Witcher 3

[thaddeus6th]

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!

 

[Bugg]

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).

 

[thaddeus6th]

You don't like Yen?

.....

Get thee gone, Satan!

 

[Bugg]

Nobody likes Yen - apart from Geralt

 

[thaddeus6th]

I like Yen.

 

[Bugg]

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

 

[Bugg]

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!"

 

[hopewrites]

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

Advice?

 

[thaddeus6th]

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.

 

[Bugg]

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:

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

 

[hopewrites]

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?

 

[Bugg]

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:

 

[hopewrites]

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?

 

[Vladd67]

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

 

[Bugg]

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?

 

[hopewrites]

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.

 

[Bugg]

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:

 

[Bugg]

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 . . .

 

[Bugg]

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!!

 

[Bugg]

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

The Witcher is being made into a TV show by Netflix