# Witcher 3



## Wo7f (May 29, 2015)

Loving this game! So addicting! I feel I made a few mistakes to the storyline, but hey, that's how it goes in this type of game.
The card game Gwent was driving me crazy! I think I'm getting better however. Still learning though. I just keep playing until I win. Just the ones I can win cards from.
This place is HUGE! It's going to take me forever. But that's the point I guess. A nice long, super fun game to play for a while.

Anyone else playing this? What are your thoughts without giving away spoilers?


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## Nerds_feather (May 29, 2015)

Love it so far. And I'm addicted to Gwent.


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## Brian G Turner (May 30, 2015)

Is this a game where you really need to have played the previous titles to really enjoy it? Or is it something you can just jump in with? Simply that my wife has been eyeing this for PS3...


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## thaddeus6th (May 30, 2015)

I also like Gwent a lot. I'm fairly good at it too, in contrast to some of the combat (I'm fine against most, but werewolves are beyond me. I think I fluked one triumph, and another time I heroically 'won' by going a long way around to avoid fighting the werewolf in question, which was shown to be dead [presumably of boredom/laughter-induced heart attack] later in that quest).

I've not played either prior game and never felt especially lost. 

The decisions appear very well done, although I'm still quite early on so it's hard to gauge their weight beyond immediate consequences. The world, in both a cultural/story sense and physically, is extremely good. Countless times I've been wandering about and just stopped to admire the view.

Put up an early thoughts post on my blog: http://thaddeusthesixth.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/the-witcher-3-ps4-early-thoughts.html


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## Vladd67 (May 30, 2015)

Brian Turner said:


> Is this a game where you really need to have played the previous titles to really enjoy it? Or is it something you can just jump in with? Simply that my wife has been eyeing this for PS3...


Sorry I think it is only available on the PS4


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## Wo7f (Jun 1, 2015)

I've not played 1 or 2 and am enjoying it! Just take into account that the Witcher had a previous life. But I'm not having a problem playing the game.


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## EpochExodus (Aug 29, 2016)

I love the game as well, I never played the others before either. I like the game mechanics and how shay out do is reflected in the game. (Choices mean a guy commits suicide or not etc..) the fighting is a pain on higher difficulty level but that's when you learn to go scout for potion materials and such.. I've yet to finish it let alone be halfway the exploring area is huge..


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## Chris Guillory (Aug 31, 2016)

I love it as well. Played through the main quest and the first expansion (Heart of Stone). Then I started over on new game +, and will build up my character to play the second expansion (Blood and Wine).


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## thaddeus6th (Aug 31, 2016)

Incidentally, those without the game really should get the GOTY edition. Comes with base game plus all DLC, just £32 or so now (bargain, of you don't have the original). I'll wait a bit, hope the price falls to £20.


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## Brian G Turner (Aug 31, 2016)

Has this got quite a bit of sexual content in it? I think I saw some on Honest Game trailers, but gave no indication if they're part of the main story or mods, etc.

Simply that I'm tempted to get my wife Witcher 2 then 3, but if she feels like she's playing a male sexual fantasy, she'll be really narked at me.


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## Chris Guillory (Sep 1, 2016)

Brian Turner said:


> Has this got quite a bit of sexual content in it? I think I saw some on Honest Game trailers, but gave no indication if they're part of the main story or mods, etc.
> 
> Simply that I'm tempted to get my wife Witcher 2 then 3, but if she feels like she's playing a male sexual fantasy, she'll be really narked at me.



Yes or no. This is a choice with almost every woman Geralt encounters. But he can choose not to go through with it. Or you can skip it as it's a cut scene.


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## Bugg (Dec 5, 2016)

Picked up the GOTY in last week's Steam Sale for £20.99 and I'm absolutely loving it.  I've played a fair few RPGs in the past (Skyrim, Oblivion, Morrowind, Fallouts 3 & 4,  Mass Effect 1, 2, 3, Dragon Age, and back to Baldur's Gate etc) and this is proving to be far and away my favourite to date.  Most of this is down to the way it plays, its mature themes, the brilliantly thought through quest lines that somehow manage to develop characters as well, and the combat, which is a lot more than just hack and slash.  It also helps that it is beautiful to look at, I won't lie 

But I find my preferences also lean towards playing as Geralt.  In other games, when you create your own character, they always feel a bit lifeless to me.  Here I'm playing a character who's leaped off the pages of a series of books, who comes with all this backstory and a cast of friends and enemies with whom he has a history, and the world feels alive in part because of this.

