One of the best RPGs of all time returns in December. With the release of the next-gen update, The Witcher 3 gets a high-quality new version that’s even completely free for PC players.
For a long time only vague information was known about what was in this new version. In a stream with the development team, however, a lot of details were finally revealed and the first gameplay from the PC and Xbox Series X was also shown.
Here we list all known innovations that await you with the upgrade.
Those are the improvements
Of course, The Witcher 3 is already full of quests, orders or equipment. That’s why the next-gen upgrade is less about making the game that much bigger. Instead, great attention was paid to improving the technology and making it a little easier to use. Especially if you’re playing with a controller.
Those are the graphical upgrades
Lots of technical tweaks have been introduced to make The Witcher 3 look even slicker. The main goal here was that The Witcher 3 looks a lot better compared to the original version, but the changes are not that noticeable. Players should still have the feeling of playing Witcher 3. Specific improvements include:
- Raytracing
- Verbesserte Screen Space Reflections
- Nicer textures
- Visual improvements like new grass, better clouds, nicer foliage and 3D cobbles in Novigrad
- FSR 2.1 and DLSS 3 were introduced for better performance
Thanks to a chic new trailer, you can already get a first impression of the revised graphics:
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The Witcher 3: This is what the next-gen upgrade looks like!
These are the new features
In addition to the nicer graphics, The Witcher 3 also gets a few new features with the upgrade that either make your life a little easier or give you more options. Here are all known new features:
- Photo mode: In order to be able to enjoy the beautiful graphics, you can now also activate a photo mode and snap your best scenes. Typically, some overlays or effects can also be added.
- New camera: A new camera angle allows you to track Geralt in a slightly different way. Here, the camera is closer to the witcher and a little to the right, so you’re close but still able to see what’s waiting in front of you on the road. You can also choose to change the camera depending on the situation.
The new camera is available in the options and brings you closer to Geralt.
- Adaptive Trigger: If you play with a PS5 controller, the adaptive triggers adapt to the gameplay. So you feel that the trigger gives less as soon as you hit an enemy with your sword.
- Character Usage: An alternate mode makes it possible to cast characters faster. You no longer have to choose which character Geralt should use from the selection wheel. Instead, you press a button, and Geralt’s combat actions automatically become his magic tokens. For example, instead of hitting, he casts Quen.
- Map filter: Not everyone likes the large number of symbols on The Witcher 3’s world map. With the new filters you can easily choose to no longer be patronized by distant question marks. Each symbol can therefore soon be optionally switched off.
- Integrated mods: A selection of mods made by the developers have been added to the game by default. The developers themselves have also contributed their mods.
- Cross-Progression: If you started your journey as a witcher on PC but would now like to continue playing on your Xbox, then nothing stands in the way of that. The Witcher 3 gets cross-progression, so your saves can be synchronized across all platforms.
This is the new content
Completely new content is rather rare in the next-gen update. But you don’t have to do without it completely. The Witcher 3 gets a free Netflix DLC. It doesn’t mean that Geralt suddenly looks like Henry Cavill, but there is a new quest to solve. The quest is for you to craft some new gear. So then Geralt wears the same armor and swords as in the first two seasons on Netflix.
In addition to new outfits for Geralt, there are also alternative looks for the Knights of Nilfgard, as well as for Geralt’s loyal friend Dandelion. He doesn’t look like his actor Dirk Stollberg either, but he wears his hairstyle and his revealing clothes.
Larkspur will soon be wearing the same clothes as his Netflix counterpart. Unfortunately, he doesn’t sing Toss A Coin To Your Witcher.
Details and bug fixes
There are many more small details in the update that we can hardly list them all here. For that, we’ll have to wait for CD Projekt Red to unveil the full patch notes. But expect a few long-awaited bug fixes for quests, as well as smaller features. For example, thanks to the update, cutscenes can finally be paused.
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