This guide is made for the steam version of the game (next gen v 4.04) and windows 10.

You will need the game, an unzipping tool (depending on if you decide to manually install anything), and a mod manager (unless you want to manually which I advise against for this title) I use Winrar[www.win-rar.com] but many people prefer 7zip as usual use what you prefer. As for mod managers as usual I use NMM unless the game requires a specific MM Nexus Mod Manager[github.com]

Finally you'll need a nexus account so you can download the mods on there.
Nexus website for Witcher 3[www.nexusmods.com]

I'll do my best to keep this guide updated if any mod becomes outdated and i haven't tweaked feel free to notify me. Whenever you download a mod whether its from this guide or on your own volition check the requirements and make sure you meet them ahead of time as some of these essential mods require files that aren't on nexus but they will give you a download link.

You guys are always welcome to suggest new mods to this guide like any of my guides.
Like my Cyberpunk modding guide this will mostly be a informal guide/modlist due to how simple it is to mod the title. But I will guide ya'll on some of the specifics like Script Merging which is essential for any decent mod run for the game. As always assume a mod manager install if I do not bring up instructions/say manually install.

So Script Merger[www.nexusmods.com] is a essential tool to modding this game. There's no way around it. Now while it can look a little daunting its a very simple process. Now you'll want to download this tool and keep it separate folder away from the game. When you run the tool it'll detect any conflicts between mods and then you can just merge everything at once (just click the big script toggle to select all.) You know it worked when all the red lettering is gone and is replaced with blue. All of the merges will appear on the right side.

Anything that failed to merge will remain on the left and need to be dealt with manually in a similar fashion to overriding. Any mods you want to overlap another such as 4k lore witchers over CRP you'll want to add a number that will go over the mod you wish to override. In many cases I will only add a number to the mod I want to take precedence (the lower the number the higher the order start from 9999.) If you are looking to replicate my mod list here are the following values I put for the mods to avoid conflicts and allow overrides (Come back to this after you've installed the required mods/are testing & Merging)

modGeraltTheGhostlyWhiteBeard 9999

modGwynbleidd-Whiter-Hair-Beard 9999

modAllNudeGenital 9999

modCiri 9998

mod4KLoreWitchers 9998

modCurvyYennefer 9998

mod__CRPMaleFinal 9999

modEnhancedToxicityFx 9998

The text will go purple once it is dealt with accordingly. I only numbered what I had to and didn't number all conflicts as non numbered conflicts get overridden automatically by something numbered. Every time you add or remove mods run this tool before you launch to ensure everything is properly merged otherwise your gonna have a bad time (unless the mod in question does not need to be merged/removed.)

If you are still confused I do have a few photos up on the reference photo section on my YT/Modding Discord[discord.gg]

(Classic and Next Gen Editions) Community Patch - Menu Strings[www.nexusmods.com]
Install Manually by dropping the files into the mod folder in your game directory.

Tweaks[www.nexusmods.com]
Install Manually by dropping the files into your game directory.
This allows you to edit ingame graphic settings without restarting the game and unlock a plethora of graphical options for fine tweaking which is needed at this point due to the terrible optimization of the next gen update.

Menu Filelist Updater[www.nexusmods.com]
Install Manually by dropping the executable in your game directory and running everytime you need to have your XMLs updated (just run it at least once when you are done modding and whenever you add/remove a mod that has a in game menu)
Any mods that have their own in game menu need to be added manually but with this mod now you just run the exe and it takes care of it for you.

These are mods that I personally recommend and take the game to the next level (and in some cases remove tedious systems that can be annoying on replays) As always cherry pick to your delight. And remember to mod to your system. If you are suffering from poor performance to begin with maybe don't install a mountain of 4k textures.

(All) Perks Always Active - Next-Gen[www.nexusmods.com]
Allows all perks to work regardless of them being on the active perk slots. Good for NG+ and/or people not looking to be confined to strict builds. Also has a Balanced Version[www.nexusmods.com] as this mod can make Geralt extremely powerful.

Disable Fall Damage for Next-Gen[www.nexusmods.com]
Fall damage is very deadly and unforgiving in this game. Probably a joke on Geralt's bad knee either way we ain't standing for that anymore.

4K Armor Textures[www.nexusmods.com]
Beautiful 4k textures for witcher armors.