Normally, by this stage (20 hours in), my interest would be beginning to wane and I'd be fed up with wandering around ticking off quests or markers on the map.  But here I'm getting more and more excited about what's to come.  Yesterday I sat down in front of the pc and thought I'd fire the game up for half an hour between footie matches on tv.  Four hours later I was still sitting there, footie forgotten, deeply involved in the Bloody Baron sequence of quests, having fought my first battle against a member of the Wild Hunt, and now trying to release a stillborn child from a curse.

It was bloody marvellous


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## thaddeus6th (Dec 5, 2016)

Witcher 3's fantastic, I just wish my PS4 didn't scream so much when playing it...


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## Bugg (Dec 5, 2016)

It seems to be very well optimised on pc.  I'm running it on a GTX 770 and I've got most of the settings at 'Ultra' and it's smooth as silk and the pc is barely getting warm.  Contrast that with XCOM 2, where I've got a lot of the settings turned down - play that for a while and I could switch off the central heating and save on my bills for the winter


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## thaddeus6th (Dec 5, 2016)

Alright, alright. I bow before the PC Master Race *doffs cap and runs off to his console peasant hovel of inferior graphics and screaming console*



Mind you, The Witcher 3 looks gorgeous. And has a fantastic story and characters. Intrigued about where the next one might go.


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## Bugg (Dec 5, 2016)

thaddeus6th said:


> Alright, alright. I bow before the PC Master Race *doffs cap and runs off to his console peasant hovel of inferior graphics and screaming console*



  Oi, I just bought a PS4 - don't put me off it before Christmas!


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## thaddeus6th (Dec 5, 2016)

If you bought it just now (a slim or pro) then it's got much better cooling so you're alright.

It's just me, the Jonah of buying consoles, who needs to whine  [Seriously, every damned time I get one there's a better version released within a year or so].


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## Bugg (Dec 5, 2016)

^^ The previous two generations I jumped in at launch and it happened to me, too.

Gods, Witcher 3 gets better and better.  Just spent the last couple of hours doing the Crones of Crookback Bog quest.  Freaky as hell.

Or as Elmer Fudd might say, "Be vewy, vewy quiet - I'm hunting witches!"


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## thaddeus6th (Dec 6, 2016)

The witches are fantastically creepy. Even though it's the first/lowest level aspect of the main questline, they're ghoulish. Excellent character design and music helps a lot too.


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## Bugg (Jan 16, 2017)

105 hours and counting and oh dear - I really stuffed up Geralt's love life.  Like _really  _


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## thaddeus6th (Jan 16, 2017)

Ha. I bet I know what you did.

I didn't do that. Because I'm a virtuous man of unremitting honour and loyalty. You bounder. You cad!


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## Bugg (Jan 16, 2017)

thaddeus6th said:


> Ha. I bet I know what you did.
> 
> I didn't do that. Because I'm a virtuous man of unremitting honour and loyalty. You bounder. You cad!



Guilty as charged   Didn't like either of 'em anyway (flounce).


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## thaddeus6th (Jan 17, 2017)

You don't like Yen?

.....

Get thee gone, Satan!


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## Bugg (Jan 17, 2017)

Nobody likes Yen - apart from Geralt


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## thaddeus6th (Jan 17, 2017)

_I_ like Yen.


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## Bugg (Jan 17, 2017)

She obviously got that djinn from The Last Wish to cast a spell on you


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## Bugg (Jan 30, 2017)

I finished the base game on Friday.  Out of the multiple endings the one I got was so bittersweet   After 140 hours invested in the game I've been feeling strangely bereft ever since, and that's even with knowing I've still got the two expansions to play 

I spent a good deal of those last few hours messing around with various character builds.  I'd been playing a Signs-heavy build up to that point, with a full set of Griffin armour, but decided to change it to a hybrid build with some alchemy thrown in, and switched to the Wolven armour and swords.  With the right combination of decoctions and potions it ended up being a lot more powerful than the build I'd been using for most of the game.  Taking down a level 35 archgriffin in three hits was quite amusing.  I kept trying to hit it for a moment, thinking "it can't be dead already!"


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## hopewrites (Jan 30, 2017)

Someone told me I _must_ play this if I like character-driven rpg...

Advice?


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## thaddeus6th (Jan 30, 2017)

Play it. (Be aware it fully deserves its 18 rating, though). 

