The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt fans are likely on their fourth or fifth journey to find Ciri now that the next-gen update arrived last week, and some are sharing the hidden surprises that they have been enjoying. CD Projekt Red, while simultaneously trying to keep expectations in check, continually teased a few additions and changes coming with The Witcher 3's next-gen patch that it was deliberately keeping out of the patch notes for players to discover.
A long-awaited next-gen patch for The Witcher 3 was met with near-universal praise from critics that was echoed by players shortly after, albeit dampened by performance issues on PC. Nonetheless, it has brought thousands back to the Continent as evidenced by Steam Charts, which saw concurrent peaks skyrocket in the days since launch. In the run-up to the release, developers CD Projekt Red hosted a livestream that detailed what fans could expect with the latest offering. Viewers were told that alongside the anticipated graphical enhancements, ray-tracing, and traditional inclusions of a next-gen patch, additional features such as an alternative camera, a new method for casting signs, and a few hidden secrets would be introduced.
The Witcher 3 Fans Share Their Favorite Next-Gen Discoveries
A Reddit thread created by Niklaus15 asked "what was the hidden surprise CD Projekt announced on Next Gen Stream," and comments were quick to point out that there was not just one. One of the most upvoted mentions was that Geralt could now infinitely sprint while out of combat, similar to how the mechanic functions in Elden Ring. The fast-travel signpost added to Crow's Perch was another fan favorite, an addition that solved one of the community's biggest gripes about the Bloody Baron's Castle.
Yennefer's Room Key had become an infamous meme before its change in patch 4.0, and one comment claimed it made them chuckle to see that it was no longer an item of Common rarity. Although it was known that a new quest inspired by the Netflix adaption would be included, it was only recently discovered that Henry Cavill's dog, Kal, settles in Devil Pit under certain circumstances.
One expressed disappointment that a transmog system was not implemented, but at least a few new armor sets and weapons were added for Geralt to wear and wield. Furthermore, although many hidden secrets were listed in the thread, several more that have been discovered were not. xLetalis is a YouTuber dedicated to uncovering rare interactions in The Witcher 3 and has had a field day since the update, posting near-daily videos regarding rather significant changes made, even to cutscenes. Thus, fans can be assured that there are likely a few hidden secrets yet to be tracked down.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is available now for PC, PS4, PS5 Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
