THE WITCHER 3: WILD HUNT — REMASTERED
Back on
the Path.
Quest routes, Witcher gear and Gwent.
Clear next steps for a returning journey.
Independent guides · Sources and version limits included
2026 REMASTERED EDITION
Remastered changes and legacy routes. Check each guide’s scope.
How we use evidence ↗THE CONTRACT BOARD
What is blocking your journey?
71 task guides across 7 topics.
Start with these Remastered essentials.
Quests & Gwent01
Missing monster trophy
Separate a missing quest item from a hidden loot point, then test a save from before the kill.
PC · Remastered v5.0 reportsSaves & PC02PC save / load failure
Check your build and the Documents-path fix before treating every save problem as the same bug.
PC · Official 5.00c fixGear & crafting03Transmog & old-save skins
Use the right master craftsman and check how equipment enters your appearance collection.
Remastered · Launch-era behaviorEXPLORE THE FIELD GUIDE
Choose your trail.
01 / 11 GUIDES
Getting started
Choose the right Witcher 3 edition, find included expansions, start New Game Plus, and rebuild a returning character.
Choose your next step →
02 / 22 GUIDES
Quests & Gwent
Follow quest checkpoints, unlock Yoana and Hattori, preserve missable Gwent opportunities, and diagnose a missing monster trophy.
Choose your next step →
03 / 15 GUIDES
Gear & crafting
Find Cat, Wolf, Griffin and Ursine diagrams, earn Aerondight, craft White Gull, gather materials, and use Remastered Reforge.
Choose your next step →
04 / 4 GUIDES
Mods & rewards
Install mod.io mods, understand console achievement and cross-save limits, and check the official missing online rewards issue.
Choose your next step →
05 / 6 GUIDES
Saves & PC
Separate PC save failures, cloud transfer, missing DLC errors, file repair and rollback to older Witcher 3 versions.
Choose your next step →
06 / 7 GUIDES
Graphics & controls
Read Remastered PC requirements, isolate HairWorks performance, compare PS5 modes, choose Switch 2 controls, and find Photo Mode captures.
Choose your next step →
07 / 6 GUIDES
Romance & endings
Plan Triss, Yennefer, Shani and Keira choices, preserve Ciri’s supportive decisions, and follow the Blood and Wine sisters route.
Choose your next step →Official CDPR Steam store images · Representative illustration, not evidence for the linked steps.
A WORLD WORTH GETTING LOST IN
Find the right
place to begin.
White Orchard to Toussaint. Choose the region, find the landmark, then check the quest or gear prerequisite before setting out.
Open the map directory11 TASK GUIDES
Getting started
Free upgrade & editionsCheck which Witcher 3 copy you own, which platform gets Remastered, and why a Complete Edition label does not identify your installed build.Remastered · Official platform FAQIncluded expansions & how to startCheck the free Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine inclusion, update the right edition, and choose an existing character or an expansion-only start.Current entitlement FAQ · Legacy consoles differSongs of the Past: what is announcedSongs of the Past is announced for 2027 in Letten. Separate confirmed platforms and the release window from the two expansions included with Remastered.Announced for 2027 · Not releasedStart New Game PlusUse a completed regular-story save to start New Game Plus, check the installed edition, and avoid trying to start another NG+ from an NG+ save.Legacy NG+ requirements · Current edition FAQRebuild reset skill pointsThe Remastered upgrade resets skill points. Rebuild your returning character through the new prerequisites before relying on an old build guide.Remastered 5.0 · Skill values changedBard’s Ballad & accessibilityEnable Bard’s Ballad in the Accessibility settings, choose the assistance you need, and compare it with your normal difficulty and save setup.Remastered · Accessibility presetHealing, meditation & difficultySeparate meditation from combat healing, check food and potion descriptions, and inspect Remastered vitality-regeneration assistance before copying an old build.Legacy healing rules · Remastered accessibility differsMaps & region filtersChoose White Orchard, Velen, Skellige, Kaer Morhen or Toussaint, then filter a map by the task you actually need.External legacy maps · Remastered interface changesPlaytime & run planningBudget roughly 50–60 hours for a focused story run, and much longer for side quests; use your own pace rather than a promised completion time.Legacy player estimates · No Remastered timing benchmarkSimulate Witcher 2 choicesUse simulated choices when you have no Witcher 2 save; the Imperial Audience interview establishes selected past decisions.Legacy new-game dialogue · Story spoilersWhite Orchard Places of PowerFind White Orchard’s six stones and hold the interaction to draw power; repeated visits do not grant another first-use skill point.Legacy locations · Current skill tree differs
