Witcher 3 players, did you keep 'undiscovered locations' enabled on the map?

[Kaeden]

My first play through I kept them on and cleared them all out in White Orchard. I actually enjoyed it even though at times it felt like I was just following from one to the next. Luckily the gameplay and quests were fun enough to not make much of an issue doing this. Although once I left White Orchard, I didn't make it a point to do them all in the later areas.

On my second run through, I decided to turn them off as it had been a while since I'd last played and thought I'd follow the advice of some saying to do this for a more exploratory type of experience. The reality is, I never really took the time to venture off and find them randomly and might have missed on a good bit. Miss anything crucial? Probably not.

Just stared another new game and I'm torn on which way to go. I'm thinking I'll keep them on but honestly I'm not sure, they both have their advantages.

And on a side note, what about the paths to objectives? I've always had those off and don't plan to change it.

 

[Mike Rambo]

I kept them on and even went to all of them in the base game map! It makes for great podcast listening hahaha. I would say to turn them on and if there are any on your way between quests, knock em out! Also, I kept objective paths on just because my dumb ass would get lost and sidetracked doing something else if I didn't hahaha

 

[LonestarZues]

I kept them on and went to each one during both my full playthroughs.

 

[BizzyBum]

I toggled depending on if I was in the mood to explore or not.

I think keeping them on at all times and having it be on by default was one of the few mistakes CDPR made with Witcher 3.

 

[HK-47]

Keep them on just cause I wanted to see everything. Still a bunch of chests that weren't on the map, found lots of diagrams and formulas this way

 

[Kaeden]

I kept them on and even went to all of them in the base game map! It makes for great podcast listening hahaha. I would say to turn them on and if there are any on your way between quests, knock em out! Also, I kept objective paths on just because my dumb ass would get lost and sidetracked doing something else if I didn't hahaha

Click to shrink...

I definitely can attest to the fact that it's very easy to get sidetracked when you're not specifically heading to a location via a waypoint line pointing the way. I have used the system in other games where the exploration wasn't really as inviting as it has been with this one and I can clearly see the benefit, as you mentioned. Luckily with TW3 I still enjoy getting sidetracked because I know it's gonna be a long haul from start to finish and hate to think I'm missing out on a lot.

 

[Blackthorn]

I kept them off, much preferred stumbling across things naturally.

I also played without the minimap.

 

[IIFloodyII]

Off in Skellige after I did all land ones, as I'd end up getting all the sea ones if I didn't, I kept them on in the other places for the most part though. There's still a lot of PoIs to find that aren't marked.

 

[Absolute]

I kept them on. I only have so much time to explore games and tbh the exploration in W3 was still extremely enjoyable. Many times I would go off course anyway because it felt right. BotW was a similar experience for me. It's fantastic developers are giving customers these options now.

 

[Khanimus]

I left them on. The environment as doesn't guide you naturally to undiscovered locations the way something like BOTW does.

 

[Budi]

Yeah I kept them on, didn't bother me at all. I just didn't go there, unless they happened to be right on the way I was going to anyway. Not even always then though.

When I started the game for the first time, I also did clear everything at White Orchard and decided to clear all of those marks in the future too. But then when I moved along and saw the new map...

I've been clearing those in the new game + though, still not nearly all of them. There's occassionally some interesting stories in those too, but I wouldn't advice anyone to check out points of interests like I recommend doing all the side quests and contracts.

 

[Jhey Cyphre]

Much better experience just to turn them off. Quest will guide you to critical areas.

I kept them on. I only have so much time to explore games and tbh the exploration in W3 was still extremely enjoyable. Many times I would go off course anyway because it felt right. BotW was a similar experience for me. It's fantastic developers are giving customers these options now.

Click to shrink...

BotW has a completely different system. It doesn't really point out any landmarks outside of towers and shrines you discover. It's a much better way to handle open world games.

 

[Huey]

I also played without the minimap.

Click to shrink...

Wow - whole game? I tried (as I often do with Rockstar's games) but just often find it too difficult to navigate after a while.

