The Witcher 3's best romance is Shani, Geralt actor says, and Yen is "more like a naggy mom," but her and Triss are both "absolutely stonkin' ladies"

Authored by gamesradar.com and submitted by Darth_Vaper883

Geralt actor Doug Cockle is clearly a fan of the RPGs he's appeared in, and he's putting that fandom to good use by putting down arbitrary rankings of his favorite things in The Witcher. In fairness, he's only doing it because he was asked to, but if you agree to weigh in on the great Witcher 3 romance debate, you know what you're in for.

Cockle doesn't give much thought to two potential partners for Geralt in an interview with GoatedSynro on YouTube, as Syanna is a "psycho" and Keira is a "romantic side quest." Bold descriptors, but there's nothing as bold as his ultimate top rankings: "Yen is three, Triss is two, and Shani's one," he argues. "There, I said it."

Shani is a particularly interesting choice as number one since she doesn't factor that heavily into The Witcher 3, the game series fans tend to be most invested in. Cockle describes her as "good fun," and seems to admire the realistic view she has of Geralt. But he's equally not afraid to weigh in on the battle that continues to tear the fandom apart: Triss versus Yennefer.

Geralt Voice Actor Gives His ULTIMATE Witcher 3 Rankings - YouTube Watch On

"I prefer Triss in the game, partly because I'm partial to redheads," Cockle says, "but also because in the game Triss is more like a friend with benefits. She and Geralt have a laugh together whereas Yen is a little bit more like a naggy mom."

I can see Cockle's argument, but as far as I'm concerned Yen is Geralt's one true wife and Triss deserves a whole lot more heat than she gets for seducing him while he's going through full amnesia. I say this all as an unbiased journalist with no side in the debate, of course.

"The truth is that both of them are absolutely stonkin' ladies," Cockle says. "They're great. They're both powerful sorceresses, they're both beautiful, they're both smart, they're both all that. But I just prefer Triss over Yen." Well, there's no accounting for taste, I guess.

The Witcher 3 may have one of the best quests in RPG history, but it drove Geralt actor Doug Cockle completely "bonkers": "I hated running up and down that hill."

hurtfullobster on February 21st, 2026 at 19:02 UTC »

Interesting opinion. It’s objectively wrong, but interesting.

WithSubtitles on February 21st, 2026 at 13:44 UTC »

Stonkin?? Also, Yen does t hang around and nag Gerald. She takes off constantly and you have to chase after her the entire game in the Witcher 3.

Bonkard on February 21st, 2026 at 11:39 UTC »

Did he forget the Shani romance in Witcher 1, where she goes crazy and literally becomes a naggy mom?