Many players habitually pick the game’s default difficulty to focus on the story. In RPGs with deep combat systems, that choice can leave half the mechanics unopened: Geralt, despite his witcher arsenal, risks becoming just another swordsman who spams anything that moves.
Ahead of the launch of the remastered edition, veterans have been advising newcomers to start on Death March. According to several players, that setting forces you to actually use the tools the game provides:
It will make you learn and master the use of oils, bombs, potions, and signs, instead of relying on spamming attacks.
Death March changes a few specific rules that make preparation and tactics essential. Enemies deal much more damage and soak up hits longer; meditation no longer restores health, and food heals at a much slower rate. On that difficulty, every missed strike against a drowner or ghoul chips away at your resources, and a run of unlucky rolls or rapid enemy counters can quickly end with a loading screen.
Those harsher conditions expose what CD Projekt RED built the witcher craft around. You’re expected to consult the bestiary before a hunt, apply the correct oil for the monster type, and select appropriate potions. Signs move from optional flourishes to core tools: Yrden for ghosts, Igni against necrophages, and Quen turning from decorative choice into a potential lifesaver. Preparing for battle becomes part of the encounter itself rather than a formality you can skip.
The perfect difficulty for everyone, because otherwise playing is just boring.
Death March is not without flaws. The early sections—White Orchard in particular—feel punishing, and the first griffin encounter frequently serves as a humbling learning curve. By the endgame, a leveled-up Geralt with a polished build can make the challenge noticeably easier. Many players turn to mods or self-imposed limitations to restore difficulty, but even without those changes the opening dozens of hours on Death March tend to be far more memorable.
On easy settings Geralt mostly just swings his sword; on Death March, he finally begins to act like a witcher.
The Witcher 3 Remaster releases tomorrow. Game owners will receive a free upgrade.