4K Lore Friendly Witchers[www.nexusmods.com]
Lore friendly witchers. Now in 4K!

All Quest Objectives On Map[www.nexusmods.com]
A much more robust map setup. I use the full variant.

Always Full Exp (NEXT GEN)[www.nexusmods.com]
Allows you to get all xp for a quest regardless of lvl. Also has optional files for xp related to kills.

Characters Reworked Project[www.nexusmods.com]
Major facial and outfit overhauls of all NPCs in the game split into 3 parts.

Curvy Series
Curvy Ciri[www.nexusmods.com]
Curvy Yennefer[www.nexusmods.com]
Curvy Triss[www.nexusmods.com]
Curvy Shani[www.nexusmods.com]
Curvy Sianna[www.nexusmods.com]
The Thicc has arrived and in full force.

Disable Hairworks On Geralt -Next Gen[www.nexusmods.com]
I used to leave beard hairworks on but they look weird on the next gen update so I use the fully disabled version now.

Fast Travel From Anywhere for Next-Gen Update[www.nexusmods.com]
No longer need to travel to signposts to FT. Beware of sequence breaking.

DLC - Fast Travel Pack - Next-Gen[www.nexusmods.com]
46 additional fast travel signposts.

Enhanced Toxicity Fx[www.nexusmods.com]
Makes toxicity look like it really takes its toll on Geralt.

High Quality Faces[www.nexusmods.com]
Increases LOD for NPC faces.

Improved Horse Controls[www.nexusmods.com]
Much better horse controls.

Limitless - Ultimate weight and durability removal[www.nexusmods.com]
Great mod for replays or those who do not want to deal with that aspect of the game anymore.

Indestructible Items (Next-Gen Update v4.04)[www.nexusmods.com]
No degradation.

Lowered Hood Feline and Standard Manticore - Grandmaster Armor Revision[www.nexusmods.com]
Gets rid of that terrible hood plus gives us back classic Manticore when you have the grandmaster variant.

Naked with genital[www.nexusmods.com]
Textures the nude body.

No Dirty Lens Effect[www.nexusmods.com]
Get's rid of that dirty screen effect.

NPC Witcher School Swords[www.nexusmods.com]
Gives witchers the swords to their retrospective schools. The mod comes with multiple variants so delete any extras you don't want in your mods folder. I use the T4 variant.

Oils never expire for Next-Gen version[www.nexusmods.com]
Nice to have but auto oil is a thing now too.

Remove Glare Effect (Blood and Wine)[www.nexusmods.com]
Removes the BnW sun effect.

Remove Item Level Requirements[www.nexusmods.com]
No longer must you grind to equip that one item.

Short Scar Ciri[www.nexusmods.com]
Honestly I enjoy how this looks compared to the vanilla scar.

Smart Alcohol Refill Selection (most owned)[www.nexusmods.com]
No longer have your rare alks get used up in meditation.

Sword FX (NEXT GEN)[www.nexusmods.com]
Customize sword effects.

The Wild Nudity Project[www.nexusmods.com]
Many different options for undergarment removal. I use the lingerie remover for the bathhouses.

Ultra Gore 2 Next-Gen (includes dismembering guards)[www.nexusmods.com]
Geralt's a witcher dismemberment should be occurring much more often.

Lore Accurate Geralt
The following mods I combined with each other with a certain override order (see section 1) in order to attempt to produce the most lore accurate Geralt possible (in my image of course)

Lore-friendly Witchers[www.nexusmods.com]
I use the eye variant of the mod for more lore-friendly witcher eyes.

Gwynbleidd - Lore Friendly Geralt Retexture[www.nexusmods.com]
Install Manually I use the modGwynbleidd-Whiter-Hair-Beard file from this mod and nothing else as I just want the white hair.

Geralt True White Beard For HairWorks[www.nexusmods.com]
Whitens Geralt's beard. I use the ghostly white.

The Butcher of Blaviken Lore-Friendly Geralt[www.nexusmods.com]
This mod really restores Geralt and has a lot of different options. Make sure you get The Butcher of Blaviken Body Mesh BETA with whatever version you decide to use. I use 5- The Butcher Of Blaviken DV -WE Striga Scar- PS as I think its the most lore accurate and doesn't touch his eyes as the lore friendly witcher mod is doing that. The 5.1 4k version is also great but is no good for when Geralt gets branded by O'dimm his face gets messed up so either don't use it at all or swap back to 5 when you are branded. I don't like how toxicity looks with this mod but thats exactly why we let that toxicity fx mod override this one.