22 TASK GUIDES
Quests & Gwent
Missing monster trophySeparate a missing quest item from a hidden loot point, then test a save from before the kill.PC · Remastered v5.0 reportsFollowing the Thread: quest orderProtect Flesh for Sale before progressing Lambert’s quest, distinguish a missed opportunity from a broken marker, and preserve a Gwent chance.Legacy quest route · Spoilers · No 5.x playtestMaster Armorers: unlock YoanaBring the Undvik smithing tools and archgriffin acid to Yoana, complete the armor test, and unlock the craftsman used for Remastered armor Reforge.Legacy quest route · Remastered service confirmedOf Swords and Dumplings: HattoriFollow Hattori’s supplier, Sukrus and warehouse objectives to unlock the master swordsmith, with a separate check for crates that cannot be marked.Legacy quest route · Remastered service confirmedGwent: learn rounds & passingBuild a playable Witcher 3 Gwent deck, understand passing and shared hand resources, and practice winning two rounds without spending every strong card early.Witcher 3 minigame · Legacy rulesGwent: missable card checklistPrioritize story-linked Gwent opportunities, choose cards during A Dangerous Game, and use A Miraculous Guide to Gwent to narrow remaining collection gaps.Legacy base-game card collection · SpoilersFamily Matters: remaining leadsWhen Family Matters has no new marker after Tamara, follow Ladies of the Wood, learn about Anna, and return to the Baron to continue the Ciri information.Legacy main quest · Anna and Tamara spoilersUnlock travel to Kaer MorhenProgress the main investigations to Ugly Baby, collect Uma at Crow’s Perch, and reach Kaer Morhen before hunting standard Wolf School diagrams.Legacy story gate · Uma spoilersWerewolf healing: combat checklistFind the Wild at Heart lair, prepare for its wolves and regenerating werewolf, and separate older combat advice from an unverified Remastered repair.Legacy combat tools · Current fix unknown · SpoilersSalma: trophy or mutagenFollow the perfume clue to Salma, then choose between sparing her for the trophy or killing her for the succubus mutagen.Legacy Novigrad contract · Choice spoilersWoodland Spirit: Harald or SvenInvestigate Fayrlund’s woodland spirit, then choose Harald’s offering or Sven’s marked-villager and totem route before expecting a leshen fight.Legacy Skellige quest · Outcome spoilersA Deadly Plot: rescue ThalerMeet Dijkstra at the Passiflora, follow the abandoned cart’s shoe trail, and persuade the trolls to release Thaler without a fight.Legacy Novigrad side quest · Story spoilersLittle Red: Yantra choicesWait for Little Red’s arrival at dusk, then choose whether to surrender Bertram or fight her band and werewolf form.Legacy Novigrad side quest · Werewolf spoilerHigh Stakes tournamentBring 1,000 crowns and a strong deck to the Passiflora; save before entry because losing matches can cost the tournament cards.Legacy Novigrad tournament · SpoilersMaster of the Arena: UlleLet Ulle defeat Geralt in Hov’s arena; killing the ghost again does not satisfy the curse’s condition.Legacy Skellige quest · Solution spoilerShock Therapy: Egill puzzleUse the hornets, fire and hanging pots when Egill is performing the matching activity, then return for the Iorveth card.Legacy Skellige quest · Puzzle spoilersLadies of the Wood routeRead the book, follow the Trail of Treats, help Johnny recover his voice, and continue the Crones’ task to advance the Velen investigation.Legacy Velen main quest · Story spoilersWandering in the DarkFollow the swallow and horse symbols, protect Keira at the rifts, and clear Nithral’s summoned hounds while his shield is active.Legacy Keira ruins route · Puzzle spoilersMagic Lamp statue orderFace the four statues, count from left to right, and light them in the order 3 → 2 → 4 → 1.Legacy Keira puzzle · Solution spoilerGet Junior: clues & cutoffFind the Redanian connection at the arena or gambling hall, then finish Cleaver’s side quest before meeting Roche’s contact.Legacy Novigrad main quest · Story spoilersMorkvarg: In Wolf’s ClothingChoose whether to kill the cursed werewolf with his own meat or investigate Einar’s cursed fang to restore Morkvarg’s human form.Legacy Skellige curse · Outcome spoilersOpen Sesame: auction & vaultBuy wanted Viper armor diagrams at the auction before recruiting the heist team, and inspect the vault before leaving.Hearts of Stone · Legacy quest spoilers
15 TASK GUIDES
Gear & crafting
