An interview on Rock, Paper, Shotgun talks with Adam Badowski of CD Projekt RED about the version 2.0 update for The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings that will be released on Thursday. He also says that if they choose to release DLC for the game, it will be free for the Windows PC edition. "All DLC for the PC version is and will remain FREE. That’s not likely to be the story for the Xbox version, because of certain Microsoft policies that need to be followed," he explains. "But on PC, once you buy our game, you don’t need to worry about any additional costs – we will provide all updates, including those featuring new content, for free. I think it’s reasonable than when you buy our product, you can expect us to service it for you quite a long time after release, though less intensively as time goes by. Any payable DLC that appears is likely to be a more classic expansion pack along the lines of, say, Baldur’s Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast. But this is a purely theoretical discussion at this point, as we have yet to confirm or even plan any official expansion packs." Also, this recent trailer discusses the improvements in version 2.0, and GOG.com offers these patch notes:

1. Completely new, extensive Tutorial System
The new tutorial helps players fully enjoy the game from the very beginning and systematically explains the depth of The Witcher 2’s combat and gameplay mechanics. It allows gamers to be gradually and smoothly immersed in the game world and Geralt’s adventures.

2. Special Dark difficulty setting
A new, intensely challenging difficulty setting that provides the ultimate challenge for players. On the Dark setting, The Witcher 2 is nearly as difficult as Insane, but allowing players to save the game. It also provides a completely new set of dark-themed gear with very high stats such as:

• 18 new equippable items including
• 3 new sets of dark armor (light, medium, and heavy)
• 3 new sets of dark swords (3 silver, 3 steel)
• Other Dark themes/elements in the game

3. Completely new, arcade-style, Arena Mode
Infinitely replayable and progressively more challenging, Arena lets you hone your combat style and techniques against all the different monster types from the game. Dispatch wave upon wave of progressively more difficult enemies, earning awards that you can use to upgrade abilities, weapons and armor, and to test alchemy. Hirelings can also assist you in battle for a price. Combat waves will continue infinitely until your character is defeated, when you’ll see a statistical summary of results. Players can share their results with their friends by uploading this summary to the forums or to Facebook. Arena Mode includes:

• New location, with a dynamic, responsive audience reacting to the events
• A new monster type, Werewolf
• Waves of different opponents, looped with increasing levels of difficulty
• 3 different prizes to choose from in each wave
• 3 new characters (mage, knight, and dwarven fighter) that can serve as allies during clashes
• A shopkeeper offering gear and enhancements
• 3 new GUI panels designed specifically for the mode
• New dialogue
• New background music
• New Witcher Forum and Facebook integration

4. Technical Bliss
Version 2.0 includes all previous and new technical and gameplay enhancements such as:

• 40+ new technical and gameplay enhancements
• 100+ previous technical and gameplay fixes
• All 9 previous DLC packs
• Troll Trouble
• Roche Commando Jacket
• Ultimate Alchemy Suit
• Ultimate Magical Suit
• Ultimate Swordsman Suit
• Finisher Pack
• Mysterious Merchant
• Barbers and Coiffeuses
• A Sackfull of Fluff

The Witcher 2, in its most definitive version 2.0, will be available on the 29th of the September through automatic update for free, for all existing and new users (all new installations will update to version 2.0 automatically during game installation process).