CD Projekt RED has released the official Modkit for The Witcher 3. These tools allow players to create their own mods for the open-world RPG.
The Modkit, available through NexusMods.com, allows players to make some huge changes to the game:
Thanks to texture import and export, gamers can now modify the looks and feel of in-game objects, while the possibility of substituting meshes allows to insert new models in the game world in place of existing ones. Finally, access to script files opens up an entirely new array or modification options to many in-game aspects, so modders can fire up their imagination and fiddle with item statistics and much more.
One of the sample mods released by CD Projekt RED turns Geralt's trusty horse Roach into a unicorn. In a chat with Gamespot, the company also floats the possibility of new character skills or "hardcore" modes to make the game even more challenging.
What excites me most, though, is the possibility of new quests. At this point, I've finished the campaign and practically all of the high-level side missions. It would be nice to have some new level-appropriate challenges for my character.
There are a couple catches for the mod tools. For starters, they're not designed for beginners so you might be a little lost if you've never modded a game before. Second, the Modkit is only available on PC. CD Projekt told Gamespot that a PS4 and Xbox One release could happen but it's not set in stone just yet:
We are thinking about it but it’s a way more complex process to do this on consoles so we can’t give you any details now. It’s really important for us not to partition The Witcher community and allow access to mods to console gamers, too. We’re considering various approaches to solve this and started initial talks with first-parties about this. We can’t make any hard promises yet, but you can be sure that we’re looking into it.
Witcher 3's mods should help tide players over until CD Projekt releases their official expansions for the game. The expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, are due in October and early 2016 respectively. The two DLC packs are said to add 30+ hours to the game. As huge as the expansions sound, though, the influx of player-made mods could end up adding far more time to players' Witcher 3 journeys.
The Modkit is just the latest freebie CD Projekt has provided to Witcher 3 fans. They're also giving away 16 free DLC packs to anyone who bought the game. These add-ons have included new quests, costumes and equipment for the game. The last of the bunch will introduce a New Game Plus mode so you can replay the campaign with your high-level character.
