This update looks even better than I thought it would be. The Witcher 3 Next-Gen Update looked great with CD Projekt RED livestreaming a showcase of the new ray-tracing and Quality of Life improvements to their legendary game.
If I’m being honest, I was a little skeptical as to the need for this update when CD Projekt RED first announced it. The Witcher 3 was not only already one of the best games of all-time that could still hold up on modern PCs and gaming consoles, but was also one of the few games over 8+ years old to still look good. The achievement of what CD Projekt RED did with The Witcher 3 cannot be overstated as that game is a true masterpiece.
And the Next-Gen update might make it even better.
Building upon the original game, the Next-Gen update adds new game mechanics (ie: Quality of Life improvements) that will change the way how Signs work, add another camera angle for players to use, adds an in-game photo mode, options to remove some of the HUD clutter, and some options to remove some of the ‘cluttery’ aspects of the main map (such as the million Skellige question marks).
In addition to that, there’s obvious the new ray-tracing mechanics that was highly advertised in the livestream, which is where my excitement for this update comes from. Simply put, the ray-tracing makes The Witcher 3 look unbelievable, with even the smallest shadows and rays detailed and outlined in the world.
The CD Projekt RED developers really went out of their way to make this game that much more spectacular with this ray-tracing addition as now the Witcher 3 looks as good as some of the games made today. Plus, if the ray-tracing is too much for your PC/console to handle, you can always just turn it off as the developers made it as one of the new settings.
Oh, there was also the announcement of some new swords, armors, character designs, character outfits, and even a new quest related to Devil’s Pit in Velen coming in this update, though all of these additions are tied to the Netflix series.
And, seeing how they added the Season 1 Nilfgaard armor into the game and remodeled Dandelion to look like a hybrid version of his game look and Joey Batey, I’m not nearly as excited for these new ‘content’ updates as I was for the ‘mechanical/graphical’ ones.
Anyway, with more changes, additions, and new content updates to be revealed closer to launch, I can safely say that this update will be more than worth it to download.
Images Source: Featured Image: (CD Projekt RED) (The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Complete Edition | Next-Gen Update Trailer – YouTube)
