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[JohnnyFootball]

I believe you can just lock the enemies and you'll have the camera locked at one.

Thats the worst thing you can do when you are facing multiple enemies.

 

[nib95]

No, its bad. It's serviceable and decent when you are approaching and planning out a fight.
But in situations when you are in tight quarters and have multiple enemies surrounding you, it really begins to suffer.

So why do you let that happen? Simply don't let yourself get in to these tight squeezes. I've never come across a point where the game has ever forced my hand in to such a situation, and it's common sense not to let enemies surround you. Always be aware of your surroundings, spread your enemies out, and keep the proper tactical distances.

 

[Tigress]

You're clicking the left stick to lock onto enemies Dark Souls style right? Because it sounds like you're describing all combat without ever using the lock on function.

Honestly, I fucking hated being locked on an enemy in witcher 2 (that's a rant on its own) and didn't even see that it did anything in witcher 3 so I forgot that existed. Though I probably have locked on and off accidentally. I hate the r3/l3 buttons because anytime I tense (which means anytime I'm in combat I find hard) my hands tense and then hit the buttons. I actually prefer the back touch screen on the vita to those buttons.

I will try it though and see what I think (I may not hate it as much now that it is an option unlike witcher 2 and easy to turn on and off).

 

[fedexpeon]

I wouldn't go as far as to say the combat is bad. Quite the contrary, it's great. Bloodborne's combat is pretty much the pinnacle of third person open world RPG combat, and whilst W3's is not comparable in overall depth, finesse and precision, it's still substantially better than the combat found in other open world hack and slash RPG's like Eldar Scrolls and Dragon Age.

The problem I have with TW3 combat is the slowness of the combat. You can't get close to an enemy without using X to purposely rolling back into the enemy, or running toward them. You walk slower than a snail while the enemy is moving as fast as your horse.
And the other is button mapping problem, wow, they can't use R2+button combination to hotkey spells like almost every modern RPG to date? What is this BS holding down L2+stick or L1 to select spells?
This is where I think DA shines over TW3 combat, at least you have movement ability to charge in and fast/responsive hotkey system for spell selection to spam the right ability at the right time.

 

[Exuro]

After getting jedi skills in the combat tree monster groups became pretty easy to take out.

 

[orthodoxy1095]

For me I think Wild Hunt lends itself better to high difficulties, so much so that I'm regretting I didn't start on Death March instead of Blood & Broken Bones. It has the same kinda busted difficulty curve a lot of open world games have, and The Witcher 2, where the opening of the game is relatively harder compared to what follows due to the combination of learning the mechanics and the later empowerment from new abilities and loot.

Once you get a hang of the game systems, and the perks of using oils, potions, and signs right, you can deal immense damage to groups of enemies above your level.

I share this same regret. I was intimidated, and I shouldn't have been.

 

[JohnnyFootball]

So why do you let that happen? Simply don't let yourself get in to these tight squeezes. I've never come across a point where the game has ever forced my hand in to such a situation, and it's common sense not to let enemies surround you. Always be aware of your surroundings, spread your enemies out, and keep the proper tactical distances.

Situation:

There was an instance where I was talking to a guy in a bar and his goons show up. I'm in a tiny small area and am surrounded by about 5 different guys. There is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING I can do to prevent that from happening. The game forced me into that situation. I had to fight on the games terms and not mine.

Does that make sense?

 

[nib95]

I share this same regret. I was intimidated, and I shouldn't have been.

Same. I played most of my game up to Novigrad with a barely upgraded character on Broken Bones. Now I've upgraded my skill tree properly, the game has suddenly become easy. I'm just not scared of encounters, nor super careful anymore. Wondering whether I should up the difficulty to Death March or just stick it through with Broken Bones. Hoping it gets tough again.

 

[fedexpeon]

Same. I played most of my game up to Novigrad with a barely upgraded character on Broken Bones. Now I've upgraded my skill tree properly, the game has suddenly gone easy. I'm just not scared of encounters, nor super careful anymore. Wondering whether I should up the difficulty to Death March or just stick it through.

Are you level 15?
The game is a cakewalk even on DM after level 15 due to the combat tree adrenaline line.

 

[Cyborg]

Ive got a question; In what points should you invest heavy? And in what none to lil?
I dont want to waste my points on lame stats.

 

[texhnolyze]

No, its bad. It's serviceable and decent when you are approaching and planning out a fight.
But in situations when you are in tight quarters and have multiple enemies surrounding you, it really begins to suffer.

