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The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings cover
Developers
CD Projekt Red
macOS (OS X) Virtual Programming
Linux Virtual Programming
Publishers
CD Projekt
Retail Atari
Hungary PlayON
Engines
Past REDengine
Enhanced Edition REDengine 2
Release dates
Windows May 17, 2011
macOS (OS X) October 18, 2012[1]
Linux May 22, 2014[2]
Reception
Metacritic 88
IGDB 86
Taxonomy
Monetization One-time game purchase
Microtransactions None
Modes Singleplayer
Pacing Real-time
Perspectives Third-person
Controls Direct control
Genres RPG
Themes Fantasy
Series The Witcher
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings on HowLongToBeat
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings on IGDB
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings on MobyGames
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings on Wikipedia
The Witcher
The Witcher 2007
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings 2011
The Witcher Adventure Game 2014
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 2015
Gwent: The Witcher Card Game 2018
Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales 2018
Gwent: Rogue Mage 2022
The Witcher: Remake TBA

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is a singleplayer third-person RPG game in the The Witcher series.

CD Projekt Red has released official modding tool for the game.[3] The game is incompatible with Windows' built-in color calibration feature. Screens calibrated using this feature will have incorrectly-displayed in-game colors.[citation needed]

As of May 17, 2023 [4], GOG Galaxy has added achievement support for the game. Before that, achievement support had been advertised in the game's store page, with the respective trophy icon, but in actuality achievements didn't exist for the game in that platform. This has now been rectified, years later, in a happily unexpected manner.

General information

Official Forums
Official Witcher Wiki (Fandom)
Official Witcher Game Series Wiki (Gamepedia)
GOG.com Community Discussions
GOG.com Support Page
A comprehensive list of known issues and potential fixes.
The Witcher 2 for PC Technical FAQ.
Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
Disc check (requires the CD/DVD in the drive to play)
Requires online activation
DRM-free
SecuROM 8 and SecuROM PA DRM.
Removed in patches and later retail releases.
GOG.com key
Windows
GOG.com
DRM-free
Enhanced Edition.
Offers various bonus goodies including the complete soundtrack in MP3 and FLAC formats.
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Linux
Humble Store
GOG.com key
Enhanced Edition.
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Linux
Mac App Store
Icon overlay.png
Enhanced Edition.
macOS (OS X)
Steam
Icon overlay.png
Enhanced Edition.
GOG.com key
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Linux
GamersGate (unavailable)
DRM-free after installation (requires an internet connection during installation)
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Origin (unavailable)
Origin
Enhanced Edition.
Windows
All versions can be registered on GOG.com even if a product key was not included; see Witcher Backup for details.

Essential improvements

Patches

Install the latest patches to fix bugs and remove DRM.

Project Mersey - The Witcher 2 Fix Pack

“An extensive fix pack spanning across all aspects of the game. Including bug fixes, restored journal entries, dialogues, even entire characters and equipment. Also aimed at removing most tedious aspects of the game.”

Includes many bug fixes and acts as the unofficial patch of the game.
Restores cut content.
Also includes various quality-of-life improvements which modifies some of the developer-intended game mechanics which might not be suitable for players who are looking for a pure, vanilla experience.
The author includes documentation that lists every change and the associated files, allowing users with modding knowledge to create their own customized version.

Modifications

Skip intro videos

Use Intro logo removal mod and a blank video file[5]
Intro logo removal mod allows skipping of all the intro videos except the CD Projekt logo. Deleting the associated cdpr.usm file or removing its contents causes the game not to start, however, it is possible to effectively skip it by providing the game with a blank valid .usm video file.
  1. Download the Intro logo removal mod and extract the globals folder inside the archive to <path-to-game>\CookedPC\.
  2. Download and save the cdpr.usm file to <path-to-game>\CookedPC\movies\ and overwrite the existing file.

Game data

Configuration Tool
Configuration Tool

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Witcher 2\Config\
macOS (OS X) $HOME/Library/Application Support/com.vpltd.TheWitcher2/GameDocuments/Witcher 2/config/
Linux $XDG_DATA_HOME/cdprojektred/witcher2/GameDocuments/Witcher 2/config/
This game follows the XDG Base Directory Specification on Linux.

