13 Biggest Flaws & Design Mistakes In The Witcher 3

The Witcher 3 is one of the best RPGs of all time, but even its biggest fans can agree that the game isn’t perfect. Some things (like ridiculous fall damage) were fixed with the next-gen update, but many others remain.

While these flaws are relatively small in the grand scheme of things, they are significant enough for CDPR to consider, especially as they work on the next Witcher title.

Here are the 13 biggest flaws and design mistakes of Witcher 3.

Dijkstra’s Sudden Change Of Character

Dijkstra is one of the best characters in The Witcher 3. His shrewd mind is a huge part of what makes his personality so special, which is why his sudden betrayal at the end of Reasons of State felt so out of character.

There’s no way such a conniving character wouldn’t have thought of Geralt’s adverse reaction to the announcement that he was going to kill his closest friends. Unless people want to check out a different ending, there is no reason to let Roche, Ves, and Thaler die in one of the most ridiculous betrayals in gaming history.

Eredin’s Underwhelming Presence

The Wild Hunt is a mysterious, menacing force, and their pursuit of Ciri drives the narrative of Witcher 3. So, it’s a shame that the Wild Hunt, and particularly Eredin, get barely any screen time. His menacing presence is largely wasted, with most players knowing Eredin for being the bad guy… and nothing much apart from that. 

Witcher 3’s main storyline, and especially the third act, would feel much stronger if we had a better understanding of Eredin’s motivations and character. On top of that, the final fight against him is rather easy instead of the climactic moment it should be. 

Looting Chests Next To Candles Is A Chore

Looting in The Witcher 3 isn’t complicated. Players press the interact button to open chests, barrels, pouches, and everything else along the same lines to find valuable items. However, this becomes annoying if said chest is next to a candle. For some reason, the game finds it hard to focus on one or the other, leading to players accidentally snuffing out and relighting candles when all they want to do is loot.

No Follower System

This may be more of a subjective criticism than anything else, but it’s a shame that Geralt doesn’t team up with his friends on the regular while exploring the Northern Realms. There are times when he is accompanied by a friend or companion, but these moments are few and far between. With so many cool side characters to choose from, the game would feel a lot more fun and alive when you could pair up with the likes of Lambert, Letho, or Roche. 

Underwater Combat Is Disappointing

It’s clear that underwater combat is something that was thrown together at the last second. Given the massive scope of this game, some of CD Projekt Red’s ideas had to be discarded to meet deadlines. This led to underwater combat turning into a repetitive cycle of firing the crossbow over and over again to one-shot enemies, instead of being able to fully utilize your swords and other items. 

Skellige Is Littered With Underwhelming Map Markers

Skellige is a beautiful region to explore, but it’s easy to see the corners that CD Projekt Red cut here. While numerous curated landmarks exist, the sea is littered with uninteresting smuggler’s caches.

Getting to these caches is a chore, with your boat often being attacked by enemies and sunk. Besides diving into the water and engaging in clunky underwater combat repeatedly to get disappointing loot quickly becomes tiring. It’s easy to see why many players skip these markers on subsequent playthroughs.

Too Many Weak Quest Rewards

Ideally, a quest that was immaculately crafted and features some amazing set-pieces should end with a satisfactory reward, but this is one area where Witcher 3 frequently stumbles. The reward Crach an Craite gives after securing the succession of one of his children is one glaring example.

Winter’s Blade gets a dedicated cutscene, with Crach spewing rhetoric about the sword’s value… only for the stats to be painfully mediocre and nowhere near close to the equipment most players will have by that time. 

The Lack Of a Transmog System

Replacing gear as you level up is a standard part of most RPG games. You’re frequently forced to replace armor that you may prefer aesthetically, like the game’s starting Kaer Morhen armor or the Skellige set. That’s especially true because the Witcher School armor sets are generally the best armor in the game and the only ones to offer multiple tiers for higher levels.

It’s an avoidable problem that a transmog system would’ve fixed, which makes it puzzling as to why the next-gen update didn’t include this feature.

The Rushed Endgame

The hunt to find Ciri forms the core of The Witcher 3’s main narrative and it’s a shame that the game feels rushed after her reunion with Geralt on the Isle of Mists. Events happen at a breakneck pace with little to no breathing room in between. It’s clear that CD Projekt Red had to cut out a lot of ideas to meet deadlines, which weakens the game’s third act and makes the conclusion of the main story less satisfying than it could be. 

Iorveth’s Absence Is Palpable

Seeing Vernon Roche in The Witcher 3 was a delight for players who interacted with the character in the second Witcher game. Unfortunately, Iorveth, the second main storyline character from Witcher 2, is completely missing.

According to reports, Iorveth was meant to make an appearance in Witcher 3 but was cut alongside a sprawling Catriona Plague questline. That’s unfortunate not only because he’s a great character but also because he represents the Scoia’tael, a major faction that would make the game feel more polished. 

Triss’ Romance Feels Less Fleshed Out Than Yennefer’s

The two main romance interests, Triss and Yennefer, have their strengths that make either option viable. However, most players have noticed that Yennefer gets more time to shine than her red-haired competitor, a fact that CD Projekt Red themselves have admitted.

While it’s true that Yennefer didn’t appear in the previous games, fans who are more attached to Triss from the time they spent playing the games will be saddened to see that she clearly got the shorter end of the stick in this department.

Horse Racing Is Cumbersome

At a glance, horse racing may seem like a fun activity that players can engage in from time to time. However, it doesn’t take long for the limitations of the mechanics to detract from the experience. Players are disqualified instantly for getting stuck on the environment or veering off the path for a split second. On top of this, it feels unfair that the opposing racer can make their horse gallop indefinitely.

This forces players to cheese the race by blocking their opponent to prevent them from gaining a major lead while Roach recovers his stamina.

An Inverted Difficulty Curve

While Witcher 3 isn’t necessarily difficult, it does feel like the early game is often harder than the later portions of the game. It doesn’t make sense for Geralt to struggle against a few wolves but beat down Eredin without too much of a fuss. The expansion packs remedy this problem by adding tougher enemies and boss fights that force players to be more careful and creative, but this doesn’t make up for the game often feeling easier in the later portions compared to the beginning.