YouTuber xLetalis and Brothers in Arms mod contributor glassfish have dropped a little bombshell regarding the game's ending, a full nine years after CD Project Red's magnum opus was first released.

Glassfish and xLetalis were able to make this discovery thanks to CD Project Red's new REDkit modding tool.

In the final game, after Geralt defeats Eredin, it is quickly revealed that Avarak took Siri to Undvik's tower to defeat White Frost. After that, no matter which ending is chosen, the fate of the Lodge of Sorceresses is not discussed in detail. This cut sequence was interspersed between Geralt's defeat of Eredin and the climax of the game at the tower, and the scenes at both ends always seem to have unfolded almost exactly as they do today.

In the cut and extended ending sequence, Geralt actually wakes up in a medical tent in Nilfgaard after the battle at Undvik and is stuck there for several days as a pair of imperial doctors discuss the possibility of his survival. After reuniting with Yennefer, they realize Siri is missing and suspect Avalak of treachery. [Geralt is able to check in with both Tris and Yenefer, speak with several unique groups of Nilfgaard soldiers, and even witness Hyalmar, Celis, or Yar Donar an Hindar come to claim the body of Krak an Krayte: Celis, Hyalmar, and Svanlige, respectively.

When Jenefer is taken to a member of the lodge to divine Siri's whereabouts, a major coup d'etat occurs. It is unclear what was supposed to happen because of missing animation data, but it appears that Jenefer's interference with the divination ritual leads to the capture and later execution of the sorceresses Philippa, Fringilla, and Margarita by the Nilfgaardians.

Notably, Jenefer gives Tris a special charm before the confrontation so that she can escape. As with the scene with Krach's corpse, there are a thousand ways in which this could play out depending on Gerard's prior choices in the game, who he is dating, and whether he reacts positively or negatively to Jenefer's actions.

Although very harsh, this betrayal definitely fits with Jenefer's characterization of doing whatever it takes for Siri. It is an extreme measure to prevent the lodge from interfering in Siri's life or taking advantage of her. The full-voiced acting and detailed reactions revealed by [xLetalis and glassfish are in stark contrast to the rough-hewn, pre-prototype Moon Area that was once planned for Cyberpunk 2077, which we discussed recently. Yenefer's betrayal of the lodge seems to have been left uncut.

More than anything else, this sequence would have slowed the pace of the marathon ending of The Witcher 3. The transition from Eredin to the tower sequence with Siri in the final game, while abrupt, is much smoother than this extended sequence. xLetalis' YouTube channel has some interesting information about the Witcher and cyberpunk. Also, Witcher 3 Nexus has released glassfish's Brothers in Arms bug fix/restore content mod.