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About this mod
The first Reshade preset that pushes the limits! Prepare to experience The Witcher 3 visuals like you've never seen them before. Three quality versions to choose from!
- Requirements
- Permissions and credits
- Changelogs
Introducing the ReShade preset that takes The Witcher 3 experience to an entire new level of visual fidelity!
NEW VERSION 1.2 NOW AVAILABLE!
NEW VERSION 1.2 NOW AVAILABLE!
Updating to v1.2 from an old version? Please FULLY uninstall any old version (1.0 or 1.1) before updating to 1.2! This is important because version 1.2 uses a newer and more powerful ReShade Suite - old version of this mod are not compatible. Also, please see the newly updated installation instructions at the bottom of this page!
Change Log (from 1.1 to 1.2):
- Updated the mod for the latest ReShade Framework v0.19.0.
- Custom modded the Framework to include the PPFX shader pack by Euda.
- With the advanced features of the PPFX effects, I've included:
- Enhanced color refinements.
- Extremely dynamic shadows.
- Incredibly accurate sharpening.
- Situational based gamma control.
- Thanks to the PPFX pack, get ready to see TW3 like never before!
NOTE: The only downside to using the new PPFX is that those effect WILL NOT toggle off when you press the ReShade toggle button (Scroll Lock). The other ReShade effects will toggle, but not the new PPFX ones, but it's a minor inconvenience compared to the amazing improvements added. I'll try to figure out a fix before the next update.
- Debanding! Seen those ugly lines in the sky (even in vanilla game)? I killed them.
- Wow! Tons of new Ambient Light settings in the new ReShade... and I used them all :)
- Adjusted many bloom settings for a greater overall effect. Wait till you see it!
- New Lens Flare and God Rays, MUCH better than they were in v1.0 of W3 Evolved.
- Added Heat Haze! Fires and other "hot" sources now make the area around them wave from the heat!
*** Special thanks to siv162 for the idea to include Heat Haze! ***
- Refined the Gaussian Blur effect with all of the new settings added by ReShade 0.19.0.
- Brought back the flares on the map icons, but it's a very subtle and pleasing effect now!
- Enhanced the Motion Blur effect to be more accurate and smooth.
- Boosted the FXAA on "Just Right" and "Play Time" to kill off more of those ugly jaggies.
- Tons of other little touches here and there... download and you'll see!!!
NOTE: Please turn OFF the in-game sharpening setting when using v1.2 of this mod! With the new PPFX shaders I now have full control over sharpening and it's substantially better than vanilla.
IMPORTANT: This new v1.2 of W3 Evolved REQUIRES that you download the ReShade + Framework separately! The creators of ReShade have changed their terms and I can no longer provide all of the files here. Don't worry, you'll find simple and easy installation instructions at the bottom of this page.
Here are some videos so you can see all versions of W3 Evolved in action! Videos were created by jayzzy, TekLife, and Krasko8. Thanks guys! Don't forget to like and subscribe to their channels for more Witcher 3 Mod videos!
Three Juicy Flavors To Choose From...
Kiss your FPS goodbye! This version of W3 Evolved takes advantage of more effects from the ReShade + Framework suite than anything you've seen so far. Only screen archers and high-end rig owner need apply. I'm serious! Probable FPS hit: 10-15+
Get your balance on! This version of W3E uses only the effects that give you the most bang for your buck. Very performance friendly on modern rigs. This is comparable to most other high quality presets here on the Nexus.
Probable FPS hit: 5-10
Let's make this bad boy really perform! This version of W3 Evolved cuts out all of the fat so you can maintain your frame rate yet still enjoy the enhanced vibe of W3E. Anyone who can run the game will be able use this preset.
Probable FPS hit: 1-5
This is a HAND MADE preset created using the latest beta version of the ReShade Effects Suite + Framework (0.18.7). No, I did not "base" this off of any existing Witcher 3 preset, nor did I absorb any inspiration from any of them.
This was made from the ground-up with the raw source files directly from the ReShade website. I wanted to develop a completely unique - and ridiculously high quality - preset, so starting from scratch was always the plan.
The result is a complicated mixture of effects with the purpose of working harmoniously together to produce incredible visuals in the game. Here's just a basic run-down of what changes have been made:
The moon is luminous, gloomy and bright. Nights are dark and natural looking. Stormy/overcast nights are extremely dark. Torch time!
Colors are vibrant when they should be, and bleak when they should be.
For example:
Orange tint removed from the overall game, but made sunsets cast an even more orange glow over the landscape than in the vanilla game.
I've restricted the blue tint that many popular presets like to apply to the entire game, and made it only present at night as it should be.
Foliage is a nice, natural mix of brown and green. Color saturation is now entirely dependent upon the world lighting and current weather.
Shadows are much darker, both during night and day, but not pitch black to the point that you can not see what they are being cast upon.
There's a LOT more too it than that, but you know... a picture speaks a thousand works and all that jazz. Go peep at the before and after screen shots I threw up in the images section if you want to really see what this preset can do.
Better yet, just download the thing already and fire it up in-game, then get ready for your jaw to head south :)
Gaussian Blur: More than a complimentary effect than anything else. When paired along with everything else in W3E you get an incredible blurring effect that is not overbearing, and also gets offset by just the right amount due to the other effects in the package.
