The Witcher 3 Remastered Patch Notes Add Bard's Ballad Accessibility Preset and Reworked Skill Tree

The notes cover improved visuals, transmogrification, an expanded photo mode, updated textures and support for the PlayStation 5 Pro. Geralt's animations in combat, while idle and while riding Roach have been refined, new finishers have been added, and ladder climbing, jumping and vaulting are now described as "more responsive" and "fluid."

The skill system has been completely rebalanced. Skills are now organized into a skill tree and each skill has three ranks, while some skills have been renamed to better reflect their effects, a change CD Projekt Red said is meant to support new character builds.

Among the most notable additions, listed under accessibility features, is a preset called Bard's Ballad. It can be enabled when starting a new game on the "Just the Story" difficulty or mid-game. "It is designed to reduce cognitive load for players who experience mental fatigue or have difficulty concentrating," CD Projekt Red said. "It streamlines gameplay by simplifying certain mechanics and disabling select features for a smoother, more focused adventure."

Players can customize the preset by enabling or disabling individual options. Those options include Vitality Regeneration Boost, Infinite Breath, Unlimited Item Durability, Unlimited Boat Durability, Faster Boats, Toggle Witcher Sense and Ignore Item Weight. TechRadar noted that such settings would normally require mods to use.

The patch also adds further quality-of-life, modding, UI/UX, gameplay and visual improvements. Owners of the base game can claim the two included expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, at no extra cost, per TechRadar.