The Witcher: What Is Fisstech? The Season 3 Drug Explained

What fantasy world is complete with its own fantasy brand of fantasy drugs? In Season 3 Volume 1 of "The Witcher," Netflix's adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski's novels, audiences are introduced to fisstech. It's not heavily featured, nor is it heavily explained, but that's only because it's a straightforward, minor element in Sapkowski's narrative. In the simplest terms possible, fisstech is rebranded cocaine. If that feels like a stretch, consider that the substance is a white, snortable powder that bears the secondary name "white death."

Fisstech is a highly addictive drug. Both Sapkowski's novels and CD Projekt Red's video games are littered with fisstech addicts who are only concerned about where to get the next hit. Netflix's adaptation has yet to feature fisstech in such a prominent way. Season 3 Volume 2 of "The Witcher" might dive into the drug's danger but it's unlikely, if only because the second batch of episodes already have so much story to cover. That said, it was featured in Season 3's premiere, so we'll see. 

Here's how fisstech shows up in previous media. At the risk of barreling headfirst into bad pun territory ... gird your loins for what you're about to read. It's not the kind of stuff you can unlearn. 

Andrzej Sapkowski found a second way to weaponize fisstech. In the novels, it's often used as an aggressive sedative similar to chloroform. Leo Bonhart, a verbose bounty hunter who hasn't appeared in the Netflix adaptation yet, kidnapped Ciri by drugging her. Unsurprisingly, this ended in his death.

And in CD Projekt Red's series of "The Witcher" video games (which the Netflix series is intentionally avoiding), fisstech isn't just a dangerous narcotic or sleepy time substance, it's also a medical anesthetic, too. And that's the most normal piece of trivia about the white death that the studio decided to include. As Geralt, players can acquire the drug during their travels. Yes, it can be consumed, and doing so provides Geralt with a journal entry ... and a recipe. Conversely, it can be dismantled for spare parts. Lastly, it can be sold, in case anyone's interested in seeing the White Wolf moonlight as a drug dealer. 

In "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Hearts of Stone," a DLC story expansion for the third and most popular entry in the series, Geralt can find an underground fisstech manufacturing site, and it's essentially just a cavernous meth lab. But the weirdest fisstech factoid in "The Witcher" games comes from the first entry, and it comes from Geralt himself. According to the Butcher of Blaviken, fisstech is best consumed by rubbing it under the foreskin. No, seriously. 

There's no recovering a story after certain information is divulged so ... uh, don't do fisstech, kids.