Motion Blur: Custom motion blur that applies to EVERYTHING that moves on screen. My settings are so subtle that you will barely notice this effect is on, but its addition to the overall package makes quite a difference. This CAN be used with both of the in-game blur effects.
Bloom: Hand crafted bloom effect made specifically to compliment the in-game bloom setting. Yes, that means LEAVE BOTH ON at the same time (requirement). The bloom in this preset has been designed specifically to amplify the visuals pertaining to the sun, moon, sky, weather (lightning) and fire.
Lens Flare: Brought straight in from ENBseries, this lens flare is simply the best post-processing flare available to use in TW3 right now.
God Rays: Just some additional rays to add to the overall effect of this preset. You probably won't even notice that they are there, but believe me when I tell you that they definitely are adding to the gorgeous visuals that you'll be drooling over after you install this mod.
Ultra SMAA: (Full Blast version only, FXAA is used in the other two) What jaggies? I don't see any jaggies!
SweetFX Misc: Stuff that you are used to seeing in every other preset; DPX, Tonemap, Vibrance, Curves, Dither. Nothing special here.
Install
Step 1: Download the ReShade + Framework (latest version 0.19.0) from the below link. You MUST click the blue button that says "ReShade + Framework", the others will NOT work!
Step 2: Choose which version of the W3E preset that you want to use. If you think your rig can handle Full Blast, go for it. If you're unsure, just download all three versions and test each one until you find your sweet spot.
Step 3: Extract BOTH of the files you downloaded (ReShade and this mod) into the x64 folder inside of your Witcher 3 directory. MAKE SURE TO EXTRACT RESHADE FIRST! Then extract W3E Evolved and overwrite any files it asks. Here are the exact locations of your x64 folder:
GOG - C:\GOG Games\The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt\bin\x64
Steam - C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\The Witcher 3\bin\x64
Step 4: Play the game like you've never seen it look before!
Step 5: Come back here and show some love... please endorse this mod if you like it!
Uninstall
Why in the world would you want to do that? Oh I know, you just want to install one of the other versions!
Uninstalling is simple; just remove all of the files from your x64 directory that were included with the mod AND the ReShade Framework. To find out which files, simply look inside of both of the archives you downloaded.
PRO TIP: All three versions of this preset use the SAME EXACT FILES just with different settings inside them, so to easily "swap" between versions you can just overwrite the existing files. No need to remove them first!
Here's my recommended in-game setting for you to use along with W3E to make your game look just like my screen shots. These are entirely optional suggestions unless otherwise noted as being required for the mod to look properly. ANY settings that are not marked as *REQUIRED can be manipulated to your liking to either give you the visual look you want or to improve your FPS.
IMPORTANT: ReShade can take over full control of the gamma, so there's no reason why you should ever need to change your in-game gamma setting for this - or any - ReShade preset, as the creator should have done that already. This preset was designed for the default gamma setting in the game (right down the middle).
POST PROCESSING:
Bloom: ON (bloom in W3E is designed to work in tandem with the original bloom) *REQUIRED
Alti-Aliasing: OFF (this mod includes far better AA than the vanilla game)
Light Shafts: ON (effects in this mod will not look right without this) *REQUIRED
Motion Blur: OPTIONAL (doesn't effect the mod, use it if you like it)
Blur: ON (not required but the overall visual effect is reduced when this if off)
Ambient Occlusion: ON (either SSAO or HBAO+, depending on preference) *REQUIRED
Sharpening: OFF (this mod now handles ALL sharpening, turn it off in game) *REQUIRED
Depth of Field: OPTIONAL (I have it on, but this is just a preference, use if you want to)
Chromatic Aberration: OPTIONAL (I leave it off, but you can choose to put it on)
Vignette: OPTIONAL (I like how this looks, but you can turn it off without issues)
GRAPHICS:
Foliage Visibility: Medium, High, or Ultra (low really hurts the visuals) *REQUIRED
Shadows: Low, Medium, or High (ultra doesn't add anything in my opinion)
Grass Density: High or Ultra (low FPS hit, so crank this one up)
Texture Quality: High or Ultra (low and medium make this mod look too blurry) *REQUIRED
Detail Level: High or Ultra (minimal FPS hit, put it on blast)
Water Quality: High (low/medium you lose water effects, ultra doesn't change much) *REQUIRED
Background Characters: Low (any higher is pointless until mods start adding NPCs)
Terrain Quality: High or Ultra (not much of an FPS hit, so jack it up)
Hair Works: You Choose (not worth the FPS hit in my opinion, but to each their own)
Final Notes:
Feel free to use these W3E presets in any way that you see fit! You have my full permission to modify this or use it as a base for creating your own presets. You only need to give me credit on your mod page if you want to. I'm not one of those modders that will start complaining that you used my work and didn't give me any credit. It's not a big enough deal for me to care about to be honest.
Without the ReShade Framework, this mod would not exist! Thanks to all of the talented creators who had their work included in the package! Special thanks to Euda for the exceptional PPFX Shader Pack that has been added to ReShade by this mod!