A book found in the Morkvarg garden / cave says bruxae are higher vampires. I think there must be 3 tiers of wampires: animal-like lesser vampires, intelegent human-like higher vampires (katakans, bruxae, alps) and highest vampires with personalities and superpowers (Regis, Detlaff, Hubert)
The question here, is: Who wrote that book? If it's written by a Higher Vampire, I'd believe it. If it's written by a human, it's all assumptions. If it's written by a Lesser Vampire, it's to make humans think highly of them.
It's also possible that the people of this universe get biased. Considering they don't obligatory have a perfect understanding of things and can get things wrong. Or can just have a different point of view. They can say Bruxae are higher vampires or the contrary in consideration with their life experiences and study level.
Said that 2 months ago... still wondering if you're finding his letters because of that "Higher Vampires can only be killed by other higher Vampires, so i guess Hubert isn´t a higher vampire.... or maybe he´s still living and because of that you can still find the letters from him, after you "killed" him.
Not every intelligent and hiding vampire is higher vampire. Remember that "higher vampire" is somewhat of a different specie. Like you have violent and aggressive vamires (fleder), you have more inteligent and stronger, like bruxa. And you have "mastermind" of vampires, nearly impossible to kill and those which witchers are mostly afraid, high vampires. As far as I know, high vampires do not have much other subspecies.
I personaly just categorize them as: Lesser vampire- animal like, limited ability to speak and not able to blend into human society, "higher" vampires- can assume human form, intelligent and able to be killed by a witcher, still pretty hard to kill and discover true higher vampires- extremely intelligent and dangerous, virtually undetectable, only able to be killed by another true higher vampire
A few days after Geralt "kills" Hubert, the concerned citizen letters start reappearing; his taking katakan form was simply polymorphism. Regis and Detlaff also transform using polymorphism. My personal theory was that Hubert simply went into hiding after he recovered....In the book, Regis took 50 years to recover after being beheaded, was obliterated by Vilgefortz in Stygga Castle...and credits Detlaff as his saviour in Blood and wine. Based on all of the above, I am inclined to think that Hubert is a higher vampire...
"Higher Vampire" has two separate meanings, which are often confused. 1. All Vampire subspecies that have a notable amount of intelligence. 2. Beings like Regis and Detlaf - True High Vampires
@xLetalis From the "World of the Witcher" (compendium of in-universe information): Higher Vampires... "Many experts include alps, mulas, katakans, bruxae, and nekurats as members of this group. These species indeed posses several unique traits not shared by their lesser cousins, and thus are commonly called higher vampires. They are resistant to sunlight and most can mask their true natures and pretend to be human, which aids them in hunting or evading pursuit. Many are also capable of transformation and possess telepathic powers, making them formidable foes. Despite all these abilities, however, they are not true higher vampires. Genuine higher vampires are a separate, extremely powerful breed, commanding great powers are sometimes unique to particular specimens. They are masters of the art of camouflage and in most cases appear nearly identical to humans. Only their their teeth, and the fact that they cast no shadows and have no reflections in mirrors, can reveal their true nature. I have even met one higher vampire whose presence did not trigger a reaction from my witcher medallion. Besides being supernaturally fast and agile, higher vampires can also assume the form of a giant bat, become invisible, and use their gaze to mesmerize their victims or put them to sleep. They are invulnerable to sunlight, fire, and silver, and have unbelievable regenerative powers which allow them to return to life even after beheading, dismemberment, or incineration though in such cases the process may take many decades." - The world of the witcher
@@TheShowdown16 Finally, I've been looking for someone to mention this! Having played all the games, that's what I always suspected to be the case: the term higher vampires is a clade (or evolutionary group) of several species that probably diverged from lesser vampires a long time ago before the Conjunction. One of the species in this clade would be the "true" Higher vampires, similar to how humans are but one species (and the most evolved, like the true Higher vampires) in the clade of hominids, which include higher and lesser apes. The compendium more or less confirms this, as you mentioned. Although the Witcher universe is a world of fantasy, there is some serious scientific input, at least in the games. I can really appreciate the thought and care CDPR put into this. If this is also the case in the books I'm not sure, I didn't get to reading the books yet, but I intend to! I hope that many people who are confused read your comment, because personally I think 'World of the Witcher' explains it the best.
@@TheShowdown16 Good reply, thanks for the info. I would put Hubert in the true category, he has a lot of history in his character, what happened is i think CDPR didnt have the development resources to make his boss fight similar to dettlaff. However Gael in Oxenfurt is indeed just a higher one and not a TRUE higher vampire. Orianna, Hubert, Dettlaff, Regis. Anyone else? Bruxae and Alps, Vampire under Novigrad, Gael are just typical higher vampire and not TRUE ones.
@@jackjager8790 I honestly wouldn't put Hubert in the "True" Category. I'd say he is an very old, experienced and talented Katakan. Or maybe even some rare and better subspecies.
I think I figured it out: there’s a species called “Higher Vampires” and an unofficial category of “higher vampires”, which can assume the human form, possess an at least some kind of intelligence. Katakans and bruxae are “higher vampires” as a category, they are lesser to higher vampire specimen like Dettlaff and Regis, but still higher vampires compared to lesser vampires like ekimmaras and such. I think this confusion is caused by these middleing vampires who are not really mighty or godlike such as Regis or Detlaff but still can inhabit human cities and live civilized unlike rabid and feral vampire species.
IIRC that how it was explained in one of the games, that there's category of higher vampire species who are reasonably humanlike and include things like Katakans, Bruaxae or Alps and then you got true "Higher Vampires" who are at totally different power level to the previously mentioned. That said we can also assume that the codex and what not are in-universe sources and there's disagreements in-universe.
The only "higher" vampire you left out if the one that sleeps under Novigrad in the sewers. He has a human model, but also transforms into a Katakan. Which makes me think the idea that they dont want unique models for smaller roles is more true
@@woodyplis9180 Just explained it in a comment - here is an excerpt. So if you want to know more, you might want to read the complete comment. Be warned of spoilers. First we have to distinguish between two classes of vampires: lesser e.g. ekimaras, fleders etc. (those, who only follow their instinct for blood)and higher e.g. alps, bruxae and katakans, who have more intelligence, are able to talk (some of them) and some can change into a human form, which makes them (almost) unintelligable even for Geralt. Second there is the species of higher vampires, to which Detlaff and Regis belong. They are totally unintelligable for Geralt. * As I don't know how far into the books you are I add a fact, that could be considered a spoiler for the relationship between Geralt and Regis into the PS. So higher vampire (class) isn't equal to higher vampire (species).
@@woodyplis9180 Basically, true higher vampires regenerate super fast, meaning you can't kill them with a sword or any other weapon that doesn't destroy their entire body. The others don't.
I've always understood as there been higher vampires, which include ekimmaras, Bruxae, Alps and katakkans, and the "Higher Vampires" the immortal, extremely OP ones that command other vampires, such as Detlaff and Regis. The higher vampires, in small letters, would be called such in opposition to even less intelligent and more beast-like "lesser vampires", which as far as I remember don't really appear anywhere in the games
1) This is a game so the writers can change their ideas and importance of the characters overtime after the release. 2) Inside the game world, bestiary were mostly written by humans and witchers so according to them. Whenever a vampire can change forms and think like humans, it was observed as higher vampire. That is why Hubert introduce himself to Geralt as higher vampire. In Regis point of view, he and detlaff are higher vampires because of their uniqueness compared to others.
I hope that when the Witcher Netflix series It gives the “higher” vampires a new skin (I say that because they had simple beast forms and died unlike Dettlaff) 🤔
What makes me think that the doctor was a higher vampire is Regis' explanation of how vampire psychology works: They each have an area where their emotions are extremely powerful and make them think irrationally. Regis' is his humane, peace loving nature, Dettlaff's was his pack instinct, etc. The serial killer's sense of religion fits in perfectly - it's an incredibly powerful emotion that makes him act like a lunatic. No one else in the entire series is so pious.
Welcome, witcher. I hope everything went right on The Path. I have a contract for you. 1- Make a video about what happens if we find Uma after Skellige story-line. 2- Test if Vesemir reacts to Grandmastercrafted Wolf Gears. Complete this contract and get 500 crowns. Deal?
@@royshaltiel6398 I mean, giving the cinsequences of even beating his true name, which he actively spared Geralt from, Elsritch Horror ain't far off. Gave me Cthullu vibes.
@@xLetalis Orianna was indeed a higher vampire. If/when you do the playthrough where you help her after the destruction in Beauclair, it's revealed that she likes feeding off the blood of children, and when a vampire attacks her child farm-I mean orphanage-, she gets mad and tasks you to kill it
@@seventrue871 She's either an old and extremely special Bruxa or a Higher Vampire judging by her general attitude around Regis and Dettlaff (acting like their equal and not their lesser) in Blood and Wine and the fact she barely even acknowledges Dettlaff's call to the Lesser Vampires to attack Beauclair which as we say other Bruxae did. To be honest we don't even have clear confirmation that she's actually dead after the launch trailer as if she was a Higher Vampire she could have just regenerated afterwards but what we definitely know is that the developers changed their idea of what they wanted her to be.
@@goaway4502 watching the "a night to remember" trailer, it's clear that orianna is a very intelligent bruxa. this was also confirmed the a developer. go look on the wiki for more information
If Geralt called the Oxenfurt drunk a "lesser" vampire, he would've received "lesser" pay. I think Katakans may "think" of themselves as higher vampires, but if Hubert "is" a higher vampire, he couldn't have been killed by Geralt. However, he may be destroyed indefinitely, since the other higher vampires likely don't appreciate him drawing attention, and wouldn't help regenerate him.
From what I understand the hierarchy of vampires is more of a spectrum. Lesser Vampires to Higher Vampires. Katakans and Bruxae are labeled as higher vampires. BUT there is also an actual race of vampire named “Higher Vampires” that includes the Unseen Elders, Detlaff, and Regis. Also note that the bestiary says higher vampires are extremely difficult to identify and classify, so that leaves room for your own deductions and opinions.
Regis also says that every higher vampire is different. And we know that higher vampires do have a more beastial form. So I don't see why he can't be counted as a higher vampire.
During Zoltan's quest to retrieve the rare gwent cards in Novigrad, you can encounter a higher vampire in the sewers. It is part of a secondary quest past a breakable aard wall I believe and features a scholar searching for a book he believes to be located in the sarcophagus this higher vampire is resting in. Through some humorous dialogue where the very human vampire asks what year it is, he becomes enraged after opening the sarcophagi the second time thus triggering a fight. Once the fight begins he turns into a bog standard katakan. This supports the theory that the developers simply did not have a differentiating model for higher vampires and thus used the katakan model. This is further supported by the bestiary entry you receive upon completion of the quest. If you have not encountered any higher vampires thus far you are rewarded with an entry on higher vampires in the codex. Higher vampires -> katakans -> developers not having the time to model.
Maybe the following would be more appropriate categories: -Higher Vampires (Regis, Detlaff...) -Greater Vampires (Katakans, Bruxae, Alps?) -Lesser Vampires (Ekimmarae, Garkains, Fleders...)
