As the virtual skies fade through day and night, so too does Geralt’s beard grow through various phases. The Witcher 3 is a heavily time-driven game. Meditating for an hour restores health and potions, some monsters only appear during specific time frames, and certain quests are time-dependent as well. But CD Projekt Red kicked timing effects up a notch when they programmed Geralt’s beard to grow out as time elapses naturally.
Geralt can quickly go from a clean-cut monster-hunter to weather-worn and full-on Father Christmas before long. When Geralt doesn’t have steady access to a barber, the witcher’s beard starts to fill in and show the weathered effects of long stints in the wilderness. So players who aren’t keen on the mountain witcher look, better keep tabs on where the nearest barbershop is. The shop just off the main square in Oxenfurt is one of the easiest to locate.
Barber’s charge five coins per shave, no matter the style. Yes, Geralt’s facial hair not only grows, but it is also customizable and can be used to slightly expand the witcher’s -at best- limited fashion sense. The various trims include a full beard cropped short, a bushy goatee and a short mustache, mutton chops, a mustache and soul patch, or completely clean-shaven.
Oddly enough, once the player chooses a customized trim, the beard will no longer grow with time and instead keep the custom style appearance. A clean-shave, however, will grow out frustratingly quick. But even a witcher must keep up his appearance, and a good shave isn’t given for free, so keep a few spare coins to toss your barber. Beard maintenance may seem like a trivial way to spend a witcher’s hard-earned coin because, well, it is.
However, it’s no different than the undisclosed amounts Geralt has piddled away in the brothels along his various journeys. And on the other hand, a bit of unmanaged mountain scruff serves as a consistent reminder that time doesn’t wait while Geralt takes on yet another side quest or scavenges the wild indefinitely.
The Witcher 3 is available on PC, Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, and Xbox One.
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