Save game data location

System Location
Windows %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Witcher 2\gamesaves\
macOS (OS X) $HOME/Library/Application Support/com.vpltd.TheWitcher2/GameDocuments/Witcher 2/gamesaves/
Linux $XDG_DATA_HOME/cdprojektred/witcher2/GameDocuments/Witcher 2/gamesaves/
Steam <Steam-folder>/userdata/<user-id>/20920/remote/
Saves can be imported from The Witcher.

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
GOG Galaxy
Origin
OneDrive
Requires enabling backup of the Documents folder in OneDrive on all computers.
Steam Cloud
Approx. 954 MB available.
Steam version uses Steam save game data location when cloud is activated.

Video

Graphics feature State WSGF Notes
Widescreen resolution
1280x720 and higher.
Multi-monitor
See Ultra-widescreen.
Ultra-widescreen
See Ultra-widescreen.
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)
The game increases FOV on outdoor areas and further when fighting. To customize, use FOV-Mod.
Windowed
Borderless fullscreen windowed
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
No built-in option for anisotropic filtering, the game seems to use trilinear filtering. Forcing through the GPU control panel only seems to work on select surfaces, terrain remains unaffected.[6][7]
Anti-aliasing (AA)
Custom post-processing method labeled as "Anti-aliasing"[8] and 2x2 OGSSAA labeled as "UberSampling"[9].
High-fidelity upscaling
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Vertical sync (Vsync)
60 FPS and 120+ FPS
No frame rate or refresh rate cap.[10]
High dynamic range display (HDR)
See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Ultra-widescreen

Use Widescreen Fixer v3.4 r662 with the updated Witcher 2 plugin[11]
The latest 3.5.0.26g Steam and GOG version is not supported by the currently available built-in Flawless Widescreen and Widescreen Fixer plugins, requiring a custom updated plugin that only works with Widescreen Fixer v3.4 r662.
  1. Download the Widescreen Fixer v3.4 r662 archive file and extract it to a directory of your own choosing.
  2. Download the updated Witcher 2 plugin archive file and extract it to the Plugins folder of Widescreen Fixer v3.4 r662.
  3. Run Widescreen Fixer.exe.
  4. Select The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings from the drop-down menu.
  5. Click on the cog icon to open the plugin settings.
  6. Select your game version (i.e., GoG or Steam).
  7. Input the aspect ratio for the chosen ultra-widescreen game resolution (e.g., 43:18 for 3440x1440). You can use this online tool to calculate aspect ratio of any resolution.
  8. Input the horizontal part of the chosen ultra-widescreen game resolution (e.g., 3440 for 3440x1440).
  9. Click on Save Settings and then Close Window.
  10. Run the game and either start a new game or load a game to get into the game state where you play as the main character and the UI is visible.
  11. Press the * key 3 times (or whichever key combination is set as the hotkey in Widescreen Fixer settings) until you see the game as "squeezed-in" then Alt+Tab out of the game and then back in to fix the rendering. Alternatively, instead of using the Widescreen Fixer hotkey, you can Alt+Tab out of the game and choose The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings from the drop-down menu multiple times until Widescreen Fixer applies correctly.
Widescreen Fixer will automatically apply the correction upon each consecutive game launch, as long as the resolution does not change and Widescreen Fixer runs in the background.
The fix needs to be manually applied as shown upon the initial launch of the game.
UI elements and on-screen effects are limited to 16:9.
Overhead subtitles are stretched.

Enable or disable sharpening filter

Sharpening filter is enabled by default, for some players the effect might be too aggressive and may also cause aliasing and shimmering.
Modify User.ini[12]
  1. Go to configuration file location.
  2. Open User.ini.
  3. Find AllowSharpen=1 and change the 1 to 0.

Ambient occlusion

Force HBAO+ (Nvidia only)[13][14]
  1. Download and run Nvidia Profile Inspector.
  2. Select the The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings profile.
  3. Change Ambient Occlusion compatibility value to 0x00000033.
  4. Change Ambient Occlusion setting to High Quality.
  5. Change Ambient Occlusion usage to Enabled.
  6. Press "Apply Changes" in the top-right corner.

