The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

I can't say enough how playing this game without the mini map constantly distracting me, has changed the game completely. I have had Witcher 3 on PS4 since it first was released. I actually downloaded it (which I never do) as I knew it would be good. However, no matter what, I could never play it consistently. I don't know if it was other games (big Metal Gear fan) or if it was just life.

One of the reasons is that I could never really enjoy the world that CD Project Red made because I would constantly just follow the mini-map and not take in the sites. So, I started thinking... why don't I treat this game like Dark Souls? So I removed the mini map, cranked the game to it's hardest difficulty and decided to explore the world and just see what happens.

Now I can't stop playing the game, after years of not picking it up. Some people are going to say " the world is too big and I will get lost" or "I hate pausing the game to constantly check the map." All reasons are valid. However, once you look at the game in the prism of this is "Dark Souls" but with a story and just explore the world, the enjoyment is so much more impactful than before.

As far as getting lost, once you actually look at the world as it is and get used to the idea of finding things, you will begin to memorize areas and you can travel without even using the map. I've gotten so familiar with the world that I can travel on horseback from point to point without even looking at the map, that also includes the cities and villages. This, in my opinion, is much more satisfying than just following some UI that does all the thinking for you.

So try this out guys, just explore the world and see how much more enjoyable it can be. It actually turns this already great game into a completely new game experience. Also, there is nothing wrong with being lost, just explore and see what enemies you encounter and what loot you can find. The randomness and unpredictability of that can be enjoyable in itself anyways.

Treat the game like Dark Souls (remove mini-map, and mission prompts) and you won't regret it.

I think I'll try this out on my next playthrough

Did this quickly on my first playthrough, never looked back aside from a few times I was getting really annoyed at not finding some specific thing in the city or whatever. I think it makes the game way more enjoyable since it pulls you into the experience that much more, which is appropriate for a game like this which goes to such extreme lengths to create a believable, immersive world. I'd also highly recommend it to just about everyone, as long as you're okay that things will take more time.

Do you use the big map in the pause menu?.

muzkx posted...

Do you use the big map in the pause menu?.

Only on the rare ocassion that I truly cannot find what I am looking for or at the start of a mission.

Typically, I do this. Mission start - go to map and see where I need to go. Analyze the map and the landmarks that I will see along the way. Then I make my voyage and enjoy whatever surprises I find along the journey.

Leoalure posted...

muzkx posted...

Do you use the big map in the pause menu?.

Only on the rare ocassion that I truly cannot find what I am looking for or at the start of a mission.

Typically, I do this. Mission start - go to map and see where I need to go. Analyze the map and the landmarks that I will see along the way. Then I make my voyage and enjoy whatever surprises I find along the journey.

Cool, I'll do that for my next play through and see how I go..... I kinda use the map a lot!.

does it really make a difference? I mean ive done 3 playthroughs and have over 300 hours of gametime total. Would disabling the mini map really matter for an experienced w3 player like me?

Flamechamp2333 posted...

does it really make a difference? I mean ive done 3 playthroughs and have over 300 hours of gametime total. Would disabling the mini map really matter for an experienced w3 player like me?

I guess that depends on how you play. I'm not saying its for everyone. All I'm saying is I went from not playing for 2 years and trying to get into the game, to can't put down my controller and loving how the game plays now.

It is quite a different experience without the minimap and "gps." I recommend it as well; if you pay attention to the dialogue, the directions given are accurate. Wandering while moving to the next location can be fun, but watch out for high-leveled enemies. The short text blurb about your current mission is usually enough to figure out where to go if you forget while exploring.

Well I don't know that I agree with it being a much better darksouls but yeah, turning the minimap off makes a massive difference and I'm glad I did it fairly early in my first playthough, With the minimap most of the quests are "follow markers till you find something to kill". Without it, it makes tracking and following directions part of the actual game as well as makes exploring more interesting than just bee lining to every ? on the map.

EDIT: though I admit I do sometimes turn the minimap on in towns so I can more easily find merchants.