The Witcher 3 is a fantastic RPG.

I never went for the alchemical route. Maybe I will next time. The fully upgraded griffin armour looks rather snazzy.


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## Bugg (Jan 30, 2017)

hopewrites said:


> Someone told me I _must_ play this if I like character-driven rpg...
> 
> Advice?



I'd say the best thing to do if you're unsure is to watch a 'Let's Play' on YouTube and see if it's your kind of thing.  I recommend Christopher Odd as he's generally very good:









thaddeus6th said:


> I never went for the alchemical route. Maybe I will next time. The fully upgraded griffin armour looks rather snazzy.



I didn't consider alchemy at all, I must admit - until I was about 120 hours into the game, lol.  But it turns out it's really powerful.  You can raise your toxicity resistance so you can drop up to three decoctions or, in my case, two decoctions and two potions, and not suffer any ill effects.  So I had one decoction that generated stamina every time I hit something, and one that restored health every time I used stamina, which was a win-win.  Plus the Refreshment alchemy ability restores vitality every time you take a potion, so no more need for swallow or chicken sandwiches   And then against the archgriffin - which was during a thunderstorm - I had Thunderbolt going, which gets almighty crit bonuses during a storm.  The poor thing never stood a chance, lol.

I found this skills calculator very helpful (this was the build I ended up using):

COMBAT / SIGNS


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## hopewrites (Jan 30, 2017)

So.... You can only play as the MC?

And from what I've gathered from this guide, you level through the 5 branches of the four trees... and this makes for the most open ended character build game available today??? 

Clearly I've missed something. Help me out guys, because everyone who has told me I have to play this game has been wildly enthusiastic about it. So I gotta know, what am I missing here?


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## Bugg (Jan 30, 2017)

I'm not sure what I can add if all those other people have already failed to convince you, or without knowing what you like and dislike in games.  Besides, I wouldn't want it on my conscience if you ended up hating it   Have you watched any video reviews or let's plays like the link in my post above?  

FWIW, for most of the game you play as Geralt, because it's based on a series of books about him.  It's not a sandbox RPG but a huge story/character driven RPG which draws on the mythology of both the previous games and the novels.  Re the character builds, I found them incredibly flexible.  Working out the right combination of abilities that have synergy and suited my style of play was/is incredibly rewarding.  

Again, I'd highly recommend dipping into some let's play videos to see if it's something you might like, or watching some reviews.  These two are pretty good:


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## hopewrites (Jan 31, 2017)

Thank you, I watched the first one you posted 

I keep convincing myself to play, then forgetting to go buy it, or getting distracted in other projects and worlds...

I started on Neverwinter Nights, Balders Gate 2, moved to table top DND, and Story Teller, then came back to Skyrim... My personal favorite is to play a bard. Barring that I'll go sneak-thief/assassin. 

I do love complex story and depth of world. Perhaps the best sell for me on the game would be to read the books?? See if I become invested in the world there and the pick up a copy of the game?


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## Vladd67 (Jan 31, 2017)

Try this one
The Last Wish: Amazon.co.uk: Andrzej Sapkowski: 9780575082441: Books
It takes traditional stories and adds a twist.


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## Bugg (Jan 31, 2017)

hopewrites said:


> I started on Neverwinter Nights, Balders Gate 2, moved to table top DND, and Story Teller, then came back to Skyrim... My personal favorite is to play a bard. Barring that I'll go sneak-thief/assassin.



Far be it from me to put anyone off playing Witcher 3 (it's pretty much the best game I've ever played, after all) but . . . yeah, this game isn't like those you mention, really.  The only role you get is that of a witcher and it then gives you a choice between combat, signs (magic) and alchemy, or a multitude of combinations of those.  So it's more action based than the ones you mentioned.

Have you tried Pillars of Eternity?


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## hopewrites (Jan 31, 2017)

Added the book to my To Read list.

I hadn't heard of Pillars, I'll go look that one up. 

Thanks guys!! 
I'll probably still have this one in the back of my head as something to play, but I'll not expect to be able to be a nymph bard  (my first DnD character was) anymore.


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## Bugg (Jan 31, 2017)

hopewrites said:


> I hadn't heard of Pillars, I'll go look that one up.



If you liked Baldur's Gate you really should look it up - some of the people involved were at Black Isle Studios and worked on BG, Neverwinter Nights, Icewind Dale, Planescape Torment etc.  I really enjoyed Pillars (apart from the spiders - too many frelling spiders!).  Probably not a bad time to get into it, either, as the sequel is on its way.

