Can you 100% The Witcher 3 in one playthrough?

To clearly state the bottom line upfront: It is not possible to earn every achievement, trophy and complete all content across The Witcher 3‘s massive open world in a single playthrough. While ambitious players can make excellent progress, full completion requires starting a New Game+ run.

As a passionate gamer and content creator who has logged 500+ hours across multiple playthroughs, I can definitively say The Witcher 3 has too much content packed into its vast world for any one run to contain it all. But why exactly does 100% completion demand so much dedication spanning multiple journeys across war-torn landscapes?

Sheer Volume of Content

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is easily among the largest and most dense open-world RPGs ever created. According to analyses from HowLongToBeat.com, just completing the main storylines of the base game and DLC could take over 140 hours for an average player. That jumps to over 225 hours for a "completionist" run focused on all side quests and extras!

As these estimated playtimes show, seeing all The Witcher 3 has to offer requires a massive time investment. Attempting to cram everything into one playthrough would turn the experience into an exhausting marathon. It makes far more sense to spread this content out.

Challenge of Hardest Difficulty

Several of The Witcher 3‘s achievements and trophies are tied to completing story quests or defeating enemies on the maximum "Death March" difficulty. Death March lives up to its ominous name by making combat incredibly punishing even for experienced players.

For example, the "Walked the Path" achievement requires finishing the game on at least the second hardest "Blood and Broken Bones" difficulty. Starting off a first playthrough on this intensely difficult setting leads to constant frustration for most gamers. It‘s far more practical to first play through on an easier setting to learn mechanics before tackling these harsher challenges on another run.

Accessing New Game Plus Content

The Witcher 3 opens up new story content, abilities and gear for those braving a second journey in New Game+ mode. Accessing these new mutation and grandmaster equipment upgrades provide additional goals to pursue after completing the main adventure. And certain trophies like "Relic Hunter" explicitly involve New Game+ content.

However, these New Game+ rewards remain locked for first-time players. Trying to earn 100% completion requires engaging with this exclusive high-level content tied to starting fresh in a second run.

Burnout from Marathon Session

While some ultra-patient players have managed to finish The Witcher 3 in less than 100 hours, this requires aggressively rushing through storylines while ignoring side content and exploration. Such marathon single playthroughs sound utterly miserable to me.

The Witcher 3 deserves more appreciation than a mad dash to the ending credits! Its world full of wonderful characters, dynamic monster hunts and player choices begs to be savored, not plowed through at a breakneck pace. Limiting yourself to one exhaustive playthrough is a recipe for burnout on all the game‘s rich content and subtle detail.

My Verdict: Enjoy Multiple Playthroughs!

In my opinion as an expert on all things Witcher, accepting upfront that 100% completion takes two or more playthroughs lets you enjoy the experience properly. Rather than a draining race to mark off checklist items, progression becomes a fun journey across new game plus cycles.

Playing in shorter batches with reasonable goals for each run prevents feeling overwhelmed while still ultimately seeing all The Witcher 3 has to offer. And starting fresh in New Game+ allows applying knowledge from past journeys to seek out additional secrets or conquests.

So for those hoping to fully "complete" this gorgeous fantasy epic, patience and persistence across multiple playthroughs is required – and rewarded. The path to 100% in The Witcher 3 wanders across years filled with monster hunting, rowdy tavern nights and unforgettable adventures!