Witcher 2 Update 2.0 Adds Arena, Dark Difficulty Today

CD Projekt RED has released a major patch for their PC role-playing game The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. The free update adds new content as well as various fixes.

Update 2.0 introduces an Arena Mode that is completely separate from the campaign's story. Geralt can duel a wide range of foes to the death. Players can earn gold and items through these matches. Furthermore, they can post their high scores online in order to see how they stack up against other players. In order to promote fair competition, players who use mods that change their character attributes or abilities will be unable to upload their scores.

A new tutorial will bring new players up to speed with Witcher 2's mechanics. In this short adventure, Geralt must save a wounded knight. In the process, the player will learn the basics of combat and alchemy. The game will recommend a difficulty level for you based on your performance.

In the meantime, players who think the game is too easy will have a new "Dark" difficulty to look forward to. This difficulty makes enemies much harder to defeat. On the flip side, you'll also get access to three new item sets, called the Blasphemer’s, Oathbreaker’s and Kinslayer’s outfits. The swords included in these sets will drain enemies of health and give it to Geralt. However, the swords only have this power if you acquire the full outfit they belong to. Otherwise, they'll drain Geralt's health.

The changes in the patch focus mainly on making the combat smoother. For example, Geralt's attacks are no longer interrupted by enemy attacks and he can spin 180 degrees right after an attack. The full patch notes, as well as the patch itself, can be found at the official Witcher 2 website.