This'll give you a better idea about it than the trailer:


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## Bugg (Feb 1, 2017)

Just to note, if you're looking to buy *The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt* for pc, the _Game of the Year_ edition is available for £20.99 on both Steam and GOG.  The Steam offer is only for the next 7 hours or so, not sure about GOG.

Save 40% on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Game of the Year Edition on Steam

Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, The - Game of the Year Edition -40% on GOG.com


Also, *The Witcher* is going for around £1:

Save 85% on The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director's Cut on Steam

Witcher: Enhanced Edition, The  -85% on GOG.com


and *The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings* is around £2:

Save 85% on The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition on Steam

Witcher 2: Assassins Of Kings, The - Enhanced Edition -85% on GOG.com


So the whole saga for £25.  Bargainous.


ETA: the GOG deal is for the next 12 hours . . .


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## Bugg (Feb 13, 2017)

So I finished the Hearts of Stone expansion at the weekend, and enjoyed every second of it.



Spoiler



I'm quite glad I stuffed up Geralt's love life now.  What would have been the point of going through all that in the main game to end up with Yen or Triss, only to go off and shag Shani in the expansion?  

I probably could've phrased that a bit better . . .



Oh, and thank heavens for the mod that re-skins spiders in the game.  140+ hours in and they suddenly dump Arachnomorphs on me?  Don't ruin it for me now!!


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## Bugg (May 17, 2017)

I posted about this over on the TV board, but just in case . . .

The Witcher is being made into a TV show by Netflix


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## Bugg (Jun 7, 2017)

So I'm finally nearing the end of this experience.  I say 'experience' because, for me, that's what it's been - it's been so immersive and I've become so invested in the characters that it's felt like more than a game.  I wasn't intending to play the Blood & Wine expansion for a while yet - I was holding off, playing other stuff in the meanwhile, because I didn't want this to end.  But then I bought a new graphics card a few weeks back and loaded the game up for the first time in a while just to see what it looked like.  A few minutes of wandering around led me to my one remaining quest, 'Envoys, Wineboys', and next thing I knew I was off to Toussaint and not looking back.

Over forty hours later and it's almost over.  I'm level 53, I've beaten the big bad and am putting off finishing the main quest whilst I mop up some contracts and treasure hunts.  I got the Manticore Armour set a couple of days ago and decided to try out a new build using the Euphoria mutation and a couple more Alchemy skills (Protective Coating and Endure Pain - makes Geralt an absolute beast).  It's the most powerful build I've had yet - completely OP, tbh.  Not much point at the end, possibly, but I'm planning on taking it into New Game+ and giving it a, ahem, _whirl_.

So I've gone from not wanting it to end to 'can't wait to begin it again'.  Can't wait to make different choices, find quests I missed, get all those Gwent cards, possibly get the best ending, and maybe - just _maybe _- not stuff up Geralt's love life again  

Or maybe I should, you know, get a life instead


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## thaddeus6th (Jun 8, 2017)

Still haven't got the expansion yet.

It is, however, a tremendously good game. Don't know about others, but I usually have a couple of generation-defining videogames, and this is one of them for the PS4 era.


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## Bugg (Jun 8, 2017)

thaddeus6th said:


> Still haven't got the expansion yet.



You really, really should - it's on sale quite often these days.  Blood & Wine on its own has a better story and more content than most triple-A games.  It's almost a full-blown sequel, like having a Witcher 4 in all but name.


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## Bugg (Jun 9, 2017)

Aaaaand finished 

I feel bereft - farewell Geralt and Ciri, it's been so much fun.  What am I going to do now?? 

Oh yeah - New Game+


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## thaddeus6th (Jun 9, 2017)

One day, Bugg. Probably remember when I have a PS6.

Also, Cyberpunk 2077 will probably have some announcement or other at E3, which is only a few days away.


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## Bugg (Jun 9, 2017)

You heard about this?

http://kotaku.com/cd-projekt-red-thieves-stole-cyberpunk-2077-documents-1795926968


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## thaddeus6th (Jun 10, 2017)

Yeah. The response from the wider community seems to be that hacking is dickish generally, but doing it to CD Projekt Red in particular smacks of hitting one of the best-engaged and most pro-consumer developers there is.


