The Witcher 3 Devs Reveal Ultra-Realistic Mechanic That Was Cut from the Game
Eduard Zamikhovsky
As part of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s 10th anniversary celebration, CD Projekt RED has been sharing behind-the-scenes stories from the game’s development. The latest reveal involves a hyper-realistic gameplay mechanic that was ultimately scrapped.
Early in development, the team considered implementing a system where Geralt would drown if he tried to swim while wearing heavy armor. Players would have had to remove bulky gear before entering the water — a detail meant to add realism and depth, similar to something you'd see in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. In the end, though, the idea was dropped.
Fans remain split on the decision. Some say cutting the feature made the game less immersive, while others feel the developers made the right call.
It would have been immersive dear developers. Please don't restraint yourself about courage ideas.
If it was only with heavy armor & we could leave it on the boat maybe. But you'd have to make the boats unbreakable, otherwise it'd be annoying as hell in Skellige. Overall not a bad idea for games with more focus on immersion but feels like a bit much for Witcher 3.
Put it standard for the hardest mode. Seems about right.
Probably not a good fit for TW3, but it's a neat idea. I think Zelda BotW had a mechanic where you swam slightly faster with no armor equipped?
Previously, CDPR also addressed a fan theory about the ever-present Gaunter O’Dimm and shared some of the alternate titles the game could’ve had.
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