Transmog & old-save skinsUse the right master craftsman and check how equipment enters your appearance collection.Remastered · Launch-era behaviorCat School: standard gear locationsFind the seven standard Cat School diagrams, use the Eye of Nehaleni at Temple Isle, and distinguish the basic hunt from enhanced upgrade quests.Legacy standard Feline set · No 5.x playtestWolf School: diagrams & portalFind standard Wolf School diagrams at Kaer Morhen, stabilize the signal-tower portal, and avoid mixing the original set with Forgotten Wolf gear.Legacy original Wolven set · No 5.x playtestGriffin School: diagrams & LornrukFind six standard Griffin diagrams at Hindhold, Lornruk and Dragonslayer’s Grotto, including the underwater entrance around the raised bridge.Legacy standard Griffin set · No 5.x playtestEmerald dust: buy or dismantle?Check an emerald’s dismantling preview, compare the cost with buying emerald dust, and use wraith loot as a possible source rather than a guaranteed farm.Legacy material routes · Stock and drops varyAerondight: five virtues checklistMeet the hermit at Lac Célavy, check the five virtues, and use another qualifying deed if you already missed the early Shaelmaar choice.Blood and Wine · Quest spoilers · Attributed routeUrsine School: standard diagramsFind the standard Ursine armor, sword and crossbow diagrams in Skellige, including the prison route into the castle’s locked room.Legacy standard Bear set · Seven diagramsWhite Gull: recipe & ingredientsCheck Alcohol in the Alchemy menu, find the White Gull manuscript if needed, and gather the five ingredients for the crafting recipe.Legacy alchemy recipe · Seller availability variesArenaria: gathering & sellersGather Arenaria between White Orchard’s sawmill and Woesong Bridge, check herbalist stock, and verify the ingredient rather than collecting any white flower.Legacy plant route · No stock or respawn guaranteeManticore: six diagramsCollect the Manticore diagrams from Bastoy, the prison cave, Lebioda’s temple, the southern cave and Lake of Cleansing, then craft in Beauclair.Blood and Wine · Legacy diagram routeViper gear: missable piecesSeparate White Orchard’s early Viper swords from the Hearts of Stone armor and venomous weapons before looking for a missing piece.Hearts of Stone · Legacy collection checkpointsChoose your armor schoolCompare Cat, Griffin, Wolf, Ursine and Manticore by playstyle before collecting diagrams or copying an old damage build.School roles · No universal 5.x rankingBuild planning after resetChoose a sword, Sign or mixed direction, then rebuild against the current skill descriptions instead of importing an obsolete point-by-point build.Official 5.0 skill rework · No tested optimal allocationArmor dyes & dye removerFind the dye merchant at Beauclair’s eastern harbor, buy or craft dyes, and distinguish recoloring from Remastered Reforge.Blood and Wine legacy system · Check 5.x item eligibilityHaircuts & barber locationsFind the scissors marker in Oxenfurt, Novigrad or Kaer Trolde; check the barber’s menu before paying for a hairstyle.Legacy barber locations · Appearance options may vary
4 TASK GUIDES
Mods & rewards
Install cross-platform modsSubscribe through the in-game Mods menu, restart, and check Installed and the enabled checkbox before loading the save you want to play.Remastered · PC, PS5, Xbox Series, Switch 2Modded saves: achievements & transferIdentify the cog-marked modded save, protect console achievement goals, and match required mods before transferring a character to another platform.Console achievement rule · Cross-platform mod matchingOnline rewards missing in-gameCheck whether your reward appears in the CDPR Account menu before treating missing in-game Twitch or Bilibili drops as an unclaimed account reward.Official known issue · Checked October 4, 2026Nexus mods after the updateCheck the mod author’s current requirements before reusing a 4.x Nexus setup; a compatibility tag is a lead, not a guarantee for your complete loadout.PC manual mods · 5.x compatibility varies by author
6 TASK GUIDES
Saves & PC
PC save / load failureCheck your build and the Documents-path fix before treating every save problem as the same bug.PC · Official 5.00c fixTransfer saves with cross progressionUpload a new cloud-marked save under your CDPR account, connect the same account on the destination, and check content and mods if the save cannot load.Official account flow · Mod and content limitsRollback to Classic or Next-GenUse the supported Steam or GOG version controls, distinguish Classic from Next-Gen, and keep pre-upgrade saves before changing away from Remastered.PC store-specific · Backward save compatibility unknownSave says DLC is missingCheck the exact DLC named by a save, install required content on the destination, and use the limited PC file-repair route only for an installation problem.PC repair route · Cross-save content requirementVerify or repair game filesRun the official file verification command for your launcher, then compare a reproducible symptom while keeping the original save and mod files safe.PC launcher repair · Not a save repairPC crash before the menuSeparate a crash before the menu from a save-loading failure, verify the installation, and treat the reported Steam.dll workaround as optional and reversible.Steam PC 5.x player reports · No universal fix