Well, honestly man, you are making it far more complicated then it is ;) . I will try to explain it. For that I am using just a lore established in the books and the games: So all the vampires are divided into two groups: lower vampires and higher vampires. Main difference between those two is simple. Lower ones are animals driven purely by instinct. Higher ones are sentient beings driven by reason. That is the first and the most important difference. Thus (as it is stated in both materials) any species of vampire that can speak, take any form, and generaly think, is a higher vampire. Any that cannot, is a lower one. Now the confusion here is that "higher vampire" is a name shared by two descriptions - first is a name of the second group of the vampires, and the second is a name of the most advance species of the vampires. Thus I would differentiate them with capital "H" and "V". That means, Alps, Bruxae, Nosferats, Katakans and Higher Vampires are all higher vampires. (see what I mean?) All those are sentient and all of them belong to that category. Thus every named vampire from the game Is a higher vampire. Some of them are Bruxae, some Katakans and some are even Higher Vampires. I hope that clears the confusion. Also I want to mention that in the game itself it is never shown whot kind of higher vampire Oriana is. However taking into account the trailer, she is definately Bruxa and nothing else. So in conclusion: If it can think, it is a higher vampire :D :D :D (Hope I helped here ;) )
That should be pinned. Its also my understanding and how I have never considered Hubert "true" higher vampire. Edit: to clarify, this shouldn't be pinned because its the one "true" thought but because it makes the most sense while keeping in mind what Regis said about being able to truly kill higher vampire. Perhaps could also differentiate with therms Lesser, Lower and Higher. In my humble opinion it would be less confusing.
And also i think that the Higher Vampir who dont Drink blod cant get killed by anyone els than Higher Vampir in the books Regis Said i he almost got killd by town folks and than He stopt drinking make him Higher than Higher Vampir also the un Seen elder dont propaply Drink blood and how longer they dont Drink so stronger they become
@@MrBergemann16 Well not exactly. Higher Vampires (as a species, not a group) do not need to drink blood. For them, it is like for us with alcohol. They drink it, because it gives them strenght and good times. Now in case of Regis, it was little bit different. When he was "young" he was kinda "party boy" and drank the blood a lot. Then some vilagers came and basically massacred him. It took him very long time to regenerate and that is why he stopped drinking.
I am pretty sure Hubert was meant to be a higher vampire, but cdproject made use of the infamous Retcon and they adjusted some stuff for the blood and wine dlc, so it's not coherent anymore, basically it's a retcon. This is my opinion
Well technically...Hubert isn't a HIGHER vampire, but he isn't lower either. He has intelligence unlike an Ekimmara. And Katakan can take the form of man, there by having intelligence, right? Hence he's a higher one...yet not-makes explosive noise with mouth-
@@sonarbuge7958 he is that vampires that act all mighty but works on MCdonalds so he is a priest(movie) vampire level dangerous but not so dangerous when prepared
The only reason CDPR introduced the only a higher vampire can permanently kill another higher vampire is to bring back Regis since he was melted completely which I think is pretty dope.
This still doesn't explain that sleeping vampire in the sewers transforming into a katakan beside his human appereance, also, in the books Regis states that katakans and bruxae are Lower higher vampires, while ekimaras are just lesser ( gonna try and find the quite), btw how are the books going for you, great video
‘Don’t mock. You’ve seen more than once the signs of a vampire bite. Have you ever encountered a vampire that tears its victim to pieces?’ ‘No. It doesn’t happen.’ ‘Never, if we are dealing with higher vampires,’ Emiel Regis joined the conversation. ‘From what I understand, the victims of Alps, Katakan, Mula, Bruxa, Nosferat are not hurt terribly. However, Fleders and Ekimma are quite brutal with their victims.’ Dandelion to Geralt and Regis, Baptism of fire
On a side note, I just started reading Last Wish today and I found it funny that the journal entry for HVs, says "In other words, even an experienced monster hunter should think twice before accepting a contract on one of these creatures, even if half a kingdom and a princess' hand are in the offering". This seems like a callback to the rumour that the striga contract for Foltest's daughter included her hand in marriage.
I believe this exact quote is the source of all the vampire concerning lore chaos we can observe in Witcher 3. Im not well-versed in english, but it seems to state or at least suggest that Alps, Katakan, Mula, Bruxa and Nosferat are higher vampires, therefore being mistranslation, as in polish, in which I happen to be rather well-versed, this quote clearly differentiate between higher vampires and those. I guess W3 secondary quest writers used english translation as base to better cooperate in multilanguage team and werent checking its coherence with the original that much, while main plot B&W writers were either using original or paying more attention. And out of this we got easy to kill Katakans labelled higher in secondary base game quest, and the almost unkillable higher vampires in B&W main plot.
@@TheMoon-rj9rp could you please write how higher vampires differ from higher vampires in polish, do they have different names and if so could you write them, i feel like a Lot of confusion could be avoided if english translation used two differ names like higher vampires for katakans, alps etc. And something like Super OP killing machines from your nightmares for the kind of Regis
They didn't plan ahead that far is all. They wanted Geralt to fight a higher vampire to cover all bestirary in the main game, then decided to up the stakes for Blood And Wine by making higher vampires much stronger and basically unkillable for a mere Witcher. Dettlaf is definitely in a completely different league than a Katakan. Regarding Orianne, the one in Blood and Wine is not the same as the one in the trailer and was just supposed to deliver an epic looking fight. Orianne is definitely presented on par with Dettlaf and Regis, she can even approach the unseen elder.
I kind of always thought they lay somewhere in the middle. That the Katakans have both human and vampire forms like the other higher vampires, but that because they are so much more driven by bloodlust that they consume a great amount of it, in turn causing them to become primal and stuck in their vampire form. But those that can keep the bloodlust at bay, like Hubert, retain their human form and higher intelligence.
Maybe they weren’t dead, Regis was “killed” by Vilgefortz and had to have Dettlaffs help to come back. Higher vampires can’t die but they can be damaged beyond regeneration and can only comeback with another’s help
@@braydenj1327 No, he is on a completely different level.Detlaff cannot be killed by a witchers blade, even if Geralt bests him, Regis had to deal the mortal blow.With the bruxas and katakans and wotnot, Geralt's sword is enough to kill them for good.
Not sure if you covered this in your Skellige video, but I just found two shrines around the map, and at each one if you use your witcher vision you'll see that little hand icon that pops up when there's something you can interact with. It takes some jumping around amd awkward climbing, but once you're up there next to the idols you can interact with it and a pop up will say "Your prayer has been heard" and what they do is change the weather. One makes it storm and the other makes it stop and be clear and sunny. The shrines aren't shown on the map at all, there is no indication that there's anything special there at all. But I've learned that if you see a building in the middle of nowhere on the map you should go check it out as there is usually something there.
In the books Regis as a higher vampire transformed into bat-like creature. To me that description is more similar to katakan in game than that "thing" Dettlaff transformed into in blood and wine. Or maybe cdpr just used katakan model for Hubert and later forgot or didn't want to update models for Hubert when blood and wine was released.
My personal theory is that orianna and the bruxa from corvo bianco are a subspecies of bruxa that resemble higher vampires, and are separate from normal bruxae who are more like alps. Although I think both are more intelligent than other lower vampires like ekimmaras and katakans, we see normal bruxa talk (the one at the end of blood and wine who attacks regis).
I think the best explanation is this: all the lore in the game is written from the perspective of those inhabiting the world. Humans, Witchers, Elves..etc just write down what they see/observe in an attempt to classify the monsters around them and they may not see the whole picture. For all we know Katakans and the Regis types may be the same species, with a Katakan only turning into a "higher vampire" if it lives long enough. Someone seeing the two would just assume two different species. Now, given that the coroner wasn't quite right in the head, maybe he already considered himself a higher vampire, even if he wasn't? Regarding Geralt calling the Katakan a higher vampire, he's a Witcher not a scholar. He may just call it higher because he thinks that term should apply to any Vampirian that displays human traits, regardless of what the textbook says.
I think he was in fact just a lowly vampire who thought of itself far better than it should have, can't help but feel an hint of arrogance in how he state he is an ''higher vampire'', as if it was evident... The whole gist of higher vampires is that they're indiscernible from the average humans, for one to pride himself in doing so to the point of arrogance seem counter-intuitive, not including is pointlessly brutal and methodical style of execution, which make tracking him especially easy as he follow a strict modus operandi (which he did probably in a bid to sow confusion as of his real intent to whoever would find his victims, which is kind of dumb I'd say since he'd have been way better off to simply make it seem like your average robbery gone wrong and call it a day). So effectively, he was a low vampire trying to larp as a higher vampire, but lacked the true inherent intelligence of these beings, as it show in how he proceeded with his endeavor.
@@cbl1199 I noticed that too. He felt the need to add in that extra information "higher of course". Almost as if he wanted geralt to be awed. Hubert is delusional
As things stand it pretty much looks like developers retconned the concept of high vampire. On a related note, Regis said if they are struck a fatal blow they can regenerate WITH the help of a high vampire. So if Hubert for example was the lone high vampire in Novigrad he could've simply died or remained in a mushy state until (and if) a fellow vampire found him.
I remember Geralt said that Higher Vampires are all kinf of unique some can change into bats or be as quick as wind so why wouldn t he be able to change into a Katalan ? But I also remember that Higher Vampires can only be killed by another Higher Vampire so Geralt may have damaged him sufficiently to leave Novigras out ou danger for a long time but maybe Hubert is not a Higher Vampire. Personnally I think there are different levels of higher and lesser vampires and we cannot just class them as higher or inferior.
Here’s a more simplified explanation: The Katakan form that Hubert takes is simply his bestial form, kinda like the one we see Detlaff take in the final phase of his fight. He’s a Higher Vampire, but he’s still not as old, and thus not as powerful, as Detlaff or Regis. It’s a purely Watsonian explanation, I know, but I’d say that it serves the purpose of settling this debate well. Especially when the optional Higher Vampire encounter in the sewers also sees him transform into a Katakan, if memory serves.
I already wrote something about it to an older video and after the video, I didn't change my mind about it. I still think there is a difference between a higher Vampire and a Higher Vampire. Hubert can easily be killed with a silver sword, doesn't seem to have a great regeneration ability like Higher Vampires have, so I think he is a Katakan, which means he's right when he says he's a higher Vampire, just not a true Higher Vampire. And as you said, also Bruxa can look like humans, can be undetectable and be intelligent (Orianna and the Vampire in the brothel in TW1). So they are also higher Vampires like Katakans but no Higher Vampires. And I think Orianna is still supposed to be a Bruxa because Geralt tells her that he will be back. If she really would be a Higher Vampire he could try but wouldn't succeed, at least not without the help of another Higher Vampire. I'm not telling anyone is wrong, but this makes more sense to me.
Also, the eternal fire lunatic vampire may have been cut up by Geralt's sword, but his 'Concerned citizen' notes can still be found all over Novigrad afterwards........ Thus concluding the fact that higher vampires can only be killed by other higher vampires.
