From there you’ll visit another major region called the Skellige Isles. You’ll start out in the relatively serene White Orchard region, but soon move on to Velen where the full extent of The Witcher’s melancholy beauty becomes apparent. You won’t be jumping to and from them at will-legwork is required. None feel “gamey” (and some problems arise there, which I’ll get to later). Mood is where The Witcher 3 really shines: the weather effects, the wind in the trees, the boggy dirt roads and tumbledown cottages… none feel programmed or designed. If that puts you in mind of Dragon Age: Inquisition, then you’re only halfway there: the two major regions of the map feel bigger than those in DA:I, and they’re the most lifelike pastoral open world settings I’ve seen in a video game-and I played it on PS4. It’s a handful of massive sections, with the game’s lore necessitating loading screens due to the distance between each.

It’s well known by now, but the Northern Realms isn’t a seamless map like Skyrim.

The witcher 3 lock on