Notes

SSAO needs to be disabled in the launcher.
Only works with true 16:9 resolutions.
The Ubersampling option prevents HBAO+ from working.[15]

Input

Keyboard and mouse State Notes
Remapping
Mouse acceleration
See Mouse acceleration.
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support
XInput controllers only.
Full controller support
Game can be started and played with a controller, but launcher can not be fully navigated without mouse/keyboard (Enhanced Edition).
Controller remapping
Most bindings can be remapped (Enhanced Edition).
Controller sensitivity
Controller Y-axis inversion
Controller types
XInput-compatible controllers
Xbox button prompts
Impulse Trigger vibration
PlayStation controllers
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Generic/other controllers
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Additional information
Button prompts
For DualShock use the Dualshock 4 (PS4) button prompts Mod.
Controller hotplugging
Haptic feedback
Digital movement supported
Simultaneous controller+KB/M

Mouse acceleration

Disable mouse acceleration[citation needed]
  1. Go to the configuration files location.
  2. Open User.ini.
  3. Under the [MouseInput] section set the following to:
MouseSmoothness=0 
Smoothness=0
UseMouseDamp=false
MouseDampX=0
MouseDampY=0

and save it

Audio

Audio feature State Notes
Separate volume controls
Surround sound
Up to 7.1
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
Royalty free audio

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
Arabic
Fan translation by AR Team, download.
Traditional Chinese
Czech
French
German
Hungarian
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Enhanced Edition.[16]
Polish
Brazilian Portuguese
Enhanced Edition.[17] Only available for PC version.
Russian
Spanish
Turkish
Only available for PC version

VR support

3D modes State GG3D Notes
Nvidia 3D Vision
TriDef 3D
vorpX
G3D
Officially supported game, see official vorpx game list.

Issues fixed

Low quality shadows

The built-in Witcher 2 Configuration Tool utility overwrites a group of shadow related settings with the values from the low graphic preset every time it is used.
Modify User.ini[18]
  1. Go to configuration file location.
  2. Open User.ini.
  3. Modify the following settings:
MaxCubeShadowCount=1
MaxCubeShadowSize=256
MaxSpotShadowCount=3
MaxSpotShadowSize=512
You can see the preset files (e.g., PCUber.ini) in the profiles folder in configuration file location to see the reference values for graphic presets.
Be aware that whenever the Witcher 2 Configuration Tool utility is run, this fix needs to be reapplied; alternatively you can set the User.ini file as read-only.

Linux version crashes on start

The Linux port of the game is not native but uses an outdated compatibility layer. If you have a Vulkan compatible graphic card it is highly recommended to use the Windows version of the game through Proton.

Go to Properties and enable "Force the use of a specific Steam play compatibility tool" and make sure the latest Proton is selected. If the game doesn't start, you may have to copy some files: cp -r $HOME/.local/share/Steam/SteamApps/common/the\ witcher\ 2/bin/config/* $HOME/.local/share/Steam/SteamApps/compatdata/20920/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/My\ Documents/Witcher\ 2/Config[19]

First Time Setup Lock

The game attempts to reinstall the Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0 every time the game is launched.

Option 1: Registry change (recommended)

Option 1: Registry Change (recommended)[citation needed]

Open Notepad, and enter this code:

;For 64 bit systems (x64)
 Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Valve\Steam\Apps\20920]
 "DirectX"=dword:00000001
 "VCRedist"=dword:00000001
 "dotNetFx40"=dword:00000001
;For 32 bit systems (x86)
 Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Valve\Steam\Apps\20920]
 "DirectX"=dword:00000001
 "VCRedist"=dword:00000001
 "dotNetFx40"=dword:00000001

Save as a .reg file, and then double click on it.

Option 2: Folder rename

Option 2: Folder rename[citation needed]
  1. Go to the installation folder.
  2. Rename redist.
  3. Launch the game.

Black screen during the cut-scene after the first chapter (Enhanced Edition)

Black Screen During the Cut-scene after the First Chapter (Enhanced Edition)[citation needed]

A special cut-scene should be played off, but instead you receive a black screen and only hear Dandelion's voice.

  • Possible Fix: Change your screen format to 16:9 ratio. It's working for most people.

