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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Yes—changing the difficulty can cost you the difficulty-specific completion trophy in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The achievement references for Ran the Gauntlet and Walked the Path say the required setting must be maintained for the entire qualifying run: Blood and Broken Bones for the former and Death March for the latter. If you lower the setting during that run, the guide evidence says the award is voided.
That is not a universal rule for every Witcher 3 trophy. Most trophies have their own objectives, and the evidence about difficulty changes concerns these completion awards specifically. Platform and game-version changes are a separate issue: CD PROJEKT RED says PlayStation trophies earned through backward compatibility do not transfer to the next-generation PlayStation SKU.
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Which Witcher 3 trophies are tied to difficulty?
The two difficulty-linked completion awards are the ones that require the most careful planning. Their requirements are different, so choose the target trophy before starting the run.
| Trophy or achievement | Required difficulty | Rule during the qualifying run | Evidence status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ran the Gauntlet | Blood and Broken Bones | Keep Blood and Broken Bones from the start through completion; changing difficulty is reported to void the award. | Fan-maintained achievement reference; not a verbatim developer rule. |
| Walked the Path | Death March | Keep Death March from the start through completion; the reference says it must not be changed. | Fan-maintained achievement reference; not a verbatim developer rule. |
The wording “finish the game” should be read as the completion run required by each achievement reference, not as a claim that every expansion quest or every side activity has to be played at that difficulty. The available evidence identifies the difficulty setting as the condition and does not establish additional requirements beyond completing the game on that setting.
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Can you lower the difficulty and still earn Walked the Path?
According to the achievement reference, no. Walked the Path is associated with completing the game on Death March, and the reference says Death March must remain selected from the beginning of the qualifying run. Lowering the setting for a difficult fight, then raising it again, is therefore not a safe strategy for this award.
The same logic applies if you change the setting only briefly, use a lower setting to clear a boss, or restore Death March immediately afterward. The guide evidence treats any change during the qualifying run as disqualifying. Because that rule comes from a fan-maintained reference rather than a published developer specification, it is best handled conservatively: keep Death March active for the entire run you intend to use for the trophy.
What “the whole game” means in practice
Start the run with Death March already selected and leave it there until the completion event that awards the achievement. Do not assume that playing most quests on Death March is enough, and do not rely on switching back before the final mission. The reference’s requirement is continuous, so a temporary change creates uncertainty even if the final battle is completed on Death March.
What about Ran the Gauntlet on Blood and Broken Bones?
Ran the Gauntlet uses the lower of the two trophy-linked settings: Blood and Broken Bones. The achievement reference says the game must be completed on Blood and Broken Bones and that changing difficulty voids the award. If this is your target, select Blood and Broken Bones before beginning the qualifying run and keep it active until completion.
Do not treat Blood and Broken Bones as an interchangeable substitute for Death March. Completing the game on Blood and Broken Bones can satisfy the requirement associated with Ran the Gauntlet, but it is not the setting named for Walked the Path. Decide which award you are pursuing and use the corresponding row in the table above.
Does changing difficulty lock every Witcher 3 trophy?
No. The available evidence supports a rule for the difficulty-linked completion awards, not a blanket lockout for the trophy list. A combat, exploration, collection, story, or quest trophy should be judged by its own stated requirement. You should not infer that lowering difficulty prevents every other award from unlocking.
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This distinction matters because players often describe the issue as “difficulty affects trophies,” which can sound broader than the actual rule. The precise statement is narrower: changing difficulty can invalidate the qualifying run for Ran the Gauntlet or Walked the Path. It does not establish that a difficulty change erases unrelated trophies, removes previously earned awards, or blocks all future unlocks.
How to plan a safe difficulty-trophy run
1. Pick the award before you start
Choose Blood and Broken Bones for Ran the Gauntlet or Death March for Walked the Path. If you want both, plan separate qualifying runs unless your platform’s achievement requirements and your own save history give you a verified way to pursue them together. The evidence supplied here does not establish a combined-run shortcut.
2. Set the required difficulty at the beginning
Begin the run with the required setting already active. A fresh start makes it easier to remember which save belongs to the qualifying attempt and avoids relying on a mid-game change that could already have invalidated the run.
3. Keep a manual checkpoint outside the qualifying chain
Maintain a separate manual save before major story progress. This is a general recovery practice, not a guarantee that a trophy can be repaired after an invalidating change. If you accidentally lower the difficulty, you can return to a save made before the change and continue the qualifying attempt without assuming the current run is still valid.
4. Avoid “temporary” changes
Do not lower the setting for a boss, raise it for a harder encounter, or experiment with the option while the run is in progress. The achievement references do not distinguish between a long-term change and a brief one, so treating every change as disqualifying is the least risky interpretation.
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Leave the required difficulty selected through the completion event. Only after the award appears—or after you have confirmed that the run has satisfied the relevant requirement—should you consider changing the setting for ordinary play.
