dungeons

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PROLOGUE | THE BEGINNING

Some of the illustrations found on the following pages are not a precise representation of places found in the game. Many of them serve to give an idea of the nature and climate of a location. In these cases the artists did not focus on details, but on pre senting the atmosphere of a scene. The use of shapes and colors is useful in that regard. Such drawings make it easier for graphic artists and designers to work on a given part of the game.

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One of the first scenes takes part in King Foltest’s camp beneath the walls of the rebellious House La Valette’s fortress. Geralt wakes up in a tent by Triss’ side, on the day of the victorious assault on the castle. The above drawing is an impression of that moment. We wanted to build the atmosphere of an illusory calmness. The interior is bathed in warm light, some papers and everyday items are strewn about. In a moment, the witcher will go outside to accompany Foltest in storming the fortress – and nothing will be like before again.

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PROLOGUE | SIEGE MACHINERIES

The siege has gone on for some time now, and the Temerian army is preparing for the final attack. Geralt reaches the castle walls using a huge siege tower. Its sketches are found on the illustrations nearby. The wooden roof protects the crew pushing the construct toward the fortress, and a system of levers worthy of Leonardo da Vinci allows the soldiers on upper floors to propel it. We wanted to create a believable way of putting a machine this huge in motion. Our technical solutions such as capstans inside the tower were inspired, among other things, by the attempts to reconstruct the appearance of the gigantic siege tower used in the Siege of Rhodes in 305 BCE. The battering ram’s head is shod in iron and takes the form of a boar’s head. The device, propelled by the strength of human arms, is mounted atop the siege tower and is designed to crush battlements and create a breach, making the assault easier.

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The concept sketches below show various versions of the battering ram’s head.

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PROLOGUE | LA VALETTE CASTLE We wanted the fortress’ interior to be as realistic as possible. When planning it out, we wondered what the streets would look like and the location of the squares, courtyards and gates. We even remembered to place a graveyard – after all the locals had to bury their dead somewhere.

Castle La Valette is an impressive defensive str