 

[Unaha-Closp]

Yup, set them to turn off after you did what you need to do at them. Made me like clearing them out and leaving the map clean. Nice podcast system. ? to ? to ? - except the Skellige Sea ones. Fuck those ones.

 

[Deleted member 29464]

I have turned them off on new game plus but probably should do so in my current playthrough as I'm not really doing them now as it's my fifth playthrough and want to get through the main quest.

The only quests you seem to miss are treasure hunt ones which may have some letters on corpses to read, nothing major and nothing missable I believe. There are quite a lot of hidden event quests out in the world though so taken paths you might otherwise have avoided may result in a short quest. There's also a good number of odd stuff you can find which you may miss if you are beelining points of interest.

You do get experience of course for doing them and there are the places of power that give skill points but exp and level doesn't matter that much if you are going to do most or all quests, you will probably over level anyway, and I can't see much benefit in being exp efficient (it's bloody hard to be truly exp efficient anyway).

 

[Nameless]

Turned them off once I realized it was all non-essential content. Stumbling on that stuff naturally while exploring & travelling was preferable to treating Witcher 3 like a checklist game. Though if I was at sea I'd sometimes turn them on to treasure hunt.

 

[TickleMeElbow]

I always keep markers on for open world games. Despite that, I like it when developers put stuff in that's unmarked lol.

Seems hypocritical but whatever.

 

[Deleted member 29464]

Wow - whole game? I tried (as I often do with Rockstar's games) but just often find it too difficult to navigate after a while.

Click to shrink...

I've done it once too and it's surprisingly playable, probably due to witcher senses and a familiarity with the game. Not sure if it's worth recommending to new players but it's pretty cool because you don't constantly look at the mini map.

 

[Hu3]

First play through ON, the second one turned them off.

 

[Tzarscream]

Yes, but I wish I had known at the beginning so I could have turned them off.

 

[RedSwirl]

I turned them off immediately upon starting the game, and it improved my experience immensely. I still found almost all of them on my own.

Honestly, every open-world game should have to option to turn that shit off. I prefer to stumble upon hidden stuff organically. Just going to each icon on a map in sequence turns the whole game into a checklist simulator which in my opinion just defeats the whole purpose of it being an open-world game.

 

[Anno]

Turned them off my first time through and turned off the mini map entirely my second. The zones are well built enough to navigate without help imo, but I'm also the weirdo who has never fast traveled in like 160 hours of playing the game.

 

[Kaeden]

Turned them off my first time through and turned off the mini map entirely my second. The zones are well built enough to navigate without help imo, but I'm also the weirdo who has never fast traveled in like 160 hours of playing the game.

Click to shrink...

Wow no fast travel at all? Impressive. This is one thing I try to do as little as I can but I find I just do it more and more. I hate that I don't have the patience although it doesn't help when my brain says 'hey you've already been through this area, stop wasting time running through it all once again!'

 

[Deleted member 32374]

Yes.

I used them as palate cleanesers and for farming items.

 

[Anno]

Wow no fast travel at all? Impressive. This is one thing I try to do as little as I can but I find I just do it more and more. I hate that I don't have the patience although it doesn't help when my brain says 'hey you've already been through this area, stop wasting time running through it all once again!'

Click to shrink...

When I find myself wanting to skip stuff I enjoy like riding Roach around and enjoying the scenery/music it's usually an indication that I need a break.

 

[Kaeden]

When I find myself wanting to skip stuff I enjoy like riding Roach around and enjoying the scenery/music it's usually an indication that I need a break.

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Sounds like you're really invested in the experience. I envy those like you. I feel so often that I'm just going through a checklist even with stuff disabled. Just that rush to keep moving from quest to quest. Need to learn to just... slow... down.

 

[j3d1j4m13]

Kept them off and would occasionally turn them on just to see what else was out there and general direction if I felt like doing some checklist stuff.

 

[Deleted member 28815]

Kept them on, then burnt out trying to do everything since it's the same 5 things over and over.

 

[Anno]

Sounds like you're really invested in the experience. I envy those like you. I feel so often that I'm just going through a checklist even with stuff disabled. Just that rush to keep moving from quest to quest. Need to learn to just... slow... down.

