Witcher 3 Console Commands: How to Fix Quest Bugs and Break the Economy

Let's be honest about the Continent. It's a buggy, beautiful mess where Geralt can survive a fight with a Higher Vampire but dies instantly if he trips over a pebble at the wrong angle. We've all been there. You're forty hours into a playthrough, and a quest trigger just... vanishes. Or maybe you're tired of Geralt walking around like he's carrying a mountain of rusted swords because your inventory is full again. That is why Witcher 3 console commands exist. They aren't just for cheating—though, yeah, giving yourself 50,000 Crowns is pretty fun—they are often the only way to save a bricked save file.

If you are playing on PC, you have a god-mode toolset sitting right behind your tilde key. But it isn't always active by default. Depending on whether you're on the Steam version, GOG, or the Next-Gen update (4.0 and beyond), getting the console to actually show up takes a bit of light file-editing. It's nothing scary. You just need to find your game directory, head into the "bin" folder, then "config," then "base." Open the general.ini file with Notepad. Add a new line at the bottom that says DBGConsoleOn=true. Save it. Boom. You're now the master of Geralt’s reality.

Getting Started With The Basics

Hit the ~ key. It's usually right under the Escape button. Once that translucent box drops down, you can start typing. A word of caution: the game doesn't pause while you're typing. Don't try to look up a teleport command while a Griffin is actively trying to eat your face.

Most people start with god. It does exactly what you think. You become invincible. It’s great for exploring the edges of the map where the developers clearly didn't want you to go. Then there's healme. This is the "oops" button for when you've fallen off a cliff and have 2% health left but no Swallow potions in your quick-slot. It refills your HP instantly.

If you're just looking to mess around, likeaboss is the funniest command in the game. It makes you deal massive damage, basically turning Geralt into the legendary Witcher the songs actually describe rather than the guy who sometimes struggles with three drowners in a swamp.

Breaking the Bank (and the Inventory)

Money in The Witcher 3 is notoriously tight in the early game. You’re a professional monster slayer who gets paid peanuts. To bypass the grind, type addmoney(amount). Put whatever number you want in the parentheses. Want to buy every single Grandmaster crafting component in Toussaint without selling your soul? Throw 100,000 in there.

Weight limits are the bane of my existence in RPGs. If you’re tired of the "you are overencumbered" message, use settattoo(1). No, it’s not for a tattoo. Actually, wait—that’s a different command. To fix weight, people usually just use a mod, but the command additem('Greater horse bag 3') gives you the best saddlebags in the game immediately. If you want to go deeper, setmagiclimit(value) lets you mess with some of the internal caps, though it's finicky.

👉 See also: Pokemon Black 2 Pokemon List: The Surprising Changes You Probably Missed

Fixing Broken Quests and NPCs

This is the real reason most veterans use Witcher 3 console commands. The game is massive. Sometimes, an NPC doesn't spawn. Sometimes, a door stays locked when it shouldn't.

If you find yourself stuck in a room because a script failed to fire, use phase. This teleports Geralt a few paces forward, usually straight through walls or doors. It’s a lifesaver. If you need to move across the map because a fast travel point isn't unlocked yet, use gotoNovigrad or gotoSkellige. Just be careful with Skellige; sometimes it drops you in the middle of the ocean. Bring a boat. Or just use god so you don't drown.

Changing the weather is another big one. Skellige is beautiful, but the constant fog can be a nightmare for visibility. Type changeweather('WT_Clear') and watch the clouds part. It’s instantaneous. It feels like you’ve actually stepped into a different game.

Spawning Items and Gear

Hunting for Witcher Gear diagrams is a core part of the loop, but let's say you've played the game four times. You've done the scavenger hunts. You just want the Feline Armor now.

The command is additem('item_name'). The tricky part is the internal names. CD Projekt Red didn't always name things logically in the code. For example, if you want the Mastercrafted Wolven Armor, you can't just type that. You need the specific string.

