New Game Modes Explained — The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Guide

Understand New Game Plus and difficulty settings in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Choose the perfect mode for your next journey across the Continent.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt offers several ways to experience its vast world, from initial difficulty settings to the exciting prospect of New Game Plus. This guide breaks down the various game modes available, helping you choose the perfect starting point or the ultimate challenge for your subsequent playthroughs.

Welcome to the Continent, Witcher! Whether you're a seasoned veteran or a newcomer to Geralt's world, understanding the different game modes available can enhance your experience. The Witcher 3 provides a range of options to tailor the difficulty and replayability, ensuring that every player can find a challenge that suits their skill level and desires. From the initial choice of difficulty to the rewarding New Game Plus mode, let's explore what awaits you.

Difficulty Settings:

At the start of a new game, you'll be presented with several difficulty options:

• Just the Story!: This mode significantly reduces combat difficulty, making enemies weaker and less aggressive. It's ideal for players who want to focus purely on the narrative and exploration without being hindered by challenging combat encounters.
• Story and Sword: A balanced experience that offers a moderate challenge. Combat is engaging but not overly punishing, making it a good starting point for most players.
• Blood and Broken Bones: This mode increases enemy damage and health, requiring more strategic combat, better preparation with alchemy, and skillful use of Ss. It's a solid choice for players seeking a more demanding experience.
• Death March!: The ultimate challenge. Enemies are significantly tougher, deal immense damage, and require near-perfect execution of combat mechanics, alchemy, and S usage. This mode is for the most experienced and dedicated players.

Simulating Witcher 2 Save Choices:

If you played The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, you'll have the option to import your save file or simulate choices made in the previous game. This can influence certain dialogue, character appearances, and even the availability of some quests or items in The Witcher 3, adding a layer of continuity for returning players.

New Game Plus (NG+):

Once you have completed the main story of The Witcher 3, you unlock the New Game Plus mode. This allows you to start a new game with Geralt retaining:

• Experience Points (XP): Your character level carries over.
• Skills: All learned skills and unlocked ability slots remain.
• Gear: Your inventory, including weapons, armor, and alchemy recipes, is preserved.
• Gold: Your accumulated wealth is also carried over.

What Changes in NG+:

• Enemy Scaling: Enemies are significantly tougher and scaled to your higher level.
• New Gear: Higher-level versions of Witcher gear and other powerful items become available.
• Re-experience the Story: You can play through the main story and side quests again, often with different choices and outcomes due to your advanced capabilities.
• Higher Difficulty Recommended: It is highly recommended to play NG+ on a higher difficulty setting (Blood and Broken Bones or Death March!) to truly challenge yourself.

Choosing the right game mode ensures you get the most out of Geralt's epic adventure. Whether you seek a narrative-driven experience or the ultimate combat challenge, The Witcher 3 has you covered.