Now that The Witcher 3 has proper mod support, one dev says you "can't complain anymore" that you can't romance the Crones because you can "make it yourself"

The Witcher 3
(Image credit: CD Projekt Red)

The Witcher 3 has always been a popular game to mod, so last year CD Projekt RED announced that it'd be leaning into this directly with the release of an official PC mod editor. A playtest for these modding tools went live on Steam last week, allowing a select number of users to give the editor a go, and one of the game's quest designers is already challenging modders to create their own romance mod for the Crones of Crookback Bog, which feels rather cursed.

As outlined on Steam, the mod editor – officially named The Witcher 3 REDkit – is "based on the same set of tools that were used by our developers to create the game and should allow for nearly limitless freedom in modding it," with the option to add fresh quests and content. With that in mind, it seems the possibilities are basically endless, and that apparently includes being able to smooch the Crones, if that's what your heart desires. 

"Not sure if you got the memo chooms, but we are cooking," The Witcher 3 quest designer and associate director of the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, Paweł Sasko, writes on Twitter, sharing the modding tools. "You can't complain anymore that there is no option to romance witches from Crookback Bog, you can make it yourself."

If you've played The Witcher 3, you'll know that of all NPCs to add romance options for, the three Crones – or Ladies of the Wood – might be some of the most unusual choices. Without heading into spoiler territory, they aren't exactly the friendliest bunch, and the tapestry depicting them as beautiful ladies isn't entirely accurate, either, as they all take on a rather terrifying, monstrous appearance. Needless to say, I'm not sure who was complaining about the lack of romance options here in the first place, but now that the idea has been planted, it seems like it'll probably only be a matter of time before someone takes Sasko's suggestion seriously.

There's still no wider release date for The Witcher 3 REDkit, so for now, users wanting to give it a go will have to request access and hope they'll be let in. However, it's planned to launch at some point this year, so watch this space, and look forward to the flood of weird and wonderful mods that'll inevitably come with it.

Be sure to check out our roundup of the best Witcher 3 mods available now to spice up the RPG.

Catherine Lewis
News Writer

I'm one of 12DOVE's news writers, who works alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.

Read more
Hogwarts Legacy evil
Hogwarts Legacy gets official PC modding support in time for the wizarding RPG’s 2-year anniversary, but console players are feeling left out
The Witcher 4 cinematic screenshot showing a closeup of Ciri, protagonist of the new adventure
The Witcher 4 devs say romance will "absolutely" be a part of the RPG, it just has to be "super compelling and very meaningful"
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Just a week after launch, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 dev confirms mod support is coming to PC: "Bohemia is about to get even more exciting"
Baldur's Gate 3 mod showing Henry in the Nautiloid ship
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's Henry comes to Baldur's Gate 3 thanks to a mod commission, and our RPG hero is predictably scared and horny: "Henry’s romance could go anywhere, I think. Maybe Karlach"
Baldur's Gate 3 mind flayer with pale purple skin and facial tentacles stares ahead with glowing yellow eyes
Custom Baldur's Gate 3 campaigns with "levels and lands comparable to the Skyrim modding community" could come "this year," says one of the RPG's experienced modders
The Witcher 4
The Witcher 4 NPCs will offer a "more immersive experience" than other CD Projekt games: "We are trying to push the bar here"
Latest in The Witcher
A screenshot from The Witcher 1, showing Geralt slashing at a hairy beast
Netflix's The Witcher casts its first game-exclusive character with a Witcher 1 deep-cut who Geralt first took care of in the 2007 RPG
The Witcher 3 Geralt
The Witcher series' new book offers a blast to Geralt's teenage past dubbed Crossroads of Ravens, and it'll be out in English this fall
The Witcher 4 screenshot showing the stunning Unreal Engine 5 fidelity
The Witcher 4 director refutes claims that Ciri's appearance has changed since the reveal trailer: "We have not modified it"
The Witcher 4
The Witcher 4 devs hint at Ciri's morality and those delicious RPG story branches: "The situation that may happen after the trailer is over is such a tough choice"
Ciri seen in the cinematic reveal trailer for The Witcher 4, out of breath from a fight.
The Witcher 4 devs say Ciri's actions in the RPG's reveal trailer are "different than what Geralt would do"
The Blood of Dawnwalker: A screenshot of the vampire Brencis holding up a crown during the trailer for the upcoming game.
Still plagued by Gwent memes, The Witcher 3 director's new vampire RPG makes you think twice about playing mini-games while the world burns
Latest in News
Grand Theft Auto 3
A GTA streamer is trying to beat every single 3D entry without dying, and in 33 hours he's made it as far as San Andreas but keeps getting caught in Vice City purgatory
Monster Hunter Wilds Nu Udra Palico
Monster Hunter Wilds players are so obsessed with Palico armor that turns your cute cat into a freaky little octopus that even Capcom is sharing fan art of it
Charli XCX
Charlie XCX is in talks to star in Greta Gerwig’s The Chronicles of Narnia movie - and that is so Brat
Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider #12
Gwen Stacy and Loki team-up for a cosmic adventure in Spider-Gwen: The Ghost Spider #12
A screenshot shows the cat protagonist of Monster Hunter Puzzles waving a wand while wearing a Cinnamoroll costume.
Monster Hunter gets the collab of the century: Hello Kitty Island Adventure’s resident stalker Cinnamoroll joins Capcom’s puzzle game to stare at you without blinking
Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil: Born Again episode 1 has a heartbreaking and deep-cut Easter egg from the comics