How The Witcher 3’s Combat Will Likely Influence a New Saga’s Design

One thrilling fact stands strong against the ever-moving video game industry: the next game in CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher series is coming. As The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt lives on as one of the greatest RPGs of all time, it’s natural to be curious about every aspect of the fourth installment in this powerhouse series. That’s especially true for combat as a central feature of the world.

The Witcher games’ mechanics have grown increasingly complex, especially as they have improved alongside rapid video game development in general. At the end of 2022, The Witcher 3 received its long-anticipated next-gen update, which included mechanics and visual updates. Much of this included combat, which could very well indicate what the upcoming game will look like.

The Witcher 4 Could Have the Most Immersive Combat in the Franchise Yet

Combat Improvements to The Witcher 3 Provided Balance

A key part of Witcher 3 is its portrayal of The Continent, taking players directly into the mind and body of Geralt. To be a witcher is to face an onslaught of monsters few others can defeat, requiring a mechanical balance that allows players to feel powerful but retaining the realism of survival. The next-gen patch improved that balance.

Firstly, a huge change was that Geralt can switch between bombs and potions in TW3‘s radial menu, making it easier to fully utilize the many witcher skills that players have access to. Regardless of which abilities and resources players will have access to in The Witcher 4, the next game is sure to align with a smoother UI, mirroring a witcher’s notoriously fast reflexes.

Food regeneration was lowered, which forced players to be mindful of the healing potions they have access to and eat accordingly outside of combat. There are also swords that were notably underleveled by the time the average player got them, such as The Blade from the Bits from Hattori and the Winter’s Blade from Crach an Craite. The patch ensured they leveled with the player, allowing greater access to different weapons.

There was a rebalancing of decoctions and potions, and armors, especially witcher gear, got huge upgrades, making progression feel far more meaningful. For any high fantasy game, it’s important to have a diverse and powerful spread of weapons and armor, which the expansive next-gen update suggests will be a priority in The Witcher 4 too.

The Witcher 3 Next-Gen Combat is Lore Accurate

The next-gen combat also improved simple visuals, such as getting blood on Geralt’s face and body and arrows getting stuck in his armor. However, a few changes were more intriguing in terms of watching Geralt do what he’s best at.

Geralt now wields his sword at different angles depending on the difficulty level of enemies, at times even creating a firm guard held with both arms. This visual detail is one combat and sword-fighting lovers can delight in. Similarly, new voice lines were added during combat, including “a few drowners and a water hag, my favorite,” indicative of the monotonous lifestyle of monster killing, which Geralt often cites in the games and original novels. It also ironically makes the killing feel less monotonous to the player, as Geralt interacts directly with the different things he faces. Hopefully TW4 will feature more interactive dialogue throughout combat.

All of this said, The Witcher games are immersive at their core, with CD Projekt Red clearly putting colossal effort into world-building and the characters’ place within the setting and story. With a brand-new protagonist on the horizon, the story possibilities of The Witcher are endless, but the precedents set by previous games offer clues about the gameplay.