Best 5 essential The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Windows PC mods

The Witcher 3
The Witcher 3 (Image credit: Windows Central)

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is one of the best games ever made, but if you're a PC gamer, there are some truly stellar community-made mods that will enhance your experience with the game. Some are simple and simply boost graphical quality while others aim to re-balance entire sections of gameplay, but all of them ultimately serve to make The Witcher 3 even better than it already is. Here are our favorites.

Ghost Mode

Combat in the mod.

Source: wghost81 on Nexus Mods (Image credit: Source: wghost81 on Nexus Mods)

Ghost Mode is a gameplay overhaul mod that aims to re-balance nearly everything about the game and make the overall player experience tougher, but still rooted within the core principals of the vanilla gameplay balancing. This is achieved by the addition of stamina-based combat, a logical rework of how loot spawns, an overhaul to the alchemy system, and much more. On top of this, the mod buffs and nerfs many under or overpowered items and skills respectively so that every part of The Witcher 3's sandbox has a place. While this mod probably isn't a good pick if you're new to the game, it's absolutely an awesome way for veterans to experience The Witcher 3 in a fresh new light. You can download it here.

Shields

The mod in action.

Source: ScoutBr0 on Nexus Mods (Image credit: Source: ScoutBr0 on Nexus Mods)

If you like the sound of being able to use shields in The Witcher 3, then you'll love this lore-friendly and well-balanced gameplay addition project. The mod adds a plethora of different shield types to the game world's loot tables and shops, and you can use them for a stronger frontal defense at the cost of speed in combat. In addition, you can still get hit if enemies manage to flank you, meaning that the mod isn't overpowered and actually fits quite seamlessly into The Witcher 3's gameplay design. You can get the mod here.

HD Reworked Project

The mod in action.

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)

This mod significantly improves The Witcher 3's graphical quality by massively improving the quality of the textures, all with only a slight impact on system performance. With this overhaul, everything from the mugs in taverns to the rocky sides of castle towers look absolutely stunning and lifelike. As a result, the project makes The Witcher 3 look and feel even more immersive than it already was, which is quite the achievement. You're definitely going to want to break out NVIDIA Ansel for some screenshots with this one. You can download the overhaul here.

More Shadows

The mod in action.

Source: DJ_Kovrik on Nexus Mods (Image credit: Source: DJ_Kovrik on Nexus Mods)

This graphics mod adds shadows to lighting objects that don't cast any in the vanilla game, such as torches, candles, and lamps. Though you won't see the effects of this mod much in the daytime, it really works its magic during night gameplay, as the realistic shadow casts make The Witcher 3's evening visuals more immersive and engaging to look at. While it is far from being a game changer in terms of scope, this mod is nevertheless appreciated for how it gives a boost to the game's nighttime look. You can get it here.

The Appearances Menu Mod

The mod in action.

Source: CAPA14 on Nexus Mods (Image credit: Source: CAPA14 on Nexus Mods)

This mod allows you to change the look of both Geralt and his horse, Roach, at any time through a new menu in the user interface. You can edit everything from Geralt's beard style to the boots he wears, and doing so is a quick, easy process that will please anyone who wants to mess around with The Witcher 3's fashion options without having to search for, craft, or buy clothes and armor. The menu is also balanced from a gameplay perspective as well, as the edits made in the menu are purely cosmetic. This means that while the menu's options will override the visual appearance of whatever gear Geralt is wearing, it won't alter any stats. You can get it here.

Your thoughts?

What do you think of my top five choices for The WItcher 3: Wild Hunt mods? Are there any that you think I should have put on this list instead of one of the ones I chose? What's your personal favorite mod? Let me know down below.

The Witcher 3 on PC is available for $40 through Steam.

Brendan Lowry

Brendan Lowry is a Windows Central writer and Oakland University graduate with a burning passion for video games, of which he's been an avid fan since childhood. You'll find him doing reviews, editorials, and general coverage on everything Xbox and PC. Follow him on Twitter.