[WinterPhoenix]

Try boating around the Skellige isles, plenty of breeze and waves

But yeah agree with you entirely about the movement, it's so choppy that you really have to line things up just to interact with certain things, meaning you end up spending like a minute doing something that should take 5 seconds max. Honestly though I don't find it such an egregious issue that it effects my immense enjoyment of a frankly incredible game, probably my favourite on the current gen of console, and that includes HZD and Dark Souls 3.

[Serenity]

Traveller, on 16 June 2017 - 07:17 AM, said:

But I didn't want to really lay into something that everyone else is clearly enjoying more than me.

I think that's the thing. Much as I loved HZD I think it's a far less ambitious game. W3 has much larger scope and achieves so much of what it sets out to do that the niggles fade into the background - but that's if it clicks with you. If the game as a whole doesn't click then I can only imagine how the niggles get amplified.

Speaking of water effects, when I was playing Dragon Age: Inquisition a couple of months back (I'm over it now ) I was marveling at the at the sea off the Storm Coast, and the water effects in general. Then I found out that if you go in the water you drown, can't even swim. Now that's a niggle

[WinterPhoenix]

About to make my decision regarding the Whispering Hillock and the spirit trapped therein. I'm really not sure what to do, think I should go the opposite way to my first playthrough, but I'm not sure that I can. I'll spoiler this, just in case anyone who hasn't played see's it..

Spoiler

So either way if you release or kill the 'demon' the people of Downwarren are slaughtered to a man, either by the spirit or by the Witch Hunters of the Eternal Fire so that really means nothing, at best you just save the Eternal Fire some rope. If you chose to circumvent the wishes of the Crones (and seriously, knowing the story, who wants to help them?) then the spirit keeps it's end of the bargain and saves the Orphans of Crookback Bog. However, Anna dies after being cursed and polymorphed by the crones, and then having lost everything the Baron hangs himself. Now I find it hard to really muster any sympathy for a man who beat his wife to the point of miscarriage, nonetheless I have an interest in seeing Anna survive this time as I chose the other course on my first playthough - besides who knows if either her or the Baron would show up again in any Witcher related material CDProjektRed might release, the Baron is a great character, interesting if entirely unsympathetic. The problem being that if you chose that course of action, the Crones get their way and the Orphans disappear, I genuinely don't think I can condemn children to that fate just to save one woman, even fictionally!

On another note, the fact that this game get's me thinking like that is just one reason I love this game so damn much! I'm really starting to get into the swing of things again now as well, think it was a great idea to do Death March on NG+ not a new game, I think without my oils and weapons I'd be completely murdered lol

[Serenity]

WinterPhoenix, on 19 June 2017 - 06:01 PM, said:

On another note, the fact that this game get's me thinking like that is just one reason I love this game so damn much! I'm really starting to get into the swing of things again now as well, think it was a great idea to do Death March on NG+ not a new game, I think without my oils and weapons I'd be completely murdered lol

Ha, I was just coming on here to say similar. Actually, I'm surprised that I'm finding Death March so enjoyable - I was expecting it to be a real slog but it's the same joy as I was getting on Story & Swords and Blood & Broken Bones. I've died a few times, and run away from fights a few times, but it's brilliant. The Euphoria mutation and Aerondight are a big help. I just did the 'Wandering in the Dark' quest with Keira. That was so much fun. I remember the first time I played it I hadn't figured out that I had a torch, so I really did wander around in the dark

Re the decisions, I'm trying to do things a bit differently, although there'll obviously be certain places where I'll do the same as before. The one you mention is a particular choice I want to do differently.

I've been trying out a few more mods, too. I messed around with some lighting and reshade mods yesterday, but wasn't really convinced by them - they look great in certain situations but a bit crap in others. So I'm sticking with vanilla. I got a couple of cosmetic ones, one for lore-friendly Ciri, which changes her appearance to match the book descriptions, and also one that gets Triss her W2 outfit back. I'm tempted by one that increases the level cap, but I'll see how I feel further down the line (only lvl 59 at the moment).

This post has been edited by Serenity: 19 June 2017 - 09:07 PM

[WinterPhoenix]

Yeah since I got one-shot by that Bilge Hag I mentioned the other day that was like 9 levels higher than me I've picked my fights a little bit more wisely and only died once since then. Aerondight + Euphoria + 3 decoctions and the Invigoration Rune/Ekimmarra decoction combo is stupidly powerful; I still haven't switched out Aerondight even though I've got weapons that are higher base damage now. As for wandering in the dark, I always hike my brightness up to full, frankly I know games are supposed to be dark in certain places for a reason, adds to the flavour and such, but my eyes don't work well enough to deal with it lol

Spoiler

I want to change up my choice and kill the 'demon' so Anna lives, but if I remember correctly from reading up about other choices I did not make, even if she lives she is addled in the head, and perhaps sending her off with the man who made her miscarriage, in that state - no matter how genuinely sorry he may be, how genuine his attempts to help her - is a bad idea anyhow. And I'm seriously against helping the Crones at all, I cannot in good conscience - even in a game lol - condemn those orphans to their fate. If the village of Downwarren wasn't massacred either way then that might make enough of a difference, but seeing as it is, I just think I have to make the same choice again.

What is the level cap for NG+? I have found a Steel Sword diagram that has a level requirement of 92, I'm only 66 right now.

[Serenity]

The level cap is 100, but the enemies level up beyond that (depending upon what level you started NG+ at, I believe). I think if you started NG+ at lvl 55 or higher there was a problem in that the enemies could go to lvl 110 or maybe higher. It also meant you could get certain weapons/armours that you couldn't use cos they'd be above lvl 100. I believe they sort of fixed it in a patch by limiting enemies to lvl 105 but I'm not sure about the gear. I started NG+ at lvl 53, so it should be okay I hope. I don't really want to use that mod in case it messes other stuff up.

