Simulate Witcher 2 Save On or Off in Remastered: 6 Changes [2026]

By Indie Kings | September 29, 2026

Updated September 29, 2026: Per the VGC guide by Dave Aubrey published September 29, 2026, you should leave Simulate Witcher 2 Save turned ON for your Remastered run. The only one of the six callbacks that meaningfully pays off is letting Letho live, which unlocks a quest worth playing.

Witcher 3 Remastered announcement artwork

Image: Remastered announcement artwork. Credit: CD PROJEKT RED via thewitcher.com.

Verdict: turn simulation on

Per the VGC guide by Dave Aubrey published September 29, 2026, the recommendation is clear. Simulate Witcher 2 Save should be set to ON when you start The Witcher 3 Remastered. That single toggle takes only a few seconds during character setup, and it controls how much of your Witcher 2 history carries into the Northern Kingdoms.

Per that same VGC guide, simulation ON assumes some Witcher 2 familiarity in dialogue. Characters will reference the Lodge, the conclave at Loc Muine, and the Kingslayer with the confidence that you were there. Newcomers still get enough intro context to follow the main plot, per the VGC guide, so the extra references add flavor without blocking progress.

Per the VGC guide, gameplay impact beyond dialogue is small for five of the six prompts. Most answers change a line here, a greeting there, or a brief non player character reaction. Only the Letho question meaningfully pays off in playable content, per the VGC guide, which is why the guide still favors ON. You lose almost nothing by answering, and you gain access to the one callback that matters.

The Witcher 3 Remastered launched on September 29, 2026, per the launch timing covered alongside the VGC guide. Returning players on new hardware get improved visuals and performance, but the story structure is unchanged. That makes this early toggle a low cost way to shape Geralt backstory before White Orchard even begins.

If you are short on time, here is the short version. Turn simulation ON. Spare Aryan La Vallette. Stay on the Roche path. Accept Henselt killed as the default. Save Triss in Loc Muine. Let Sile die or save her based on taste, since the difference is tiny. Let Letho live, because that choice triggers a quest worth playing, per the VGC guide by Dave Aubrey.

What simulation does in Remastered

Per the VGC guide by Dave Aubrey published September 29, 2026, Simulate Witcher 2 Save is a short interview near the start of The Witcher 3. Instead of importing a finished Witcher 2 save file from PC, console players and fresh starters answer questions about key events. Your answers set world state flags for The Witcher 3.

Per the VGC guide, the system does not rebuild the full Witcher 2 branching tree. It distills that complex sequel into six decisions. Those six cover the siege at La Vallette Castle, the Act 2 path split, the fate of King Henselt, the rescue choice at Loc Muine, the fate of Sile de Tansarville, and the fate of Letho of Gulet.

Per the VGC guide, dialogue is where most of these flags surface. Roche may greet you differently. A minor non player character may remember La Vallette. Triss and Yennefer conversations carry slightly different weight depending on who you saved at Loc Muine. The game rarely gates a full quest behind these flags, with the Letho exception noted throughout the VGC guide.

For players who never finished The Witcher 2, this can feel like a quiz about a game you skipped. Per the VGC guide, intro context covers newcomers anyway, so you can answer safely. The game reframes each question in plain language, and the Remastered onboarding recaps the war, the Lodge, and the Wild Hunt before the questions matter.

For veterans, simulation ON is the closest thing to continuity without a save import. You can reconstruct your canon from 2011. You can also deliberately rewrite it. That flexibility is useful because many players sided with Iorveth in Witcher 2 but still want Roche content in Witcher 3, or spared Letho in Witcher 2 and want that respected here.

The gap framing helps here. One early toggle leads to six callbacks across a hundred hour epic, and only the Letho callback meaningfully pays in extra gameplay, per the VGC guide. That ratio explains both the ON recommendation and the low stakes. You should answer, but you should not stress.

All six decisions at a glance

Per the VGC guide by Dave Aubrey, the six decision list itself is credited to a fan compiled list by Reddit user RogueRequest2. Present that credit plainly. This is fan compiled reference material summarized in the guide, not an official CD PROJEKT RED canon table. The defaults below are the game defaults when simulation is OFF, per the VGC guide.

Read the table first, then use the sections below for context on each choice. Defaults favor a specific Witcher 2 path. Deviating from default usually adds a line or a cameo rather than a quest, except for Letho and to a lesser extent Sile.

