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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11For a story-first playthrough, choose Just the Story!; for a balanced challenge, choose Story and Sword!. Blood and Broken Bones! and Death March! raise combat pressure, and both remove health recovery through meditation. Difficulty is a choice about how you want fights and recovery to feel—not a canon choice or a different story campaign.
Quick recommendation: Which difficulty should you use?
- Just the Story! is the gentlest option if you want to focus on quests and narrative with less combat friction.
- Story and Sword! is the middle setting for players who want a conventional challenge without the extra recovery pressure of the harder modes.
- Blood and Broken Bones! suits players who want tougher fights and are ready to plan healing because meditation no longer restores health.
- Death March! is the hardest of the four standard settings, for players actively seeking the strongest combat pressure and resource demands.
There is no universally best setting established by the available evidence. Pick the one that sounds enjoyable; you do not need to treat the highest difficulty as a test of skill.
How the four difficulty settings compare
The table summarizes reported differences. The enemy-health, enemy-damage, and experience figures come from Witcher Wiki, which attributes them to extracted game files; they are secondary reporting, not an official CD PROJEKT RED balance table. The meditation distinction is also described by Prima Games.
| Setting | Practical feel | Health restored through meditation? | Reported enemy health | Reported enemy damage | Reported experience |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Just the Story! | Lowest combat pressure | Yes | -50% | 0% | 100% |
| Story and Sword! | Middle setting | Yes | +10% | +40% | 100% |
| Blood and Broken Bones! | Higher combat pressure; recovery needs more planning | No | +20% | +130% | 90% |
| Death March! | Hardest standard setting | No | +80% | +230% | 80% |
These percentages are Witcher Wiki’s reported parameters, attributed to extracted game files; the page result does not state a publication year. They are useful for comparing the reported scale of the settings, but should not be read as a current official balance specification. See the Witcher Wiki difficulty reference and Prima Games difficulty guide.
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- Built for endless adventure, the massive open world of The Witcher sets new standards in terms of size, depth and complexity
The key breakpoint: healing through meditation
The most consequential practical distinction is between the two lower settings and the two higher ones: on Just the Story! and Story and Sword!, meditation restores health; on Blood and Broken Bones! and Death March!, it does not. The harder settings therefore ask you to think beyond enemy damage and account for how you will recover between fights. If that additional planning sounds like an unwelcome interruption, choose one of the lower settings.
Does difficulty change the story?
The cited difficulty references describe changes to combat pressure, reported enemy parameters, experience gain, and meditation healing. They do not document a different campaign narrative, quest availability, or ending for each setting. Choose based on the play experience you want, rather than an assumption that a particular difficulty is required for an authentic story or outcome.
Rank #2
![The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Complete Edition Standard - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41GuNyQ2DiL._SL160_.jpg)
- CD PROJEKT , The Witcher are registered trademarks of CD PROJEKT S.A. The Witcher game CD PROJEKT S.A. Developed by CD PROJEKT S.A. All rights reserved. The Witcher game is based on the prose of Andrzej Sapkowski. All other copyrights and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Choosing a difficulty for New Game+
New Game+ lets you start again with skills and items carried over from a previous playthrough. CD PROJEKT RED Support says it can be started from the Main Menu after completing the main storyline, but not from a save that is already a New Game+ file; another journey must begin from a regular new game. The support article does not prescribe a difficulty, so select one according to the challenge and recovery demands you want for that run. See CD PROJEKT RED Support’s New Game+ guidance.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Version and platform context
CD PROJEKT RED’s October 8, 2026 Patch 5.01 notes list releases for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The listed gameplay fixes include a correction for an unintentionally delayed dodge response, but the notes do not describe changes to difficulty parameters. That does not establish that every platform or edition has identical settings. Read the Patch 5.01 notes for the named platforms and update; the reported modifiers above remain secondary-source figures.
Quick Recap
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![The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Standard - Switch [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41kEYL0NfuL._SL160_.jpg)
- A WHOLE WORLD TO EXPLORE. AT HOME AND ON THE GO.
- Developed to take advantage of everything Nintendo Switch has to offer, the game delivers a truly powerful on-the-go experience.
- A gigantic and limitless open world to explore Sail through open seas, dive in search of long lost artifacts or gallop your mount into combat-the world of the Witcher beckons to be explored. Visit the luxurious and corrupt city of Novigrad, face the frigid cold of the wind-swept Skellige islands, and challenge the dark forces roaming the forlorn, war-ravaged No Man's Land. While on the road, use your special witcher senses to hunt down ferocious monsters and earn gold. Do anything you want, anytime you want!
- Unparalleled novel-like story, spanning over 100 hours of gameplay With over 100 hours of core and side-quest gameplay, The Witcher combines the intense, plot-driven pull of traditional RPGs with the freedom of choice only open world games can offer. Develop Geralt's skills to create your unique gameplay experience, make choices and face their consequences that will stay with you throughout the entire game.
- Tactical, responsive, multi-layered combat Brutal, tactical and highly responsive, the combat system of The Witcher elevates skirmish mechanics to an entirely different level. Fight foes intimately, one on one, or seamlessly switch from one enemy to another as you devise your own strategies to beat the countless opponents in the game. Use the crossbow to bring down monsters just out of reach, and employ real world physics as your weapon-smash foes into walls and use the environment to your advantage.
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