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Eh just pick your battles. If I was playing a post-2 Far Cry game or something I'd immediately turn on all the map stuff because I'm sure it's not a world I could get invested in. But something like W3 is so incredibly my style of game that I wanted to savor every bit of it.

 

[NightShift]

I turned off the mini map all together at some point and enjoyed exploration a lot more. You can't do that with every game but the open world was well designed and natural enough to work.

 

[DaciaJC]

I kept them on. If I felt like some diversion from questing would be fun, I'd check out some PoI nearby, otherwise I just ignored them.

 

[uncredited male mk2]

On. Nothing quite as rewarding as doing your 20th smuggler's cache for the same leveled loot.

 

[RedSwirl]

Wow no fast travel at all? Impressive. This is one thing I try to do as little as I can but I find I just do it more and more. I hate that I don't have the patience although it doesn't help when my brain says 'hey you've already been through this area, stop wasting time running through it all once again!'

Click to shrink...

I basically never use fast travel in open-world games (unless it's like a turn-based JRPG or something).

 

[Ushay]

I end d up doing them all eventually post game. Every single damn one. In many cases I stumbled on small and I retesting scenarios like remains of travellers or ruins.

Skellige ones were the worst, incredibly dull..

 

[Miso]

Off. Better to bump into stuff.

Much better.

 

[Kaivan]

Hell no.

Keeping them on makes the game objectively way worse. They're useless anyway.

 

[hydruxo]

I just kept them on. Never really bothered me much.

 

[toastyToast]

Turned them off. They're there so the game isn't empty outside of the stuff they actually put effort into.

I don't think you're supposed to go to every one.

 

[MadMike]

I didn't even know you could disable them. It would have made the game more enjoyable since I wouldn't have endless marks taunting me.

 

[Papercuts]

They were for the initial chunk, but I eventually turned them all off and it made me enjoy the game a lot more. The world felt much more exciting to just roam around in when previously I wasn't feeling that aspect much at all.

 

[Zhukov]

Kept them on.

Visited them all. Because I'm an idiot.

"I mean, sure, the last 15 question marks in this ocean have either been floating boxes of useless shit or tiresome fights with water harpies, but maybe, just maybe, this next one is something totally amazing!"

 

[More_Badass]

Turned them off so the world would feel more dynamic and alive when I stumbled onto places/situations/etc

 

[Kaeden]

Anyone know if it's possible to disable the objective marker from the mini-map? Not just the paths, I have those off ofc. I like to have the mini-map up for directional reasons as a compass but I really don't want a large glowing marker on the edge pointing me where I need to go. Would rather pull up the map, tell myself the general direction and then just get there how I see fit. On PC btw.

If not, is there a way to disable the mini-map and then get some type of compass? Not sure if there are mods for this kinda stuff in the game.

 

[Paul]

Enabled on first play and disabled on second.
I recommend using them for White Orchard and disabling them as soon as person reaches Vizima castle.

If not, is there a way to disable the mini-map and then get some type of compass? Not sure if there are mods for this kinda stuff in the game.

Click to shrink...

I used a mod that hides minimap and quest info and shows them only in witcher sense. Worked perfectly for me but not sure if the mod is still up to date.

I also recommend Immersive Cam and its submods, improves controls and QoL significantly.

 

[SmartBase]

Off, and I think I'm going to do my final playthrough without any HUD elements.

 

[Kaeden]

I used a mod that hides minimap and quest info and shows them only in witcher sense. Worked perfectly for me but not sure if the mod is still up to date.

I also recommend Immersive Cam and its submods, improves controls and QoL significantly.

Click to shrink...

Thanks, I'll check these out!

 

[Coyote Starrk]

I mostly kept them off. I would turn them on though occasionally if I was having trouble finding something in particular.


I really need to do a 3rd playthrough. Easily GOTG for me.

 

[Grazzt]

I kept them on all the time, but usually ignored them.

 

[Deleted member 37928]

No. Map hints is one of the worst features for open world games. I always turn them off.

 

[monmagman]

Kept them on and went to ones that were around my current location,except in Skellige because all those ones in the sea were pointless time wasters.The game took me 200hrs anyway.