Fortunately, if you need character backstories and such, you could instead read the books or watch the TV series instead. I jumped straight into Witcher 3 and had no issues with missing background knowledge.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t play 1 or 2 though, just that there are other options.
teawrecks@sopuli.xyz 1 month ago
I highly recommend skipping straight to witcher 3 unless you really love the series and want to consume everything it has. Still, 3 + the dlc has a lot.
TBH my favorite part of W3 was all the side quests. The writing and dialogue are intriguing and give you more of a flavor for the dark fantasy of the world.