The Witcher 3

[Benji]

Well that will make things easier, I was sitting here thinking I'd have to brew everything every time I needed it. I jumped into playing on Death March and thought that seemed incredibly harsh if you had to find it all every time.

[Roster Depth Sicko No. 2]

That confused me so much when I first played it.

I should probably play it again at some point 

[Benji]

If I lose at Gwent do I lose anything except money? Will I lose cards?

[JasonM]

8 minutes ago, Benji said:

If I lose at Gwent do I lose anything except money? Will I lose cards?

Only money. But there are a few occassions that you can't have a rematch, so probably best to savescum like a madman.

[Benji]

Had fun with it yesterday. This game seems like anything below Death March would be cheating though. I die occasionally (usually the same places several times before I master my dodging), but it's far more rewarding on the hardest difficulty than I think it would be on lower difficulties.

My only complaint so far is that leveling seems VERY slow. I've completed everything at White Orchard and was just level three, but the first two main story quests in the next area are level five/six? Seems like an absurdly steep jump to basically have to double my levels just to continue.

[JasonM]

43 minutes ago, Benji said:

Had fun with it yesterday. This game seems like anything below Death March would be cheating though. I die occasionally (usually the same places several times before I master my dodging), but it's far more rewarding on the hardest difficulty than I think it would be on lower difficulties.

My only complaint so far is that leveling seems VERY slow. I've completed everything at White Orchard and was just level three, but the first two main story quests in the next area are level five/six? Seems like an absurdly steep jump to basically have to double my levels just to continue.

The game is set to have you be slightly under-leveled for that extra challenge, which on DM means a gigantic challenge. But post-WO you should be getting more experience as a whole.

Also, the first 10 levels are the toughest slog, afterwards you get a decently rounded out skillset and you'll be able to dodge and parry your way through tough matchups much easier with the use of your skills.

Additionally, find and create grenades like grapeshot and northern wind, especially the latter can make group encounters much more manageable.

 

Edited July 11, 2016 by Jasonmufc

[Benji]

My current abilities are:

• Sun and Stars - Increases the Vitality regeneration rate during the day and Stamina regeneration during the night.
• Survival Instinct - Increases Vitality by 500 points.
• Muscle Memory - Increases fast attack damage +5% and adrenaline point gain +1% each level (done all five boosts)
• Arrow Deflection - Deflect arrows while parrying. Adrenaline Point gain: +1% each level (done first boost)

Going to look into finishing Arrow Deflection, then pick up...

• Rage Management - If your current Stamina level is too low, Signs can be cast using Adrenaline Points.

When I level up and can fill a third slot, and also going to grab "Puppet" from the Axii tree to get enemies to fight along side me, and also boost axii with whatever skill it was that does that so that I can manipulate conversations for more EXP (might actually be puppet thinking about it).

[JasonM]

Puppet is a good one, but it doesn't work on everyone (it will stun them for a short while instead). But the conversation manipulation does help quite a bit to get EXP and money.

I never went into the sword skills or got arrow deflection, personally went with an alchemy build that was disgustingly effective. (Healing a quarter life-bar by downing any potion). Additionally the bomb skills are also part of that same tree, so in the end I was a grenade spamming drugfiend who used sword simply for killing blows. Potions as a whole end up being OP as shit, due to being able to have buffs for any given situation.

But as a whole, every class is a good class in Witcher 3, but the most important thing is that you need to invest heavily into one after you've gotten your first few default skills unlocked. So that you got a go-to style that can carry you through the tough fights, especially important when you're playing on DM which needs you to use every advantage you can get.

Also, I don't rate Sun and Stars, but that was partly due to my alchemy build making stamina/health recovery a non-factor 9/10 times, and the recovery was too negligible. Also arrow deflection I didn't get because you can get close to archers by simply diving like a land-dolphin. Survival Instinct does have a very good use, especially in the early game where you need every drop of health you can get.

But you can get a Potion of Clearance later on, which is very useful to use once you've gotten past that early-game grind and gives you a chance to really start focusing on that mid-late game build.

But Witcher is fun enough that there's not one go-to build and you can just as easily go with an insane swordsman who cuts through everything, or an insane alchemist who uses more drugs than the entire 2006 Tour de France combined.

[Sam]

Almost finished with Blood and Wine now. It's just been the perfect addition to a game I already adored, I don't know how I'm going to live a non Witcher life, been playing this game for a few hours every weekend since March now after returning to it. I just love the world and the characters, I truly get lost in it as there is always so much going on.

Edited July 12, 2016 by Sam

[JasonM]

1 hour ago, Sam said:

Almost finished with Blood and Wine now. It's just been the perfect addition to a game I already adored, I don't know how I'm going to live a non Witcher life, been playing this game for a few hours every weekend since March now after returning to it. I just love the world and the characters, I truly feel get lost in it as there is always so much going on.

Get hype for Cyberpunk 2077?

[Benji]

Still enjoying it, but man the levelling up is arduous. Maybe it's better below Death March, but it feels like it takes forever clearing nothing bandit camps and clearing objectives for pitiful EXP for the most part. Dragon Age Inquisition had similar problems with its levelling, but at least with that you had multiple characters so it felt like you were getting more growth.

The fact I have more abilities than my slots will even allow is bullshit too (and something that I didn't even realise when I first got several of these level ups). What's the point in being able to learn abilities if I don't have space to use them?

The gameplay is generally fun outside of that, but the pace is so slow because of levelling that I can't even tell you much about the story yet if I tried.

[Benji]

Ah, seems when you hit level five/six it opens up and EXP begins to flow. Weird that the start of it seems so poorly planned.

Also, addicted to Gwent >_>

[Benji]

Velen main quest finale. MAJOR SPOILERS

Spoiler

Well shit, that story was a damned ride. Sucks that mine basically ended with "and everything was shit", but it's sort of nice to see that in a game for once. No happy ending, nothing bittersweet, just a dead family and a bunch of weird witches still alive who I'll have to kill down the line.

 

[Benji]

So I just romanced Triss, and...

Spoiler

Started getting it on in a lighthouse, then this happens

 

 

[Benji]

Okay, I love the game, but I have three main complaints:

Spoiler

Horses following the path? Fantastic. The fact the horse seems to randomly stop running at some turns? Not so much. It's getting to be that traveling is faster by foot than horse because I exclusively use light armor.

EXP gains drop if you take a mission lower than your current level. Surely the EXP should just be lower by default rather than reducing to 1 because I didn't do that mission at an earlier point. It's even more stupid because I got to Skellige at level 16, and there's level 12 missions around there.

Repairing weapons. It's not as tedious as in other games with this mechanic, but it is still an utterly pointless mechanic. An exercise in time and money wasting and nothing more. There's literally zero positive benefits.

Other than that, loving it. I'm about to head to the Isle of Mists but I'm going to finish up all my contracts first as I understand that's the point of no return.

 

[JasonM]

Isle of Mists is indeed the point of no return.

[Benji]

When should I play the DLC? Before I head there or after (assuming you can transfer your existing character over to the DLC?)?

[JasonM]

15 minutes ago, Benji said:

When should I play the DLC? Before I head there or after (assuming you can transfer your existing character over to the DLC?)?

Both are pretty much set after the main story, so you can avoid them until you finish off the main game.

[Benji]

Cool, cheers. I assume I can transfer my character with a post-game save too?

[JasonM]

1 minute ago, Benji said:

Cool, cheers. I assume I can transfer my character with a post-game save too?

Yes you can