7 TASK GUIDES
Graphics & controls
PC requirements & graphics tiersCompare the official six PC tiers, the SSD and Windows 11 requirements, and the upscaling/frame-generation conditions behind the published FPS targets.Official Remastered hardware table · Targets, not guaranteesHairWorks performance & 5.00cCheck the PC 5.00c HairWorks rollback, compare HairWorks on and off in the same scene, and avoid extending an early advisory to every graphics problem.PC · Launch advisory versus 5.00cPS5 modes, VRR & stutter checksChoose Performance or Ray Tracing using the announced targets, distinguish PS5 Pro VRR features, and compare launch stutter reports without copying a universal preset.PS5 / PS5 Pro distinguished · Mixed launch reportsSwitch 2 control optionsChoose Switch 2 gyro, mouse, motion or touch input by the task you want to perform, then use the replayable tutorial to compare one control change at a time.Native Switch 2 edition · Announced input featuresPhoto Mode & screenshot locationOpen Witcher 3 Photo Mode with the documented shortcut, find PC screenshots under Documents, and distinguish in-game capture files from console or launcher captures.Documented PC / PlayStation / Xbox shortcutsQuiet dialogue & audio checksOn PC, check the official voiceover fix after menus; on consoles, compare the actual output profile without treating the PC patch as a console fix.PC 5.00c fix · Console reports remain limitedHDR & dark interiorsCompare SDR and HDR in the same interior, then isolate ray or path tracing; no single brightness value is verified for every display.Launch-era player reports · No universal calibration
6 TASK GUIDES
Romance & endings
Triss: Now or NeverComplete the earlier party choice, help Triss in Now or Never, and make the dock declaration before committing to another main romance.Legacy romance route · SpoilersYennefer: The Last WishFinish Yennefer’s Skellige quest before moving Uma, then decide whether Geralt still loves her after the djinn encounter.Legacy quest route · Romance spoilersShani: A Midnight ClearBring Shani a wedding gift in A Midnight Clear, then choose whether to continue the evening; keep this separate from the main campaign romance.Hearts of Stone · Legacy romance spoilersKeira: choose Kaer MorhenUse the Fyke Isle conversation to persuade Keira toward Kaer Morhen before demanding the research notes.Legacy Velen choices · Major spoilersCiri & main-story endingsPreserve Ciri’s supportive dialogue choices, then distinguish her survival from the political conditions behind the empress route.Legacy ending logic · Major endgame spoilersBlood & Wine: sisters endingPreserve the fairy-tale route and Syanna’s protection, then investigate the fifth victim and pursue reconciliation before the ceremony.Blood and Wine · Major finale spoilers
BEFORE YOU CHANGE ANYTHING
Keep a way back.
Keep a separate save backup before troubleshooting. The monster-trophy replay needs a save from before the kill; later saves are not a verified recovery route.
Read the save prerequisites ↗EQUIPMENT & APPEARANCE
A different look.
The same steel.
Reforge is the Remastered appearance system. Find the right master craftsman and check what happens to gear retained in an older save.
Open the transmog guide ↗External video featured in PC Gamer's launch guide · Watch on YouTube ↗. Loading the player connects to YouTube.
SEE THE WORLD AND THE SYSTEMS
Watch before you wander.
Official edition overview and an older dye demonstration.
Each video keeps its own date and purpose.
The Witcher official channel · August 25, 2026 · Promotional footage · Watch on YouTube ↗. Loading the player connects to YouTube.
Check edition & upgrade →Legacy Blood and Wine merchant/color demonstration · 2016 · Not a 5.x playtest · Watch on YouTube ↗. Loading the player connects to YouTube.
Read the dye guide →KNOW THE LIMITS
A report is a starting point.
Your version still matters.
Official patch notes
The PC save/load guide uses the specific 5.00c Documents-path fix.
Community experience
The trophy guide labels its reported successes, failures and unknown minor build.
Attributed walkthroughs
The transmog guide separates official features from launch-era PC observations.