The Witcher 3 Patch 4.01 Changes Overview (2024)

CD Projekt Red released The Witcher 3 Patch 4.01. It fixes Screen Space Reflections and a number of quests and adds a new Ray Tracing mode on PC and Consoles!

Today’s patch 4.01 for The Witcher 3 Next-Gen has been expected for a couple of weeks and rumored to be nearly ready since middle of January. Well, today it’s finally available for PC, PlayStation and Xbox.

This is a small patch in terms of size. It doesn’t add any new content. Following their promise from the release of the Next-Gen update CD Projekt Red continue to support the game and clear up any remaining issues. There will be no more major new content released. At least that’s the plan for the moment.

Performance Fixes and Improvements

Patch 4.01 focuses on improving performance for PC and Consoles. It fixes Screen Space Reflections for all platforms and adds a new performance mode for ray-traced global illumination. This mode attempts to improve your FPS by lowering range and precision.

On both PC and Consoles, there have been improvements and fixes to the Screen Space Reflection. It was not working on PC and its quality has been improved on Consoles.

While I personally notice a difference in quality with Screen Space Reflection’s fix on my PC, there is no improvement in terms of FPS. I tested it on 3080 and 4090 today and if there is an improvement, it was minimal and likely the result of random factors.

In the images below there is a clear difference between High and Low SSR. In the second image, you can see more and better reflections in the water.

Ray Traced mode on consoles looks to be fixed. It is more stable now and stays or very close to the 30 frames per second mark more consistently. Input lag has been improved too.

On PC the new Performance Ray Traced Global Illumination mode sacrifices range and precision to boost slightly your FPS. On the PC with 4090, I tested it on DirectX 12 and got almost identical results as before the update.

In some areas, I noticed a slight improvement in FPS. Such an example is the overcrowded Novigrad where I had some 3-4% improvement, but I am not a professional tester and I didn’t run extensive tests, so this small percentage could be mitigated to an extent by my lack of repeats for the tests I did.

I can’t tell if it’s me imagining things, but it does feel like the “popping shadows and lights” effect is now even more noticeable than it was in 4.0. I personally don’t find it to be a big deal but can be annoying at times.

Quest Fixes

Since the release of the Next-Gen update I had no troubles with quests. No game-breaking bugs either. CDPR have provided a list of fixes to some key main and side quests.

If you have encountered any of them, you’d be lucky to know that you should now be able to continue and complete these missions. The list includes key points from the story like “Battle Preparations” and “Family Matters“.

Misc and Unannounced Changes

There have been a few changes, as CDPR stated themselves, that were not included in the patch notes. I’ve explained below a few of them that we caught so far.

The “Top Notch Swords” armorer at the western end of the Hierarch Square in Novigrad has had his old misplaced and weird line back in the game now. In the original game, this armorer always greeted Geralt with the phrase “Top notch swords”. I find it weird because he is not a blacksmith, but it was funny. And was immediately noticed by the community when CDPR removed this line in the next-gen update. Now, in 4.01, it is once again back!

Those of you who use an ultrawide screen to play the game, you should once again reapply The Witcher 3 Ultrawide fix to remove the black bars. It is something you have to do every time there is an update to the game.

Console players can now toggle on or off Chromatic Aberration and Vignette effects, the same as PC players. These are available in the Graphics tab, in the Video settings in the main menu.

The Puppet skill upgrade to the Axii sign has been boosted. Puppet is the skill that allows you to use Axii on an enemy NPC to temporarily turn them into friendly, who will fight for you. This NPC now deals more damage and has larger HP pool while under the effect of Axii.

I tested the Puppet briefly and to me it still feels more like a gimmick and a fun thing to joke around with and have fun. The temp ally is great to distract enemies, but if you want the job to be done quick, clean and efficiently, the witcher swords are your best choice.

The Adrenaline Rush Mutation has been fixed and it now properly applies its buff to your character.

Considering the fact that this is a high level upgrade in the Mutations system, you’d usually get it in NG+ and by that time you have enough experience and gear to not even notice this one being broken.

It seems that one of the most ridiculously broken and overpowered Decoctions has been changed (or should I say fixed). The Ekhidna decoction no longer restores Vitality when you jump. Jumping no longer consumes Stamina. I have updated the Decoctions Catalog and Guide to reflect on that. This change was not in the patch notes list for obvious reasons. It is most likely considered a bug and they do not want players to revert back to 4.0 to continue using it.

The Witcher 3 Patch 4.01 Official Patch Notes

Below you can read the official patch notes as posted by CD Projekt Red on February 2nd, 2023. There have been other fixes not mentioned in the patch notes. I will add some of the more interesting ones as I find them myself.

On a more personal note, I am proud to invite you to check out the three new fully completed catalogs to Oils, Decoctions and Potions for The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt. Every single consumable is listed and explained – where and how to get the formula, what you need to craft it and where to find the ingredients, what benefits you gain from each one of these!