It's very common in the game industry that we save time by reducing the number of unique models, especially for less important characters, so the explanation sounds very reasonable.
One piece of information I found replaying the game: When you drink with Eskel and Lambert in Kaer Morhen, Eskel talks about a contract he had on a “higher vampire”, where he had to disguise himself to go to a party. Later you can help him with an autopsy on a Katakan, and Geralt says something along the lines of “he the one from the contract you were talking about?”. Even knowing this I still consider katakans as lesser
Bruxae, alps (female) and Katakans (male) are lesser variants of higher vampires. Whereas Regis, Dettlaff and the Unseen Elder are much more sophisticated higher vampires. They are the true elite. In the books Geralt kills a bruxa and Geralt isn't even aware about the true nature of higher vampires until he meets Regis. It was Regis who mentions that he is a true higher vampire and unique. Something like that, I haven't read the books in five years, so I could be remembering it wrong. But I always assumed the bruxae and katakans are higher vampires in the way Witchers classify them. Witchers don't know about vampires like Regis, hence the confusion. The Witcher's classification of higher vampires depend on their sentience and are completely unaware of vampires like Regis, Dettlaff and The Unseen Elder. One thing is common that these special higher vampires don't have cravings for blood. Blood is more like a drug to them (Regis was once an addict). Whereas bruxae like Orianna need blood to survive. And yes, bruxae and Katakans are sentient. But, that doesn't mean they are like Regis and co. I think Hubert is actually a Katakan and not a true Higher Vampire like Regis and Dettlaff. That fight would not have been so easy or CDPR did not spend resources to make a unique model for him. They were crunching hard after all.
The katakan in that drunkard side quest when he was in human form was obviously the medic the captain sends you too. who at first didn't want geralt to view the bodies. He is gone after you kill the katakan. It probably was just another base game higher vampire. Maybe they'll fix this in the next generation version. They could give them new models.
I think that vampires aren't just something that can be put into two categories. I think it's more of a sliding scale, and where exactly the line falls depends on who's talking
3:00 Damn, xLetalis has his agents everywhere. My personal take is difference between higher and lower vampires is that lower ones have to drink blood to survive, higher ones dont need to. So coroner might be higher vampire. Also, I believe detlaff and regis are "the" higher vampires, while katakans and bruxae are lesser types of higher vampires. So there is one more variety of higher vampires, that does not have specific name. Bruxae can transform into human form, and probably so do katakans. Fleders and garkains, are on the other hand lower vampires.
This video is already three years old, but here is my take on this: Vampires can be separated into different categories. There is the "highest" category (the unseen elder, who might not be the only of his kind at least in the world where vampires come from). Then there are the "higher" Vampires (Regis, Detlaff), but they also come in different varieties. In my understanding Bruxae and Katakans are also higher vampires, but a "lesser" form of higher vamipres. They are "higher" because they can transfrom into humans, possess intelligence and so on, yet they are still far far weaker than higher Vamipres like Regis for example. They are called "distant cousins". So I think of it as humans and apes maybe? Apes are intelligent - but noticeable less so than humans, yet we are related. Then there are the true "lesser" vampires liker fledders (is that how you write it?) and Ekimma maybe? Geralt is less concerned when he finds out that it is a Katakan because (just like Bruxae) he knows he can defeat them. If it was a "true" higher vampire (like Detlaff) he'd probably be concerned. When talking about Vampires Geralt says something like "you're thinking of lesser vampires, Alps, Katakans...". Either that is where my theory falls apart, it is a developer oversight, or (fitting my theory) he meant "lesser than the likes of Detlaff", although that seems to be a stretch. So we would have higher Vampires: Unseen Elder "Higher" Tier": Regis etc. "lesser higher" Vampires (if that makes sense): Bruxae (Orianna), Katakans (the one in Oxenfurt, Hubert), maybe Alps (although we never find an intelligent Alp as far as I know) Then there are the actual lesser vampires with little intelligence, little more than mindless beasts: Fledders, Ekimma, Garkain...
I think the developper rather changed their mind about the power of higher vampires and when they had to make the blood and wine expansion and made them much more powerful than they previously portrayed.
I doubt that's the problem as the books make it clear that Regis can regenerate from being staked and buried yet Geralt seems to think slicing up Hubert is enough to kill him. I suspect it's much more likely that there is a Higher/higher vampire thing going on here where they are types of higher vampire.
My theory on the Vampires is that almost all Vampires in the series are Higher Vampires that have degenerated or mutated in some way to make them different from one another, with only Vampires who have maintained or adapted in a way to have a human form along with their sapience being classified as Higher Vampires, whereas though who are feral and don't speak aren't Higher Vampires and are degenerated mutants, which would explain why they're so similar and how Higher Vampires can seemingly control these Lesser Vampires.
How about the possibility that the matter of being a higher or a lesser vampire is just a spectrum, varying from an individual vampire to another, just a thought
It's mentioned at some points during the game and books that the vampires get stronger and more intelligent over time, so imo orianna is just a really old bruxa (also helped by the fact she says to geralt "in times past, no Witcher would take this contract" indicating she's very old).
I think that if a person is a higher vampire doesn't necessarily mean they are as strong as detlaff or Regis Higher vampires are vampires who are not animalistic and are intelligent The garkain alpha was really strong but was animalistic I think there is so much misconception because in the base game they didn't really want to spend to much time on higher vampires I pretty sure higher vampire bestiary doesn't say that they have insane regenerative capabilities
If we look at Dettlaff and Regis they have a base form that they take as vampires with claws and a feral appearance, so from this we can consider that Orianna's Bruxae form could maybe be her base form. The trailer isn't really a good point of reference either as these are made before the game is in its final form leaving it open to alteration or even complete change, so we'll use the game as a reference. With this we can consider that Orianna is also a higher Vampire both from the way Regis and Dettlaff treat her and by the fact that she has a key to the unseen elder. Bruxae, Alps, Katakans are intelligent but they all lack the control to keep themselves from killing their prey and they seem to lack the sense to be as calculating and intelligent to do as Orianna did in her dealings with humans and with her orphanage. Higher vampires have a thirst for blood yet they are not controlled or driven by it in everything they do, they can also like Dettlaff control lesser vampires whether they are lesser higher vampires or just regular lesser vampires. This means, although intelligent enough to use their human forms for deception, Bruxae and Alps are animalistic in nature and are instinctually driven beings and a higher vampire, like Dettlaff can control this instinct of their because they have a instinct that makes them obey him if he wills it, same as their instinct to drink blood. Orrianna would've become part of his hoard or "pack" if she was a lesser vampire or a Bruxae or Alp which are Lesser Higher Vampires who still have an instinct. We can take from this that the Vampire race live in a Hierarchy. The highest tier we know is the Unseen Elder, next we have "True" Higher Vampires, then lesser higher vampires and obviously the "animal's" or the Vampires of the race.
I think you may not know that in Polish version of geralt saying that katakan is a lesser vampire, he doesn't mention him, instead he just tells about Alps and Ekkimaras. I thout it was worth mentioning.
"Mylisz się. Wampirem niższym takim jak Alp czy Ekkima, rządzi zwierzęcy instynkt..." which translates to You're wrong. Lesser vampire such as alp or Ekkima is driven by an animal instinct.
I'm back here...hey man in my humble opinion I think that Orriana is a Bruxa, obv it's an opinion but that doesn't mean that I'm 100% right but if we think about one thing is this: -when Geralt goes in the childrens house in BnW he hears her singing the song to the little one and now here it comes: when he fights her in the trailer, before the encounter he says to her that it's a '' Nice tune...been a while since I heard it last '' which made me think that the last time when he heard the song was in..... BnW in the children's house when he first heard her singin' it...and then she goes saying that folk have forgotten about it...I dunno man...stuff like this keeps my blood flowing :)) Much respect to you and your familly my man :) And this is the comment that a person posted about 5 months ago on the trailers page: ''What blows my mind is that a trailer for Witcher 3 was actually the ending to story for the final piece of DLC'' -it's kinda obv in again...my humble opinion :D
I’d say there needs to be another category of vampires something like lower, higher, elder, and ancient, like the hidden elder would be an ancient, and dettlaf and Regis would be elder
I believe there are three tiers of Vampire: Lesser vampires (bestial vampires eg ekimmaras, alps, garkains, fledgers) "middle vampires" (intelligent vampires eg bruxa, katakans) higher vampires (apex vampires) regarding Orianna, Hubert and the unnamed Novigrad vampire, I believe they are all higher vampires, and that the form they take in battle is merely a choice to appear in that form; we know higher vampires are shape shifters, and therefore maybe that is just the form they take in battle. Regarding what Regis tells us about how only higher vampires can kill higher vampires, this just means that when those three died in their specific cases, they didn't actually die, and will reform, albeit slowly in a time frame that will not concern Geralt - remember that it was only thanks to Dettlaff that Regis reformed as quickly as he did.
Hi, I'm back. So I'm currently reading Baptism of Fire and I just reached *today* the chapter where Geralt meets Regis for the first time. Now, having played the game I knew already that he is a higher vampire, but I kept wondering how come Geralt's medallion doesn't quiver or anything. And then this video comes up on my yt homepage (creepy algorithm). So now I know. Hv are undetectable! Thanks Letalis ❤️
I've always thought of them as "pseudo-higher vampire" they have most of the abilities and traits of higher vampires but they don't have the most powerful ones (inability to be killed for good unless by another higher vampire for one)
I had this videos title recommended with the thumbnail of a Martins Licis Strongman video, and damn, I could not wrap my head around that for solid three seconds
How do you know Hubert was actually killed though? He may be a higher vampire who transforms into different vampiric forms and all Geralt did was cut him down, rather than actually killing him. In the books, Regis was similarly cut up and left for dead by villagers even though he was not actually killed.
Also noteworthy to point out that during the final parts where we and Regis fight vampires in the city. We can hear a convo where its said that all vampires besides Dettlaf,Regis , orianna and Elder are lower and lesser vampires that are bound to heed the calls of Higher ones.
I'm not sure tbh but I do think being a HV has less to do with types of vampires and more about your status within the community, how long you have lived, and how much strength you have gained through the consumption of blood since both Oriana, Gael and Hubert Rejk are all supposedly HV but all have a vampire form of a "Lesser Vampire"
Fun fact at 8:10 Christophe Dugarry is a french football player. Former world cup champion in 1998 with other more renoun players such as Zinedine Zidane and Didier Deschamps who's also the french coach that win the world cup of last year...Excuse my english, it's very rusty...
Well, since Higher Vampires get more and more powerful and intelligent with age, I'd wager the same is true for all vampires. Meaning very old Katakans can indeed pass as Higher vampires, having a similar ability to turn into a human etc. But, at the end of the day, a witcher can still kill one. However the true High Vampires like Regis and Detlaff are something else entirely, being pretty much immortal.