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## Bugg (Jun 16, 2017)

I may have started NG+ on Death March.  Also with a few mods, like the HD Re-worked and Nitpickers ones.  Already killed the griffin and moved on to Velen


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## thaddeus6th (Jun 16, 2017)

Ah. I'm just a console peasant, so no mods for me.

*tills field and hopes the harvest is good this year*


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## Bugg (Jun 19, 2017)

There are a lot of mods that interest me but really only a handful that I use.  The aforementioned HD Reworked is excellent.  The Nitpickers one I haven't even noticed (which is probably the intention!).  I have one that shows the names of all the potions and decoctions on the inventory screen, which makes them a lot quicker to find. 

I was messing around with reshades and lighting mods yesterday, which looked great out in the open but made interiors impossibly dark (realistic, maybe, but not exactly practical), so those got dumped pretty quickly!


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## thaddeus6th (Jun 19, 2017)

The only real problem I have with The Witcher 3 is that it makes my (old, fat) PS4 scream like a damned jet engine.

*sighs* I have atrocious console timing. Seriously, next generation, wait until I buy one, then wait six months more and the better, slimmer model will come out.


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## Bugg (Jul 17, 2017)

Found this interesting.  Things could've been quite different if the first game had gone down this path.


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## thaddeus6th (Jul 17, 2017)

That's an interesting alternative. I wonder if the next Witcher game will feature a defined character, or we'll make our own.


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## Bugg (Sep 6, 2017)

Love this!   Especially Roach's appearance at the end


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## Stewart Hotston (Sep 6, 2017)

There are no more witcher games coming - even if the end of Blood and Wine doesn't make that abundantly clear the developers have been pretty candid about it. I loved this series so hard and have pretty much done every side quest and ever gwent card, every race, every fight. It's amazing.


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## Bugg (Sep 6, 2017)

They've sent out some mixed messages, to be fair.  One minute they say it's the last one, then they qualify it and say it's the last one about Geralt, but they may return to the Witcher _universe _at some point in the future. 

I'm really excited to see what they do with Cyberpunk 2077 now, though.


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## thaddeus6th (Sep 6, 2017)

Bugg, that's what I'd heard too. Ciri or Make-Your-Own-Witcher is possible.


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## ralphkern (Nov 19, 2017)

Just bought this, and playing through the opening of it. 

I really enjoyed the Witcher 2, but the politics got a little too deep for casual playing. I loved the dichotomy of the villain in that, making him look like a thug, yet actually he was one of the shrewdest players on the board.

What I do enjoy about 3 is the moster hunting aspect which seems to be the refocus. Each one seems like an excellent set piece with problem solving, fighting, and just such a general air of nastiness to the monsters it turns them into something which would be feared in that world.


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## ralphkern (Feb 15, 2018)

Love the comedy mission where you have a bunch of buddies having a night on the lash, knowing that it was the last time they would be able to do that - completely capped by the telling off Geralt got from Yennifer for it. It was such a juxtaposition of the dark story, and made it feel so real. Hillarious, yet bittersweet. i really got the impression they knew it was the last chance they'd have to relax, so they embraced it... perhaps a little too readily!


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## Bugg (Mar 13, 2018)

I've returned to *The Witcher* with the intention of carrying my save game from it to *Assassins of Kings* and then on to *Wild Hunt* (planning to re-start my NG+ of the latter, if/when I get there).  So far I'm up to chapter 3 of the original game - it's the furthest I've ever got with it, having got bored during chapter 2 on my two previous attempts.  

It's quite surprising how much better it seems now.  In the seven or eight years since my second abandoned attempt to play it I have read four or five of the books and *Wild Hunt* has become my favourite game.  So the world, characters, enemies and concepts all feel familiar and more involving than I found them originally.  The combat still seems a bit odd but at least it's different, and the Signs, oils and potions all make a lot more sense to me now.

The voice acting is still generally pants, though


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## ralphkern (Mar 13, 2018)

I've finished the Main quest and Heart of Stone. 

HoS has got to be one of the best stories I've enjoyed in any format. And the bad guy... wow. He goes from almost jovial and likable to one of the most truly intimidating.

I've moved onto Blood and Wine now. I really struggle to see how it can surpass HoS, but then, at just about every stage of the Witcher 3 experience I've thought, "There's no way they can top what they just did."

They managed it every time.


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## thaddeus6th (Mar 14, 2018)

Still haven't bought any DLC but, when I have some of this elusive 'money' I have heard so much about, I do plan on doing so.

