The Witcher: Nilfgaardian, Redanian & Elven Warriors Unique Armor Explained

Netflix's "The Witcher" takes place across a colossal landmass known simply as "The Continent." And at the beginning of the series, this landmass is divided into the Nilfgaardian Empire at the south and a slew of separate kingdoms in the north. Among these so-called "Northern Kingdoms" are the realms of Redania, Cintra, Kaedwen, and Aedirn, with Redania, in particular, being featured heavily in Season 3 of "The Witcher."

With so many different factions battling for control of the Continent (not the least of which is Nilfgaard, whose invasion of the Northern Kingdoms practically kicks off the entire story), it's important for audiences to be able to recognize who is fighting for which side. In order to solve this problem, "The Witcher's" head armorer, Nick Jeffries, created several unique sets of arms and armor for the show's most prominent factions. One prime example is the distinctive style of Nilfgaardian weapons and armor, which can be identified by their collective focus on threes and their shadowy color schemes.

"I have a rule of threes on [Nilfgaard]. So I build facets into their weapons in sets of three," Jeffries said during an interview with Mashable. "If you look at the back of a Nilfgaard sword, it has three sweeps to it. If you look at their polearms, they have a set of threes built in there as well." Jeffries also claimed that the color scheme for Nilfgaardian weapons and armor is "dark and black," which suits them well as the de-facto villains of "The Witcher." You can see these design facets best in Season 3, Episode 2, when Nilfgaardian emperor Emhyr var Emreis (Bart Edwards) receives a sword with three ripples along its back –- while wearing a black suit of armor.

During his interview with Mashable, Nick Jeffries went on to say that he created an equally distinctive design for the weapons and armor of the Redanian warriors. "When you look at Redania... In my brain, I've got them as kind of an Eastern European medieval country and everything I've got within their base is from a standard medieval base," Jeffries said. This more traditional medieval design helps the Redanian warriors seem more familiar to the fantasy genre while also separating them from Nilfgaard's style.

Jeffries also paid special attention to the weapons and armor used by the elven guerilla warriors who appear in Season 3, Episode 1, who are known as the Scoia'tael and who battle Ciri (Freya Allen) in the ruins of Shaerrawedd. Jeffries says that every piece of weaponry used by the elves has some connection to the animal kingdom. Jeffries specifically referenced their elven bows, which have small bronze lizards emblazoned along their sides. This makes particular sense for the Scoia'tael, who primarily live in the forest despite being allied with Nilfgaard.

It's clear that Jeffries and the rest of the team behind "The Witcher" have gone to great lengths to give each faction their own specific appearance and style. As we're introduced to more of the Northern Kingdoms and the other factions roaming the Continent, we should expect that they too will wield arms and armor that set them apart from the other warriors within this world.