CD Projekt Red has released a significant patch for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on the Nintendo Switch 2, implementing a variety of changes aimed at improving the player experience. The update focuses on enhancing visual clarity and fidelity, addressing player feedback regarding the game's appearance, particularly in handheld mode.
Visual and Performance Improvements
The patch introduces adjustments to image sharpening and resolution to boost visual clarity. Additionally, changes have been made to lighting, including Bloom and tone mapping, to mitigate the brightness issues that some players experienced with the Remastered edition since its release. The update also includes optimizations to improve overall performance and fixes for issues related to Dynamic Resolution Scaling that could cause visual artifacts.
New graphics settings options have been added, allowing players to toggle Bloom, Light Shafts, and Depth of Field. Visual adjustments extend to character lighting and Ray Tracing, with Path Tracing also receiving attention.
Gameplay and UI Fixes
Several gameplay elements have been refined. An issue where the "Automatically Apply Blade Oils" feature only worked if enabled during the current session has been resolved. Player-controlled boats that could move uncontrollably have been fixed, and ladder interaction animations have been improved. Geralt's collision with dead enemies after an Aard finisher has been addressed, along with a bug where Vesemir would repeat a line if Quen was cast multiple times. Dodging response times have been improved, and issues with throwing bombs and the Synergy skill displaying incorrect values have been corrected. The Exploding Shield skill now reflects damage, and an issue where Geralt's stamina would drain completely when sprinting and dodging simultaneously has been fixed.
User interface improvements include a fix for the "You've gained an ability point!" pop-up getting stuck on screen. Input hints on the meditation screen no longer flash briefly, and the Potions tutorial now appears correctly. Some misaligned progress bars in the UI have also been corrected.
Audio and Specific Fixes
The audio fix that reduces the volume of voiceovers becoming significantly quieter than other in-game audio after navigating pause menu tabs is now implemented on consoles. For the Switch 2 version specifically, the patch resolves a rare crash that could occur when changing in-game regions and optimizes cache handling for Cross-Platform Mod Support. HD Rumble issues with the left Joy-Con while climbing a ladder have been fixed, as have instances where map pins could be placed on the black bars surrounding the map.
Other Notable Changes
Due to backend issues, players will be prompted to re-consent to policy updates. A fix for My Rewards and Twitch/Bilibili Drops not appearing in the Vizima chest after it had been previously opened may result in duplicated items, which are considered a bonus. Foliage that did not react to collisions has been fixed, and measures have been added to address potential save file data issues. Ukrainian text localization is now available in all regions.
This update prepares for the upcoming expansion, "Songs of the Past," and serves as a substantial enhancement to the decade-old role-playing game.