The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

[JoeK]

Yeah, you've got a fair few hours of intense Witcher fun left, for sure .

And then the DLC .

And then wandering the lands finding new missions.

It's the game that keeps on giving in the most wonderful way ever

[Coltrane]

Yeah, you've got a fair few hours of intense Witcher fun left, for sure .

And then the DLC .

And then wandering the lands finding new missions.

It's the game that keeps on giving in the most wonderful way ever

It really, really does keep giving. You're right. It's an incredibly polished, highly enjoyable experience playing this game. It also makes me laugh from time to time, some of the quests. For anyone who has done the Isle of Mists quest to rescue the three dwarves:

I burst out laughing when I went to rescue the one stuck on top of the rock who fell to his death when trying to climb down. Geralt just says in his usual flippant way "Damn, broke his neck!". Also, couldn't help but notice the heavy Snow White reference in this quest. Seven dwarves in total and Geralt thinks she is dead when he finds Ciri (who has 'snow white' hair) but, turns out she's just sleeping and needed her spirit to come back, hence the Firefly. Nice parallels and avoids being cheesy because of the writing - humour, pathos and drama, neatly blended together.

EDIT - Oh, and of course, the one dwarf you rescue has "narcolepsy" hence the Sleepy Dwarf

[Talk Show Host]

That parallel you describe is one of the reasons that quest felt so magical, allowing the emotional moments to be discreet rather than heavy handed. It also felt like a small homage to

Ocarina's opening with Navi.

Either by accident or not that segment -amongst others- shows why, imo, W3 is a milestone in our industry as far as writing goes. I am pretty sure closer inspection into many of its elements will reveal even more depth, like a classic work of art.

[Mentazm]

I meant the magic trap. TBH I used them quite a lot on my death march playthrough so I might switch it up to mind control this time.

[Coltrane]

@Talk Show Host

Yes, the quest did feel magical, definitely. Honestly, this game has some of the best writing I've ever seen in a video game - not just the main questline but a lot of the secondary quests and contracts have some real depth and background to them which makes the world feel even more solid and believable. Plus, the characterisation is exceptionally well done.

I think the game really will be remembered as a watershed in how to craft an exceptional, all round open world experience.

I would love a dlc where we get to play exclusively as Ciri. I enjoy the little segments in the game where you control her. Obviously, she's quite powerful but she's such a great character as well that there's a real opportunity there to build a longer storyline/quest centred around her in some way.

[Oz]

I meant the magic trap. TBH I used them quite a lot on my death march playthrough so I might switch it up to mind control this time.

This game's combat is at its best when you combine everything. Bow, bombs, oils and all signs. I don't know how you'd even focus on one on higher difficulties when certain enemies are only weak to some. Of all the signs the one I thought they fucked up is yrden. Enemies used to be bound to the floor by lightning on witcher 2. Now it's just a purple circle. Need to see what the alternative form is.

[Oz]

Has anyone else found levelling is a bit too infrequent?

[Takizawa]

This game's combat is at its best when you combine everything. Bow, bombs, oils and all signs. I don't know how you'd even focus on one on higher difficulties when certain enemies are only weak to some. Of all the signs the one I thought they fucked up is yrden. Enemies used to be bound to the floor by lightning on witcher 2. Now it's just a purple circle. Need to see what the alternative form is.

On my first play through of the Witcher 3 I was full signs and yrden was my go to. With a high intensity signs build it's superb, when everything is slowed by 75% you don't need it bound to the floor, and the alt mode is great for keeping enemies at bay (and destroying incoming projectiles).

I've gone for a more combat orientated build on my second game and while I can still use yrden, I miss the fully pimped out version.

[Oz]

vital question - can i get my beard to continue growing after I change the style? I tried a different style which I hated and fear I have glitched my favorite game feature.

[Benny]

My biggest beard disappointment is that it has a maximum length. This will hopefully change in Blood and Wine.

[boybrown]

I've just completed this. Fucking brilliant.

I've started reading back through the thread having no info at all on the game before i played it. Didn't know there are 3 different endings. From other people's comments it seems like i was a cunt to get my ending. Thought i was quite nice as well

Gonna purchase the DLC now but will finish until dawn first then go back to it. Again, a fucking brilliant game.

[Hylian]

Just getting in to this. Just got out of the tutorial area I think (White Orchard?) and there's still quite a lot I don't really understand. I'm a total noob I'm sure, but have no idea about the alchemy stuff or inventory etc. Like what do the different swords do? Do I need to be collecting certain items for alchemy? I'm just picking up everything at the moment and assuming this will all be explained in due course. Is that right or should I invest some time in understanding this part of the game now?

[Oz]

It is not explained in detail. If you are playing on harder difficulties knowing the system makes combat way easier. Go into alchemy on the menu and look at formulas you can pin them to see if the herbalist is selling what you need to craft them. You should always have oil in your blade appropriate to the fight and potions that suit your play style in your pocket slots to use during combat. Concoctions in particular are very powerful but need mutagens to brew that you get from tougher enemies.

[Oz]

Potions are fully restored when you meditate if you have strong alcohol in your inventory so they are not in short supply. You only need to craft them once. I always pick up as much herbs as possible (no weight) and sell excess to buy others from the herbalist. Swallow is most useful earlier on during combat. Alcohol can be found but also purchased at the bars. You should try to use all the tools at your disposal to make the game easier and more enjoyable. They will not hold your hand but all the information is there on the menus and written tutorials to play about with. I most frequently die from self poisoning. When toxicity is maxed you start depleting health.

