Johnny’s new look
CDPR
Well, they’re finally talking. CDPR is at last revealing changes coming in patch 1.3, and with that patch, some of the first free DLCs are coming to the game. There was just a 45 minute stream that wrapped up that revealed, frankly, a tiny amount of information for its length, and both I and the playerbase do not seem to be impressed with what was shown off.
Here’s the recap of the biggest reveals of the livestream, which include patch changes and three free DLCs, but like with past patches, we are warned that “this patch is mostly stability and bug fixing.” Sigh.
- This is the biggest patch to date, bigger in total than 1.2 which was hundreds of bug fixes and performance improvements. New free DLCs are indeed included in this patch.
- You can now craft anything in bulk rather than clicking the button a million times.
- They went back over the new respec button, which is in the character screen now and costs less. They said that resetting actual attribute points instead of skill points is a lot more complicated than you think, and there are no plans for that right now.
- They are fixing many of the perks that don’t work, which is a lot of them, full patch notes should be live soon.
- They have improved the AI of the cat in your apartment. It does more things.
- There are two new jackets from Vic. They are not legendary. They do not appear to have many mod slots.
New jacket
CDPR
- As an aside, a developer launched into a discussion of why it’s hard to patch a live game. “People don’t understand how difficult it is to create patches for a game that is already launched….it’s open heart surgery.” The obvious response to this is maybe don’t launch your game in a state where it needs eight months of thousands of bug fixes. The entire vibe of this stream was pretty confrontational.
- The second free DLC shown off was a new car that Rogue gives you if you don’t help Panam get revenge. Not sure if you can get it another way, or well after this quest is over. It’s the Quartz Bandit, below.
The car
CDPR
- Codex entries now appear next to quest entries in the journal, and you can call people straight from the quest list.
- The minimap is more zoomed out. They addressed the fact that mods fixed this right after launch saying that mods aren’t a catch-all because they don’t work on all platforms.
- The final free DLC is an alternate look pack for Johnny, similar to how characters got alternate looks in The Witcher 3 free DLC. The CDPR dev said he “looks like a poser,” so he does not appear to be a fan.
Missing in action:
- Any changes to enemy AI or game difficulty
- Any additional missions
- Any way to change V’s appearance or preview clothing
- Any release dates for patch 1.3, next-gen launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X, or next year’s expansion(s).
Look, I did not have high hopes for this stream, and have been keeping my expectations down for the free DLC, but another patch of majority bug fixes and these additions is just…not at all what anyone wanted to see. This is going to do nothing to change the narrative around the game, and will only make it worse, I can guarantee that.
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