Witcher 3 Next-Gen Patch Unlisted Changes

Here’s a list of many small unlisted changes that came with patch 4.0 (the Dec. 14 2022 next-gen update). Credit goes to HighFantasyisthebest on reddit. I challenge you to find as many of these in the game as you can!

  • Geralt now gets blood on his face and body
  • Sprinting outside of combat costs zero stamina
  • Fall damage has decreased significantly
  • Roach can walk backwards
  • If you double-click the call horse button whilst on top of Roach, She will rear or do hind leg kicks
  • Roach will react fearfully towards dead animals and dead monsters
  • Geralt has new voice lines during combat:

Gonna hang your head on my saddle

Never fought a witcher before, have you?”

“Few Drowners and a Water Hag… my favorite”

  • Geralt can now pet Roach by holding the jump button, depending on which side he’s on, Geralt will either brush Roach or pet her. On Roach’s right, Geralt will stroke her neck and pat her. On her left, Geralt will brush her shoulder.
  • Most NPCs have sleep schedules now
  • Most NPCs will find shelter when it rains (MOST this time. B4 the next-gen it was some or none if you’re on consoles)
  • There are new NPC models
  • Sword-wielding NPCs now have scabbards
  • Geralt’s face looks paler
  • There is a new Fast Travel Signpost in Crow’s Perch after a certain point in a quest
  • The sails on the boats (that Geralt rides himself) now billow more naturally in the wind
  • All hanging fabrics look better and flow more naturally in the wind
  • Trees no longer blow in the wind like metronomes
  • It’s not always windy now
  • Drowners show up and attack Geralt near the pond during the “Twisted Firestarter” quest again
  • Rainy weather is actually rainy and cloudy now
  • The Hornwall Horn has a new icon now
  • Chimney smoke in distant villages
  • Some swords that Geralt receives or finds will now scale with his level:

The Blade from the Bits sword that Geralt recieves from Hattori during the “Of Swords and Dumplings” quest

Winter’s Blade sword that Geralt receives from Crach an Craite

  • Geralt’s and Ciri’s Gwent cards now can call the new Roach card from the deck
  • There are many stat changes to armour like the Wolven Armour, for example
  • Roach will now lift her head up while riding through water
  • Geralt now wields his sword at different angles (sometimes with both arms) depending on the enemy threat level
  • New herb-picking animation/also the herb window is no longer present
  • Geralt has unlimited running stamina whilst out of battles.
  • Geralt’s face gets wet now
  • There’s a mask slot in the equipment menu now
  • Buffs are shown in the radial menu now
  • Geralt can switch between bombs in the radial menu
  • Food regeneration speed has been lowered/fixed
  • Yennefer’s room key is now listed as “Relic” and is no longer a “Common item” 🙁
  • If Geralt gets shot with an arrow, sometimes it stays stuck in his armour
  • The “Top Notch Swords” guy no longer says, “Top Notch Swords!”. He now says, “Welcome, Welcome!” 🙁
  • Some NPCs speak with new dialogue as Geralt passes by them.
  • Enchanted blades always will show an engraving, even while on Geralt’s back
  • Many decoctions/potions have been reworked for balance and/or their explanation/descriptions are more thorough now.
  • Guards are no longer almost impossible to defeat. They can now be slain.
  • The 5-point skills within the character/skill branches have been reduced to 3 points.
  • There are more guards patrolling the roads
  • Death March difficulty feels easier (Why?)
  • The oils that Geralt applies to his swords are much more visible now
  • If guards knock out Geralt, the guards will take some of his coin, instead of all his coin.
  • There are new equipable items in some places in the world…
  • Completed quests are arranged alphabetically now
  • The Novigrad crest is different from the Velen crest in the Quests menu
  • Mahakaman Trousers now have an enchantment for a 25% chance of finding additional herbs 🌿
  • Offieri kilij has a new (beautiful) wooden scabbard
  • Different regions’ maps have different color palettes
  • Added (regional?) ambient sounds (flies in Velen)
  • All harbours now have names with added subtext
  • Geralt reloads his crossbow more slowly whilst underwater.
  • The horse that the Emperor gifts Geralt is no longer black with a purple/blue hue. Now it’s actually natural-looking, realistic black.
  • They are some ruins nearby the Nilfgaardian camp in Velen. These ruins have switches. If Geralt flips the switches, something magical will happen…
  • There is more wildlife activity. More birds, frogs, etc.
  • There are many added/fixed dialogues and dialogue choices during conversations
  • Geralt’s breath can be seen in cold weather
  • Many events and world states that broke during or after quests have now been fixed. For example: After Dijkstra’s bathhouse quest, there would be no NPCs in the bathhouse. Now the bathhouse is repopulated with NPCs after Dijkstra’s quest.

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