Combat Tips - The Witcher 2 (Enhanced Edition)

He shouldn't have left the shield bubble @ 0:28! Now he won't get the 'cover' special ability that mitigates all damage! I love all those hidden special abilities you can get, like 20% off all prices if you get the merchants to double your pay for killing the Kayran (comes into effect after you turn it in. They'll also give you a Kayran armor diagram, though I prefer the Hunter armor at that point in the game). It IS way too easy to get level three in all the dialogue abilities (axii sign, persuasion, intimidate). If you don't have those to three by halfway through Flotsam, you're doing it wrong.

OMG! Am extremely impressed!! I want it am soo getting it!

@Gelugon_baat You are trying to prove that The Witcher 2's combat is nothing but bomb/dagger spam. And the video I posted on youtube is to encourage people to experiment with TW2 and make new ways to kill enemies.... Seriously I don't see any harm in sharing what you have learned because honestly speaking most people don't even know that you can use Medallion to highlight stuff in TW2 and they claim that the combat is shallow.... And what are you trying to show here ? that you are the most logical and practical person who does not attach any sentiments with games and do not do anything self-gratifying ? then why do you even play games ? The amount of effort devs put in their games is to make them engaging, immersive and attaching if you don't feel anything then why bother playing ? Besides I don't feel any shame in praising the devs who spend days and nights to make a game great for us, I explore the game as best as I can and in doing so give devs the right amount of credit they deserve, I don't pretend to be ultra logical and post ignorant comments like "I don't care"

"cutting fools in no time" ...? they stole this phrase from me.

@Gelugon_baat when some one answer most of your questions with these three words "I don't care" then the room for discussion gets small... it indicates how reluctant you are in properly proving your argument. Secondly tell me one game that does not suffer from design flaws or issues that can be exploited, and I judge game's greatness by completely exploring it not by exploiting a single design flaw or something. These exploits will damage the replay value because judging by your play style (dagger/bomb spams) it will bore you in your next play through (assuming you play it again).

I love this game the pc graphics was better but the xbox model has a realy fast combat and nicer story line my advise""""""""""dont play on dark mode""""""""""""

@Gelugon_baat I am not thinking that you like spam fests, its what you're saying yourself "Otherwise, it's dagger/bomb-spamming time - even if it takes longer. If dagger/bomb-spamming can get some nasty enemies into a stagger-animation loop, I am going to do just that." The stagger animation is to provide realism in the game, not for exploiting. You also said "I am exploiting holes in the game's designs of course." And now you're saying that you experimented with it ? experimenting and finding a viable strategy is one thing and keep on exploiting one thing is something else. If you want to play it that way by all means I don't mind but it won't change the fact that you are wasting a great game's potential. Though Diablo III and TW2 can't be compared directly I am bringing it in discussion because it's a RPG game and like TW2 it provides you lots of things to use against enemies so it is best way to explain what you're doing... I like Devil May Cry 4 very much because it was designed to be a button mash/spam fest but I don't understand how you are trying to place TW2 in the same category with your style of playing. As for Dragon Age 2 I hate it yes, that game wasted everything the first offered. It should not be called a RPG game in the first place and I am mentioning it again and again because you are applying same strategy on TW2. EDIT: I won't say anything else here because I don't want to rub it. Just wanted to explain you that you're doing it wrong and your play style also destroy replay value of the game (to some extent)

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@Gelugon_baat That's pretty blunt way of ignoring all the effort that devs put in their game for you. The game's world, mechanics, items, different kind of enemy encounters are there for you to enjoy. It's not about attaching the sentiment, its about enjoying the game to maximum and exploring its potential. I don't see any point of playing RPG games if you are not going to experiment with them. Your entire argument doesn't make sense for RPG games, its like playing Diablo III with one class and one weapon that works best on enemies for some reason (or because of a loophole) and ignoring thousands of items plus different classes that devs designed for you. If you are looking for that kind of enjoyment then you can find it in Devil May Cry 4 or Dragon Age 2 which are no doubt best examples of spam feast.

very helpful thanks!

@Tahir_Ahmad "Even if you can kill almost everything with dagger/bomb spamming that takes away the beauty of combat in TW2." Exactly :)

@Gelugon_baat Didn't meant to offend you, sorry if it looked that way. I only mentioned DA2 because you are trying to play TW2 with same formula and you are insisting that it is only about spamming. TW2 is not about spamming, that is why the designers provided you with so many tools. Eg. swords, signs, potions, daggers, bombs, traps, oils... All of them are there for you to use. Even if you can kill almost everything with dagger/bomb spamming that takes away the beauty of combat in TW2. That is all I meant to say.

@Gelugon_baat Not your fault, gamers obsessed with Dragon Age 2 formula prefer spamming over tactics. The thing is Dragon Age 2 is meant to be played by spamming whereas The Witcher 2 is meant to be played by tactics because it does not provide you the element of fun until you play it with all the tools available at your disposal. To clear my point take a look at this video so you can realize how fun it is to experiment with combat in The Witcher 2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3VjrXo-Q7A Every game has loopholes which you can exploit sure... But it is not always the way it is meant to be played.

