The Witcher 3 Update 4.03 Is Out, Here Are The Patch Notes

The Witcher 3 update 4.03, which is officially titled update 4.02 by developers, is out now for PC and consoles. Here’s what is fixed in this update.

CD Projekt Red has released a new update for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt that addresses several performance and visual issues on all platforms. The update, which is available now, includes PC-specific improvements, console-specific fixes, and gameplay adjustments.

For PC players, the update includes an improvement in CPU core utilization in the DirectX 12 version of the game, which should result in better performance. The update also restores horizon-based ambient occlusion and fixes an issue related to particle optimization, which could result in temporary stuttering.

Console players will be pleased to know that the update includes an improved Performance Mode on next-gen consoles, as well as fixes for issues related to memory usage in Ray Tracing Mode on Xbox Series X and blurriness during dialogues and cutscenes on PlayStation 5.

The Witcher 3 Update 4.03 Patch Notes

PC-SPECIFIC

• Improved CPU core utilization in the DX 12 version.
• Restored horizon-based ambient occlusion. Players who had previously turned Ambient Occlusion off will need to do so again. You can find it in Options → Video → Graphics.
• Fixed an issue where the “My Rewards” section was not localized in REDlauncher.
• Fixed an issue with a flickering landscape in Toussaint that occurred when NVIDIA HairWorks was disabled.
• Fixed an issue related to particle optimization which could result in temporary stuttering.

CONSOLE-SPECIFIC

• Improved Performance Mode on next-gen consoles.
• Fixed an issue where characters could become slightly blurry during dialogues and cutscenes on PlayStation 5.
• Fixed an issue related to memory usage in Ray Tracing Mode which could result in crashes on Xbox Series X.
• Whatsoever a Man Soweth… – The game will no longer crash if Geralt runs away from Shani after starting the conversation on next-gen consoles.
• Fixed an issue where quicksaves couldn’t be loaded when using cross progression on Xbox One.
• Added two missing “Top notch swords!” on previous-gen consoles.
• Fixed an issue with overwriting manual saves where in some circumstances the oldest gamesave was deleted on PlayStation 5.
• Addressed performance issues in Beauclair and Novigrad that occurred after loading a gamesave.

VISUAL – PC and Next-Gen Exclusive

• Improved immersion of water appearance by adding refraction to SSR and ray-traced reflections.
• Fixed a visual issue with brick textures where black artifacts covered stone arches.
• Added a Motion Blur slider. It can be found in Options → Video → Graphics.

QUESTS & GAMEPLAY – Available on all platforms

• Battle Preparations – Fixed the lack of a dialogue option that would progress the quest during the objective “Let Avallac’h know everything’s ready.”
• Reason of State – Fixed an issue where the door to the warehouse could become permanently locked if the player knocked, entered and then immediately left the building.
• Scavenger Hunt: Cat School Gear Upgrade Diagrams Part 1 – Fixed an issue where the quest could stay active even after the diagrams were looted.
• Fixed an issue where trying to start a New Game+ on an incompatible save would block the player from starting the expansions in standalone mode until the game was restarted.

LOCALIZATION – Available on all platforms

• Fixed an issue with the Korean localization of Ciri’s and Geralt’s Gwent card descriptions.
• Fixed punctuation issues in Arabic localization.
• Updated Traditional Chinese font.

In terms of visuals, The Witcher 3 4.03 update adds refraction to screen space reflections and ray-traced reflections, improving the appearance of water in the game. The update also fixes a visual issue with brick textures where black artifacts covered stone arches and adds a motion blur slider in the options menu.

Gameplay adjustments include fixes for several quests, including Battle Preparations, Reason of State, and Scavenger Hunt: Cat School Gear Upgrade Diagrams Part 1. The update also addresses issues related to quicksaves and manual saves on consoles and enables players to start the expansions in standalone mode without restarting the game.

Finally, the update includes various localization fixes, including a fix for the Korean localization of Ciri’s and Geralt’s Gwent card descriptions and updates to the Traditional Chinese font.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is out now for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, PC, and Nintendo Switch.