I get your point, as I've just recently got into a fight in a house as well. My Geralt died in shame by just fighting thugs. It really is hard doing combat in tight quarters.
I don't have any problem with multiple enemis in open field though.

Thats the worst thing you can do when you are facing multiple enemies.

What should CDPR do then?
Make the enemies move slower and attack all at once from one direction like in souls games or make them fight Geralt one by one?
The problem is, enemies do have tactics, like surrounding Geralt all the time.

The problem I have with TW3 combat is the slowness of the combat. You can't get close to an enemy without using X to purposely rolling back into the enemy, or running toward them. You walk slower than a snail while the enemy is moving as fast as your horse.

Hint: You can sprint in-combat by holding A button.

 

[Des0lar]

Same. I played most of my game up to Novigrad with a barely upgraded character on Broken Bones. Now I've upgraded my skill tree properly, the game has suddenly become easy. I'm just not scared of encounters, nor super careful anymore. Wondering whether I should up the difficulty to Death March or just stick it through with Broken Bones. Hoping it gets tough again.

Can't you just change difficulty on the fly?

 

[JohnnyFootball]

Another question, at any point in the game do you get a device or skill that allows you to instantly fast travel?

It does get old after a while having to walk to the nearest post. Granted they are rarely too far to get too, but after I'm done with a quest I'd prefer to immediately go back to a black smith and heal up.

 

[nib95]

Situation:

There was an instance where I was talking to a guy in a bar and his goons show up. I'm in a tiny small area and am surrounded by about 5 different guys. There is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING I can do to prevent that from happening. The game forced me into that situation. I had to fight on the games terms and not mine.

Does that make sense?

So stick on Quen, dodge roll away till you're at a distance, and pick them off. Or simply force push them with Aard to buy yourself some time or space. Alternatively if you have Quen upgraded, the moment an enemy breaks your shield, they'll all get knocked back anyway. So many ways to deal with these types of situations.

Are you level 15?
The game is a cakewalk even on DM after level 15 due to the combat tree adrenaline line.

Level 11 at the moment.

 

[BLunted]

I don't know about you guys but I've really discovered the magic and over-powered utility that is dancing tar and grapeshot. I have been able to cheese some very rough Monster Contracts with just liberal use of some of these bombs, I mean look at this (mild minor quest spoilers). Seriously if you're not using bombs, use them.

Yeah, I am just waiting for 1.05 patch to drop and I am starting over with a pure alchemist build.

 

[Rhaknar]

Ive got a question; In what points should you invest heavy? And in what none to lil?
I dont want to waste my points on lame stats.

You can respec and how should we know how you enjoy playing? I will never understand questions about what specs to use in RPGs, ever :/

 

[Exuro]

Yeah, I am just waiting for 1.05 patch to drop and I am starting over with a pure alchemist build.

Yeah was thinking this as well. Was having trouble with a fiend on skellige and threw some superior dancing stars and he went down in seconds. Was pure combat in my first run, would like to see how crazy alchemy can be.

 

[C.Dark.DN]

Do you have to pay 1k to get skellige? I lurve my coin.

 

[Rhaknar]

I played bombs on W2, was fun

 

[Prodigal]

Man, I love the combat in this game. Sure there are a few cheap encounters but for the most part it's great (to me at least). In tight encounters it's a good idea to use igni or yrden to get a step up in the fight. I'm pretty sure there are some bombs as well that can stun your opponents. It's not like you can't pause and equip what you need as the battle starts.

Oh by the way, are alghouls supposed to be pretty strong? I fought a level 5 one at level 11 and it was a surprisingly tough fight lol.

 

[Cyborg]

You can respec and how should we know how you enjoy playing? I will never understand questions about what specs to use in RPGs, ever :/

Well, some hardcore players (Im new to the Witcher) could have some experience what stats are completly useless. Im not asking to build my charachter!

 

[C.Dark.DN]

I'm hyped to play ESO after this. Hope I finish this week. Only lvl 15

 

[JohnnyFootball]

So stick on Quen, dodge roll away till you're at a distance, and pick them off. Or simply force push them with Aard to buy yourself some time or space. Alternatively if you have Quen upgraded, the moment an enemy breaks your shield, they'll all get knocked back anyway. So many ways to deal with these types of situations.



Level 11 at the moment.

Usually that is what my plan is and it eventually works, but it's just frustrating yo get cheesed by the game in those situations.