I think Higher Vampires have entire subspecies and rankings within them with Unseen Elders at the top being the most powerful and eldest of all the vampires followed by Regis & Detlaff. It would look something like this: 1. Unseen Elders (Oldest & most powerful). 2.Regis & Detlaff (True Higher vampires, meaning they can only be killed by one of their own kind, aka a vampire just as old and on the same power level as them). 3. Ancient bruxae and katakans (These would be the inferior higher vampires and not the true higher vampires like Regis and Detlaff but they can resemble the behaviour and human appearance like Regis & Detlaff can). I think it all comes down to how ancient they are because I’ve noticed a clear trend that the more ancient the vampire is the more powerful as well. Maybe Orianna and the coroner are higher vampires but just an inferior kind. Also maybe not all bruxae and katakans can be classified as higher vampires, some of them can stay or become wild and rabid, sort of like the trolls in blood and wine and like the one katakan you meet in the sewers with Triss. So perhaps Orianna and the coroner are just really ancient katakans and bruxae and their power has increased significantly over the years and they’ve adopted many of the same qualities as true higher vampires like Regis & Detlaff including: being highly intelligent, resembling humans in behaviour and appearance, and being untraceable to Witcher’s medallions; all of this without gaining the specific ability of only being able to be killed by one of its own that is genetically unique to the true higher vampires like Regis and Detlaff. Overall I think bruxae and katakans aren’t born higher vampires, but they can become them if they live long enough and remain close to human society since they’ll be able to do everything a true higher vampire can except having the genetically unique ability, specific to true higher vampires, of only being able to be killed by their own kind.
I guess you coud just say that calling himself a higher vampire is just him trying to make up for not being one. Making himself bigger than he is and envious.
I completed Blood and Wine a year ago and until this day I feel so conflicted about the fate of Detlaff. I hate him yet I can empathize with him and I’m not sure if I’m fine with Regis being forced to live on the run. What I do know is that I LOVE this game and CDPR. Great video :D
I think the term "higher" here has two meanings and that is what causes the confusion. The first meaning of "higher" is a comparative higher. It means a certain type of vampire is literally higher than a lesser counterpart, by having higher intelligence, higher ability, higher combat power etc. Hubert, Katakans, Bruxae etc. to me, fall in to this category of higher vampires. The second meaning of "higher" should be written with a capital "H", which means "Higher vampire". The "Higher" here represent one certain type of vampire that is descriptively a type of being as "Higher vampier". This "Higher" isn't comparative, it is descriptive. Regis for example, is this type of Higher vampire. An easy to understand example. Assume there's a certain race that has unimagined power in an alternative universe is called "The Stronger Ones", and each individual of this race as referred to as "The Stronger One". However, if there's someone who is just a ordinary person merely physically stronger than you, you may also call that person is the "stronger one", comparatively to you of course. In this case, although both been called "The stronger one", but "The Stronger One" is much different to the "stronger one".
I believe theres 4 Categories for the ranks of Vampires total with 2 categories to differentiate Vampires with Intelligence from those who do not. Lesser Vampires The Lesser low class vampires that are like animals with no ability or extremely limited ability to speak and blend in society. The Higher Vampire Types The Higher Vampires That are intelligent and can assume human form but have a harder time to control their animal instincts then those who would be "True Immortal Higher Vampire" The Immortal vampire "True Vampire" The Highest of Higher Vampires, basically Undetectable and extremely intelligent and are completely immortal unless they are killed by another Higher Vampire of Equal or Higher Rank. The Elder Vampire in Witcher lore theres only 1 Character that fits this rank and it is the The Unseen Elder who controls and orders every other vampires which we see guarding the gate between the Vampire world and the Human world.
@xLetalis. Part of this problem was CD Project Red developing the game for the expansion after initial release. However the other part of the problem is that there is historically (mythologically?) 2 or more categorisations for vampires. The first is general - higher and lower where the former maintain sentiency whereas the latter devolve into something more animalistic by giving in to their thirst for blood. The second categorisation is a specific one where you have bruxae, alps and highest of the highest - higher vampires. Therefore a bruxa which maintains some level of social awareness and doesnt devolve into complete murder can be a higher vampire under the first categorisation and a bruxa under the second categorisation. Essentially, if they can speak and scheme they have a higher vampire element. The key to this is Teshum Mutna. Regis is a Higher Vampire. However, if he was allowed out of the cage and was permanently overcome with blood rage he would likely devolve into a more animalistic vampire. This is why he talks about the risks being so great. It also explains how Orianna *could* be both a higher vampire and a Bruxa at the same time
Great video! Just my two cents - we know vampires in The Witcher universe are an entire other species from a different sphere, so here's my thought - the distinction between higher and lesser vampire is one of age. And nothing else. Witches in-universe sure seem to love putting things in boxes (an alp is always a lesser vampire etc) but what if the only thing that actually matters is how old (and by extension) how powerful they are? Like, doesn't Detlaff's true form kinda look a bit like an ekimara? It's definitely not what we would call one, but I reckon that maybe he might have been more like one in his infancy, which was no doubt long before the conjunction. This would explain why there is a fuzzy line, Hubert could well be a higher vampire, but only just, so his form is very much like a katakan (although, that game resources explanation is more likely, this gives an in-universe explanation) Also, to add to this, it then means that actually, Witchers are wrong about such strict categories of 'Katakan is higher, alp is lesser, bruxae is higher' etc. They could all be cousin species that gradually become more evolved with age, and because higher vampires are so incredibly rare, the idea that what make them higher is their uniqueness could have well developed from there.
i think its all comparative matter when it comes to vampires.meaning vampire creatures< intelligent vampires like bruxa/hubert/orianna < Regis/Detlaff < Elder vampire. so technically the term higher vampire is correct for those vampires who are superior than some lesser ones.
10:22 did you know that if you will go back to that greenhouse you will see an item on floor? That item is Rabbit Mask it is so nice that you can wear it!
"A higher vampire can only killed by another higher vampire." that might be a false claim or something abut a vampire code of honor thing. Despite regis is a dear friend of geralt, he is still a vampire isn't he?
Here's my understanding, for what it's worth 3 years later and I think I can explain the confusion. Vampires break down into two categories, Higher and Lesser. In the Lesser category you have Ekimma (or Ekimmara), Fleeder, Garkain, and Plumards. In the Higher Vampire category are Nosferats, Bruxa, Mula (or Moola), Katakan, Alps, and - here is where the confusion arises - Higher Vampires. The Term Higher Vampire is both simultaneously a category of the Vampire species and a species in and of itself. Unfortunately the Bestiary doesn't make that very clear.
I think regis said that death is different for higher vampires. As rhey can be turned into a puddle of blood but still be alive (still dead on human terms, and they cant do much in that state). He also said that they can only be "revived" with another higher vampires blood. So from this im assuming whenever geralt killed a vampire, he killed them on human terms. In vampire terms they were a chopped up corpse waiting to be revived, but still "alive" in some sort of limbo, and i think thats why regis said that only higher vampires can "kill" another on of their kind, because death is different for a vampire.
Higher vampires don't need anothers blood to heal, I believe, it just speeds up the process of regeneration. THV's have something similar to a "soul", this soul can't be killed or destroyed unless it's by another THV, so even if you completely incinerate their body they'll regenerate from whatever piece of ash or body that they can.
@@fawnieee yeah so im not a complete expert but from what we've gathered i can assume whenever geralt "kills" a vampire he just renders him completely harmless for a couple human lifetimes
"What's on earth's a katakan?"
Geralt: A higher pay- *cough* A higher vampire (yes that's right)
hehe
Let’s nor forget to mention that he got drunk as fuck for that mission.
remember the golden "cough" fork.. i mean Dragon in Skellge.
In the town of Faroh or something don't really recall the village name.
@@suntzu6468 and paid 50 for the drinks.
@@xLetalis what if it wasn't a katakan rather his ability
To be honest it just sounds like CDPR messed up their vampire lore a bit and we're reading into it too much
Actualy there is a nother reason that I thought of
@@blacklegbeastro5295 well?
@@gkdunch oh sorry totally forgot a bout this. Ermmmm....... Oh ye, Regis says all vampires have a UNIQUE powers maby that's there power?
@@blacklegbeastro5295 dang, didn't think i would get a response, but I agree totally
this is exactly what i think XD
0:40 "No trickery" he says as he walks through the door without opening it
Maybe he and Geralt are vampires!!!
@@russellwatkins854 No, that door was just an illusion...
no trickery from Gerald, he said nothing for himself. MAGIC SHOW
That didn't happen in my game lol
@@edi9892 "I hate portals".
A book found in the Morkvarg garden / cave says bruxae are higher vampires. I think there must be 3 tiers of wampires: animal-like lesser vampires, intelegent human-like higher vampires (katakans, bruxae, alps) and highest vampires with personalities and superpowers (Regis, Detlaff, Hubert)
id place Hubert in the second category and add Orianna to the 3rd and highest
"Only a higher vampire can kill another higher vampire" Hubert is not one.
The question here, is: Who wrote that book? If it's written by a Higher Vampire, I'd believe it. If it's written by a human, it's all assumptions. If it's written by a Lesser Vampire, it's to make humans think highly of them.
@@shapeshifter7676If anyone probably a Witcher
It's also possible that the people of this universe get biased. Considering they don't obligatory have a perfect understanding of things and can get things wrong. Or can just have a different point of view.
They can say Bruxae are higher vampires or the contrary in consideration with their life experiences and study level.
Wait but didnt Regis say that a higher vampire can only be killed by another higher vampire
Man like Hubert dipped.
Then bruxae, fleder etc aren't higher vampires
Said that 2 months ago... still wondering if you're finding his letters because of that
"Higher Vampires can only be killed by other higher Vampires, so i guess Hubert isn´t a higher vampire.... or maybe he´s still living and because of that you can still find the letters from him, after you "killed" him.
Indeed he did, so Hubert is potentially alive. And may be Orianna, idk
Not every intelligent and hiding vampire is higher vampire. Remember that "higher vampire" is somewhat of a different specie. Like you have violent and aggressive vamires (fleder), you have more inteligent and stronger, like bruxa. And you have "mastermind" of vampires, nearly impossible to kill and those which witchers are mostly afraid, high vampires. As far as I know, high vampires do not have much other subspecies.
My takeaway has always been that vampires and their own social orders are just more complicated than Geralt’s bestiary level understanding.
I think that´s reading too much into it. CDPR fucked up their vampiare lore a bit and thats all.
I personaly just categorize them as:
Lesser vampire- animal like, limited ability to speak and not able to blend into human society,
"higher" vampires- can assume human form, intelligent and able to be killed by a witcher, still pretty hard to kill and discover
true higher vampires- extremely intelligent and dangerous, virtually undetectable, only able to be killed by another true higher vampire
They're no match for a lightsaber
They're no match for my high ground.
make sense, I guess i would say it as well.
Also the true higher vampires are descendants of some creatures that come from a different planet/universe.
@@Revanchist Every singe vampire and monster is from a parallel universe along with humans and elves in the witcher world
A few days after Geralt "kills" Hubert, the concerned citizen letters start reappearing; his taking katakan form was simply polymorphism. Regis and Detlaff also transform using polymorphism.
