*This question is in the context of having not started 3 yet, so no spoilers for 3 specifically, please. Stuff that happened in 1 and 2 are fine.

I played 2 about a year ago and 1 a few years before that, so I'm unclear how much I'm supposed to know about this Yennefer person, going into 3. Through a combination of not reading the novels, only reading some of the journals, and forgetting a lot of details over the years since playing 1 & 2, all I can really say with any certainty is that Yennefer is a lady that Geralt knows/knew and maybe something happened to her?

I've seen a few mentions of her in the context of 3 (such as some upcoming DLC pack having a new skin or something), so I figure she plays into the game in some way.

I guess my question is whether 3 is going to assume my reaction to her is "Oh right, Yennefer. What's she been up to lately?" or "Who? Oh, her. Maybe they'll finally tell me SOMETHING about this character, this time"

Yennefer and Geralt have a long, difficult, on-again, off-again romantic relationship in the books. Their fates are linked through a genie's wish Geralt made in the short-story collection "The Last Wish." They love each other, but go years without seeing each other and can hurt each other pretty badly.

She does not appear in the first 2 games, but is linked to the Wild Hunt and Geralt's amnesia in those games (I forget the exact details).

Starting 3, I think all you need to know is that they have a history together, have complicated but strong feelings for each other, and haven't seen each other in a long time. There's enough context given in early conversations, notes and the in-game codex for you to figure out what's going on.

Its been a long time since I've played the first two games as well but I think she was Geralt's lover.

Spoilers for Witcher 2: I think she was also abducted by the wild hunt giving her amnesia like Geralt had at the beginning of the first game.

You aren't really assumed to know everything or even anything about her. But they don't just info dump her whole story on you either. They kind of fill in her background and who she is and why she is important through bits and pieces in different conversations.

Reading a quick wiki entry on her is as far as I would recommend going. If you want to.

They pepper info on her in W2 and a large part of it is in the dialogue with Letho at the end if you choose to query him on it.

Without spoiling anything, there will come a point in the game where you can have optional dialogue with her that will allow you to ask some questions and fill in some of the background, but most of it just comes organically. She's not someone you hear about in any detail before the end of Witcher 2, which presents kind of a challenge for them in making her relationship with Geralt feel more lived-in than his with Triss.

Alright, thanks everyone. This is exactly what I was hoping the case would be. I was a little worried that there was some major backstory that I was supposed to be piecing together over the course of 1 and 2.

Little booklet gives you a small introduction, the game gives you a good character bio. Gooddoggy summed it up ok.

Everything about Yennefer, and how important a person she's been in Geralt's life, is in the books. All the backstory is about them is there. She was only mentioned in the past two games, with the only real mention of her in the previous game being about what happened to her post-novels.

All you really need to know is that she's essentially Geralt's one true love. They fight alot, break up, then get back together and then do it all over again. There's a book inside the game that named after the same short story where they meet, titled "The Last Wish". It's a quick summary of how they meet and how they wind up together.

I don't know about you guys, who have read the novels, but I wound up being very pro-Yen after reading most of the novels. I wound up liking her alot.

@firecracker22:Novel Yen is very different compared to game Yen. So I'm Triss-4-Lyfe

So far in my play through, nothing at all besides the brief mentions in the first games. I'm like 80 hours in and still dont' know anything more about her character or care about it in the least. I know more about ciri

I feel like the game more or less assumes you've read a few of the books to get her backstory and understand her relationship with Geralt. There's even a quest that's effectively a sequel to the story that happens in The Last Wish.

Hmmm. I'm not very far in, yet, so can't say either way. She seemed the same in the beginning, though. I'm still hopeful.

Might not matter, though. I can't say no to those violet eyes and kinky hair. Lilac and gooseberries, lilac and gooseberries....

Yennefer is for fans of the series that read/listened to the books. She isn't really a character in the first two games when she is barely mentioned (Geralts fuzzy memory).

Enough to just bang her good I guess. hahahahahahaha