Plus having to sit through a ridiculously long loading screen doesn't help either.

 

[RageWaffles]

I played bombs on W2, was fun

Bombs are great fun in this game. There's a satisfying squish sound when dismembering a group of enemies, and it's cool to see, after the explosion, a pair of legs left standing on their own briefly then falling backwards.

 

[TheKeyPit]

I don't know about you guys but I've really discovered the magic and over-powered utility that is dancing tar and grapeshot. I have been able to cheese some very rough Monster Contracts with just liberal use of some of these bombs, I mean look at this (mild minor quest spoilers). Seriously if you're not using bombs, use them.

Should I ever aim when throwing a bomb? I seem to never hit my targets while doing so.

 

[nib95]

I asked this yesterday I believe, didn't get much response.

Any tips on making coin? Everything I have goes in to repair my god damn sword, that thing needs repairing all the time.

Just collect and sell lots of furs, unused armours, magic or relic weapons etc. Once I got to Oxenfurt I stocked up on Weapon and Armour repair kits, and coupled with all the items I was selling, I'm up to like 7,000 coin now with nothing to buy lol. I would advise holding on to armour over weapons if you keep getting encumbered, as armour tends to sell for more than most ordinary swords (not including magic or relic one's). Also, sell swords to blacksmiths, armour to amourers etc if you want better bang for your buck and money for your wares.

 

[Rhaknar]

Well, some hardcore players (Im new to the Witcher) could have some experience what stats are completly useless. Im not asking to build my charachter!

But if you told us how you like / want to play we could tell you what talents to use in that style and what to avoid.

A blanket "what's good guys?"...not so much. As you've seen on this page, some people are playing alchemy, some signs, most (?) swordplay, and mixing them isn't really a good idea because you need a lot of points to get the better stuff down in each tree and also you should use the same type of skills so you get maximum benefit from the mutagens

 

[Dresden]

every build works on every difficulty, just pick what you want and go with it. You can always respec.

 

[Rhaknar]

Who sells the respec potion btw? I could use with some fine tuning of my sign spec, need to drop mind control because I don't use it any more for example

And how much is it?

 

[fedexpeon]

Hint: You can sprint in-combat by holding A button.

That isn't a hint. I said that in the post: running toward them.
Maybe I need to replay TW1 again, but I feel that the TW1 even with its awkward stance and janky animation is faster than TW3.

 

[Leezard]

Who sells the respec potion btw? I could use with some fine tuning of my sign spec, need to drop mind control because I don't use it any more for example

Keira, some shopkeeper in novigrad and the master alchemist druid in Skellige.

 

[nib95]

Who sells the respec potion btw? I could use with some fine tuning of my sign spec, need to drop mind control because I don't use it any more for example

And how much is it?

What about for additional Axii dialogue options?

 

[Dresden]

Who sells the respec potion btw? I could use with some fine tuning of my sign spec, need to drop mind control because I don't use it any more for example

And how much is it?

vendor by the barber north of Hierarch Square, in Novigrad - dude's the one selling magical relics, it's 1k crowns.

That isn't a hint. I said that in the post: running toward them.
Maybe I need to replay TW1 again, but I feel that the TW1 even with its awkward stance and janky animation is faster than TW3.

Between the waddling and the painfully slow evasions, nah.

 

[EatChildren]

every build works on every difficulty, just pick what you want and go with it. You can always respec.

This.

I said it earlier, but it's important not to treat Wild Hunt like Elder Scrolls or Dragon Age where you can, in theory, over invest in redundant stats that don't fit your "build", or mess with abilities/gear that are useless because you didn't invest any stats in their trees.

It's an ARPG in character build where everything at its base level is still incredibly useful from start to finish. You don't need to stick a point into alchemy or upgrade any of the potions, bombs, and oils for them to be arguably integral to play. There's a reason Geralt starts off with every sign usable and can craft every oil/bomb/potion manuscript without having to invest points in the skill tree. All of this stuff can and should be used regularly. Don't be a "melee fighter guy who doesn't use signs" or some such crap. Everything there is to be used and your build tree is more about buffing certain abilities and skills rather than making them useful to begin with.

 

[Palette Swap]

I will probably get banned if I keep posting when I get upset. Using GAF as a place to vent my frustrations is not the best idea Im sure.

Nevertheless, as much as I love this game, and yes I absolutely love it, I must say that I really truly can't recall a game that has unleashed my gamers rage worse than this game.