My personal theory was that Hubert simply went into hiding after he recovered....In the book, Regis took 50 years to recover after being beheaded, was obliterated by Vilgefortz in Stygga Castle...and credits Detlaff as his saviour in Blood and wine.
Based on all of the above, I am inclined to think that Hubert is a higher vampire...
"Higher Vampire" has two separate meanings, which are often confused.
1. All Vampire subspecies that have a notable amount of intelligence.
2. Beings like Regis and Detlaf
- True High Vampires
@xLetalis
From the "World of the Witcher" (compendium of in-universe information):
Higher Vampires...
"Many experts include alps, mulas, katakans, bruxae, and nekurats as members of this group. These species indeed posses several unique traits not shared by their lesser cousins, and thus are commonly called higher vampires.
They are resistant to sunlight and most can mask their true natures and pretend to be human, which aids them in hunting or evading pursuit.
Many are also capable of transformation and possess telepathic powers, making them formidable foes. Despite all these abilities, however, they are not true higher vampires.
Genuine higher vampires are a separate, extremely powerful breed, commanding great powers are sometimes unique to particular specimens.
They are masters of the art of camouflage and in most cases appear nearly identical to humans.
Only their their teeth, and the fact that they cast no shadows and have no reflections in mirrors, can reveal their true nature. I have even met one higher vampire whose presence did not trigger a reaction from my witcher medallion. Besides being supernaturally fast and agile, higher vampires can also assume the form
of a giant bat, become invisible, and use their gaze to mesmerize their victims or put them to sleep. They are invulnerable to sunlight, fire, and silver, and have unbelievable regenerative powers which allow them
to return to life even after beheading, dismemberment, or incineration though in such cases the process may take many decades." - The world of the witcher
@@TheShowdown16 Finally, I've been looking for someone to mention this! Having played all the games, that's what I always suspected to be the case: the term higher vampires is a clade (or evolutionary group) of several species that probably diverged from lesser vampires a long time ago before the Conjunction. One of the species in this clade would be the "true" Higher vampires, similar to how humans are but one species (and the most evolved, like the true Higher vampires) in the clade of hominids, which include higher and lesser apes. The compendium more or less confirms this, as you mentioned.
Although the Witcher universe is a world of fantasy, there is some serious scientific input, at least in the games. I can really appreciate the thought and care CDPR put into this. If this is also the case in the books I'm not sure, I didn't get to reading the books yet, but I intend to!
I hope that many people who are confused read your comment, because personally I think 'World of the Witcher' explains it the best.
Higher vampires is used for vampires that has intelligent like human I think. I guess Regis and Detlaff are highest higher vampire type, probably.
@@TheShowdown16 Good reply, thanks for the info.
I would put Hubert in the true category, he has a lot of history in his character, what happened is i think CDPR didnt have the development resources to make his boss fight similar to dettlaff.
However Gael in Oxenfurt is indeed just a higher one and not a TRUE higher vampire.
Orianna, Hubert, Dettlaff, Regis.
Anyone else?
Bruxae and Alps, Vampire under Novigrad, Gael are just typical higher vampire and not TRUE ones.
@@jackjager8790
I honestly wouldn't put Hubert in the "True" Category.
I'd say he is an very old, experienced and talented Katakan.
Or maybe even some rare and better subspecies.
I think I figured it out: there’s a species called “Higher Vampires” and an unofficial category of “higher vampires”, which can assume the human form, possess an at least some kind of intelligence. Katakans and bruxae are “higher vampires” as a category, they are lesser to higher vampire specimen like Dettlaff and Regis, but still higher vampires compared to lesser vampires like ekimmaras and such. I think this confusion is caused by these middleing vampires who are not really mighty or godlike such as Regis or Detlaff but still can inhabit human cities and live civilized unlike rabid and feral vampire species.
my thoughts exactly
IIRC that how it was explained in one of the games, that there's category of higher vampire species who are reasonably humanlike and include things like Katakans, Bruaxae or Alps and then you got true "Higher Vampires" who are at totally different power level to the previously mentioned. That said we can also assume that the codex and what not are in-universe sources and there's disagreements in-universe.
Plot twist:
What if Geralt kept Detlaff's hand and use it to kill Higher Vampires?
he keep it to touch himself. That's a fact
@Ivan Roman it's probably still warm to this day.
Eeh not to ruin the joke or anything but I don't think that's how it works
@@Witcherino The hand would've withered away when Regis killed Detlaff.
@DarkSukiyaki I never thought of that. I guess it makes sense.
Drunk Geralt addressing to a higher vampire: "Come out and fight b!*tch!". Legend...
He got higher than any of them bloodsuckers
While also being underleveled lmao.
"Once was a maid from Vicovaro, tight at night, she'd be loose come 'morrow" 😂
The only "higher" vampire you left out if the one that sleeps under Novigrad in the sewers. He has a human model, but also transforms into a Katakan. Which makes me think the idea that they dont want unique models for smaller roles is more true
He's also the very FACE for the journal entry "higher vampires", which makes leaving him out of this video even more of a fauxpas!
They may be higher vampires, but they are not True Higher Vampires!
Tr00
ye? whats the different?
PRESENTATION!!!
@@woodyplis9180 Just explained it in a comment - here is an excerpt. So if you want to know more, you might want to read the complete comment. Be warned of spoilers.
First we have to distinguish between two classes of vampires: lesser e.g. ekimaras, fleders etc. (those, who only follow their instinct for blood)and higher e.g. alps, bruxae and katakans, who have more intelligence, are able to talk (some of them) and some can change into a human form, which makes them (almost) unintelligable even for Geralt.
Second there is the species of higher vampires, to which Detlaff and Regis belong. They are totally unintelligable for Geralt. * As I don't know how far into the books you are I add a fact, that could be considered a spoiler for the relationship between Geralt and Regis into the PS.
So higher vampire (class) isn't equal to higher vampire (species).
@@woodyplis9180 Basically, true higher vampires regenerate super fast, meaning you can't kill them with a sword or any other weapon that doesn't destroy their entire body. The others don't.
I've always understood as there been higher vampires, which include ekimmaras, Bruxae, Alps and katakkans, and the "Higher Vampires" the immortal, extremely OP ones that command other vampires, such as Detlaff and Regis. The higher vampires, in small letters, would be called such in opposition to even less intelligent and more beast-like "lesser vampires", which as far as I remember don't really appear anywhere in the games
1) This is a game so the writers can change their ideas and importance of the characters overtime after the release.
2) Inside the game world, bestiary were mostly written by humans and witchers so according to them. Whenever a vampire can change forms and think like humans, it was observed as higher vampire. That is why Hubert introduce himself to Geralt as higher vampire. In Regis point of view, he and detlaff are higher vampires because of their uniqueness compared to others.
Regis is a credible source of information. He knows everything about all clans and where they went after the conjunction
xletalis is a 100% trusted source.
unlikely ;]
>Calls Hubert Rejk "Nathaniel"
Nathaniel Pastodi is is the priest smh
thats why we follow this channel.
I hope that when the Witcher Netflix series
It gives the “higher” vampires a new skin (I say that because they had simple beast forms and died unlike Dettlaff) 🤔
What makes me think that the doctor was a higher vampire is Regis' explanation of how vampire psychology works: They each have an area where their emotions are extremely powerful and make them think irrationally. Regis' is his humane, peace loving nature, Dettlaff's was his pack instinct, etc.
The serial killer's sense of religion fits in perfectly - it's an incredibly powerful emotion that makes him act like a lunatic. No one else in the entire series is so pious.
Welcome, witcher. I hope everything went right on The Path. I have a contract for you.
1- Make a video about what happens if we find Uma after Skellige story-line.
2- Test if Vesemir reacts to Grandmastercrafted Wolf Gears.
Complete this contract and get 500 crowns. Deal?
I'll look into it ;]
Alright, witcher.
@@xLetalis
No negotiations? You could easily have asked for 150 crowns more.
@@Mordal1222 *shhhhh*
He's already made a video or talked about point 1
vampire or higher vampire, unseen elder or what not but gaunter odimm can easily kill all of them
That’s cause he is literally the god or satan or an Eldritch horror from another dimension
@@royshaltiel6398 I mean, giving the cinsequences of even beating his true name, which he actively spared Geralt from, Elsritch Horror ain't far off. Gave me Cthullu vibes.
I'm back
Welcome back ;)
I've missed you.. u piece of filth!
Welcome back! Hope you had fun!
@@gamingsolvesmyissues8192 I did :) ty
Nice
Re: Orianna, Is it possible that female higher vampires just take a different form than the males (i.e. something that looks like a bruxa)?
who knows
@@xLetalis Orianna was indeed a higher vampire. If/when you do the playthrough where you help her after the destruction in Beauclair, it's revealed that she likes feeding off the blood of children, and when a vampire attacks her child farm-I mean orphanage-, she gets mad and tasks you to kill it
@@ronanvalancia9920 She's a bruxa thats pretty clear
@@seventrue871 She's either an old and extremely special Bruxa or a Higher Vampire judging by her general attitude around Regis and Dettlaff (acting like their equal and not their lesser) in Blood and Wine and the fact she barely even acknowledges Dettlaff's call to the Lesser Vampires to attack Beauclair which as we say other Bruxae did. To be honest we don't even have clear confirmation that she's actually dead after the launch trailer as if she was a Higher Vampire she could have just regenerated afterwards but what we definitely know is that the developers changed their idea of what they wanted her to be.
@@goaway4502 watching the "a night to remember" trailer, it's clear that orianna is a very intelligent bruxa. this was also confirmed the a developer. go look on the wiki for more information
Finally
Hope this settles things once and for all
I doubt it :D
@@xLetalis well
People might listen to your word
Hey whitey, why's your hair so white??
Wind's howling.
What now?
If Geralt called the Oxenfurt drunk a "lesser" vampire, he would've received "lesser" pay.
I think Katakans may "think" of themselves as higher vampires, but if Hubert "is" a higher vampire, he couldn't have been killed by Geralt.
However, he may be destroyed indefinitely, since the other higher vampires likely don't appreciate him drawing attention, and wouldn't help regenerate him.
Makes sense. Geralts source is Regis whose literally the best source. And the katakans like Hubert are just wannabes
They can regen by themselves just takes longer
From what I understand the hierarchy of vampires is more of a spectrum. Lesser Vampires to Higher Vampires. Katakans and Bruxae are labeled as higher vampires. BUT there is also an actual race of vampire named “Higher Vampires” that includes the Unseen Elders, Detlaff, and Regis. Also note that the bestiary says higher vampires are extremely difficult to identify and classify, so that leaves room for your own deductions and opinions.
Regis also says that every higher vampire is different. And we know that higher vampires do have a more beastial form. So I don't see why he can't be counted as a higher vampire.
