Fantasy ideas for improvements in The Witcher 4 | Improvements from The Witcher 3

The Witcher IV was unveiled at The Game Awards 2024 the other day. Since then, there have been no major announcements, and I’m curious to know how far the development has progressed.

If there is no information, I’ll just go ahead and speculate, but there’s no point in speculating as I please, so I’ll speculate from the perspective of what I wanted to improve in The Witcher 4, things that bothered me about The Witcher 3, and things that I wanted to be fixed.

Please read this article while remembering The Witcher 3.

The Witcher 3’s flaws
What I’d like to see improved in The Witcher 4
summary

The Witcher 3’s flaws

First, let’s look at the complaints about the previous game, The Witcher 3.

The Witcher 3 is a game that has sold 50 million copies worldwide, so there are probably no complaints about it, but on the other hand, there are probably many complaints about it because it has been played by so many people.

Fast travel is inconvenient

In The Witcher 3, fast travel is only possible from signpost to signpost. There are signs in most towns, villages, and major bases, and once you visit them, they become your fast travel base, but since you can only fast travel between signs, it can be a hassle to go back when you’re far away.

Compared to other games, for example, in Skyrim, which is also an open-world game, fast travel destinations are fixed markers, but you can fast travel from anywhere, so you don’t feel much stress when traveling.

Character movement is difficult (there is inertia)

I think this is common in Western games, but because inertia affects the character’s movement, you can’t stay at a place right away, making it difficult to move quickly.

Inertia is used to achieve realistic movement, but I think it’s an issue that’s a matter of personal preference.

The combat is too difficult

Controlling characters in The Witcher 3 is a bit tedious, so combat is quite difficult.

On top of that, you’ll need to use potions and signs and oils depending on the monster, so brute force or leveling up and fighting won’t work.

For those who find this interesting, it’s an incredibly deep game, but those who like to progress quickly may just find it annoying.

Difficulty	Features	Target Audience
Death March!	Very hard, for players who have played games like Dark Souls or Bloodborne	If you have completed it once and are confident in your skills, it’s at a level where you can do it as a hobby.
Blood and Broken Bones!	Hard, for experienced RPG players	If you are confident, play at this difficulty level.
Story and Sword!	Normal, the intended way to play the game	Once you get used to the game, try playing on this difficulty level. It’s tough from the beginning.
Just the Story!	Easy, ideal for casual gamers	This difficulty level is recommended for your first playthrough, and you can increase it as you progress.

No party play

The Witcher 3 was a single-player game. The Witcher 4 will likely be single-player as well.

So of course you’ll want to play in a party with friends you meet during your adventure. Most of the gameplay in The Witcher 3 is solo, and many people say they want to play in a party.

The people you meet along the way in The Witcher 3 are all unique and well-defined, so you’ll definitely want to join them on your adventure.

There aren’t many flashy monsters

The Witcher 3 is fun because it features monsters with a variety of appearances and characteristics, but there are no incredibly huge monsters, monsters that scatter flashy flames, or monsters that throw huge rocks.

There are no flashy battles like in Monster Hunter, where you fight giant monsters, and it seems that many players felt that the game lacked impact.

Still, the feeling of despair when you come face to face with a bear for the first time was incredibly fun.

Flashy or 18+ content

The Witcher 3 is actually an R18 product [CERO rating Z]. This is because it contains erotic and grotesque content, but I think they should tone it down a bit to attract more underage players.

That may be fine for the PC version, but I think the console versions should be softer to make it more accessible to a wider range of users.

The tutorial is long and it takes a while to get fun

The Witcher 3 has a fairly long tutorial at the beginning, which can get a little boring.

Also, White Orchard and Velen in the beginning have a desolate feel to them, which gives the impression that it’s a very dull game.

On the other hand, the cities of Novigrad and Oxenfurt that you visit later are full of energy and you’ll be impressed to see that places are so prosperous, so it’s a great contrast to what you’d expect.

It’s a bit sad to think that some people might give up before reaching that point.

What I’d like to see improved in The Witcher 4

Now, based on the things that bothered me and were dissatisfied with The Witcher 3, let’s list the things I would like to see improved in The Witcher 4.

I wish it was easier to move the character.

There are two types of character movement mentioned here.

Fast travel improvements
I think it’s fine that you can only fast travel to signs. But I’d like to be able to fast travel from anywhere.
Traveling the roads on horseback is fun in The Witcher, but I think it would be better to be able to go to any place you’ve already visited from anywhere.
Improved character movement
I think it’s good that the character’s movement has inertia. However, there are too many different character actions, so it might be a good idea to add an automatic action function for beginners.
How about letting experienced players perform the actions themselves, and letting beginners enjoy the game to a certain extent by tapping buttons?

Review of game difficulty and change of equipment settings

I feel that the difficulty of The Witcher 3 is a bit too much for veterans. I think that The Witcher 4 should have one level lower difficulty.

I also think that the best part of this game is the potions, oils, and signs. It’s a lot of fun to actually look at the monster encyclopedia and prepare equipment that matches the weaknesses of the next monster you’re going to fight.

So wouldn’t it be nice to have a function that allows you to link the monster encyclopedia with your current equipment, elixirs, oils, and seals, and then automatically set the equipment for a monster that you’ve already equipped?

It’s fun to prepare while looking at the encyclopedia at first, but it can be a hassle to repeatedly set the same equipment for the same monster, so it would be good to be able to set it up with the click of a button.

I want to find friends to join me on this adventure.

I felt this many times while playing The Witcher 3. It’s fine that it’s a single-player game and doesn’t have multiplayer, but I like to adventure with a party.

I think it’s difficult to successfully get NPCs into your party in an open-world game. Even in Skyrim, they do some pretty strange things.

Still, I’d like to have more functionality to cooperate with friends and conquer missions.

I would also like to see at least a pet feature implemented. In The Witcher 3, Roach (the beloved horse) was a pet, but it had little function other than as a means of transportation.

If there was a pet feature where you could feed it, help it grow, and have it participate in battles, I think it would add depth to the game and add a lot of strategy elements, making it more fun.

It may be difficult to create a pet that doesn’t destroy the Witcher worldview, but I think it will be possible to implement it well by changing the main character from Geralt to Ciri. I’m looking forward to it.

I want the monsters to have more individuality.

The monsters in The Witcher 3 are quite unique, as you can see from the monster encyclopedia. However, it cannot be denied that the battle itself is monotonous.

The adventure would be much more dynamic if there were monsters dozens of times larger than you, or monsters that could breathe fire or use flashy magic.

I hope the development team does their best.