• additem('Witcher Armor 2') - Usually gives basic Griffin gear.
• additem('Ciri') - This doesn't give you a person; it usually breaks things or spawns Ciri-related quest items.
• additem('Wine Wars Jar 1') - Specifically for those annoying Blood and Wine side quests.

Honestly, keep a wiki page open for item codes. There are thousands of them. Trying to guess them is a fool's errand. You'll end up spawning a quest item from a DLC you haven't started yet, which can actually mess up your quest log progression.

Playing as Ciri or Changing Your Look

One of the coolest features is the ability to swap characters. Type replaceplayer('Ciri'). Now you’re the Lady of Space and Time. You get her unique dash ability and her faster combat animations. It’s a completely different feel. To go back, just type replaceplayer('geralt').

You can also mess with Geralt’s appearance if the barber isn't cutting it.
setbeard(1) gives you that glorious full beard immediately.
shave cleans him up.
settattoo(1) actually adds the tattoo from the Witcher 2 save import if you missed it.

If you want to see the "toxic" look Geralt gets when his potion toxicity is high without actually poisoning yourself, use setcustomhead('head_robbery')—wait, no, that’s for the mask. The commands for facial effects are usually tied to testachieve.

Combat and Leveling

Leveling up can be a slog if you've already seen the story. levelup just bumps you up by one. If you want to reach the level cap for a specific piece of gear, just spam it. Or use setlevel(X) to jump straight to level 100.

For the combat junkies, learnskill('skill_name') lets you unlock abilities without spending points. You can build an absolute monster of a Geralt who has every single Alchemy and Combat skill active at the same time. It breaks the game's balance completely. It's glorious.

If you’re stuck in a fight with a boss that is just too high level for you, killall clears the immediate area. It’s a nuclear option. Use it sparingly, or you'll rob yourself of the satisfaction of actually learning the mechanics.

The Risks of Console Manipulation

You have to be careful. The Witcher 3 wasn't built to have its guts rearranged mid-game.

Spawning quest items is the biggest danger. If you spawn "The Sunstone" before the quest tells you to find it, the script might not know how to handle it. You could find yourself unable to finish the main story. Always save your game before you try a new command. I mean it. Make a "Hard Save," not just a quicksave.

There is also the issue of achievements. Generally, using console commands in The Witcher 3 does not disable Steam or GOG achievements. However, certain commands that bypass quest stages might prevent an achievement from "popping" because you never technically hit the trigger point.

📖 Related: Gabe Newell: Why the Valve Founder is Still the Most Important Person in Gaming

Advanced Environment Commands

For the photographers and modders, there’s a whole suite of "freecam" commands. testpause and testunpause are useful, but freecam itself is the star. It lets you detach the camera from Geralt’s shoulder. You can fly up into the atmosphere or get close-up shots of the incredible monster designs.

Pair this with makeitrain. It triggers a storm. If you want those moody, lightning-filled shots in Velen, that's the way to do it. Just remember that the game's physics engine is still running. If you move the camera too far away from Geralt, the world might stop rendering correctly because the "center" of the world is still tied to the player model.

Actionable Steps for Your Next Session

Ready to try it out? Don't just start typing randomly. Follow this sequence to ensure you don't ruin your 100-hour save file.

1. Backup your Save: Go to Documents/The Witcher 3/gamesaves and copy your latest files to a folder on your desktop.
2. Enable the Console: Edit the general.ini file as mentioned earlier. It’s located in your game's install folder under bin\config\base.
3. Test a Safe Command: Boot the game, load Geralt, and hit ~. Type showfps first. If a frame counter appears, you’re in.
4. Fix Your Carry Weight: If you're a hoarder, give yourself a better saddlebag with additem('Horse Bag 3') or just use addmoney(5000) to go buy one from a merchant in Novigrad.
5. Clean Up Your Quests: If a door is bugged, stand against it and type phase. It works 90% of the time.

The console is a tool. Use it to remove the friction of the game's older mechanics so you can focus on the story and the world. Just remember that with great power comes the very real possibility of falling through the floor of Kaer Morhen. Use it wisely.