During Zoltan's quest to retrieve the rare gwent cards in Novigrad, you can encounter a higher vampire in the sewers. It is part of a secondary quest past a breakable aard wall I believe and features a scholar searching for a book he believes to be located in the sarcophagus this higher vampire is resting in. Through some humorous dialogue where the very human vampire asks what year it is, he becomes enraged after opening the sarcophagi the second time thus triggering a fight. Once the fight begins he turns into a bog standard katakan. This supports the theory that the developers simply did not have a differentiating model for higher vampires and thus used the katakan model. This is further supported by the bestiary entry you receive upon completion of the quest. If you have not encountered any higher vampires thus far you are rewarded with an entry on higher vampires in the codex. Higher vampires -> katakans -> developers not having the time to model.
And the face of the entry ("higher vampires")? That very same sleeping _katakan/_ non-katakan...!
can you find that even after the quest?
Maybe the following would be more appropriate categories:
-Higher Vampires (Regis, Detlaff...)
-Greater Vampires (Katakans, Bruxae, Alps?)
-Lesser Vampires (Ekimmarae, Garkains, Fleders...)
Antonio Radić this should be cannon
Well, honestly man, you are making it far more complicated then it is ;) . I will try to explain it. For that I am using just a lore established in the books and the games:
So all the vampires are divided into two groups: lower vampires and higher vampires.
Main difference between those two is simple. Lower ones are animals driven purely by instinct. Higher ones are sentient beings driven by reason. That is the first and the most important difference. Thus (as it is stated in both materials) any species of vampire that can speak, take any form, and generaly think, is a higher vampire. Any that cannot, is a lower one. Now the confusion here is that "higher vampire" is a name shared by two descriptions - first is a name of the second group of the vampires, and the second is a name of the most advance species of the vampires. Thus I would differentiate them with capital "H" and "V".
That means, Alps, Bruxae, Nosferats, Katakans and Higher Vampires are all higher vampires. (see what I mean?) All those are sentient and all of them belong to that category. Thus every named vampire from the game Is a higher vampire. Some of them are Bruxae, some Katakans and some are even Higher Vampires.
I hope that clears the confusion. Also I want to mention that in the game itself it is never shown whot kind of higher vampire Oriana is. However taking into account the trailer, she is definately Bruxa and nothing else.
So in conclusion: If it can think, it is a higher vampire :D :D :D
(Hope I helped here ;) )
Give this man some credit :D
That should be pinned. Its also my understanding and how I have never considered Hubert "true" higher vampire.
Edit: to clarify, this shouldn't be pinned because its the one "true" thought but because it makes the most sense while keeping in mind what Regis said about being able to truly kill higher vampire. Perhaps could also differentiate with therms Lesser, Lower and Higher. In my humble opinion it would be less confusing.
I will give him all the credits i can give. The man is making some amazing content about my most favourite game ;)
And also i think that the Higher Vampir who dont Drink blod cant get killed by anyone els than Higher Vampir in the books Regis Said i he almost got killd by town folks and than He stopt drinking make him Higher than Higher Vampir also the un Seen elder dont propaply Drink blood and how longer they dont Drink so stronger they become
@@MrBergemann16 Well not exactly. Higher Vampires (as a species, not a group) do not need to drink blood. For them, it is like for us with alcohol. They drink it, because it gives them strenght and good times. Now in case of Regis, it was little bit different. When he was "young" he was kinda "party boy" and drank the blood a lot. Then some vilagers came and basically massacred him. It took him very long time to regenerate and that is why he stopped drinking.
I am pretty sure Hubert was meant to be a higher vampire, but cdproject made use of the infamous Retcon and they adjusted some stuff for the blood and wine dlc, so it's not coherent anymore, basically it's a retcon. This is my opinion
Well technically...Hubert isn't a HIGHER vampire, but he isn't lower either. He has intelligence unlike an Ekimmara. And Katakan can take the form of man, there by having intelligence, right? Hence he's a higher one...yet not-makes explosive noise with mouth-
Mr. Douchebag
A middle vampire?
@@sonarbuge7958 maybe...
@@sonarbuge7958 he is that vampires that act all mighty but works on MCdonalds so he is a priest(movie) vampire level dangerous but not so dangerous when prepared
He is a neukrat
The only reason CDPR introduced the only a higher vampire can permanently kill another higher vampire is to bring back Regis since he was melted completely which I think is pretty dope.
This still doesn't explain that sleeping vampire in the sewers transforming into a katakan beside his human appereance, also, in the books Regis states that katakans and bruxae are Lower higher vampires, while ekimaras are just lesser ( gonna try and find the quite), btw how are the books going for you, great video
‘Don’t mock. You’ve seen more than once the signs of a vampire bite. Have you ever encountered a vampire that tears its victim to pieces?’
‘No. It doesn’t happen.’
‘Never, if we are dealing with higher vampires,’ Emiel Regis joined the conversation. ‘From what I understand, the victims of Alps, Katakan, Mula, Bruxa, Nosferat are not hurt terribly. However, Fleders and Ekimma are quite brutal with their victims.’ Dandelion to Geralt and Regis, Baptism of fire
books are going good, thank you :)
On a side note, I just started reading Last Wish today and I found it funny that the journal entry for HVs, says "In other words, even an experienced monster hunter should think twice before accepting a contract on one of these creatures, even if half a kingdom and a princess' hand are in the offering". This seems like a callback to the rumour that the striga contract for Foltest's daughter included her hand in marriage.
I believe this exact quote is the source of all the vampire concerning lore chaos we can observe in Witcher 3. Im not well-versed in english, but it seems to state or at least suggest that Alps, Katakan, Mula, Bruxa and Nosferat are higher vampires, therefore being mistranslation, as in polish, in which I happen to be rather well-versed, this quote clearly differentiate between higher vampires and those. I guess W3 secondary quest writers used english translation as base to better cooperate in multilanguage team and werent checking its coherence with the original that much, while main plot B&W writers were either using original or paying more attention. And out of this we got easy to kill Katakans labelled higher in secondary base game quest, and the almost unkillable higher vampires in B&W main plot.
@@TheMoon-rj9rp could you please write how higher vampires differ from higher vampires in polish, do they have different names and if so could you write them, i feel like a Lot of confusion could be avoided if english translation used two differ names like higher vampires for katakans, alps etc. And something like Super OP killing machines from your nightmares for the kind of Regis
They didn't plan ahead that far is all. They wanted Geralt to fight a higher vampire to cover all bestirary in the main game, then decided to up the stakes for Blood And Wine by making higher vampires much stronger and basically unkillable for a mere Witcher. Dettlaf is definitely in a completely different league than a Katakan. Regarding Orianne, the one in Blood and Wine is not the same as the one in the trailer and was just supposed to deliver an epic looking fight. Orianne is definitely presented on par with Dettlaf and Regis, she can even approach the unseen elder.
So... are you a higher vampire?
Well yes, but actually no.
I kind of always thought they lay somewhere in the middle. That the Katakans have both human and vampire forms like the other higher vampires, but that because they are so much more driven by bloodlust that they consume a great amount of it, in turn causing them to become primal and stuck in their vampire form. But those that can keep the bloodlust at bay, like Hubert, retain their human form and higher intelligence.
If Geralt can kill them and be done with them, then they couldn't be Higher Vampires.
It could be that he "killed" them and without the aid of another Higher Vampire, they'll never regenerate (or take hundreds of years doing so).
@@Pogie33 I disagree.Geralt smokes those "higher" vampires without much problems, while Detlaff for example is a different beast entirely.
@@Vlad_-_-_ That's because he's a boss.
Maybe they weren’t dead, Regis was “killed” by Vilgefortz and had to have Dettlaffs help to come back. Higher vampires can’t die but they can be damaged beyond regeneration and can only comeback with another’s help
@@braydenj1327 No, he is on a completely different level.Detlaff cannot be killed by a witchers blade, even if Geralt bests him, Regis had to deal the mortal blow.With the bruxas and katakans and wotnot, Geralt's sword is enough to kill them for good.
Not sure if you covered this in your Skellige video, but I just found two shrines around the map, and at each one if you use your witcher vision you'll see that little hand icon that pops up when there's something you can interact with. It takes some jumping around amd awkward climbing, but once you're up there next to the idols you can interact with it and a pop up will say "Your prayer has been heard" and what they do is change the weather. One makes it storm and the other makes it stop and be clear and sunny. The shrines aren't shown on the map at all, there is no indication that there's anything special there at all. But I've learned that if you see a building in the middle of nowhere on the map you should go check it out as there is usually something there.
I have to make a video about this some day :) Few people have commented about it already! Thank you
In the books Regis as a higher vampire transformed into bat-like creature. To me that description is more similar to katakan in game than that "thing" Dettlaff transformed into in blood and wine.
Or maybe cdpr just used katakan model for Hubert and later forgot or didn't want to update models for Hubert when blood and wine was released.
My personal theory is that orianna and the bruxa from corvo bianco are a subspecies of bruxa that resemble higher vampires, and are separate from normal bruxae who are more like alps. Although I think both are more intelligent than other lower vampires like ekimmaras and katakans, we see normal bruxa talk (the one at the end of blood and wine who attacks regis).
I think the best explanation is this: all the lore in the game is written from the perspective of those inhabiting the world. Humans, Witchers, Elves..etc just write down what they see/observe in an attempt to classify the monsters around them and they may not see the whole picture. For all we know Katakans and the Regis types may be the same species, with a Katakan only turning into a "higher vampire" if it lives long enough. Someone seeing the two would just assume two different species.
Now, given that the coroner wasn't quite right in the head, maybe he already considered himself a higher vampire, even if he wasn't?
Regarding Geralt calling the Katakan a higher vampire, he's a Witcher not a scholar. He may just call it higher because he thinks that term should apply to any Vampirian that displays human traits, regardless of what the textbook says.
I think he was in fact just a lowly vampire who thought of itself far better than it should have, can't help but feel an hint of arrogance in how he state he is an ''higher vampire'', as if it was evident... The whole gist of higher vampires is that they're indiscernible from the average humans, for one to pride himself in doing so to the point of arrogance seem counter-intuitive, not including is pointlessly brutal and methodical style of execution, which make tracking him especially easy as he follow a strict modus operandi (which he did probably in a bid to sow confusion as of his real intent to whoever would find his victims, which is kind of dumb I'd say since he'd have been way better off to simply make it seem like your average robbery gone wrong and call it a day).
So effectively, he was a low vampire trying to larp as a higher vampire, but lacked the true inherent intelligence of these beings, as it show in how he proceeded with his endeavor.
@@cbl1199 I noticed that too. He felt the need to add in that extra information "higher of course". Almost as if he wanted geralt to be awed. Hubert is delusional
Triss: A wha-
Geralt: It’s already dead. Don’t worry about it.
7:14 😁 that UA-cam bar had me crying 😁
:D
he censored the breasts but did not censor the body, whose heart had been dislodged and wound up in it
that makes me sad :/
As things stand it pretty much looks like developers retconned the concept of high vampire. On a related note, Regis said if they are struck a fatal blow they can regenerate WITH the help of a high vampire. So if Hubert for example was the lone high vampire in Novigrad he could've simply died or remained in a mushy state until (and if) a fellow vampire found him.