Decision	Choice in simulation	Default when OFF	Impact per VGC guide
1. Aryan La Vallette	Spare or kill Aryan	Spared, which is also the best pick	Minor non player character reaction only
2. Path choice	Roche path or Iorveth path	Roche path, which is also the best pick	One non player character interaction tied to Roche
3. King Henselt	Henselt alive or killed	Killed	Does not matter in practice
4. Loc Muine rescue	Save Triss or save Saskia	Triss saved	No real gameplay impact
5. Sile de Tansarville	Save Sile or let her die	Dead	Saving her adds a small dungeon non player character interaction
6. Letho of Gulet	Letho alive or dead	Dead	Letting him live is best and triggers a quest worth playing

Per the VGC guide, the practical takeaway from that table is simple. Four answers barely move the needle. One answer moves it slightly. One answer moves it a lot. Simulation ON lets you set all six in about a minute, so there is no reason to leave the interesting one on the table.

1. Aryan La Vallette: spared or killed

Per the VGC guide by Dave Aubrey, sparing Aryan La Vallette is both the default state and the best pick. In The Witcher 2 prologue, Geralt duels Aryan during the siege of La Vallette Castle. You can strike him down or force his surrender. Simulation asks which version of Geralt you want to carry forward.

Per the VGC guide, the impact is limited to a minor non player character reaction. Aryan himself does not return as a major player. A passing character notes your mercy or your ruthlessness, and the story moves on. There is no extra contract, no extra Gwent card, and no altered ending tied to this flag.

For canon builders, sparing Aryan fits the Geralt who gives opponents a way out. It also matches the default, so simulation OFF players already have it. For role players who executed Aryan in Witcher 2, choosing killed preserves continuity, but expect only that small reaction change, per the VGC guide.

If you never played Witcher 2, pick spared. It costs nothing, it matches default world state, and it keeps Geralt sympathetic in early Velen conversations where honor and mercy come up. Per the VGC guide, this is the lowest stakes question in the set.

2. Roche path: Roche or Iorveth

Per the VGC guide by Dave Aubrey, the Roche path is both the default and the best pick for Witcher 3 continuity. In The Witcher 2, Act 2 splits hard. Side with Vernon Roche and you follow the Temerian special forces through Henselt camp intrigue. Side with Iorveth and you follow the Scoia tael commander through Vergen and Saskia story.

Per the VGC guide, choosing the Roche path in simulation yields one non player character interaction tied to Roche. That makes sense because Roche is a major Witcher 3 ally. He appears at the camp in Velen, he factors into assassination politics in Novigrad, and he remembers shared history. Iorveth, by contrast, was cut from Witcher 3 during development, so an Iorveth flag has little to attach to.

This creates a tension for Iorveth loyalists. Your true Witcher 2 canon may be Iorveth, Saskia, and Vergen. Per the VGC guide, picking Roche in simulation still gives the better Witcher 3 experience because the game was built around Roche. Think of it as adapting canon for the sequel that exists, not betraying the sequel you played.

New players should pick Roche without hesitation. Per the VGC guide, it is the default and the supported path. You will get cleaner dialogue with Roche, Temerian soldiers, and Dijkstra adjacent scenes. Iorveth fans can headcanon their Vergen run while still taking the functional benefit.

3. Henselt: alive or killed

Per the VGC guide by Dave Aubrey, Henselt killed is the default state. In The Witcher 2 Roche path, King Henselt of Kaedwen faces justice or survival depending on your actions around the curse, the conspiracies, and Roche revenge arc. Simulation asks whether Geralt history includes that regicide.

Per the VGC guide, this choice does not matter in Witcher 3 practice. Henselt is dead in current world state regardless of Nilfgaard advance, Radovid consolidation, and the chaos in Kaedwen. No quest checks this flag in a way that changes rewards, and no major ally changes allegiance over it.

Lore readers may still care. Henselt alive implies a stronger Kaedwen counterweight to Redania and Nilfgaard. Henselt killed implies a power vacuum that Radovid and Emhyr exploit. The Witcher 3 script acknowledges the vacuum either way, which is why the flag fades, per the VGC guide summary of impact.

Pick killed to match default, or pick what you actually did. Neither answer harms a completionist run. Per the VGC guide, this is the safest question to answer from memory without fear of missing content.

