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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's newest patch is being rolled out on PlayStation 4, and luckily, we've managed to get it downloaded and installed. The update weighs in at a very hefty 7.5GB, and it promises an absolute ton of alterations and fixes. From a new movement mode for Geralt, to supposedly improved technical performance, this one's apparently got it all. As such, we've put together a look at patch 1.07, and detailed the changes - heck, we've even included videos just so you know what we're actually rambling about.

Geralt's alternative movement mode

This is the big change for many players. The Witcher 3's often been criticised for the way in which protagonist Geralt moves and controls. Not too dissimilar to the kind of character movement found in Grand Theft Auto V, Geralt is weighty, meaning that he can't turn on a dime, for example. His movements are staggered, and even jittery in tight spaces - but with the new alternative movement mode that's found in the gameplay section of the options menu, this isn't quite the case any more.

As shown in the above video, Geralt is generally much more responsive when this mode is applied. He turns faster, you have more control over his direction, and you can even spin on the spot. All in all, it's a pretty great addition to the game.

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Player stash for storing items

This one's self-explanatory: you can now store unneeded items in chests found throughout the game. This means that you don't have to lug all of your rare armour sets around, and you can finally ditch all of those monster heads. It goes without saying that this is another great addition to the release.

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Inventory improvements

Your inventory can be a bit of a mess in The Witcher 3, but patch 1.07 has implemented some considerable improvements. For starters, you can now sort your gear and items via a simple little menu, while alchemy and crafting components no longer weigh anything. This means that you don't have to worry about rummaging through your materials, trying to figure out what you can and can't afford to sell.

What's more, books have been jumbled around, and it's now far easier to find out what you have and haven't read thanks to some bright green text at the bottom of the screen.

Improved performance in foggy areas

The Witcher 3 runs well enough on PS4 but there's always been room for improvement, and one commonly requested performance tweak has to do with the game's fog. Essentially, dense fog can make the frame rate chug a little, all while your console's fan goes into overdrive. As seen in the video above, patch 1.07 actually seems to improve performance when moving in and around fog. The frame rate dips, while still present, don't appear to be as bad as before, and we also noticed that our PS4's fan doesn't turn into a jet engine. Hurrah!

Less pop-in and a better frame rate in dense areas

Novigrad is The Witcher 3's biggest city, and it's quite well known for the strain that it seems to put on the game. Textures can appear muddy until they properly pop, character models can rather annoyingly fade into existence, and the frame rate can take a plunge.

Fortunately, we've noticed marked improvements in Novigrad and other dense locations after installing patch 1.07. While the frame rate still drops, the dips don't seem to be nearly as bad, while texture and character model pop-in has been dramatically improved, as you can see in the video above. Generally, the game seems to render assets far more capably than before. And, needless to say that on foot, the performance is smoother still.

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Improved horse behaviour

Roach is Geralt's trusty steed, but sometimes she isn't quite as reliable as he'd like. Roach has a nasty tendency to get stuck on foliage when you call for her, and she's got a habit of zipping straight past you or galloping off when you try to saddle up.

Thankfully, from what we can tell, patch 1.07 improves Roach's behaviour - at least to some extent. Typically, we did find her stuck on a tree at one point, but other than that, she seems to handle narrow roads and bridges much more elegantly. What's more, we generally found that she spawns in slightly better locations when you whistle.

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New visual effects options

Delve into the options menu with patch 1.07 installed, and you'll notice that there are new post-processing options. There are two options on offer: motion blur, and blur. Both are enabled by default, and both add blur effects to the game's visuals when you quickly turn the camera, or move at fast speeds. We tried turning both off to see if there was any positive impact on the game's performance, but we didn't notice any immediate differences.


Have you downloaded the latest patch? Are you still playing The Witcher 3? Let us know how your journey's going in the comments section below.