Suggestions for the Witcher 4 from a veteran player

[CaptnKenway]

Dear CD Projekt thank you for the amazing games but please...
Don't make the same mistakes from the Witcher 3

1 : If you plan on making an open world with freedom of choice in the main quests, don't use a leveling system like the Witcher 3.
The false sense of freedom from the main quests where a path is set from : Velen to Novigrad to Skellige removes any incentive of rpg freedom.
I would rather have a semi open world system like Jedi Survivor or the first Witcher rather than a timid open world.
I played once with a mod that removed the leveling system and opted on skill alone. Even though i already knew the story, my run was far more organic and I even ended up finishing my hunt with the Baron quest after finishing Skellige !

2 : Make a real economy system !
For the love of God, keep Ciri poor and struggling like all Witchers are..
In the witcher 3 there is no incentive to take on a job because you never need money...
With the fact that you're supposed to find your lost daughter prey to the wild hunt, helping some old druid or peasant along the way always felt odd. Am i not in a rush ?
I have gold, food, potions and decent gear.. Why am I helping randoms when I could save my daughter ?
With the help of a mod, the economy was much better, you stayed poor most of the times and you needed to find work to stay alive and continue on your quest ! This run was far more rewarding ! I remember having to work and save up to get a boat to Skellige !

You can definitely make an easy mode like any game for casuals but for everyone else, make a witcher life and rpg that make sense and feels rewarding.

3 : There is no point in making an open world without restrictions.. It's too easy to fast travel and access new zones in the Witcher 3.. You could at least pay your way to travel or have a system where roads are dangerous and you need to secure travel before fast travelling.. Maybe even taking out some bandits or monsters attacking your caravan.. Cities and new zones are too easily accessible, you should struggle a bit more to access areas !

In any case world restrictions, lack of information and no leveling make exploring more rewarding..

RDR2 is a great example of such open world

I also hope that potions will have a real system, not just a optional bonus, easily refilled with alcohol...

and a last idea : Create "flashback" tutorials on specific monsters where Ciri "reminds" herself how to tackle specific monsters, trained by Geralt and other Kaer Morhen witchers !

Thank you for reading and sharing !

 

[WhiteYoghurt]

1000% agreed!

There is no point in making an open world without restrictions

What a quote!

 

[Dmitriy_1981]

No one is stopping you from finishing the baron line after Skellige without any mods. The creators of some mods tried to remove the level system, but I didn't see any clear result - the character is still too strong in the second half of the game. So the first piece of advice is debatable.

The economy, research obstacles, alchemy really need to be reworked. The economy needs to be made more realistic, at least the prices for loot sold by the player should be significantly reduced - the player should receive about 15-20 times less money compared to the prices in "The Witcher 3".
Alchemy was good in the Enhanced Edition mod, where you need to brew each portion of the potion separately, the components are expensive and rare.

 

[CaptnKenway]

Yes the Enhanced Edition mod was the one I use and answered most issues I had.

Indeed no one is stopping me from playing quest in any order but that's not what i'm saying. I'm saying that there's a clear path in the main quest due to the leveling system.
If you want to skip a main quest in Velen say to go to Skellige, you're gonna have to level up a lot on secondary quests so you can play there. The game through its leveling system is basically holding your hand to where you should begin and finish.

I'm not suggesting having no form of upgrade/levels but it should be something closer to talent upgrades, not power linked to levels..

In the end i'm saying that they chose the wrong form of restriction (leveling) for an open world and should've used other form of restriction for exploration and the economy.
(+ a tutorial system to practice on new monsters would be a great asset. (through flashbacks or books you'd have to find on said monster)
as to base the combat system more on skill than on stats..)

Post automatically merged: May 19, 2025

As for exploration restrictions, i've mentionned ideas on fast travel on my post.

- It could be bandits or old soldiers blocking access to a village.. Or even villagers themselves.
- A broken bridge
- Could have climbable obstacles and hidden passages from maps
- People to pay to enter a town or a city. A job to do in exchange for safe passage or trust.. or maybe you don't and kill everyone or find an underground passage..

- As it's an rpg, good things you do to some could bring you troubles from others...

- Random characters and events on the road like in RDR2

Also the map could be less revealing and your own markings get added as you explore..

I felt like the choices in the Witcher were sometimes too scripted and obvious, i'd love something more organic and unpredictable with consequences felt later in the game

 

[WhiteYoghurt]

As for exploration restrictions

Companion characters or conflicts of multiple character groups at the time could greatly enhance this.
Imagine exchanges between Geralt, the baron's men, and villagers, etc...

 

[Dmitriy_1981]

Indeed no one is stopping me from playing quest in any order but that's not what i'm saying. I'm saying that there's a clear path in the main quest due to the leveling system.
If you want to skip a main quest in Velen say to go to Skellige, you're gonna have to level up a lot on secondary quests so you can play there. The game through its leveling system is basically holding your hand to where you should begin and finish.

But this is not true. The player can easily complete quests significantly higher than the level indicated in the description simply due to their own skills, because the game is very casual in terms of gameplay.

Levels do not affect the ability to complete quests, but the ability to get a full amount of experience from them. Quests that have become gray in the list of tasks, the level of which is significantly lower than the character's level, will never bring the amount of experience that they should have given, in theory. If you are talking about this, then yes, the levels seem to provoke the player to complete the game in a certain, sometimes very strange sequence.

Insufficient difficulty of the gameplay on high difficulty is a significant drawback of the game, but the problem is not limited to levels, it is more complex.

The problem is that the player must feel some advantages as the hero is leveled up - otherwise it is not clear why skills are needed at all. But, at the same time, then it turns out that the game is difficult at the beginning, while there are few skills, and easy and boring later, when there are enough skills. And this balance is very difficult to solve, even removing the level system. In the same Enhanced Edition, the witcher still becomes too strong over time, and the game becomes too easy at about the stage of those quests that in vanilla are designated as level 20 in the classic edition.

In the next-gen edition of the game, the last signs of difficulty are completely eliminated, the game is very easy from about level 10.

 

[SigilFey]

The player can easily complete quests significantly higher than the level indicated...

Highly subjective. For many, like myself, I don't consider a boss fight that requires me to break 2-3 weapons and grind away on a single encounter for 20+ minutes "easy". Granted, the combat may not be difficult, but the long-drawn repetition is very boring for some people, making it difficult to enjoy, even if it's technically easy to do.

Conversely, I don't have a problem doing quests in the intended order at the intended levels. Slogging away at skull-level enemies (or cheesing stronger enemies using exploits) is not my idea of fun.

It could technically be possible to create a scaling system (preferably optional) that allows players to simply do whatever in whatever order and make everything "at-level". I'd still not use it for myself. I like the idea of static game world difficulty. Level-scaling is getting better, but I find more role-playing in a static system, with areas more or less gated for combat. Doesn't mean you go there...it just means you can't fight there. Opens up opportunities for characters with stealth or diplomacy skills to gain certain advantages over combat-focused characters at earlier points in the game.

 

[WhiteYoghurt]

Perhaps it would help the game to balance difficulty based on the world as a whole, not solely on the player.

In the case of Witcher's Geralt, his abilities and skill level are already set. Getting hit could still hurt the same regardless of a virtual "level" value.
Fights could be more demanding depending on the situation, moves, equipment, etc.

The importance of equipment stats could be lowered in favor of utility, like attack speed and strength, etc.
Potions could make Geralt literally faster or stronger, not just increase damage output.