The Witcher 3 Remastered: How to Change Difficulty Settings

You can change the difficulty settings in The Witcher 3 Remastered at any time, even mid-quest: load your save, pause the game, open Settings (called Options in the original game’s pause menu), choose Gameplay, and change Difficulty Level near the bottom of the list. It takes effect immediately, with no restart and no penalty, unless you are chasing the Death March achievement.

The difficulty levels change more than enemy damage, though. One of them changes how healing works entirely, and the Remaster adds a new accessibility preset, Bard’s Ballad, that sits alongside them, so it’s worth knowing what you’re signing up for.

Step-by-Step: How to Change Difficulty

1. Load your save. The difficulty option only appears in a loaded game, as it has since the original release. If you open Settings from the main menu and cannot find it, this is why.
2. Pause the game: Options on PS5, Menu on Xbox, + on Switch 2, or Esc on PC.
3. Open Settings, then Gameplay. CD Projekt Red’s own Remastered notes send players to this same Settings and Gameplay section for other options, such as grouping nearby loot into one window.
4. Scroll to Difficulty Level and move it left (easier) or right (harder).
5. Back out of the menu. The change applies instantly. No reload required.

You can switch as often as you like, in either direction, mid-quest or mid-contract, on every platform. The only time it costs you anything is the achievement rule further down. If you are worried about losing progress while you experiment, our guide to saving your game covers manual saves.

Can’t Change Difficulty Level in Game Settings: The Fix

If the option is not where the steps above say, it is almost always one of these:

• You opened Settings from the main menu. Difficulty Level only shows with a save loaded. Load in first.
• You are looking in Accessibility. The Remaster added a new Accessibility section and moved accessibility options there, but difficulty did not move: it stays under Gameplay.
• You are looking for Bard’s Ballad at a new game on a harder level. CD Projekt Red says you can enable it at the start only on the Just the Story difficulty. On any other level, turn it on later from the Accessibility section.

Witcher 3 Remastered Difficulty Levels Compared

The Witcher 3 has used the same four levels since the original release, and CD Projekt Red’s Remastered change list adds no new one. The level names and achievement rules below come from the game’s official Steam achievement list, Bard’s Ballad from CD Projekt Red’s change list, and the meditation column from how the game has worked since 2015:

What each one feels like:

• Just the Story! Combat is a light obstacle between story beats. Enemies hit softly and go down fast.
• Story and Sword! The intended “normal.” Combat asks you to dodge and use Signs, but forgives mistakes.
• Blood and Broken Bones! Enemies hit noticeably harder, and preparation (oils, potions, food) starts to matter.
• Death March! The hardest mode. Early-game drowners can kill Geralt in a few hits, and alchemy and gear preparation stop being optional.

The Remaster does change how fights feel at every level: CD Projekt Red “polished the combat behavior of many non-boss monsters,” including their attack patterns, counterattacks and reactions, and gave Geralt new finishers. Its change list names no Death March change specifically, but a level you found comfortable in the original may play a little differently now.

The Hidden Difference: Meditation Healing

This is the change most players don’t know about. On the two lower difficulties, meditating restores Geralt’s health to full: a free heal anywhere, anytime. On Blood and Broken Bones and Death March, meditation does not heal you at all. You’ll rely on food, Swallow potions, and the White Raffard’s Decoction instead, which is what makes the jump to the higher difficulties feel so much bigger than a damage tweak.

The Remaster changes how meditation looks (CD Projekt Red says it “now features a timelapse instead of a UI screen”) but its change list says nothing about changing what meditation heals.

New in the Remaster: The Bard’s Ballad Preset

There is no new difficulty level in the Remaster. What CD Projekt Red’s official change list adds is Bard’s Ballad, a preset it describes as “designed to reduce cognitive load for players who experience mental fatigue or have difficulty concentrating.” It streamlines gameplay by simplifying certain mechanics and disabling select features. It is not a fifth difficulty level: it sits on top of whichever level you pick. There are two ways to turn it on:

• When starting a new game, on the Just the Story difficulty.
• During the game, in the Accessibility section of the settings.