Random crashes

Random Crashes during Cutscenes[20]
The game will crash to desktop without any error messages.
You may encounter this right before, after or during cut-scenes (i.e. when the game is auto-saving).
The solution modifies the Windows in order to allow it to allocate more memory to other programmes. More information here.
This solution is for Windows 7. Effects of this command on other OS (such as Windows 10) are unknown and may be harmful.
  1. Press Win+R to open Run-window
  2. Type cmd and press Enter to open the commandprompt
  3. Within the prompt type bcdedit /set IncreaseUserVa XXXX and press Enter, to set the userspace to the provided value. XXXX can be the complete RAM, e. g. 16384 for 16 GB (use a GB to MB calculator, if needed, such as GB to MB Conversion.
  4. After a confirmation was displayed inside the prompt, start the game.
  5. To reverse the changes, execute bcdedit /deletevalue IncreaseUserVa the same way and, after a confirmation, close the prompt.
The two commands can be stored in batch-files, for easier reuse.
If the problem persists, either deactivate the real-time protection of your antivirus program or add exceptions for The Witcher 2 folders and executables to it.[citation needed]


Crashes on 32-bit systems[citation needed]
This will occur due to low memory. To solve it, press windows key + R key to bring up the Run window. Write "bcdedit /set increaseUserVa 3072" without the " and press Enter. Reboot the PC. In order to undo this change you can bring the Run window up again and write: "bcdedit /set IncreaseUserVa 2048" without the " and press Enter. Reboot the PC.
Crashes on loading save games[citation needed]
This will occur in some systems if you accumulate too many MBs worth of savegames. To solve it, go to your save game data folder and either delete or move most of the stored saves.
Crash to Desktop German version[citation needed]
If you have the German version there is a memory leak on display of the character ß
You can test this with constantly opening and closing the chest. About 10 times should make the game crash.
Here is a mod to fix the problem: https://www.nexusmods.com/witcher2/mods/850/

AMD GPU users double input

If you have AMD Gaming Evolved installed, make sure the program is not running while playing.

Long loading times when resuming a save

Large number of saves will result in longer loading times when you open the menu for loading a save. To fix delete unused saves or move them to a backup location.

NVIDIA ambient occlusion flicker

When using ambient occlusion forced through NVIDIA Profile Inspector, there is a noticeable flicker while moving around, this is caused by higher-detail meshes being loaded in. To fix this issue, in the user.ini under the "rendering" section, increase "MeshDistanceScale" to a much higher value; e.g.: "MeshDistanceScale=100". This will also reduce non-AO related pop-in and in general make distant objects look better. Note that this potentially has a performance impact, test different values to see what works best on your system.

Game stuck on wolf logo when launching

Limit the number of cores in your CPU[21] [22]

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 9.0c Windows only.
OpenGL 2.1, 3.3 OS X and Linux only.
Executable 32-bit 64-bitARM Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Build compatible with macOS 10.15 (Catalina) added on 27 July 2022 and at the same time 32-bit binary was removed.
Apple Silicon support added on 20 November 2023.[23]
Linux

Middleware

Middleware Notes
Physics Havok
Audio FMOD Ex
Interface Scaleform Scaleform is also used for video playback.

Linux port

The Linux port is not native, and is packaged in a Wine-like compatibility layer called eON. eON is used for some other titles (such as Stronghold 3). It is not based on Wine, but has a similar reimplementation of the relevant Windows APIs.

Modifications

Market Price Mod

Market Price Mod makes buying and selling prices within markets more fair to the player. It reduces the 24:1 ratio between buy to sell prices and reduces it to 5:1 as seen in the original game.

Comfy Font

For people having problems with the size of text on large resolutions or on small displays, getting any variation of the Comfy Font, and placing the .dzip in the CookedPC folder will make it bigger and more visible.

Full Combat Rebalance

Full Combat Rebalance is a mod created by the developers of the game. It includes many changes, including an 80% increase in responsiveness per Geralt's animations and decreased time for returning to exploration after combat. The file is 1.5 GB in a compressed format.

Highly recommended to use with FCR2 Fixpack and QoL compilation

AI Upscale Textures

AI Upscale Textures contains over 600 character and object, 1100 original environmental and 150 weapon textures with increased resolution quality x2 (i.e. 512x512>1024x1024, up to 4096x4096) in AI Upscaled Characters Textures X2 VERSION OPTIMIZED, AI Upscaled Environmental Textures X2 VERSION OPTIMIZED and AI Upscaled Weapons Textures X2 VERSION OPTIMIZED. With minimal impact on performance.

Utilities

  • The Witcher 2 Savegame manager allows for the easy backup, management, and removal of The Witcher 1 and 2 save files. Can tremendously improve the clutter of savegame files.
  • The Witcher 2 Tweaker allows for greater customization of graphics options to further tailor your game for the PC. Also has helpful tips for improving performance on some computers as well.