I remember Geralt said that Higher Vampires are all kinf of unique some can change into bats or be as quick as wind so why wouldn t he be able to change into a Katalan ? But I also remember that Higher Vampires can only be killed by another Higher Vampire so Geralt may have damaged him sufficiently to leave Novigras out ou danger for a long time but maybe Hubert is not a Higher Vampire.
Personnally I think there are different levels of higher and lesser vampires and we cannot just class them as higher or inferior.
Here’s a more simplified explanation:
The Katakan form that Hubert takes is simply his bestial form, kinda like the one we see Detlaff take in the final phase of his fight. He’s a Higher Vampire, but he’s still not as old, and thus not as powerful, as Detlaff or Regis.
It’s a purely Watsonian explanation, I know, but I’d say that it serves the purpose of settling this debate well. Especially when the optional Higher Vampire encounter in the sewers also sees him transform into a Katakan, if memory serves.
I already wrote something about it to an older video and after the video, I didn't change my mind about it.
I still think there is a difference between a higher Vampire and a Higher Vampire. Hubert can easily be killed with a silver sword, doesn't seem to have a great regeneration ability like Higher Vampires have, so I think he is a Katakan, which means he's right when he says he's a higher Vampire, just not a true Higher Vampire.
And as you said, also Bruxa can look like humans, can be undetectable and be intelligent (Orianna and the Vampire in the brothel in TW1). So they are also higher Vampires like Katakans but no Higher Vampires. And I think Orianna is still supposed to be a Bruxa because Geralt tells her that he will be back. If she really would be a Higher Vampire he could try but wouldn't succeed, at least not without the help of another Higher Vampire.
I'm not telling anyone is wrong, but this makes more sense to me.
Baptism of Fire drops so much info on higher vampires. That book 🔥
What about the one sleeping in the coffin that asks "is it 1358 yet?" He also turned into a katakan.
true
I just noticed it's actually him that is in the picture at the higher vampire in the bestiary
@@ShoulderSquire yes
Also, the eternal fire lunatic vampire may have been cut up by Geralt's sword, but his 'Concerned citizen' notes can still be found all over Novigrad afterwards........
Thus concluding the fact that higher vampires can only be killed by other higher vampires.
It's very common in the game industry that we save time by reducing the number of unique models, especially for less important characters, so the explanation sounds very reasonable.
This is always what I assumed, makes a lot of sense. Hubert does not fit any other type of vampire anyway.
One piece of information I found replaying the game:
When you drink with Eskel and Lambert in Kaer Morhen, Eskel talks about a contract he had on a “higher vampire”, where he had to disguise himself to go to a party. Later you can help him with an autopsy on a Katakan, and Geralt says something along the lines of “he the one from the contract you were talking about?”. Even knowing this I still consider katakans as lesser
Bruxae, alps (female) and Katakans (male) are lesser variants of higher vampires. Whereas Regis, Dettlaff and the Unseen Elder are much more sophisticated higher vampires. They are the true elite. In the books Geralt kills a bruxa and Geralt isn't even aware about the true nature of higher vampires until he meets Regis. It was Regis who mentions that he is a true higher vampire and unique. Something like that, I haven't read the books in five years, so I could be remembering it wrong.
But I always assumed the bruxae and katakans are higher vampires in the way Witchers classify them. Witchers don't know about vampires like Regis, hence the confusion. The Witcher's classification of higher vampires depend on their sentience and are completely unaware of vampires like Regis, Dettlaff and The Unseen Elder. One thing is common that these special higher vampires don't have cravings for blood. Blood is more like a drug to them (Regis was once an addict). Whereas bruxae like Orianna need blood to survive. And yes, bruxae and Katakans are sentient. But, that doesn't mean they are like Regis and co.
I think Hubert is actually a Katakan and not a true Higher Vampire like Regis and Dettlaff. That fight would not have been so easy or CDPR did not spend resources to make a unique model for him. They were crunching hard after all.
Bruxae is Higher Vampires meaning they don't need blood to survive.
The katakan in that drunkard side quest when he was in human form was obviously the medic the captain sends you too. who at first didn't want geralt to view the bodies. He is gone after you kill the katakan. It probably was just another base game higher vampire. Maybe they'll fix this in the next generation version. They could give them new models.
I think that vampires aren't just something that can be put into two categories. I think it's more of a sliding scale, and where exactly the line falls depends on who's talking
5:55 Headcanon - Geralt calls it a higher vampire in hopes of bargaining for bigger reward
hehe
3:00 Damn, xLetalis has his agents everywhere.
My personal take is difference between higher and lower vampires is that lower ones have to drink blood to survive, higher ones dont need to. So coroner might be higher vampire.
Also, I believe detlaff and regis are "the" higher vampires, while katakans and bruxae are lesser types of higher vampires. So there is one more variety of higher vampires, that does not have specific name. Bruxae can transform into human form, and probably so do katakans.
Fleders and garkains, are on the other hand lower vampires.
hehe
This video is already three years old, but here is my take on this: Vampires can be separated into different categories. There is the "highest" category (the unseen elder, who might not be the only of his kind at least in the world where vampires come from). Then there are the "higher" Vampires (Regis, Detlaff), but they also come in different varieties. In my understanding Bruxae and Katakans are also higher vampires, but a "lesser" form of higher vamipres. They are "higher" because they can transfrom into humans, possess intelligence and so on, yet they are still far far weaker than higher Vamipres like Regis for example. They are called "distant cousins". So I think of it as humans and apes maybe? Apes are intelligent - but noticeable less so than humans, yet we are related. Then there are the true "lesser" vampires liker fledders (is that how you write it?) and Ekimma maybe? Geralt is less concerned when he finds out that it is a Katakan because (just like Bruxae) he knows he can defeat them. If it was a "true" higher vampire (like Detlaff) he'd probably be concerned. When talking about Vampires Geralt says something like "you're thinking of lesser vampires, Alps, Katakans...". Either that is where my theory falls apart, it is a developer oversight, or (fitting my theory) he meant "lesser than the likes of Detlaff", although that seems to be a stretch.
So we would have higher Vampires:
Unseen Elder
"Higher" Tier": Regis etc.
"lesser higher" Vampires (if that makes sense): Bruxae (Orianna), Katakans (the one in Oxenfurt, Hubert), maybe Alps (although we never find an intelligent Alp as far as I know)
Then there are the actual lesser vampires with little intelligence, little more than mindless beasts:
Fledders, Ekimma, Garkain...
I think the developper rather changed their mind about the power of higher vampires and when they had to make the blood and wine expansion and made them much more powerful than they previously portrayed.
I doubt that's the problem as the books make it clear that Regis can regenerate from being staked and buried yet Geralt seems to think slicing up Hubert is enough to kill him. I suspect it's much more likely that there is a Higher/higher vampire thing going on here where they are types of higher vampire.
Just noticed that hurbert looks strikingly similar to the medic during the deadly delights witcher contract
0:01 We need some Witcher T-shirts with that quote.
My theory on the Vampires is that almost all Vampires in the series are Higher Vampires that have degenerated or mutated in some way to make them different from one another, with only Vampires who have maintained or adapted in a way to have a human form along with their sapience being classified as Higher Vampires, whereas though who are feral and don't speak aren't Higher Vampires and are degenerated mutants, which would explain why they're so similar and how Higher Vampires can seemingly control these Lesser Vampires.
How about the possibility that the matter of being a higher or a lesser vampire is just a spectrum, varying from an individual vampire to another, just a thought
It's mentioned at some points during the game and books that the vampires get stronger and more intelligent over time, so imo orianna is just a really old bruxa (also helped by the fact she says to geralt "in times past, no Witcher would take this contract" indicating she's very old).
I think that if a person is a higher vampire doesn't necessarily mean they are as strong as detlaff or Regis
Higher vampires are vampires who are not animalistic and are intelligent
The garkain alpha was really strong but was animalistic
I think there is so much misconception because in the base game they didn't really want to spend to much time on higher vampires
I pretty sure higher vampire bestiary doesn't say that they have insane regenerative capabilities
@0:44 "no trickery you understand" *phases through wall*
If we look at Dettlaff and Regis they have a base form that they take as vampires with claws and a feral appearance, so from this we can consider that Orianna's Bruxae form could maybe be her base form. The trailer isn't really a good point of reference either as these are made before the game is in its final form leaving it open to alteration or even complete change, so we'll use the game as a reference. With this we can consider that Orianna is also a higher Vampire both from the way Regis and Dettlaff treat her and by the fact that she has a key to the unseen elder. Bruxae, Alps, Katakans are intelligent but they all lack the control to keep themselves from killing their prey and they seem to lack the sense to be as calculating and intelligent to do as Orianna did in her dealings with humans and with her orphanage. Higher vampires have a thirst for blood yet they are not controlled or driven by it in everything they do, they can also like Dettlaff control lesser vampires whether they are lesser higher vampires or just regular lesser vampires. This means, although intelligent enough to use their human forms for deception, Bruxae and Alps are animalistic in nature and are instinctually driven beings and a higher vampire, like Dettlaff can control this instinct of their because they have a instinct that makes them obey him if he wills it, same as their instinct to drink blood. Orrianna would've become part of his hoard or "pack" if she was a lesser vampire or a Bruxae or Alp which are Lesser Higher Vampires who still have an instinct. We can take from this that the Vampire race live in a Hierarchy. The highest tier we know is the Unseen Elder, next we have "True" Higher Vampires, then lesser higher vampires and obviously the "animal's" or the Vampires of the race.
I think you may not know that in Polish version of geralt saying that katakan is a lesser vampire, he doesn't mention him, instead he just tells about Alps and Ekkimaras.
I thout it was worth mentioning.
"Mylisz się. Wampirem niższym takim jak Alp czy Ekkima, rządzi zwierzęcy instynkt..." which translates to You're wrong. Lesser vampire such as alp or Ekkima is driven by an animal instinct.
If I recall correctly every higher vampire is unique.
I'm back here...hey man in my humble opinion I think that Orriana is a Bruxa, obv it's an opinion but that doesn't mean that I'm 100% right but if we think about one thing is this:
-when Geralt goes in the childrens house in BnW he hears her singing the song to the little one and now here it comes: when he fights her in the trailer, before the encounter he says to her that it's a
'' Nice tune...been a while since I heard it last '' which made me think that the last time when he heard the song was in..... BnW in the children's house when he first heard her singin' it...and then she goes saying that folk have forgotten about it...I dunno man...stuff like this keeps my blood flowing :)) Much respect to you and your familly my man :)
And this is the comment that a person posted about 5 months ago on the trailers page: ''What blows my mind is that a trailer for Witcher 3 was actually the ending to story for the final piece of DLC''
-it's kinda obv in again...my humble opinion :D
0:40 Geralt is a witcher from school of hogwarts
true :D
Must be Hufflepuff
I’d say there needs to be another category of vampires something like lower, higher, elder, and ancient, like the hidden elder would be an ancient, and dettlaf and Regis would be elder
I believe there are three tiers of Vampire:
Lesser vampires (bestial vampires eg ekimmaras, alps, garkains, fledgers)
"middle vampires" (intelligent vampires eg bruxa, katakans)
higher vampires (apex vampires)
regarding Orianna, Hubert and the unnamed Novigrad vampire, I believe they are all higher vampires, and that the form they take in battle is merely a choice to appear in that form; we know higher vampires are shape shifters, and therefore maybe that is just the form they take in battle. Regarding what Regis tells us about how only higher vampires can kill higher vampires, this just means that when those three died in their specific cases, they didn't actually die, and will reform, albeit slowly in a time frame that will not concern Geralt - remember that it was only thanks to Dettlaff that Regis reformed as quickly as he did.