Once it’s enabled, you can customize it in the Accessibility tab by switching each of these options on or off:

• Vitality Regeneration Boost: lets you adjust its activation threshold (“Activates below (%) Vitality”) and the rate at which Vitality increases (“Regeneration Intensity”).
• Infinite Breath: Geralt can’t run out of oxygen while swimming and diving.
• Unlimited Item Durability: your gear never wears down, so there’s no need to visit craftsmen for repairs.
• Unlimited Boat Durability: boats are indestructible, so jagged rocks and sirens are no longer a concern.
• Ignore Item Weight: carry as much as you want.
• Faster Boats: sail faster across the seas.
• Toggle Witcher Sense: switch Witcher Sense on and off without holding the button.

The New Accessibility Section

The Remaster also adds a new Accessibility section to the Settings menu and moves the existing accessibility-related options there, so if you’re hunting for a setting you used in the original game, check that section first. It’s also where Bard’s Ballad lives once a playthrough is underway. Difficulty itself did not move: it stays under Gameplay. On PC, the graphics side of the menu changed a lot too; our best PC settings guide covers it, and our news story on the full change list covers the rest of the update.

The Death March Achievement Catch

Two achievements depend on difficulty, per the game’s Steam achievement list:

• Walked the Path: “Finish the game on the ‘Death March!’ difficulty level.”
• Ran the Gauntlet: “Finish the game on the ‘Blood and Broken Bones!’ or ‘Death March!’ difficulty levels.”

The official wording does not spell out the catch, but since the original release the game has remembered the lowest difficulty you used. Dropping below Death March even once, even for a single fight, locks you out of Walked the Path for that run, so treat it as a whole-playthrough rule. Everything else, including both expansions’ achievements, can be earned on any difficulty. Our achievement and trophy guide has the full list.

Which Difficulty to Pick

• First playthrough, here for the story: Story and Sword. It’s the balance the game was designed around.
• Returning veteran using the Remaster as an excuse to replay: Blood and Broken Bones. The overhauled combat will feel fresh without the early-game brutality of Death March.
• Achievement hunters: Death March from the start. Remember the rule above.
• Players who want the least friction: Just the Story with Bard’s Ballad switched on, then tune its options to taste.

Since CD Projekt Red confirms your skill points have been reset in the Remaster, difficulty is also worth revisiting: a build you tuned for Death March in the original may play differently in the redesigned skill trees. Our guide to respeccing your skills covers the reset, our best early build is a good starting point on the harder levels, and every other guide is on our Witcher 3 hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you change difficulty mid-game in The Witcher 3 Remastered? Yes. Pause, open Settings, then Gameplay, and change Difficulty Level. It applies immediately, as often as you like, on PC, PS5, Xbox and Switch 2.

Why can’t I find the difficulty setting? It only appears with a save loaded. Opening Settings from the main menu does not show it, so load your game first, then look under Gameplay, not Accessibility.

Does the Remaster add a new difficulty level? No. The same four levels remain. The new addition is Bard’s Ballad, an accessibility preset you can switch on at a new game on Just the Story or later from the Accessibility section.

Does changing difficulty affect XP? Probably. In the original game, XP drops to 90% on Blood and Broken Bones! and 80% on Death March!, with full XP on the two lower levels. CD Projekt Red has never published the numbers, and the Remastered change list does not mention any change to that.

Does lowering the difficulty cancel the Death March achievement? Yes. Steam’s description only says to finish on Death March!, but the game tracks the lowest difficulty you used, so never drop below it for the whole playthrough.

Can I raise the difficulty just before the final boss to get the Death March reward? No. The game tracks the lowest difficulty you used across the playthrough, so switching to Death March for the finale does not count.

Can I switch off Death March partway through? Yes, the same way you switch any level. Just know that doing so ends your Walked the Path run for that playthrough.

Does Bard’s Ballad disable achievements? CD Projekt Red has not said that it does, and its change list presents Bard’s Ballad as an accessibility preset rather than a difficulty. If you are chasing Walked the Path, the cautious choice is to leave it off.

Can I turn on Bard’s Ballad partway through a playthrough? Yes. CD Projekt Red says you can enable it when starting a new game on Just the Story or during the game in the Accessibility section, and customize its options from the Accessibility tab.

Do enemies scale to my level? Only if you turn it on. Settings, Gameplay, Enemy Upscaling raises lower-level enemies to stay threatening; it’s off by default.