Witcher 2 allows you to modify Geralt according to your liking. Modding his stats and abilities is a simple task thanks to an easy-to-read XML file. By the end of this guide you should become comfortable with editing Geralt to mold him to the witcher you want him to be.
Getting Started
1. Download this file. Name it as geralt_basic.xml.
2. Open it using a text or XML editor.
3. Lines in brackets like <this> are entries you can look for in the file.
4. What you’re looking at is my modified file. If you have a mod already installed it might have its own version of geralt_basic (check \<witcher 2 install folder>\CookedPC\abilities\). I recommend you edit that instead.
5. If you’re editing an existing geralt_basic then the min/max values are likely going to be different. That shouldn’t be a problem.
Editing Geralt
Let’s move on to a few notable entries:
<vitality mult="false" always_random="false" min="100" max="100"/>
The numbers determines how much health Geralt has.
<vitality_regen mult="false" always_random="false" min="2.0" max="2.0"/>
The numbers determine out-of-combat health regeneration.
<vitality_combat_regen mult="false" always_random="false" min="0.01" max="0.01"/>
The numbers determines health regeneration while in combat.
<endurance mult="false" always_random="false" min="2.0" max="2.0"/>
The numbers determine vigor. If you want Geralt to start with four instead of two, for example, then change the values to “4.0”.
<endurance_combat_regen mult="false" always_random="false" min="0.3" max="0.3"/>
The numbers determine vigor regeneration while in combat. I think this is “0.1” by default. I changed this to match the default out-of-combat vigor regen.
<endurance_noncombat_regen mult="false" always_random="false" min="0.3" max="0.3"/>
The numbers determine out-of-combat vigor regeneration.
As you can see, you can turn Geralt into a god by editing the above-mentioned sections of the file. Here are a few more entries you can have fun with:
<quen_damage_absorption mult="false" always_random="false" min="100" max="100"/>
The numbers determine how much damage quen absorbs. At “100”, nothing will hurt you as long as quen is up. OP? Definitely.
<signs_cooldown mult="false" always_random="false" min="0.5" max="0.5" type="bonus"/>
The numbers determine how often you can cast spells. A lower value allows you to spam them, provided you have the vigor, of course.
<aard_knockdown_chance mult="false" always_random="false" min="0.15" max="0.15" type="bonus"/> <aard_radius mult="false" always_random="false" min="1.5" max="1.5"/>
Do you want aard to knock down everything all the time? Here’s where you can do it.
<instant_kill_chance mult="false" display_perc="true" always_random="false" min="0" max="0"/>
I actually wonder if this is a game-breaker. I mean, there are fights in the game wherein you’re only supposed to beat your opponents to submission instead of killing them. What will happen if your instant kill chance is 100%?
6. When you’re done, copy the file to \<witcher 2 install folder>\CookedPC\abilities\. Obviously, skip this step if you already have the file there.
Compatibility With Other Mods
Okay, one more thing: if you have a mod already installed and it uses a DZIP file, it’s possible that it has its own geralt_basic.xml. DZIP is a compressed file format used by the game. It’s also used by mods that require multiple files (like several XMLs) to function. If the DZIP mod has its own geralt_basic and there’s geralt_basic in the \abilities\ folder, the game uses the former. None of your custom edits will work because of this.
To solve this problem, you have to decompress the DZIP file, modify geralt_basic there then package it as a DZIP again. Here’s how:
1. Download and install Gibbed’s RED tools.
2. Browse to the Gibbed RED tools folder and paste your DZIP mod there.
3. Open a command prompt, browse to the Gibbed RED tools folder and run “gibbed.red.unpack.exe <x>”, where <x> is the name of the DZIP file.
4. You should now see an extra folder in the Gibbed RED tools folder. This should have the same name as the DZIP mod. Rename the DZIP file to prevent conflicts later during the repackage process.
5. Go to the folder then go to \abilities\ and look for geralt_basic.xml. Modify it according to your liking. Once you’re done, get ready to repack the file back to a DZIP format.
6. Go back to the command prompt, run “gibbed.red.pack.exe <y>”, where <y> is the name of the folder. This should give you a new DZIP file.
7. Copy the DZIP to \CookedPC\
I hope you learned something from the guide. If you have any questions or feedback, drop a comment or two.