The Witcher 3: Editing user.settings for Extreme Foliage Density

The Witcher 3’s REDengine 3 (and the Next-Gen REDengine 4) uses a hierarchical LOD (Level of Detail) system. Even if you set your game to Ultra, the engine still aggressive culls grass and small plants in the distance to save resources. By editing the user.settings file, we can push the FoliageDistanceScale and GrassDensity values to their limits. This guide will help you eliminate foliage “pop-in” and create a dense, immersive atmosphere in forests and fields across Velen and Skellige.

Hardware Compatibility & Expectations

• High-End GPUs: RTX 3080 / RX 6800 XT or better is recommended for Extreme density, especially at 1440p or 4K.
• CPU Impact: Increasing foliage density is surprisingly CPU-intensive as the engine has to track thousands of additional wind-animated objects.
• VRAM Usage: Expect a 1-2GB increase in VRAM usage depending on the resolution and texture quality.

Backup and Preparation

Before making manual edits to the game’s initialization files, always create a fallback point.

1. Close The Witcher 3.
2. Navigate to the directory listed below.
3. Right-click user.settings and select Copy, then save it in a safe “Backup” folder.
4. Use a clean text editor like Notepad or Notepad++.

File Location

The settings are stored in your Windows user profile, not the Steam/GOG installation folder: C:\Users\%USERNAME%\Documents\The Witcher 3\user.settings

Best Config Settings

Open the file and locate the [Rendering] and [Budget] sections. Update or add the following lines to achieve extreme density:

[Rendering]
GrassDensity=4400
FoliageDistanceScale=1.8
FoliageShadowDistanceScale=100
GrassDistanceScale=3.0
GrassGenerationEfficiency=0.01
TextureStreamingCharacterDistanceLimit=100
TextureStreamingDistanceLimit=1000

[Budget]
GrassMemoryBudget=600
FoliageDistanceScale=1.8

Note: The default “Ultra” value for GrassDensity is usually around 2000-2400. Pushing it to 4400 will nearly double the amount of grass blades rendered per square meter.

Key Parameters Explained

Parameter	Recommended Value	Impact
GrassDensity	4400	Controls the number of grass clumps. Higher values create a “carpet” effect.
FoliageDistanceScale	1.8	Dramatically increases the distance at which trees and bushes appear in high detail.
GrassDistanceScale	3.0	Extends the horizon for grass rendering, eliminating the “bald spot” in the distance.
FoliageShadowDistanceScale	100	Ensures that even distant trees cast shadows, adding depth to the landscape.
GrassMemoryBudget	600	Increases the RAM/VRAM allocated to grass to prevent flickering or crashing.

In-Game Settings vs. Config

To maintain a playable framerate with these extreme settings:

• NVIDIA HairWorks: Set to “Low” or “Off.” The combined load of extreme grass and HairWorks can tank FPS even on top-tier cards.
• Shadow Quality: Set to “High” rather than “Ultra+.” The extra foliage creates thousands of new shadows, so keeping the quality slightly lower balances the load.
• Anti-Aliasing: Use DLSS (Quality) or FSR 2 to recover the frames lost by the increased geometry.

Troubleshooting & Common Fixes

• Stuttering While Moving: This happens if the GrassMemoryBudget is too low. Try increasing it in increments of 100.
• Settings Reverting: The Witcher 3 launcher may reset these values if you enter the in-game graphics menu. Once you are happy with the results, right-click user.settings, select Properties, and check Read-only.
• Flickering Textures: If you see grass flickering, lower GrassDistanceScale to 2.0. Some areas of the map have hard-coded limits.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Conclusion and Expected Results

By manually overriding the user.settings, you remove the technical “safety net” designed for average PCs. You can expect a much more lush and organic-looking world, with forests that feel thick and fields that stretch realistically to the horizon. While this will cost you roughly 10-15% of your total FPS, the visual trade-off is widely considered the best way to experience Geralt’s final journey.