[Rsdio]

One sword is for humans (steel) and the other is for monsters (silver). That part is definitely mentioned in the dialogue in the bar in White Orchard but I guess it's quite easy to miss. I played the others recently so it's all fresh in my mind but I do think it explains everything, it just does it very slowly and organically through the quests. I'm about 30 hours in and there are still parts of quests where it obviously switches to 'explaining mode'. I prefer that to an overt tutorial but in an open world it's possibly slightly questionable and I've occasionally thought 'I bet there are people out there who've been struggling to figure this mechanic out for ages because they came to this quest late'.

Amazing game, though given the staggering level of polish (no pun intended) in terms of graphics, voice acting, quest design and so on I'm quite surprised at the amount of traditional Witcher shonkiness is still has, both in gameplay and on a technical level.

[Coltrane]

Yes, potions and decoctions are very useful in this game as are oils for your swords when fighting specific monster types. I found early on that the best potions to learn were Swallow (regenerates vitality) and Thunderbolt (increases your attack power) so if you go into Alchemy menu it should tell you what ingredients you need and, like HesitatingSunsinger said, you can pin the recipe and see if a trader or alchemist has the right ingredients to purchase. I'm not sure but the game might even suggest brewing these potions early on to get you familiar with the concept of using them. Can't remember to be honest as I started it in June and have only just picked it up again recently.

Also, you're obviously going to pick up herbs and random ingredients along the way - sometimes even recipes for potions or crafting which is very handy so keep an eye out.

It seems a bit overwhelming at first but the game does gently introduce you to the key concepts and you'll soon find that it becomes second nature.

I tend to keep Superior Swallow and Superior Thunderbolt on the up and down direction hot keys for the PS4 pad so I can quickly use them in battle. I also put decoctions and bombs on the Quick Access menu so I can use them as and when.

[Coltrane]

I have access to Master Swords and Armor now which is good. Am trying to decide which Witcher school gear to go with. Tempted by Wolf but I also like the idea of the Griffin set as it's the first big creature you fight in the game.

[Hylian]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I'll plod on and follow some of these tips!

[Oz]

Witcher schools gear is level dependant pay attention to that so you don't waste materials on gear you can't wear or way below your level. griffin will come first for level 11 gear and then feline cat school gear is for level 17 and above. Eventually you'll get upgraded versions so don't dismantle if you outgrow it.

[Coltrane]

Oh yeah I know about the level requirements and yes it's important to hang on to the stuff you've outgrown as you can use it to craft a higher level version. Am about to hit 30 so will decide whether to go with Griffin upgrade or another school. I thought that the different schools all had their own upgrade levels rather than being available at certain levels for unlocking?

[Oz]

I am not sure to be honest. The first version you get is the level of the quest. And I have changed every time I get q new higher level one. I know you can upgrade after that but not sure how that works yet. I have kept all my gear in the stash though.

[Oz]

Feline gear is the best. You end up looking like a medieval secret agent.

I have feline but not high enough to wear it. I had been looking forward to that until now. Considering how different our taste are I fear this will be a repeat of our destiny fashion discussions and they will make me look like a gay hobo.

[Coltrane]

Feline gear is the best. You end up looking like a medieval secret agent.

Ha, nice one. I just found the first lot of the cat gear so might try and get the other two upgrade levels and then decide which looks best between that and the Griffin set.

Yes. HS as far as I know you have three sets of armor to find from each school. The first set equates to around Level 7 I think and is just the basic witcher school name i.e Griffin Armor or Feline Armor. Then you have the enhanced version which is Level 18 (i.e Enhanced Feline Armor) and finally the Superior version which is Level 30. Each of the recipes can be found from the corresponding maps.

[Takizawa]

Feline gear is the best. You end up looking like a medieval secret agent.

It would be the best if Ursine didn't exist. Ursine4Lyfe.

[Oz]

What's with the pashmina?

[Benny]

Witcher 3: The Fashion Hunt.

[chris on the moon]

Just started a few days ago, and it's taking me a little while to get in to. I knew it would probably be at least as different to the witcher 2 as the witcher 2 was to the witcher. But it's a shame to see that some things have, if anything, been made worse. The inventory for example, and alchemy being much, much more unfriendly. I'm sure I'll learn to love it after a while, since I'm already heavily invested in the world, and it's just the unfamiliarity of large changes that's giving me problems at the moment, like what I felt with the first two games. In fact, I wonder if there has ever been a series where each entry has been so drastically different?

Gwent seems a lot better than dice poker at least. I'd like to play more. Maybe I can win some money on it and then not be so poor that I permanently have no health.

[Loki]

I actually prefer the inventory in W3. W2 had more categories for things, but it was often not needed. Things like swords and armor and stuff can be easily seen in the new grid system (instead of the long list Witcher 2 displayed them as).

Alchemy is much better too. The fact you only need to craft the potion once, and then it gets refilled when meditating if you have strong alcohol means you don't have to fanny about picking herbs everywhere you go.

Gwent is awesome too. Not sure you'll make much money from it though

[chris on the moon]

oh, huh, wait, so how does the alchemy work?

You make one instance of the potion, and if you have alcohol then that one potion will refill each time you meditate?

Cause I was thinking that I'd have to buy, for example, a dwarven spirit and get three celandine every time I wanted a swallow. I am going to need more than one swallow.

[Hexx]

You make each potion or similar once (from a variety of alchemy ingredients) and it contains some many doses. This one bottle stays in your inventory.

When you meditate, if you have alcohol, every potion you have is refilled and the alcohol consumed