@gelugon_baat as I said, it's not a question o fighting fair, but a question of making sense within the overall "history" of the world. Bombs may be buffed (and yes, are perfect choices in some ocasions), but even so, they are hardly the always-main resource a witcher would use in combat (and, in my personal opinion, are sort of progress-delaying, since some good-applied potions, ointments and movements in most situations can end a fight much faster than purely throwing projectiles, if you know what you're doing). Otherwise, the witchers wouldn't bother so much into learning all that complicated magic and swordsmanship cr*p, since bombs can resolve most of their problems.

@darkprince_78 Really...? I found all my targeting and dodge issues went away after the big patch.

Great game with an enthralling world; however, the combat takes a hit due to inconsistency in everything working as the player (or at least me) desires (rolling the wrong way, attacking the wrong enemy when said foe is targeted, not being able to move while guard is up, etc). Having said that, the fighting is not horrible, I just don't think I have gotten over the learning curve. Now, if ONLY the combat was as smooth and satisfying as Dark Souls..*sighs*. :-)

@Gelugon_baat No i dont mean to insult you. Your $65 your choice

Total noob here : P ! Thanks Gamespot I'll be saving this page until I get started!

@jtthegame316 No, seriously you making a lot of things up. The xbox 360 controller was heavily advertised for the PC version to a point that I was shock. Still, a controller will never match a good Keyboard and mice.

The way of the potion is by far the strongest. It allows you to drink potion and boost stats and reduce side effect. You get some really sweet bonus to bombs and traps to. A good Zerrikanian sun in a bunch of enemies is deadly. Quen is easily the best sign and the one to boost first. Still, if you choose a path, try to complete it as soon as possible to get the special attack coming with it. Still, the Heliotrope sign is just deadly and easily my favorite. The path of the sword, surprisingly, is my last choice.

@Gelugon_baat we meet again lol. What difficulty do you play on?

Geralt is a monster slayer by profession. The combat is a major part of who the character is and the story. That said, everyone has their own way of playing a game and there is a lot more to the story than just fighting. Play it how you like it. Since the new content released, I am now playing through a third time on Dark. I love using the potions and other Witchery resources to beat the battles and I still love the story. Happy monster slaying!

I played this on PC. to me it had a really hard fight, the 1st fight against the other witcher (i don't remember the name). it was in a closed space and all his signs were better than mine, i had to repeat that fight sometimes

I love it when a person finds a method that works for them...and then someone else comes along and says that their method is better...only to have a third person come in and say they're both wrong. What that tells me is that there are multiple viable character builds. I hate it when a game provides only one good character build.

@Gelugon_baat A pity, since fights are also somehow part of the story. I mean, imagine someone narrating The Witcher's story, and then on every combat he's like: "then, Geralt just standed back and threw bombs and knives arround until all the enemies died." It makes few sense. Of course, if you have no interest in the complete immersive experience that the game provides and just want to know the story so you can say to yourself and to others that you know the story (every gamer does this at least once, I did with MGS series, for instance :p), that's okay. But otherwise, it's really a pity, since the experience suffers from it, especially in a game where the combat system was designed to have such a great sense of impact.

@Gelugon_baat "Maybe I should just say here that I don't play this game for its combat; I play it for the story. To me, all those fights are a nuisance, especially when I played the Insane mode." This conversation is over then.

I love playing games at their hardest difficulty, and I never really found the need to parry, at all. Not only does it eat up the precious vigor - it also is not always reliable. I prefer to simply dodge out of the way with the increased dodge speed talent(don't remember the name).

@jtthegame316 The keyboard and mouse works perfectly on Witcher 2 PC and you CAN use a gamepad on the PC version as well. That said, the controls on Xbox360 were redone to better fit the gamepad and from what I understand the game is also excellent on 360 with a gamepad. Choose whichever you prefer, they are both great.

@Gelugon_baat - Spamming bombs is definitely the worst way to play the game. Becoming good at all the subtleties of Geralt's abilities not only wins every fight but is also endlessly satisfying. This game has quite possibly the best and most satisfying combat system that I'VE ever played.

The combat is really not that deep. Quen spam, lots of barrel rolling and some well placed button mashing can get you through any fight. Even on the hardest of difficulties. I got through Dark Mode with next to no potion drinking. Parry isn't really worth it as you can't parry whilst Quen is active and Quen is far more effective. Once you get the upgrade that will have Quen last much longer and able to withstand more hits and also does damage to enemies, you're pretty much invincible.

@Gelugon-baat That type of game play kind of makes everything else dull and redundant especially since there are other means of achieving the same end. I would recommend choosing a primary path and then picking out a few choice abilities from the rest. Preparation beforehand and swordplay whilst playing to your strengths are key. Using bombs all the limit will drain the fun out of your experience.

@Gelugon_baat I guess you haven't played this game enough, because bombs are not enough to defeat every enemy. Just no.

the witcher 2 looks cool i think the 360 version will be anyway. i brought the original for £6 on steam and the original could of been a awesome game if i was able to play with a controller because keyboard and mouse just turned it into a game were i was clicking the mouse. click on the enermy to attack them really takes away from what should be an awesome game. but with the 360 and playing with a controller should make the combat fun. hope they give us a demo..

@Gelugon_baat Not really. Many enemies are very fast and attack from different directions. It's especially dangerous in small rooms and corridors. Next thing: some monsters are resistant to bombs. Sword is always main weapon of every witcher.