My only Witcher 3 complaint is that it makes my fat PS4 scream like a jet engine at times.


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## Bugg (Mar 14, 2018)

I adored Blood & Wine   I think some didn't like it quite as much as Hearts of Stone as its main plot isn't as focused which results in some pacing issues, which is true.  HoS lasts around 10 - 15 hours.  I played B&W for over 40.  I knew the whole experience was coming to an end so I really took my time over it, and just loved it and its setting and characters (especially Regis and Anna Henrietta).  It was a long, lingering goodbye kiss with some fun twists and a perfect ending.  I admit, I found it quite emotional.

My only problem with HoS was that, after 150 hours on the main game, they suddenly decided it was time to introduce giant spiders.  Gaaaaagh!



ralphkern said:


> HoS has got to be one of the best stories I've enjoyed in any format. And the bad guy... wow. He goes from almost jovial and likable to one of the most truly intimidating.



Do you mean . . .



Spoiler



Gaunter O'Dimm or Olgierd?  I know what you mean, in both cases.

In Gaunter's case, did you know you'd met him before?  Right back at the start of the main game, at the inn at White Orchard.  Oh, the foreshadowing


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## ralphkern (Mar 14, 2018)

I get the impression that when writing the stories of the Witcher 3, they start with a short mission statement about what themes they want to hit.

The Main Quest - To relentlessly pursue. Both being the pursued, and being the pursuer.

HoS - How one should live every day like it's their last.

Now, for Blood and Wine, and I fully imagine it'll change my opinion on this, but at the moment - it feels far gentler than the previous, darker tales.

If I had to say right now, it's about friendship. Tinged with a bit of sadness, as certainly one party knows that the other won't be around for long, relatively speaking. But also perhaps both knowing that their glory days are behind them.

Again, one of the things this has nailed is giving a genuine sense of affection between Geralt and his buddy. The voice actor who plays Regis is spot on in carrying this.

I've heard it mentioned before this story is the perfect goodbye - so could see why they would pick that theme.

(It'll be interesting to see if, and how, my view evolves).

I think this game, and it's DLC has some of the best story telling I've seen. It covers deeply personal as well as wide sweeping, world shattering events with equal skill and urgency.And how they managed to keep that urgency going is rediculous! I think I must have put at least 100 hours into this game. And not a minute of it has been dead story time or grinding! It just keeps going!!! (or at least, what is grinding is so well hidden behind the Witcher Contracts it doesn't feel like it)

Sorry, I keep forgetting how to do spoiler tags. But yeah, @Bugg  that's the guy. And one of the reasons why I struggled, initially to see how they could scale it up when it's implied who (what), the antagonist of HoS actually is. 

I'm really glad that, rather than going for the Starwars model of just scaling up (making a bigger Death Star - or in this case, a more powerful monster... which they can't), they've switched up B&W to make it not about a bigger or nastier enemy.


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## Bugg (Mar 19, 2018)

ralphkern said:


> Love the comedy mission where you have a bunch of buddies having a night on the lash, knowing that it was the last time they would be able to do that - completely capped by the telling off Geralt got from Yennifer for it.



I loved that scene.  Funnily enough, over the weekend I did the very similar scene in the first game, where Geralt, Dandelion and Zoltan get totally plastered, and then Geralt gets told off by Triss (or Shani, depending on the choices you made).  Geralt getting advice on women from Dandelion and Zoltan was quite amusing


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## ralphkern (Mar 19, 2018)

So perfectly pitched. Even Geralt's S+*t eating smirk as he staggers off to bed having been given a good telling off by his other half. It was really heart warming to see him cut loose. 

Okay, Blood & Wine, loving it. So far, not quite to the same extent as HoS, but I'm getting there as I get more into the characters.

I was surprised to see this lady appear... and not as I envisaged her from the trailer.


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## ralphkern (Mar 20, 2018)

Ok... I had my doubts B&W could match HoS... 

It’s just manage to turn the dial from 11 to 12


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## Bugg (Mar 20, 2018)

ralphkern said:


> I was surprised to see this lady appear... and not as I envisaged her from the trailer.



And so cool that they had her appearance planned all along (although I guess they had been working on B&W to some extent before the main game's release anyway).  I love that the song she sings is also the menu music, and that you can see her walking back and forth in the barn in the background of the menu screen.  I much prefer it to the two previous menu screens.