4. Loc Muine: Triss or Saskia

Per the VGC guide by Dave Aubrey, saving Triss in Loc Muine is the default with no real impact on Witcher 3 systems. In The Witcher 2 finale, Geralt must prioritize. Triss Merigold faces danger from the Lodge and Nilfgaard agents. Saskia of Vergen, the dragon, faces a curse tied to the dagger and the broader Loc Muine summit. You cannot fully save everyone in one run.

Per the VGC guide, Triss saved is treated as the expected Witcher 3 setup. Triss is central in Novigrad, from the mask ball to the escape from the witch hunters. Her romance arc, her shelter work, and her Later Kaer Morhen role all assume a Geralt who prioritized her at Loc Muine. Picking Saskia does not unlock a hidden Saskia quest, because Saskia does not appear in Witcher 3.

Dialogue does shift slightly. Per the VGC guide framing of small dialogue effects, Triss conversations carry different shading if you say you saved Saskia instead. Yennefer may needle Geralt about priorities. None of that changes quest availability, coin, experience, or endings.

Romance planners should still pick Triss. It aligns with the Novigrad arc most players pursue, and it avoids an odd continuity wrinkle where Geralt romances Triss in Witcher 3 after abandoning her at Loc Muine. Saskia loyalists can note their Vergen canon in headcanon while accepting the mechanical default, per the practical advice implied by the VGC guide.

5. Sile de Tansarville: spared or dead

Per the VGC guide by Dave Aubrey, Sile death is the default world state. In The Witcher 2, Sile is a Lodge sorceress caught in the Loc Muine fallout. Geralt can intervene to save her from a sabotaged megascope or let events play out. Simulation asks which outcome you claim.

Per the VGC guide, saving her adds a small dungeon non player character interaction. That is more than Aryan, Roche, Henselt, or Triss offer, but far less than a full quest. Expect a brief reunion, a few lines of Lodge politics, and then a return to the main objective. Completionists will want to see it once, but no build or ending hinges on it.

Canon wise, letting Sile die fits the default and the grim Lodge purge theme that runs through Witcher 3. Novigrad witch hunters, Radovid persecution, and the Lodge in hiding all play cleaner if Loc Muine already thinned the ranks. Saving Sile fits a Geralt who still rescues sorceresses on principle, even after the Lodge used him.

If you only deviate from defaults once besides Letho, make it Sile. Per the VGC guide impact ranking, this is the second most visible callback. Save her on a Triss or Yennefer ally run for extra sorceress texture. Leave the default on a speed run where every dialogue minute counts.

6. Letho: alive or dead

Per the VGC guide by Dave Aubrey, Letho dead is the default, but letting him live is the best pick and triggers a quest worth playing. Letho of Gulet, the Kingslayer, is the central antagonist of The Witcher 2. The finale lets Geralt duel him to the death or walk away. Simulation asks which ending you claim.

Per the VGC guide, a living Letho appears in The Witcher 3 through the Ghosts of the Past quest. That encounter is the payoff for the entire simulation system. You track old business, you make a choice with real combat and story consequences, and you resolve Witcher 2 threads that otherwise go silent. No other simulation answer unlocks anything comparable.

Letho alive also enriches Kaer Morhen logic. Witchers are few, the Wild Hunt is coming, and an extra witcher blade matters. Dialogue around the battle preparations hits harder when Geralt has already spared a brother of the viper school. Per the VGC guide emphasis, this is the one flag that changes more than flavor.

Even players who killed Letho in Witcher 2 should consider sparing him here. Per the VGC guide best pick framing, alive is recommended for content value. You can treat your Remastered run as a what if branch. The quest stands on its own, and the loot and experience help mid game progression.

To be explicit for search clarity, the quest name is Ghosts of the Past, and it requires the Letho alive flag from simulation, per the VGC guide. If simulation is OFF, the default is Letho dead, so the quest does not trigger. That single dependency is why ON plus alive is the definitive answer.

Canon run versus fresh run: what to pick

Per the VGC guide by Dave Aubrey, simulation ON serves both canon rebuilders and fresh starters, but for different reasons. Canon players use it to preserve Witcher 2 choices. Fresh players use it to unlock the best Witcher 3 content. Both groups end up at similar answers, with Letho as the pivot.

A canon Roche run looks like this. Spare Aryan. Take the Roche path. Record Henselt as killed if that matches your playthrough. Save Triss. Leave Sile dead if you did. Decide Letho based on your duel memory, though many canon players flip to alive just for Ghosts of the Past, per the VGC guide best pick note.

