The Unveiling of Lydia's Overwhelming Strength in The Witcher Season 3 Surpasses Yennefer

This article contains major spoilers for The Witcher season 3. Season 3 of The Witcher showcases several epic duels, including a fateful clash between Yennefer and Lydia van Bredevoort, Vilgefortz's formidable assistant. During this clash, Lydia skillfully exposes Yennefer's weaknesses, adding to the intrigue surrounding her character. The true identity of Lydia's benefactor, Vilgefortz of Roggeveen, is finally revealed as a major twist in The Witcher season 3. Lydia's enigmatic nature is further deepened by her hidden injured face and her exclusive use of telepathy for communication.

Despite her injuries, Lydia displays a remarkable amount of magical prowess throughout The Witcher. Towards the end of season 3, she has a significant confrontation with Yennefer on the notorious Isle of Thanned. Yennefer is widely regarded as one of the most powerful mages on the continent, yet she finds herself challenged by the enigmatic Lydia van Bredevoort. With apparent ease, Lydia handles Yennefer, showcasing an immense level of power and sparking speculation about the origins of her strength.

Vilgefortz Made Lydia More Powerful Than Yennefer (But How?)

Vilgefortz clearly increased Lydia's power, but how he did it remains a mystery. Before their duel, Yennefer appears confident, but Lydia claims that her master has surpassed Yennefer in power, which becomes evident in their one-sided fight. Triss Merigold intervenes just in time to save Yennefer from certain death. Considering this, whatever Vilgefortz did to Lydia undoubtedly granted her an extraordinary level of power, leaving us to question the immense power Vilgefortz himself possesses.

Regarding Vilgefortz's methods, it is likely that he enchanted an amulet to enhance Lydia's abilities. In the books, Vilgefortz has a history of giving amulets with significant power to his subordinates, such as Rience. Therefore, it is plausible that he employed a similar approach with Lydia. Alternatively, Lydia may have already possessed considerable power, and Vilgefortz simply taught her new techniques that amplified her danger. Regardless, Vilgefortz's ability to bestow such immense power upon his followers signifies his own formidable strength.

Why Couldn't Lydia Use Her Powerful Magic To Fully Fix Her Face?

Lydia sustained facial and laryngeal injuries in the books when Vilgefortz compelled her involvement in the examination of a cursed artifact. The artifact emitted a powerful surge of magic, causing severe damage to Lydia's jaw and larynx that proved resistant to any regeneration attempts. In the TV adaptation of The Witcher, Lydia's face is harmed during the analysis of a witcher mutagen containing Ciri's blood. Interestingly, the magical nature of her injury appears to hinder the regeneration process, mirroring the impact of her book injury.

Magical injuries often defy conventional healing methods, even for mages as formidable as Lydia and Vilgefortz. Given that Vilgefortz was responsible for Lydia's injury, it is likely he attempted to heal her but was unsuccessful. Furthermore, in a curious turn of events in The Witcher season 3, Vilgefortz himself sustains a comparable injury that also appears irreparable.