New Witcher 3 Patch Improves Performance Mode, Fixes Bugged Quests

CD Projekt Red has rolled out a new patch for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which it says will improve the overall stability and performance of the game on current-gen consoles and PC. For PC users, the patch will fix an issue where the Screen Space Reflections setting wasn’t working even when being switched on, and a new performance mode for ray-traced global illumination has been added. If you have the right hardware for this setting, you’ll be able to toggle it on and see your frame rate improve.

On PS5 and Xbox Series X, an issue where consoles could create a higher amount of saves than their set limit has been addressed and Screen Space Reflections quality has been improved here. CDPR says that ray-traced global illumination has also been further optimized, thus improving the performance of the game’s Ray Tracing Mode.

A few more changes can be found across various quests and general gameplay, fixing issues in missions such as Battle Preparations, King’s Gambit, Family Matters, and A Danerous Game. Several of these quests had invisible obstacles, events that weren’t being triggered, and other lingering issues that would halt progress, but these have all been fixed now. CDPR added that the patch also contains other minor fixes that didn’t make it onto the list, which combined will help improve gameplay across systems.

The Complete Edition of The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt released digitally in December 2022, and on physical disc last month. This new version of the hit game includes Performance and Ray Tracing modes, faster loading times, and several other features that take advantage of the increased power from PS5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles. The most important upgrade in this version is that you can finally pet Geralt’s faithful steed Roach, but faster loading times, plenty of DLC, and PS5-specific features like haptic feedback and adaptive triggers for the DualSense controller aren’t too bad either.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Patch 4.01 Notes

PC-SPECIFIC

• Fixed an issue where the Screen Space Reflections setting wasn’t working on PC despite being turned on. Players who had previously set their SSR setting to high may notice a performance impact.
• Added a new performance mode for ray-traced global illumination, which can be toggled by players with compatible hardware. It improves frame rate by prioritizing performance over range and precision.

CONSOLE-SPECIFIC

• Fixed an issue where consoles could create a higher amount of saves than their set limit, resulting in various issues with saving the game or user settings being reset.
• Improved Screen Space Reflections quality on next-gen consoles.
• Optimized ray-traced global illumination on next-gen consoles to improve the performance of Ray Tracing Mode.

QUESTS & GAMEPLAY – Available on all platforms

• Battle Preparations – Fixed an issue where it could be impossible to interact with Avallac’h during the objective “Let Avallac’h know everything’s ready.”
• Family Matters – Fixed an issue that could cause the game to crash during the transition to Ciri’s Story: Out of the Shadows when speaking to the Bloody Baron.
• King’s Gambit – Fixed an issue where it could be impossible to participate in the fistfight with the second Vildkaarl due to an invisible obstacle.
• Wine Wars: Belgaard – Added a retrofix for the issue we fixed in 4.00, where the quest couldn’t be completed if the player destroyed one of the required monster nests during exploration.
• A Dangerous Game – The armor in Caesar’s room should now change its appearance when the Alternate Nilfgaardian Armor is turned on.
• Axii Puppet – Increased the health and damage dealt by the puppet.
• Adrenaline Rush mutation should now work according to its description.
• Various small fixes to quests and cutscenes.

LOCALIZATION – Available on all platforms

• Fixed various issues with Arabic localization.
• Added the localized versions of Orianna’s song “Lullaby of Woe” in Korean and Simplified Chinese.
• Adjusted Priscilla’s lip-sync animation to match her voice-over in Simplified Chinese during the song “The Wolven Storm”.

Please note: these are only the most notable changes. The patch contains other minor fixes that didn’t make it into this list.