GB Feature: The Witcher 2 Patch 2.0 Review

Because CD Projekt RED’s v2.0 update for The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is so extensive, we felt the need to critique the many enhancements and additions it makes to the game. So if you’re looking for a few good reasons to fire it up for another play-through, our full review should provide you with what you’re searching for:

It’s the arena, however, which is the centerpiece of the 2.0 update, and manifests as a stand-alone mini-game selected in the main menu. Although arenas are a pretty common trope to see in fantasy games these days (or any type of game, for that matter), the one in The Witcher 2 Patch 2.0 is a surprisingly robust addition to the game. After selecting a difficulty setting, Geralt, at level 1 and possessing only the barest of equipment, must fight increasingly difficult waves of enemies to the death. The game will score you based on your performance – you’ll get a base number of points for each wave, as well as a bonus for difficulty level. Furthermore, the speed at which you complete each round in the arena will provide an even bigger bonus, and, once you either choose to retire or end up dying, you can upload your score to online leaderboards.

There’s also a fairly decent progression and economy built into the fighting. Killing enemies in the arena provides Orens, which you’ll be able to spend it either on purchasing new items, mutagens, and so on, or on one of three companions: a dwarf crossbowman, a sorceress, and a loyal knight. Although things start off easy on the normal difficulty, playing on a higher setting can be extremely challenging even just one or two rounds in, and choosing between new weapons and armor, potions and bombs, or helpers can actually be quite difficult, not to mention key to your success.  Despite being a pretty simple game mode overall, I had a lot of fun with the arena mode, and I’m sure competitive players will enjoy coming up with new strategies and ways of getting the most out of their limited equipment.

We even slapped up a handful of new screenshots so you can better visualize the changes made to the game.