Here are the Witcher 3 mods supported by the next gen update
It's bad news for fans of Ultra Gore 2
The Witcher 3's hotly anticipated next gen update arrives in just over a week, like an early Christmas present from a man who has a white beard and is often covered in red, but you definitely wouldn't describe as jolly. As part of the lead-up to the PC version's update, CD Projekt Red has issued a breakdown of how the update will affect the game's most popular mods.
In a post on the CDPR forums, Vinthir explains the situation. "Updating a game means that we change various files, so the mods that modify those exact files stop working. If we want to change things in the game or add stuff, it cannot be avoided, and our teams have to focus on making updates as good as possible, not minimising change."
In short, CD Projekt isn't making special allowances for any existing mods. What they've done instead is compile a list of popular mods and checked whether or not they work with the next gen update.
The full list, which features 71 mods, can be viewed here. Of the 71 mods checked, 37 are compatible with the next gen update. This includes some of the more popular quality of life mods, such as "All Quest Objectives on Map", "Fast Travel from Anywhere", and the wonderful, encumbrance lifting "Over 9000 – weight limit mod". Meanwhile, considering the next gen update is largely graphical, a surprising number of visual mods still work with the game. These include "Wiedzmin Lighting Mod", "New Clouds" and the somewhat paradoxically named "Real Witcher Eyes – Geralt".
Understandably though, many visually-focussed mods don't make the cut. The most notable casualties, though, are the blood and gore mods. If you like to spice up the Witcher 3's combat with a splash of "Ultra Gore 2", "Brutal Blood", or the disturbingly succinct "BLOOD", then script errors mean you'll have to choose between blood and beauty when the next gen update arrives.
Vinthir points out that the list may not be 100% accurate, partly because it was complied while the next gen update was still in development, but also because "mods can change". They also note that CDPR's team of "modding experts" will provide "help and advice to modders on forums post-release when possible". So while they aren't catering for mods beforehand, there will be some help available for modders who want to make their mods compatible with the update.