Then why both Orianna and Hubert was so easy to kill? Higher vampires are unkillable by non-higher vampires
Hi, I'm back.
So I'm currently reading Baptism of Fire and I just reached *today* the chapter where Geralt meets Regis for the first time.
Now, having played the game I knew already that he is a higher vampire, but I kept wondering how come Geralt's medallion doesn't quiver or anything.
And then this video comes up on my yt homepage (creepy algorithm). So now I know. Hv are undetectable!
Thanks Letalis ❤️
Hey :) Glad to be of service once again
@@xLetalis I've actually kept reading and I have a solution to this question of the video. Check you email in 5 mins
@@liorberes Just noticed a sizable e-mail ;]
I've always thought of them as "pseudo-higher vampire" they have most of the abilities and traits of higher vampires but they don't have the most powerful ones (inability to be killed for good unless by another higher vampire for one)
I had this videos title recommended with the thumbnail of a Martins Licis Strongman video, and damn, I could not wrap my head around that for solid three seconds
:O
How do you know Hubert was actually killed though? He may be a higher vampire who transforms into different vampiric forms and all Geralt did was cut him down, rather than actually killing him. In the books, Regis was similarly cut up and left for dead by villagers even though he was not actually killed.
Also noteworthy to point out that during the final parts where we and Regis fight vampires in the city. We can hear a convo where its said that all vampires besides Dettlaf,Regis , orianna and Elder are lower and lesser vampires that are bound to heed the calls of Higher ones.
I'm not sure tbh but I do think being a HV has less to do with types of vampires and more about your status within the community, how long you have lived, and how much strength you have gained through the consumption of blood since both Oriana, Gael and Hubert Rejk are all supposedly HV but all have a vampire form of a "Lesser Vampire"
Fun fact at 8:10 Christophe Dugarry is a french football player. Former world cup champion in 1998 with other more renoun players such as Zinedine Zidane and Didier Deschamps who's also the french coach that win the world cup of last year...Excuse my english, it's very rusty...
hah
Well, since Higher Vampires get more and more powerful and intelligent with age, I'd wager the same is true for all vampires. Meaning very old Katakans can indeed pass as Higher vampires, having a similar ability to turn into a human etc. But, at the end of the day, a witcher can still kill one.
However the true High Vampires like Regis and Detlaff are something else entirely, being pretty much immortal.
Dude in the Beastiary at 1:06 had me thinking its the White Flame who's a vampire and that's why he's so feared
I think Higher Vampires have entire subspecies and rankings within them with Unseen Elders at the top being the most powerful and eldest of all the vampires followed by Regis & Detlaff.
It would look something like this:
1. Unseen Elders (Oldest & most powerful).
2.Regis & Detlaff (True Higher vampires, meaning they can only be killed by one of their own kind, aka a vampire just as old and on the same power level as them).
3. Ancient bruxae and katakans (These would be the inferior higher vampires and not the true higher vampires like Regis and Detlaff but they can resemble the behaviour and human appearance like Regis & Detlaff can).
I think it all comes down to how ancient they are because I’ve noticed a clear trend that the more ancient the vampire is the more powerful as well. Maybe Orianna and the coroner are higher vampires but just an inferior kind. Also maybe not all bruxae and katakans can be classified as higher vampires, some of them can stay or become wild and rabid, sort of like the trolls in blood and wine and like the one katakan you meet in the sewers with Triss. So perhaps Orianna and the coroner are just really ancient katakans and bruxae and their power has increased significantly over the years and they’ve adopted many of the same qualities as true higher vampires like Regis & Detlaff including: being highly intelligent, resembling humans in behaviour and appearance, and being untraceable to Witcher’s medallions; all of this without gaining the specific ability of only being able to be killed by one of its own that is genetically unique to the true higher vampires like Regis and Detlaff. Overall I think bruxae and katakans aren’t born higher vampires, but they can become them if they live long enough and remain close to human society since they’ll be able to do everything a true higher vampire can except having the genetically unique ability, specific to true higher vampires, of only being able to be killed by their own kind.
I think you're spot on here.
glad your back 😁😉
I guess you coud just say that calling himself a higher vampire is just him trying to make up for not being one. Making himself bigger than he is and envious.
I completed Blood and Wine a year ago and until this day I feel so conflicted about the fate of Detlaff. I hate him yet I can empathize with him and I’m not sure if I’m fine with Regis being forced to live on the run. What I do know is that I LOVE this game and CDPR.
Great video :D
I think the term "higher" here has two meanings and that is what causes the confusion.
The first meaning of "higher" is a comparative higher. It means a certain type of vampire is literally higher than a lesser counterpart, by having higher intelligence, higher ability, higher combat power etc. Hubert, Katakans, Bruxae etc. to me, fall in to this category of higher vampires.
The second meaning of "higher" should be written with a capital "H", which means "Higher vampire". The "Higher" here represent one certain type of vampire that is descriptively a type of being as "Higher vampier". This "Higher" isn't comparative, it is descriptive. Regis for example, is this type of Higher vampire.
An easy to understand example. Assume there's a certain race that has unimagined power in an alternative universe is called "The Stronger Ones", and each individual of this race as referred to as "The Stronger One". However, if there's someone who is just a ordinary person merely physically stronger than you, you may also call that person is the "stronger one", comparatively to you of course. In this case, although both been called "The stronger one", but "The Stronger One" is much different to the "stronger one".
I just replaying Witcher 3 this week.. My 4th playthrough
good man
I believe theres 4 Categories for the ranks of Vampires total with 2 categories to differentiate Vampires with Intelligence from those who do not.
Lesser Vampires
The Lesser low class vampires that are like animals with no ability or extremely limited ability to speak and blend in society.
The Higher Vampire Types
The Higher Vampires That are intelligent and can assume human form but have a harder time to control their animal instincts then those who would be "True Immortal Higher Vampire"
The Immortal vampire "True Vampire" The Highest of Higher Vampires, basically Undetectable and extremely intelligent and are completely immortal unless they are killed by another Higher Vampire of Equal or Higher Rank.
The Elder Vampire in Witcher lore theres only 1 Character that fits this rank and it is the The Unseen Elder who controls and orders every other vampires which we see guarding the gate between the Vampire world and the Human world.
@xLetalis. Part of this problem was CD Project Red developing the game for the expansion after initial release. However the other part of the problem is that there is historically (mythologically?) 2 or more categorisations for vampires. The first is general - higher and lower where the former maintain sentiency whereas the latter devolve into something more animalistic by giving in to their thirst for blood. The second categorisation is a specific one where you have bruxae, alps and highest of the highest - higher vampires. Therefore a bruxa which maintains some level of social awareness and doesnt devolve into complete murder can be a higher vampire under the first categorisation and a bruxa under the second categorisation. Essentially, if they can speak and scheme they have a higher vampire element.
The key to this is Teshum Mutna. Regis is a Higher Vampire. However, if he was allowed out of the cage and was permanently overcome with blood rage he would likely devolve into a more animalistic vampire. This is why he talks about the risks being so great. It also explains how Orianna *could* be both a higher vampire and a Bruxa at the same time
err so there are higher higher vampires (detlaff and regis) and lesser higher vampires (some katakans like hubert or bruxae)
Great video! Just my two cents - we know vampires in The Witcher universe are an entire other species from a different sphere, so here's my thought - the distinction between higher and lesser vampire is one of age. And nothing else. Witches in-universe sure seem to love putting things in boxes (an alp is always a lesser vampire etc) but what if the only thing that actually matters is how old (and by extension) how powerful they are?
Like, doesn't Detlaff's true form kinda look a bit like an ekimara? It's definitely not what we would call one, but I reckon that maybe he might have been more like one in his infancy, which was no doubt long before the conjunction.
This would explain why there is a fuzzy line, Hubert could well be a higher vampire, but only just, so his form is very much like a katakan (although, that game resources explanation is more likely, this gives an in-universe explanation)
Also, to add to this, it then means that actually, Witchers are wrong about such strict categories of 'Katakan is higher, alp is lesser, bruxae is higher' etc.
They could all be cousin species that gradually become more evolved with age, and because higher vampires are so incredibly rare, the idea that what make them higher is their uniqueness could have well developed from there.
CD Project changes the lore to give us cool characters Gaunter, Regis... Netflix does it to take them away Ermion, Eskel...
i think its all comparative matter when it comes to vampires.meaning vampire creatures< intelligent vampires like bruxa/hubert/orianna < Regis/Detlaff < Elder vampire.
so technically the term higher vampire is correct for those vampires who are superior than some lesser ones.
Blood and wine had not come out yet, so a “higher vampire model” didn’t wasn’t available
10:22 did you know that if you will go back to that greenhouse you will see an item on floor? That item is Rabbit Mask it is so nice that you can wear it!
yep it's in my Details Missed in Blood and Wine videos
"A higher vampire can only killed by another higher vampire." that might be a false claim or something abut a vampire code of honor thing. Despite regis is a dear friend of geralt, he is still a vampire isn't he?
Here's my understanding, for what it's worth 3 years later and I think I can explain the confusion. Vampires break down into two categories, Higher and Lesser. In the Lesser category you have Ekimma (or Ekimmara), Fleeder, Garkain, and Plumards. In the Higher Vampire category are Nosferats, Bruxa, Mula (or Moola), Katakan, Alps, and - here is where the confusion arises - Higher Vampires. The Term Higher Vampire is both simultaneously a category of the Vampire species and a species in and of itself. Unfortunately the Bestiary doesn't make that very clear.
I think regis said that death is different for higher vampires. As rhey can be turned into a puddle of blood but still be alive (still dead on human terms, and they cant do much in that state). He also said that they can only be "revived" with another higher vampires blood. So from this im assuming whenever geralt killed a vampire, he killed them on human terms. In vampire terms they were a chopped up corpse waiting to be revived, but still "alive" in some sort of limbo, and i think thats why regis said that only higher vampires can "kill" another on of their kind, because death is different for a vampire.
Higher vampires don't need anothers blood to heal, I believe, it just speeds up the process of regeneration. THV's have something similar to a "soul", this soul can't be killed or destroyed unless it's by another THV, so even if you completely incinerate their body they'll regenerate from whatever piece of ash or body that they can.
@@fawnieee yeah so im not a complete expert but from what we've gathered i can assume whenever geralt "kills" a vampire he just renders him completely harmless for a couple human lifetimes
amazing analysis my dude!