I was going to post something else about that trailer, but I'll wait until after you've finished the game.


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## ralphkern (Apr 3, 2018)

And done. 

Simply, one of the best story and game experiences ever. 

I can see why they're not doing a sequel after the end of Blood & Wine. Part of me feels actually quite sad not to spend more time with Geralt, but his story is done now. It's been a long road for him and it peaked perfectly. He's earned his retirement - and such is how good of an RPG it is I, as the player, think it's time to hang up the swords. 

Not because it was getting old, or boring by any stretch of the imagination. It's just... complete.

10/10, and one satisfied x boxer.


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## thaddeus6th (Apr 3, 2018)

Point of order. You might know this already, but for those who don't: this is the last Geralt game, but might not be the last Witcher game. A new one (I'd guess with potentially Ciri or a make-your-own Witcher as protagonist) is a possibility.


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## Bugg (Apr 3, 2018)

ralphkern said:


> Not because it was getting old, or boring by any stretch of the imagination. It's just... complete.



You probably already worked this out but the other thing I was going to say about the Night to Remember trailer you posted above was:



Spoiler



it's set after the end of Blood & Wine.  Didn't want to post that before as I didn't know which part of the branching story you chose, in case it spoiled anything


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## ralphkern (Apr 11, 2018)

Yeah I got that. I kind of built that into my image of Geralt just finishing up a last loose end as part of Blood & Wine. 

Loved the whole Geralt and Regis dynamic and... how that interplayed with other characters. Geralt wasn't the only one making hard choices in B&W.


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## ralphkern (Jun 10, 2018)

Just an addendum to the Witcher.

It's been picked up for a Netflix TV series. If they get even half the stakes, characters, relationships and story into the series as in the games, then this will eclipse GOT - easily.


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## thaddeus6th (Jun 10, 2018)

Have to wait and see how it turns out. Hope it can live up to its potential.

As an aside, and a non-Netflixonian, how long before/do their series end up on DVD?


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## HareBrain (Jun 10, 2018)

thaddeus6th said:


> As an aside, and a non-Netflixonian, how long before/do their series end up on DVD?



Their hit _Stranger Things _has never been released on DVD in the UK, maddeningly.


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## thaddeus6th (Jun 10, 2018)

HareBrain, that just seems dumb to me. But there we are. I sometimes feel rather out of place in this strange modern realm.


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## Bugg (Jun 10, 2018)

Why dumb?  They want people to subscribe to their service, not cherry pick on dvd, surely?


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## thaddeus6th (Jun 11, 2018)

Delaying a release for a few years will keep almost all subscribers whilst opening up another (smaller) revenue stream. I'm not subscribing to Netflix. I would buy DVDs of a show like Game of Thrones (which I do) or The Witcher (if it's good enough).


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## Bugg (Sep 18, 2018)




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## Vladd67 (Oct 3, 2018)

It pays to think ahead.
Witcher author demands an extra $16 million from CD Projekt for rights to license, company refuses


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## thaddeus6th (Oct 3, 2018)

I believe Sapkowski[sp] has also washed his hands of the Netflix series.

So, it may end up being bigger than Game of Thrones


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## Bugg (Oct 3, 2018)

Vladd67 said:


> It pays to think ahead.
> Witcher author demands an extra $16 million from CD Projekt for rights to license, company refuses



I was watching something about this last night.  There seem to be some loopholes in Polish law that he/his lawyers are aiming for.


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## Vladd67 (Nov 1, 2018)

https://io9.gizmodo.com/henry-cavill-as-the-witchers-geralt-is-a-sight-to-behol-1830125847


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## Bugg (Dec 11, 2018)




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## Vladd67 (Feb 6, 2019)

Witcher author Andrzej Sapkowski settles royalty dispute with developer CD Projekt Red


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## AnnWanges (Feb 26, 2019)

The combat is amazing as well as graphics. One of my favorite games.


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## Bugg (Aug 20, 2019)

Having recovered from the gobsmackery of W3 being announced for the Switch back at E3, I'm gobsmacked again now they've actually allowed journalists to play the game, and released footage of it in action - in handheld mode, no less - and it looks better than practically anyone could have expected, I think.

Switcher 3 arrives on October 15th.


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## thaddeus6th (Aug 20, 2019)

That's all very well, but where are the microtransactions? 

[CDPR is doing good stuff and the comparison with certain other companies, which may or may not be called EA, is starker than a man in an iron suit].


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