Summary
- Incorporating Gwent and Thronebreaker as core gameplay elements can make The Witcher 4 a hit.
- Offering more cosmetic variety for Ciri can enhance player experience and immersion.
- Emphasizing better monster variety, combat refinement, and character build flexibility will enrich The Witcher
While everyone’s fixated on the GTA 6 hype, another massive release is also making the rounds — The Witcher 4. The two titles are poised to give some serious competition to the wider gaming sphere. With The Witcher 4 development well underway, large expectations are riding on it. Many gamers still consider The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt as the pinnacle of open-world gameplay and a masterclass in mission design structure.
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The devs at CD Projekt Red have their work cut out for them to one-up their all-time greatest release. Cyberpunk 2077’s launch fiasco still concerns fans about The Witcher 4’s overpromising and under-delivering. However, CD Project Red has shown they can turn things around, as the complete package with Cyberpunk 2077's 2.0 update proves this developer is one of the best and hottest on the market. With that in mind, some wishlist features can ensure The Witcher 4 is universally acclaimed.
8 Integrating Gwent And Thronebreaker
Nothing’s Quite As Addictive As Playing A Game Of Cards Within A Game
When The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt came out, one of the most curious things missing was Dice Poker — a chance-based mini-game that was divisive to say the least. Thankfully, CD Projekt Red had the perfect replacement in Gwent. It was a deck-building strategy game where playing the right cards from the drawn hand was key. Different faction decks had unique character cards with special abilities that added layers of strategic depth.
The popularity of Gwent was responsible for Thronebreaker, a spin-off, single-player RPG expansion with its own branching narrative set in the Witcher world. Safe to say that fans are still hungry for a follow-up . The Witcher 4 can strike gold if it incorporates both Gwent and Thronebreaker as core gameplay elements.
7 Deeper Cosmetic Variety
Styling And Profiling Ciri To The Heart’s Content Will Instantly Make Fans Love The Game
While players could customize Geralt’s facial hair and his iconic locks in the last game, there wasn’t much else to change about his appearance outside of a few glasses and armor pieces. CD Projekt Red can add a whole lot of cosmetic options for Ciri in The Witcher 4. Not just changing her hairstyle, but also having the option to tweak Ciri’s eye-shadow, lip-color, perhaps even including tattoo options.
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Another way for The Witcher 4 to stand out more from its predecessor is by giving Ciri more fashionable attire than Geralt’s. Making her overall look have a more personalized touch, and the people in-game commenting on it would be a nice touch, too. Variety for Ciri’s appearance can potentially make room for a greater role-playing experience for players.
6 Refined Prep System For Combat And More Monster Variety
A Greater Focus On Witcher Style Prep And A Refined Spectacle Of Facing New Creatures
Enemy types should have greater diversity, and new monstrous creatures should be present, from Hydras to Manticores. It will give Ciri's character a more meaningful sense of progress and development, and highlight her brilliance in learning from Geralt and Vesemir’s teachings. As for the combat, quite a few fans of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt took issue with its simplicity, inconsistent dodging, and hitboxes.
The Witcher 4 can address these concerns and make the combat feel more skill-based without a steep learning curve — the best soulslike games that are immediately fun spring to mind. More lore-accurate Witcher prep is always welcome, like in Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. Potion-brewing, mixing oils, and making bombs should happen before a fight, after gathering enough information on what each monster needs to be slain with ease.
5 Greater Flexibility For Character Builds
Alchemy, Magical Spells, And Equipment With Abilities For Leaning More Into The RPG Roots
A huge reason why fans loved The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was its range of alchemy and sign builds for Geralt. With the Blood and Wine DLC, the complexity of the builds got even more elaborate. For Ciri in The Witcher 4, her Elder Blood heritage should give access to powerful sorcery, so it would make sense for her character to know advanced spells.
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Since Ciri is also shown as a seasoned Witcher, it’s a given that her alchemy will have developed as well. A cool feature for her would be brewing potions and developing buffs centered around her sorcery talents, essentially mixing the two. Perhaps different bestial decoctions could also transform Ciri into creatures whose parts she used to make it.
4 Better Loot/Gear Utility And Crafting
Eliminating The Systematic Gatekeeping And Providing More Complex Gear Handling
As much as fans enjoyed The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, it had a few faults. One frustrating feature was loot/gear balancing. Players navigating dangerous points of interest in the open-world to find Witcher gear and diagrams quickly became redundant.
There are a couple of ways to circumvent this problem. Firstly, Witcher 4 can either give Ciri a default base armor set that’s upgradable. It can change appearances at every level, with further options for diverging paths that offer different boosts with trade-offs. Another way could revolve around making crafted gear have more unique traits than the gear found during exploration. Rare crafting components can be rewards from missions of blacksmiths and armorers and shouldn’t be found randomly.
3 More Tasteful And Satisfying Romance
Geralt’s Love Life Was Immaculate. Why Not Give Ciri Something Meaningful Too?
Geralt’s romances were a big part of his journey, but they rarely affected the bigger picture. For Ciri, things could be different. As she matures into her own as a Witcher, it’s only fitting that she gets to form deeper, more meaningful relationships — romantic ones included. Not just for the sake of equality, but because it’s a natural evolution of her character and her ties with those she fights beside.
If The Witcher 4 weaves romance into Ciri’s personal story in a way that challenges her emotionally (like making a choice between someone she cares for and the greater good), it could result in some of the series’ most gripping and morally complex storytelling yet.
2 Immersion And Consequences That Show Choices Matter
NPCs Who Remember The Player’s Actions And Their Snowball Effect On The Story
In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, NPCs often return to default behavior once a quest ends. This breaks immersion, especially when Geralt has just saved an entire village, only for its residents to go back to saying the same generic lines on repeat.
If Ciri goes around killing farm animals for food, it shouldn’t just attract a Chort, it should also affect how the locals treat her. Villagers might grow hostile or start trash-talking her in passing. A dynamic reputation system could lock or unlock quests based on how feared or respected she becomes.
1 Gaunter O’Dimm And Geralt
Legacy Shouldn’t Be Forgotten, From The Popular Hero Of Legend To The Most Terrifying Villain
Last, but certainly not least, fans should get a dedicated portion of The Witcher 4, stepping into the familiar shoes of Geralt of Rivia. He’s been the face of the franchise for three games, so playing as Geralt shouldn’t feel like an afterthought. More importantly, Ciri’s style and story should feel distinct enough to stand on its own, but there should be homage to her roots as his pupil and ward.
Similarly, considering how Ciri is a magical powerhouse, it would be criminal if she didn’t square up against Gaunter O’Dimm. He was a terrifying force and a powerful entity that Geralt couldn’t quite figure out. But Ciri has the potential to either end his wicked ways or permanently seal him away better than Geralt.
- Developer(s)
- CD Projekt Red
- Publisher(s)
- CD Projekt Red
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Franchise
- The Witcher
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Open-World
