The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered is set to release on September 29, offering players a chance to revisit Geralt's seminal adventure with a host of new enhancements. CD Projekt Red has outlined the key changes players can expect, covering visual upgrades, gameplay adjustments, and new accessibility features.
For newcomers, the decision to dive into The Witcher 3 is an easy one. For returning players, the extensive list of updates provides compelling reasons to jump back into the Continent. The update includes significant graphical improvements, such as an updated shading model, new textures and models derived from the popular The Witcher 3 HD Reworked Project, and enhanced lighting for foliage and grass. Visual effects for Signs and skills have also been revamped, and the game now features native DirectX 12 rendering with multithreading for improved performance.
A notable addition is the implementation of Ray-Traced Local Shadows and enhanced Screen Space Reflections and Shadows. Tone mapping has been updated for better colors, lighting, and contrast, while new options like GTAO (Ground Truth Ambient Occlusion) and improved Motion Blur contribute to a more cinematic experience. Skin rendering is improved with updated Subsurface Scattering, and the game benefits from new Image-Based Lighting (IBL) and reworked Bloom effects.
The game's combat and movement systems have also seen substantial refinement. The skill system has been reorganized into a dedicated skill tree, with each skill now having three ranks. Unlocking skills requires prerequisites rather than a simple point allocation, and existing skill points have been reset. The combat behavior of numerous non-boss monsters has been polished, affecting their attack patterns, reactions, and movement. Geralt's animations for jumping, climbing, and vaulting have been refined for smoother, more responsive movement, complemented by new idle and finisher animations. Exploration and combat cameras have been updated to improve visibility and immersion.
User interface and experience have also been targeted for improvement. Meditation now utilizes a timelapse, and the skill screen features a more intuitive tree layout. The map screen allows for easier switching between tracked quests, and the minimap can be customized to hide elements like herbs and corpses. Quest notifications are now consolidated, and loot windows have been streamlined, with nearby loot grouped into a single display. Players can now preview item details before picking them up via item tooltips in the loot window.
Photo Mode has been significantly expanded with new features, including the ability to place multiple characters, choose from various poses and expressions, and save camera presets. Players can now alter the environment by changing weather and time of day, adjust weather effect intensity, and toggle a first-person camera. Additionally, options to change aspect ratio, toggle camera collisions, and view camera coordinates are available.
A major focus has been placed on Accessibility, with a new dedicated section in the Settings menu. This includes the 'Bard's Ballad' preset, designed to reduce cognitive load by streamlining mechanics and disabling certain features for a smoother experience. This preset offers options for Vitality Regeneration Boost, Infinite Breath, Unlimited Item and Boat Durability, Ignore Item Weight, Faster Boats, and toggleable Witcher Sense.
Quality of Life improvements include streamlined tutorials, a quick combat disengage option, and the ability to collect loot without dismounting Roach. PC players will benefit from Cross-Platform Mod Support via an in-game tool powered by mod.io, allowing easy browsing and installation of mods. The update also includes support for Path Tracing, NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 with Ray Reconstruction, AMD FSR 4, Intel XeSS 2.0, Ray-Traced HairWorks, and DualSense controller haptic feedback.
Bug fixes address issues with right stick sensitivity, HDR settings on consoles, and quest progression in specific scenarios like 'In the Eternal Fire's Shadow' and 'Wine is Sacred.' The update also adds Ukrainian text localization and Xbox Play Anywhere support.