System requirements

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) XP, Vista, 7
Processor (CPU) Intel Dual-Core 2.2 GHz
AMD Dual-Core 2.5 GHz
System memory (RAM) 1.5 GB (XP)
2 GB (Vista, 7)
Hard disk drive (HDD) 25 GB
Video card (GPU) Nvidia GeForce 8800
ATI Radeon HD 3850
512 MB of VRAM
DirectX 9.29 compatible
macOS (OS X)
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) 11
Processor (CPU) Intel Core 2 Duo
Apple silicon M1/M2
System memory (RAM) 4 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 25 GB
Video card (GPU) Nvidia GeForce GT 650M 512 MB (on 1440x900, low)
ATI Radeon HD 5770 1 GB (on 1440x900, low)
Apple silicon M1/M2
512 MB of VRAM
Intel integrated graphics chipsets are not supported.
Linux
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) Ubuntu 14.04, Linux Mint 17, SteamOS
Processor (CPU) Intel Core 2 Duo
System memory (RAM) 4 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 25 GB
Video card (GPU) Nvidia GeForce 9800 GT (1280x720, low)
512 MB of VRAM
MESA based drivers are not currently supported.
Intel integrated graphics are not currently supported.


References

  1. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Mac Game :: Deliver2Mac - last accessed on May 2023
  2. News - Now Available on SteamOS - The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition, 80% off! - last accessed on May 2023
  3. REDkit Wiki - last accessed on May 2023
  4. ANNOUNCEMENT: Achievements now available for The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition on GOG - last accessed on 2023-12-28
  5. Verified by User:JPulowski on 2023-12-13
  6. https://steamcommunity.com/app/20920/discussions/0/846956269281332633/#c540738051404306502
  7. linustechtips.com - last accessed on May 2023
  8. GeForce - The Witcher 2 Tweak Guide - last accessed on 2023-12-13
    "The game uses a custom post-process form of AA which does a good job of reducing jagged lines with a moderate performance hit"
  9. Eurogamer.net - 2020 Vision: The Witcher 2 was a stunning tech achievement that still looks great today - last accessed on 2023-12-13
    "First, let's talk ubersampling - which is just a cheeky way of saying 2x2 ordered grid super-sampling."
  10. New 120Hz Games Report - last accessed on May 2023
  11. WSGF - The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings - last accessed on 2023-12-12
    "For GoG & Steam version v.3.5.0.26g (May 2023): You can use a custom version of Widescreen Fixer (r662) & Plugin found on 3dsurroundgaming.com"
  12. Verified by User:JPulowski on 2023-12-12
  13. HBAO+ Compatibility Flags - last accessed on May 2023
  14. Original HBAO+ Post at Guru3D.com Forums - last accessed on May 2023
  15. https://forums.guru3d.com/threads/hbao-compatibility-flags-thread.387114/page-39#post-4896019
  16. TW2 Brazilian and Korean Subtitles Pack - 11-05-2014 (CD Projekt Red). - last accessed on May 2023
  17. TW2 Brazilian and Korean Subtitles Pack - 11-05-2014 (CD Projekt Red). - last accessed on May 2023
  18. GeForce - The Witcher 2 Tweak Guide - last accessed on 2023-12-12
    "The variables above relate to the quality of shadows in the game. The Shadow Quality setting in the Configuration Tool does not appear to alter these variables correctly in line with the values stored in the preset .ini files under My DocumentsWitcher 2Configprofiles directory. The end result is that even if you set Shadow Quality to Ultra, the values in your User.ini file remain equivalent to the Low preset level. You can manually edit the lines above in User.ini to match the appropriate value in the preset .ini file of your choice."
  19. https://www.protondb.com/app/20920#igTA-K4qO
  20. Verified by User:Chick'n'Duck on 2023-11-12
    Tested on Windows 7 64 bit. May not work or create damage on other OS
  21. https://steamcommunity.com/app/20920/discussions/0/3801652929322345234/#c3801652929322540135
  22. https://steamcommunity.com/app/20920/discussions/0/4687682349648754732/
  23. Steam :: The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition :: The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings now supports Apple silicon chips! - last accessed on 2023-11-21