This is coming from someone who recently platinumed Bloodborne (although I used COOP and was overleveled for much of the game) so I am used to playing tough games.

Anyway, there is no way to say it, but the combat in this game is a complete and utter disaster. I seriously have no idea how anyone can beat the game on the higher difficulties. The mechanics can be just that frustrating.

What's wrong with it? In wide open spaces and one on one, its bearable, because you can often create enough room between you and your enemies to manage the fight but it completely falls apart when you are fighting multiple enemies in small tight spaces. The camera will often put you in an awkward position where you can't see the enemies and/or Geralt which will often lead to multiple enemies getting good shots. And you end up having to frantically roll around to try to reposition yourself so you can get a good angle AND get enough space to use one of your sign powers just to create a tiny bit of breathing room. I find that the parry and dodge mechanics rarely work like they're supposed to. The dodge rarely gets me far enough to avoid enemy attacks.

It wouldn't be so ridiculously bad if you weren't stuck with the slowest health regin system in existence (yes, even with the enhancements). It's just abhorrent that in those situations where you get cheesed by so many enemies and then hope you've got enough breathing room. Games like Bloodborne, when I died I mostly felt like it was my fault, but in those moments the game mostly plays fair.

Don't get me wrong, I love the game and believe it will easily be a GotY contender, but those moments where you get screwed by shitty combat mechanics can be extremely frustrating.

Other minor complaints:
1. Some of these quest lines seem to go on and on and on. Go talk to this guy for info, do a job to get more info, get info to go to another person for more info, do tasks for new person to get more info, read a book to find out that you still have more to do.

2. why the hell do you take so much damage when falling off a ledge? Falling five feet knocks off 20% of your health.

3. Fast travel should be more like Fallout instead of having to run to the nearest sign.

A few things I've found about combat that might help you:
- locking is useless and dangerous when faced with a large group of enemies.
- I almost never use rolling as it drains way too much stamina IMO.
- I always use dodging instead. Preferably to the back rather than to the side, as it is safer and allows you to get an idea of your opponent's reach. Dodging one step back is usually enough but if need be, I can do 2-3 steps back.
- Parrying works but it's not that great IMO. Mechanically, to counter, you need to click when that enemy gauge flashes red.
- I almost always have a Quen shield running.
- alternatively, while my Quen is up, I tend to use another sign depending on the enemy. Ignii is great to crowd control Drowners, Nekkers or humans, particularly when they catch fire and are all panicky. Axii works wonders to stun most enemies. Aard will dissipate Foglets and knock most enemies to the ground, opening them to finishers.
- always have your blades coated in an oil, that's another edge. There's no penalty to having the wrong oil. I default to Necrophage oil and Hanged Nan's venom as these are often the most likely. The skill to add poison to a coated blade is pretty useful as poison apparently scales with Max HP.
- don't overcommit yourself. As a Souls player, you probably already know that but to stay in control of a fight, don't get greedy, you'll very soon know how many hits you can get in before being left exposed to enemy attacks. Also, be mindful of where enemies are, if you get surrounded you should pull back as getting hit by three enemies at the same time is a fastlane to the morgue.
- conversely, know when to press your advantage: if you see your hits are staggering an enemy and they're on the verge of dying, taking a risk and getting rid of them might be worth it as that will be one less guy to worry about.
- know when to retreat. There's little incentive to actually kill enemies as the XP reward is negligible anyway.
- always have swallow and another potion slotted (I like Thunderbolt). Don't fear to use them, you can always meditate.

I've been using this for 60 hours on death march and the beginning was by far the hardest part. Now that I have seriously upgraded signs and equipment, I can't imagine how easy the other difficulties are.

 

[RageWaffles]

Who sells the respec potion btw? I could use with some fine tuning of my sign spec, need to drop mind control because I don't use it any more for example

A sorceresses you meet for an early series of quest sells them. There's also a merchant in Novigrad (located near the city's northern notice board), as well as merchants in Skellige, I believe.

 

[Rhaknar]

What about for additional Axii dialogue options?

That I will always use, I love it. Also nice source of xp, always gives 40xp heh

Mind control was awesome when I was lower level and having a hard time with combat, I stood back and let them kill each other, a MC mob will 1 shot other mobs.

But now I just burn everything to death or for tougher guys I add lighting trap which is ridiculous

You guys scared me with Keira selling the respec potion because I'm long past her lol

 

[Face it Tiger..]