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What if you already changed the difficulty?
You have a save from before the change
Reload that earlier save, verify the required setting, and continue from there without changing it again. The evidence does not promise that reloading will restore eligibility, but it is the most defensible recovery option because the qualifying run can continue without the recorded change.
You changed difficulty and have no earlier save
Assume the current attempt is no longer reliable for the difficulty-linked award. You can continue playing for other objectives, or restart the qualifying run with the correct setting from the beginning. Do not spend hours expecting the trophy to appear merely because the final mission is completed at the required difficulty; the reference specifically warns against changing settings during the run.
The trophy did not appear despite following the rule
First confirm that you targeted the correct award and setting. Blood and Broken Bones corresponds to Ran the Gauntlet; Death March corresponds to Walked the Path. Then check whether you changed the setting at any point, including during an earlier section of the run, and whether you completed the game event required by the achievement reference. Keep your save files intact while checking rather than overwriting the run.
PlayStation version changes are a separate trophy issue
Difficulty continuity and platform SKU continuity are different conditions. CD PROJEKT RED’s support guidance says that PlayStation trophies earned through backward compatibility do not transfer to the next-generation version because the next-generation release uses a different SKU. The guidance states that players must meet the requirements again to unlock those trophies in that version.
Therefore, a trophy earned on the backward-compatible PlayStation release should not be treated as automatically earned on the next-generation PlayStation release. If you move versions, plan to satisfy the relevant requirement again, including the correct difficulty rule for a new Ran the Gauntlet or Walked the Path run. This caveat is specific to the PlayStation backward-compatibility and next-generation SKU situation; it is not a general statement about Xbox or PC saves.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What to do if an Xbox achievement fails to unlock
CD PROJEKT RED’s Xbox troubleshooting guidance addresses achievements that do not appear after their requirements have been met. It recommends a short sequence of checks:
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- Confirm the achievement’s requirement and verify that your play actually satisfies it.
- Check that the console has a stable internet connection so the achievement can synchronize.
- Clear the Xbox cache using the platform’s standard cache-clearing procedure.
- Try triggering the requirement again.
This troubleshooting advice does not state whether changing difficulty invalidates a particular achievement. Use it for a synchronization or unlock failure after you have separately confirmed the correct difficulty and completion conditions. It should not be read as evidence that a disqualified Death March or Blood and Broken Bones run can be repaired by reconnecting or clearing the cache.
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Common misunderstandings
“I only lowered it for one fight.”
The references do not provide an exception for a single fight. A temporary change is still a change during the qualifying run, so it should be treated as unsafe.
“I finished on Death March, so the trophy must count.”
The stated requirement is continuity from the start of the run, not merely the setting used for the final mission. Finishing at the correct difficulty does not remove the risk created by an earlier change.
“Every trophy is now locked.”
The evidence does not support that conclusion. The warning applies to the two difficulty-specific completion awards identified above. Other trophies retain their own requirements.
“The expansion trophy statement proves difficulty changes are harmless.”
CD PROJEKT RED’s official game FAQ says achievements and trophies remain unaffected in the context of the game’s expansion content. That statement concerns the content change described on that FAQ page; it does not answer whether changing difficulty during a qualifying run voids Ran the Gauntlet or Walked the Path.
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Reliability and scope of the difficulty rule
The specific continuous-difficulty requirement is supported here by fan-maintained achievement references. Those pages are useful practical guides, but they are not a developer rule page, and the available material does not include a verbatim official statement from CD PROJEKT RED confirming the mechanic. The safest advice is therefore conservative rather than absolute: if the award matters, never change the required setting during the qualifying run.
The official material does support two related points independently: PlayStation trophies from backward compatibility do not transfer to the next-generation SKU, and Xbox players with an achievement that fails to appear should verify requirements, connection stability, cache state, and retriggering. Neither official item changes the difficulty-specific guidance.
Quick checklist before you commit to the run
- Identify the target: Ran the Gauntlet requires Blood and Broken Bones; Walked the Path requires Death March.
- Start with the target difficulty already selected.
- Keep it selected for the entire qualifying run.
- Do not make a temporary change for a boss, quest, or experiment.
- Keep a manual save from before major progress and protect it from being overwritten.
- If you change difficulty, treat the attempt as unreliable and restart from an earlier save or begin a new qualifying run.
- If you switch from the backward-compatible PlayStation release to the next-generation SKU, expect to meet trophy requirements again.
- If an Xbox achievement fails to appear after a valid attempt, follow the developer’s connection, cache, and retriggering checks.
Bottom line for your next playthrough
Changing difficulty matters when you are pursuing the completion award tied to that setting. Keep Blood and Broken Bones unchanged for Ran the Gauntlet, or keep Death March unchanged for Walked the Path. Do not extend that rule to unrelated trophies, and do not confuse a difficulty change with the separate PlayStation trophy-transfer issue created by different SKUs.
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