Is this still Velen or already Himmelsrand? A camera mod lets you see the world of The Witcher 3 through Geralt’s eyes. Find out how well it plays and everything you need to know about installing it here.
The Witcher 3 has already been around for a few years. Many of you know the forests and meadows of Velen, the Skellige Islands and Toussaint like the back of your hand. The Gervant First Person mod is just what you need, because at first glance you could easily mistake Geralt’s adventures for a new Elder Scrolls game.
A first-person view in the third Witcher game, can that work? After all, the game was developed from the ground up for the chaser perspective. There should be plenty of display errors and limitations – shouldn’t there?
To answer this question for you, we installed the mod and loaded an old game save. We have recorded the gameplay for you on video. And as the icing on the cake, there’s a comprehensive installation guide on top of it all.
How the first-person mod works
What works, what doesn’t? In our self-experiment, we found surprisingly few limitations from the mod. Fighting, riding, casting characters, all no problem and thanks to the first-person perspective incredibly immersive. The HUD also doesn’t make a fuss and is displayed without any problems.
Only in the dialogues does the camera float away from Geralt’s body and switch back to the familiar external view. However, this transition looks pleasingly clean, which is why it is not at the expense of the atmosphere.
The biggest weakness is the fighting, but the mod can only do something about that to a limited extent. Although you can aim at enemies, the battles are a bit confusing and sword blows often miss, especially with nimble creatures. Normal fights can still be won, but in boss fights we imagine things to be difficult.
So, enough rambling. Now make yourselves comfortable and see for yourself in our gameplay video:
This is how you install the mod on your system
If your fingers are itching now, you should be prepared for some tinkering. But we won’t leave you alone, we’ll guide you step by step with our instructions:
First, download the following mods from Nexusmods:
* The actual mod (Gervant First Person) (both files: GFP Main File and GFP Patch)
* The (Community Patch – Base) (needed as base)
* The (Community Patch – Shared Imports) (an extension of the Community Patch)
Now you have four archives in front of you that you have to unzip and move in the correct order. Phew, quite confusing! So be sure to follow our step-by-step instructions:
* (1.) Safety first: It’s best to make a copy of your game directory to be able to undo the changes if necessary. Unfortunately, not all mods you need can be installed easily with a mod manager, which is why we advise you to take this step before continuing. By default, the game directories have the following path:
- C:\Program Files (x86)\GOG Galaxy\Games\The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt GOTY (GOG)
- C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt GOTY (Steam)
- C:\Program Files (x86)\Epic Games\The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt GOTY (Epic Store)
(2). First unpack the archive CommunityPatch-Base … and copy its contents into your game directory. Confirm the dialogue asking if you want to overwrite already existing files with Yes.
(3). Secondly, unpack the archive modSharedImports … and also copy its contents into the game directory.
(4). Very good, now you have already successfully created the basis for your first-person experience! Now unpack the third mod, namely the archive GFP Main file …, and these files also go into your game directory (do you recognise the pattern?!).
(5). Finally we have arrived at the last mod. The archive is called GFP Patch … and contains only one file called GervantFPPatch.exe. Move this file into your game directory, but this time even deeper, namely into the subfolder \bin\x64. Then double-click on the GervantFPPatch.exe and wait until the installation process is complete.
(6). Done! Launch The Witcher 3 and view the game world from a new perspective.
View the world of The Witcher in a new light? That’s what students at the University of Warsaw wanted, too, who in a true act of diligence created what is probably the most detailed world map of The Witcher.
How do you like the first-person view in The Witcher 3? Do you find this perspective more immersive than the chase camera, or do you prefer to control Geralt in the conventional way? Feel free to write us your opinion and experiences with the mod in the comments!
