Netflix's The Witcher season 2 is set to upgrade Geralt's armor, but how does it compare to how he looks in the video game series? While The Witcher season 1 did borrow a few aesthetic elements from the video games - primarily a more handsome Geralt than the ones described in the books - it often leaned much more heavily on the novelization's world and descriptions than it did CD Projekt Red's interpretation.
Armor in The Witcher season 1 was a hot topic, too, thanks to a few questionable decisions about the Nilfgaardian's attire. While that armor did a good job of maintaining the color scheme - or lack thereof - that characterizes Nilfgaardian culture, its added wrinkles and bulky design was a far cry from what fans were imagining thanks to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's more elegant-looking version of the same army. Geralt's season 1 armor fared better but was still strange, as it seemingly occupied a space in between light leather armor and more heavily plated and studded gear, which The Witcher video games provided plenty of appealing samples of.
How The Witcher season 2's Geralt armor upgrade compares to the games, then, is worth examining. Did the Netflix series equip Henry Cavill's Geralt with a more canonical look, or did it depart even further from what's been established in both the books and The Witcher video games?
One thing is very clear while examining Henry Cavill as Geralt in Witcher season 2's first armor reveal: the gear he's sporting isn't based specifically on any one set from the video games, especially when it comes to upgrades. In Netflix's The Witcher, Geralt goes from a medium-weight armor set in season 1 to a much bulkier version in season 2, which isn't typically how upgrades work in The Witcher video games. In those titles, Geralt's armor follows a general aesthetic and is upgraded to look fancier while retaining similar-yet-improved functionality. It does not, however, tend to go up an armor weight class as it's improved.
However, one thing about The Witcher season 2's Geralt armor that is directly similar to the video game series is how layers are added. Geralt's season 2 armor has more layers in its shoulder pads, which is a similar effect to what happens with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's upgrade system on the way to grandmaster class gear. For instance, the School of the Cat armor chain begins with a vest and studs, and it ends with many more studs, a collar, and improved padding along Geralt's torso and shoulders - something that's clearly happened with The Witcher season 2's armor, too.
Though there are a few similarities Witcher season 2's armor shares with its video game counterparts, there are more differences. First, Geralt's armor in the games comes in a wide variety of colors. Players who want to equip Geralt with brighter or more vibrant shades to compliment his usually achromatic look can do so. Upgrades to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt armor also tended to add splashes of color, although those were more subtle. School of the Viper gear, for instance, would add hints of green as it was upgraded. The Witcher season 2's Geralt armor is black, with even duller studs than the previous season's.
Geralt's season 2 armor is also much bulkier than would be expected from a witcher, especially given the series' adherence to its source material's world. Witchers generally wear lighter armor to improve their mobility while fighting monsters, and while the books generally don't give a great idea of what Geralt wears, he's definitely not wearing heavy plate. Only the advent of The Witcher video games introduced the idea of Geralt routinely donning heavy armor, and even then, it's usually portrayed as either thick cloth reinforced by plate accessories or purely plate metal.
The Witcher season 2's Geralt armor is something of a hybrid between season 1's armor and the heavier gear in the video games. Geralt's video game armor tends to have more layers at play on his torso, and heavier gear that isn't pure plate will often extend well past his waist, as shown in the School of the Bear armor in The Witcher 3. The top half of Geralt's season 2 armor looks bulky enough to be heavy armor, while the bottom half appears to be merely tights, which would fall under the light armor category in the video games.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, to some fans, The Witcher season 2's Geralt armor upgrade is in its own class when it comes to the addition of fake abs. None of the armor sets in the video games come close to that level of detail in the abdomen, and Netflix's The Witcher appears to be drawing inspiration from Batman rather than anything in CD Projekt Red's games.
Netflix's The Witcher season 2 is set to explore a number of plot threads, including the evolution of Ciri from a girl who needs rescuing to a powerful fighter in her own right. It's possible that The Witcher season 2's Geralt armor upgrade has some clues about the direction of the series, especially based on the armor's color scheme. While season 1 also featured a black-clad Geralt, it's worth pointing out that all-black attire is the calling card of the Nilfgaardian empire.
Fans of the video games already know that Geralt's path often leads him into interactions with Nilfgaard, and it's possible that will happen at some point during The Witcher season 2. Witchers are also notoriously poor, and Geralt's armor looks like it is high quality. Perhaps his upgrade comes as part of a deal he makes with Nilfgaard on the job, or he acquires it from a Nilfgaardian soldier who no longer has need of it? How The Witcher season 2's Geralt upgrade compares to the games proves that the Netflix series will continue to carve out its own path, however, so there's every chance an unexpected explanation is coming, too.
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