Q: I need further 1 on 1 help and this comment section won't cut it.

A: The random FRs are killing me so here is my YT/Modding Discord[discord.gg] I will be able to help you out much further if the situation is beyond comments and if you gotta upload photos for better support.

Q: There was a game update and now my game won't launch/crashes on launch any fixes?

A: Yeah so typically that is caused when a mod needs to be updated and it's still installed post game update. Sometimes we get lucky and the update despite being large may have no issues at all with your current mods (really depends on what has changed) if that doesn't happen typically I've found verifying the integrity of files plus uninstalling outdated mods (typically script heavy the texture mods are usually safe and don't need an update) will allow me to launch again (ensure all the merges gets wiped and re merged as well.) Worst case scenario uninstall all mods and nuke with a verify of files after a reinstall but this is very extreme and usually does not have to be done.

Q: Dude why does this game run so bad?

A: The next gen update made the game CPU bound again it just runs terrible now. There's nothing you can do other than lower settings further or upgrade unfortunately. You can still play the original version but this guide is not for that version of the game and many mods have shifted over to the next gen version.

Q: How long before this guide is like your other guides?

A: The guide is "complete" I just don't have a crazy amount of mods for this game since I don't feel like it needs it.

Q: NMM sucks use MO2

A: You couldn't pay me to use MO2

Q: Why do I need to do so much work to play this game. This is ridiculous

A: Try manually modding this game heck manual modding in this game isn't even that bad. There's a lot of other games with very difficult modding scenes.

Q: Can I update mods mid save/playthrough ?

A: I've done it so many times with no issues (recently I did brick a skyrim save tho) but you always risk ruining a save file so only do it knowing the risk that it may work out, you might have bugs later or you may lose the file.

Q: Can I remove mods or add mods mid save/playthrough?

A: See previous question. Certain mods though are safe for removal mid run and the mod author will make note of that. YMMV at the end of the day.

Q: This guide helped me how I can show my thanks?

A: Leaving feedback and a Thank you is more than enough for me. I made these guides to help people so by leaving feedback you make the guide more visible to more people that could use the help. And if that's not enough for you I do make content on YT checking out a video would mean a lot to me but do not feel obligated to do so. As I said before feedback and a thank you is already more than enough.

Q: Can you make a modding guide for X game?

A: If there is demand for it and I have experience modding the game. Yes I will. Just bear in mind these guides are a massive time sink and helping people troubleshoot does take a lot of time so you guys gotta let me know. Put the demand into it. You want a modding guide for a game please comment, let me know on the discord etc. The more demand it has the higher it will go on.

And thats about it for now at least. May add or remove things as time goes on.

So if you do run into issues feel free to drop a comment I'll do my best to help troubleshooting but if you are not using NMM there won't be much I can do unless its a simple fix as these MMs work differently and can cause different issues. Thanks for reading everyone and I hope this helped your Witcher 3. Whether you came here for the whole enchilada or 1 small piece of information or mod that's enough for me knowing I helped you out just a little.

And if you want a modding showcase for these mods. Say less this is the same set of mods I use for my Witcher 3 4k ultra 60 fps game movie series on youtube. Check it out!

And if you want to get into the witcher and the older games are just not your cup of tea. I also have Game movies for both Witcher 1 + 2 modded up soup to nuts!

Witcher 1 4k ultra 60 fps Game Movie

Witcher 2 4k Ultra 60 fps Game Movie

and I'll toss in the entire trilogy playlist for those who want it all.


As I write up more mod guides I will link them below:

Morrowind 2024 Essential Modding Guide

Oblivion 2024 Essential Modding Guide

Fallout 3 2024 Essential Modding Guide

Fallout New Vegas 2024 Essential Modding Guide

Fallout 4 2024 Essential Modding Guide

Skyrim SE 2024 Essential Modding Guide

Starfield 2024 Essential Modding Guide (WIP)

Baldur's Gate 3 2024 Modding Guide (WIP)

Cyberpunk 2077 Modding Guide