The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt will not contain Quick Time Events or levelling monsters, German site World of Players (translated by NeoGAF) is reporting.

The latter will see overmatched enemies surrender to Geralt, who can now climb, jump, and target specific parts of monsters to inflict extra damage.

Geralt will also be able to hunt wild animals for their fur and claws via a tracking sense, and use said materials for crafting, or sell them for a sum that is dependent on the strength of the local economy.

However, killing monsters and animals outside quests will not give the player experience points.

For long-distance travel, horses may be tamed or purchased, boats will be available, and there will be fast-travel options as well.

The entire game world – the archipeligo of Skellige, the delta of the Pontar and port capital of Novigrad, and the war-ravaged No Man's Land – will be accessible from the outset.

CD Projekt RED has stated that the story will take roughly 50 hours to complete, and that there are 36 possible end states for the world and three possible hour-long epilogues.

Side quests will double the game’s play time, Geralt can reach a maximum level of 60, and the environments are 30 times larger than those of The Witcher 2.

“The Witcher 3 is full of impactful decisions, and gamers will choose between storylines that exclude one another in a single playthrough, ensuring extensive replay value,” said CD Projekt RED.

Saved games from previous Witcher titles may be imported, and these set initial relationships with characters but do not affect the main story.

Unlike the vanilla version of The Witcher 2, a tutorial will be available for The Wild Hunt from the outset, and the UI will be different on the console and PC versions.

The Witcher 3 will be available in 2014 for all high-end platforms, including PlayStation 4, according to CD Projekt RED.