The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt blew us all away when it released in 2015. The gameplay was fun, the world was gorgeous, and the story was full of fleshed-out characters, exciting fights, and emotional moments. It became an instant classic and catapulted its developer, CD Projekt Red, to the top of many gamers’ favorites lists.

But no game is perfect, and even CD Projekt Red’s “when it’s ready” design mentality had to leave some room for compromises so the game could be released on time. These ten mods developed by Witcher 3 players add polish to an already-excellent game. If you’re feeling the urge to strap on your swords with the White Wolf again, check these mods out—they’ll make your next playthrough even more awesome.

10. The Witcher 3 HD Reworked Project

The Witcher 3 HD Reworked Preview (Update 5.1) 

No one will deny that Witcher 3 is a beautiful game, but this mod will kill any doubt you had left. It replaces the default look for countless in-game objects  with beautiful HD textures. Rocks, trees, rivers, buildings, torches, books, you name it. It makes the game look amazing, and it’s completely seamless with the game’s visual design. This is just a solid upgrade for any players with PCs that can already handle the base game’s high graphics settings.

9. High Quality Faces

Cerys' eyes especially look much clearer and sharper in this comparison.

After you’re done upgrading the terrain’s graphics, why not do the same with the game’s NPCs? Like the HD Reworked Project mod, High Quality Faces doesn’t mess with the developer’s visual design at all. That said, the mod reworks nearly every NPC in the game, from major characters down to simple villagers. Faces are clearer and more detailed, and characters’ eyes really pop with color and shine.

8. Immersive Cam

Immersive Cam Demonstration

This might be a silly complaint, but few things annoy me more in Witcher 3 than the way the camera auto-rotates while you’re riding Roach. This game is so beautiful, and traveling on horseback is the best time to appreciate that because you’re often between missions and rarely in combat. So why doesn’t the game let me look where I want to look?

This mod not only allows players to disable that auto-rotation (I think it’s worth downloading just for this), but also provides deep customization for the way the camera works throughout the game. If you have very specific preferences for how you like to view the gameworld, this mod is for you.

7. Shields

Shields Mod Gameplay

This is the first mod on the list that noticeably changes the game’s mechanics. It’s exactly what it says in its title—it allows Geralt to equip more than 40 new shields to block both melee attacks and projectiles. As a bonus, the mod comes with new witcher armors, a dozen hoods, two cloaks, and a new merchant. This mod isn’t 100% lore-friendly, but it’s cool, polished, and adds a fresh, tanky style to the game’s swordplay.

6. Ultra Gore 2 - A Dismemberment Mod

Dismemberment Mod Combat Gameplay

The Witcher series is a dark fantasy, and Witcher 3 stays true to that in both its storytelling and gameplay. Take, for example, the very gory and incredibly satisfying dismemberment kills Geralt can perform on enemy humans and monsters. These animation are smooth, crazy fun to watch, and make Geralt look like even more of a badass.

With this mod enabled, the dismemberment animation will trigger on every enemy Geralt kills (as long as they can be dismembered in the first place, of course). This won’t make your game any easier, but it will let you see those jaw-dropping combat moments as often as you like.

5. E3 Quen

E3 Quen Mod Comparison

This mod is a throwback for fans who have been following the game since it’s showcase at E3 2014. In that early gameplay, the defensive witcher sign, quen, had an icy blue glow to it. By the time the final game came out, though, it had been swapped over to yellow-orange. This mod brings back the original color and also makes quen’s visual effects more visible and dramatic. It’s a small touch, but it looks great, and will show up a lot since quen is such a useful sign in Witcher 3’s combat.

4. E3 Dodge System

E3 Dodge System Mod Gameplay

This mod is another attempt to restore gameplay elements from E3 2014, but this one is more ambitious. It’s a rework of some of the core dodging and swordplay animations in the game’s combat system.

The most noticeable change is how it replaces Geralt’s lunging roll animations with more subtle dodges and pirouettes. It also adds some nice idle animations that make Geralt seem a little more on his toes during breaks in combat. This mod looks every bit as smooth and professional as it needs to be to replace some of the core animations in the game.

3. Auto Apply Oils

Automatically receive damage boosts if you've crafted the right items, no menu needed.

Oils are really good in Witcher 3, especially at higher difficulties, but I’ve rarely used them in my playthroughs because they’re such a pain to apply before every fight. Even after updates from the developers, the inventory menu is still clunky enough that I’d rather just stay in the flow of the game even if it means a more difficult fight.

This mod removes that problem completely. Whenever you enter combat, it scans the enemies around you and applies the oil that best counters them. This is a huge quality of life improvement—definitely worth checking out.

2. TW2 Triss

A throwback look for Triss.

Whether you’re a fan of The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings, or you’re just looking for a new outfit for one of Witcher 3’s central characters, this clothing mod for Triss is a great choice. It’s a faithful adaptation of her design in Witcher 2, and it looks great in Witcher 3. It behaves like the DLC outfits for Triss, Yennefer, and Ciri too, so you can always switch back to one of Triss’ other looks if you get bored of this one.

1. Geralt Cloak

Geralt Cloak Mod Gameplay

This mod gives Geralt a cloak similar to the one he wears in the iconic “Killing Monsters” cinematic trailer. It comes in two versions, and both the whole cloak and its hood can be toggled on and off. It seems like a small aesthetic touch at first, but cloaks are very hard to get right. This one looks solid both in cutscenes and in combat, and responds to weather conditions as well. Plus, Geralt makes it look really cool.

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• The 50 Best Witcher Cosplays We've Ever Seen (Best Witcher 3 Cosplays)
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