Secrets of The Witcher 3. Modders revealed many details about unknown version of bestselling RPG

As a seasoned Witcher fan who’s spent countless hours traversing the Continent, I must say that the latest revelations about The Witcher 3’s early development have left me utterly spellbound! The discovery of the What Lies Unseen project, delving into the game’s evolution from its 2012 inception, has been a treasure trove for us nostalgic folks.

In May of the current year, REDKit modding tools became accessible for The Witcher 3. This led not only to an influx of new mods but also allowed fans to delve into the game’s files. As a result, they uncovered a wealth of intriguing information. One such group initiated a project titled “What Lies Unseen“, which focuses on examining early versions of the game.

The initial phase of our project, entitled “A Time of Sword and Axe,” has recently been released for public consumption. This publication delves into the original concept of The Witcher 3 as envisioned by CD Projekt RED studio back in 2012. To put it simply, this extensive document clocks in at a substantial 585 pages. For those who prefer video content, YouTuber xLetalis, along with these moderators, has compiled nearly three hours of material on this topic. You can find it available for viewing below.

From my perspective, there are countless modifications that have taken place, yet I’ll strive to highlight some of the most significant transformations.

  1. First of all, the game was supposed to be much longer – it would take 150 hours to complete the main storyline.
  2. During the campaign, we would spend more time traveling between the main locations, and the stories of many independent characters would span many acts of history.
  3. The subtitle of the game was then A Time of Sword and Axe instead of The Wild Hunt.
  4. Choosing between Yennifer and Triss would mean that the rejected sorceress wouldn’t appear in the last 1/3 of the game.
  5. In Novigrad we would take part in a heist divided into many stages. Securing assistance from allies would be necessary for its successful completion, just as was the case during the siege of Kaer Morhen in The Wild Hunt.
  6. Iorveth would appear in the story campaign and play a big role in the plot.
  7. The story of the Bloody Baron was quite different and only ended in the late stages of the story.
  8. The endings were supposed to be more melancholic and ambiguous, leaving a wide field for interpretation by the players.
  9. In one of the quests, Geralt and Avallac’h would teleport to the Cyberpunk 2077 universe.
  10. The game didn’t have Gwent yet. Instead, the mini-games from The Witcher 2 were supposed to return, poker dice and arm wrestling.

Where did these discoveries come from and what’s next?

It’s possible you’re curious about how the modders uncovered so much information. Within the modding tools, they stumbled upon a database that held nearly every piece of text written from the beginning to the end of the development process for The Witcher 3. This discovery allowed them to reconstruct the original blueprints created by the developers.

There are still three parts of the What Lies Unseen series planned:

  1. Volume 2 – The Beginning (2013 version of the story)
  2. Volume 3 – Directors Cut (2014)
  3. Volume 4 – Expansion Packs (a document dedicated to abandoned plans related to expansions)

For now, only Volume 1 is available and a short preview of Volume 3.

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2024-12-09 17:02