A canon Iorveth run requires compromise. Keep Aryan spared, Henselt as you played it, Triss or Saskia as you played it, Sile as you played it, and Letho as you played it, but switch the path flag to Roche for Witcher 3 function, per the VGC guide note that Roche is default and best. Your Vergen loyalty still lives in your memory and in Witcher 2 saves, but Witcher 3 rewards the Roche flag.

A fresh Remastered run should use the recommended set outright. Spare Aryan. Pick Roche. Accept Henselt killed. Save Triss. Optionally save Sile for the extra interaction. Let Letho live. Per the VGC guide, that set maximizes content while keeping dialogue coherent for newcomers who rely on intro context.

Role players who want a darker Geralt can still kill Aryan, keep Henselt alive, save Saskia, let Sile die, and kill Letho. Per the VGC guide impact notes, that run loses Ghosts of the Past and the small Sile interaction, but gains colder dialogue. It is viable, just thinner.

Which setting fits which player

Per the VGC guide by Dave Aubrey, the OFF defaults are serviceable but leave content on the table. The table below maps player types to the better setup. Use it before you leave White Orchard, because world state flags cannot be changed mid run without restarting or using mods.

Player type	Simulation setting	Letho pick	Why, per VGC guide
First time Witcher player	ON	Alive	Intro context covers lore, dialogue assumes familiarity but stays clear, unlocks Ghosts of the Past
Returning Witcher 2 veteran	ON	Alive, or your true duel outcome	Rebuild canon, but alive is best for content value
Iorveth loyalist	ON with Roche path flag	Alive	Roche flag functions better in Witcher 3, Iorveth has no equivalent content
Speedrunner or minimalist	ON	Alive	One minute of questions unlocks the only quest that matters here
Hands off default enjoyer	OFF acceptable	Dead by default	Works, but misses Ghosts of the Past and small Sile interaction
Second run completionist	ON, flip Sile and Triss versus run one	Alive run one, dead run two	See both small interactions, then compare dialogue shading

Per official Remastered context via thewitcher.com, the Remastered release modernizes presentation while preserving story flags like these. That preservation is why a 2011 choice still echoes in 2026. Simulation is the bridge between those eras.

If you already started with simulation OFF, do not restart a twenty hour save just for Aryan or Henselt. Per the VGC guide impact scale, those flags are not worth a restart. Restart only if you care about Ghosts of the Past and you are still early, ideally before Velen camp politics lock in.

FAQ

Should I simulate a Witcher 2 save in Remastered?
Yes. Per the VGC guide by Dave Aubrey published September 29, 2026, turn simulation ON. Gameplay impact is small beyond dialogue, but ON unlocks the Letho quest content.

What happens if I leave simulation OFF?
The game uses defaults. Per the VGC guide, defaults are Aryan spared, Roche path, Henselt killed, Triss saved, Sile dead, and Letho dead. You miss Ghosts of the Past.

Which simulated decision actually matters?
Letho. Per the VGC guide, letting Letho live is best and triggers a quest worth playing called Ghosts of the Past. The other five change dialogue or small interactions only.

Who compiled the six decision list?
Per the VGC guide by Dave Aubrey, the six item breakdown is credited to a fan compiled list by Reddit user RogueRequest2. Treat it as helpful fan reference summarized in the guide, not official CD PROJEKT RED canon.

Does the Roche or Iorveth choice change much?
Very little beyond one interaction. Per the VGC guide, Roche path is default and best because Roche is central in Witcher 3 while Iorveth does not appear. Pick Roche for cleaner continuity.

Can I change simulation answers later?
No. World state flags lock at character setup. Per official support context via thewitcher.com, Remastered preserves original story structure, so you must restart or use mods to change flags mid run.

Bottom line

Per the VGC guide by Dave Aubrey published September 29, 2026, Simulate Witcher 2 Save ON is the right call in The Witcher 3 Remastered, which launched September 29, 2026. Six questions sound important, but five resolve as dialogue shading or tiny interactions, per the VGC guide. Spare Aryan, take Roche, accept Henselt killed, save Triss, decide Sile on taste, and let Letho live.

The Letho flag is the entire argument. Per the VGC guide, Letho dead is default while Letho alive triggers Ghosts of the Past, a quest worth playing. Everything else is flavor. Answer ON, pick alive, and head into White Orchard with the fullest version of Geralt history.

Sources: VGC simulation guide by Dave Aubrey published September 29, 2026; official Remastered background via thewitcher.com. Reference links: VGC simulate guide and thewitcher.com news.