Alright I seem to be glitched,

I'm trying to do the Count Reuven’s Treasure Quest but when I talk to

Spoiler

DIjkstra all he talks about is Phillipa Earnhart.

wtf, all I want is to find Ciri.

HELP PLS.

EDIT: sheite, I'm gonna have to wait for this to be patched aren't I.

 

[O.DOGG]

I've reach Act 3 and it makes me sad that I'm so close to the end. Will most likely start over and choose a different path for my 2nd playthrough. Loving every bit of it so far.

Ugh those shoes

 

[darkwing-buck]

Hey guys I need some help, I think I have the climbing bug where Geralt can't climb on to anything. I don't keep many saves unfortunately and Im near the end game, any solutions? I have loaded every save I've had and unfortunately still have it. BTW Im on the PS4.

 

[Palette Swap]

This.

I said it earlier, but it's important not to treat Wild Hunt like Elder Scrolls or Dragon Age where you can, in theory, over invest in redundant stats that don't fit your "build", or mess with abilities/gear that are useless because you didn't invest any stats in their trees.

It's an ARPG in character build where everything at its base level is still incredibly useful from start to finish. You don't need to stick a point into alchemy or upgrade any of the potions, bombs, and oils for them to be arguably integral to play. There's a reason Geralt starts off with every sign usable and can craft every oil/bomb/potion manuscript without having to invest points in the skill tree. All of this stuff can and should be used regularly. Don't be a "melee fighter guy who doesn't use signs" or some such crap. Everything there is to be used and your build tree is more about buffing certain abilities and skills rather than making them useful to begin with.

Yeah, I noticed that yesterday when I was looking at my slots and wondered if having three greater blue mutagens was normal. At this point, the only non-Sign skills I'm using are Cat School, the fast attack upgrade and the poison coated blade one. The rest is 100% signs but I don't feel like I'm playing a magic build. I'm still slashing a lot, using items and potions. It's just that my signs are particularly powerful.

This is one of the understated qualities of the game's system: the number of skills is overwhelming and unlocking rows can be demanding but when you choose to progress somewhere, you're not losing anything somewhere else, you're just getting a nice bonus.

I guess the worst build you could make would be to spend one point everywhere but the row unlocking mechanism prevents that.

 

[Mastperf]

There's nothing like using axii to take over the mind of the last human enemy alive in a fight only to have Geralt put away his sword and refuse to attack him. It's even better when it wears off and he bashes my head in. Also love him refusing to attack those under his mind control in a group and turning his back to them. What could possibly go wrong 5 seconds later when it wears off?

 

[ExVicis]

Should I ever aim when throwing a bomb? I seem to never hit my targets while doing so.

Bomb aiming seems to have a very weird arc I haven't quite gotten used to yet, in some cases it seems you want the reticule below what you're aiming at if you're very close to the target.

For the most part I find it unreliable and I just usually target a monster, aim and hope for the best or just put on Quen, get next to it and just let it fly.

 

[Lulubop]

Best way to get Monster feathers?

 

[SlickVic]

Man, I'm still floored by how nice this game looks even on a humble 860M (which I imagine is more or less how the console versions look). I can't definitively says it's the best looking game ever made, but it's certainly among the prettiest of all the games I've played up to this point. Beyond the great scenery, the quality of faces along with their animations is simply top notch.

It's one of those games I'll probably be showing off to non-gamers in my life just to give an example of how pretty games can look.

 

[-tetsuo-]

So, just about finished up with the In Ciri's Footsteps questline:
Completed the Velen and Skellege sections, just at the play/Priscilla part of the Novigrad quest -- how far through the game am I? Level 20, btw.

2/3rds of the way through Act 1 of the main story.

 

[texhnolyze]

That isn't a hint. I said that in the post: running toward them.
Maybe I need to replay TW1 again, but I feel that the TW1 even with its awkward stance and janky animation is faster than TW3.

Ah right, I kinda missed that, sorry about that.
But you can still run in any direction you want instead of moving like a snail by default. And I don't think it's slower than W1.

 

[C.Dark.DN]

Why is popin on cutscenes so bad?

 

[BoxManLocke]

There's a great merchant by the Novigrad docks who's got everything you need

Spoiler

if everything you need is empty bottles.

 

[mgs2master2]

There's a great merchant by the Novigrad docks who's got everything you need

Spoiler

if everything you need is empty bottles.

Zelda style breh