Witcher 3 mod restores cut boat-racing quests

The release of the REDkit modding tools has opened up The Witcher 3 like a Yuletide goose, resulting in finds like an extended version of the ending in which Yennefer pulls off a shocking betrayal. Less plot-relevant but still pretty neat, modder MerseyRockoff has found the audio and text files for a cut series of quests where Geralt could enter a string of boat races, and set about recreating them.

As MerseyRockoff notes, “all the conversations, characters, notices and journal entries featured in the mod were originally written by CDPR, but re-created and brought to life by me using REDkit.” That means the Boat Races mod feels like a seamless insertion into The Witcher 3, with Geralt having fully voiced conversations with race organizers and various townsfolk about competitive boating, as well as overhearing relevant chatter on the street.

The races themselves have you choose between representing Novigrad or Redania, who sponsor the competitions, in four tournaments: the Novigrad Regatta, the Oxenfurt Regatta, the Helmsman's Dash, and the Rally of the Wrecks. Each sees you racing between burning wooden checkpoints, with a bundle of cash and experience points waiting if you win.

To install the Boat Races mod, you'll need to put the modBoatRaces folder in the Mods subdirectory of your Witcher 3 install, and the dlcBoatRaces folder in the DLC folder of your install. Then run Script Merger to check for conflicts, and you're off to the races. Check our list of the best Witcher 3 mods for more.