I don't want to switch out Aerondight, either, although I get frustrated when I'm trying to level it and get to 9 hits and then run out of enemies - it's happened to me so many times The Euphoria/decoction combination is making it difficult to level it efficiently, I think, because I'm taking down regular enemies so quickly. It's sitting at 68 out of a possible 120 at the minute, which isn't great, but it's still pretty powerful. Prior to last night it was at 54, but fighting all the elementals and Nithral really helped.

I dread to think what Wandering in the Dark would've been like with the Super Turbo Lighting Mod I tried the other day - it made interiors so dark I couldn't even find my way around the Bloody Barren's place, let alone a cave

[Serenity]

Here you go, it was fixed in 1.3:

"Adjusts the maximum level for items, quests and NPCs to address level requirementdiscrepancies if player started NG+ on a very high level. Item and quest maximum level isnow 100. NPCs maximum level is 105."

http://wpc.4d7d.edge...og-1.30-ENG.pdf



Although some people seem to be saying there's a problem if your save game for starting NG+ is from an earlier version:

https://www.reddit.c...ling_fixed_yet/

[WinterPhoenix]

Hmm, I was level 54 when I started NG+, the game I used to start it was patched up to the latest 1.31 though because I had to redownload the whole game when I started again, deleted it to make space when ME:A came out. So hopefully I'll be alright on that front. The level 92 diagram is the Ofieri Sabre from Hearts of Stone btw, so I'm guessing most, if not all Blood and Wine specific diagrams will be 100 - hopefully anyhow.

Yeah I feel you on the Euphoria/Decoction combo, when you're in Crookback Bog, Drowners spawn in groups of 4 or 5, by the time I've killed one my build crits on every single hit, so even 5 is too few to hit 10 and then get the final hit as well. I'm lv 70 now (played all night :/ lol) and my Aerondight is at about 120 out of a possible 200 and something. On another note, my build is so stupidly OP, I was exploring around Benek and I went up to those two Wyvern nests, they were guarded by 2 level 74 wyverns, I was like 67 a the time and I thought, I can take 'em. I forgot that killing them both causes the Royal Wyvern from that Phantom Trade Route Witcher Contract to show up, level 78 quest. With judicious use of Quen, I killed it without taking a single bit of damage!

Thanks for all the info Serenity

[Serenity]

No probs

I saw a video on YT last night of someone starting NG+ when they were already lvl 100 (I haven't figured out how they got to lvl 100 on one playthrough . . . ) and he was saying about the 105 cap, so it should be okay.

I was in Crookback Bog last night. Still so creepy. I managed to level up Aerondight a bit by taking one less decoction so I was doing around 25% less damage. That's probably the way I'll go with regular enemies, I think, in an effort to claw back a little of the sword's levelling curve.

[WinterPhoenix]

Serenity, on 21 June 2017 - 07:26 AM, said:

No probs

I saw a video on YT last night of someone starting NG+ when they were already lvl 100 (I haven't figured out how they got to lvl 100 on one playthrough . . . ) and he was saying about the 105 cap, so it should be okay.

I was in Crookback Bog last night. Still so creepy. I managed to level up Aerondight a bit by taking one less decoction so I was doing around 25% less damage. That's probably the way I'll go with regular enemies, I think, in an effort to claw back a little of the sword's levelling curve.

Well either the guy fought respawning enemies over and over for months on end or that was at least his second time through NG+, i'm guessing the latter tbh.

[Serenity]

Just looked it up again. It says: "i finished the game @ level 53, then killed a lot of nekkers (game exploit) to level up to level 100; it took me about two weeks. Then did new game plus from there."

https://www.youtube....h?v=gZTWgifk_w4

[Tattersail_]

I am playing this and have reached level 4. So very much a noob. Not played any other Witcher but I love the game so far. Just learning the ropes.

[Morgoth]

I finished Blood and Bone yesterday, and It's kind of depressing that I have no more content left to enjoy. Unlike most other companies, CD Project RED are willing to take their time in telling a story, and it becomes so much better for it. Characters sitting around a camp fire, just having a conversation while passing a bottle around. Or just silently enjoying each others' company. It's almost unique.

[Tattersail_]

Traveller, on 09 June 2015 - 08:09 PM, said:

I read something pretty early on that suggested hanging on to any witcher gear to use as upgrade components.

My problem at the moment is finding schematics for weapons that are levels way higher than I am, to be made by blacksmiths that I haven't found yet.

Also I've been bumping into creatures that I can't make a dent in, even after a prolonged amount of fighting. I guess I need to progress the main story some more.

I was doing this side quest, looking for a brother who had gone missing, and ended up finding a cabin with a werewolf lair underneath it. I attempted to kill this werewolf 12 or 13 times. I read up on how to
kill them after a few fails. I did it right, but then the wrewolf would heal itself and every attack afterwards would take hardly any damage off it.

Puzzled I looked at a few things, read a few things, and there were a few factors why. The main one I was a level 4, the werewolf was a level 20. The second one is that I didn't even know meditation is what healed you, I was eating food trying to regain my health mid battle

Reading up on this thread and you people talk about things like we noobs are meant to know. Couple of examples on armour.

Quote

Sets for the bear/cat/griffon schools have 4 levels.

Quote

The cat School gear requires

Now, as someone fresh and a low level, can people that are quite ahead of this game explain the character experience points levels.


So I go up a level and have 1 measly point towards either signs, combat, something else alchemy or whatever. This seems like I won't fill a lot of tracks, like I'd like to be good at signs and combat and alchemy, but having one point per level is tedious. Is there a way to get more points AND what do you recommend spending points on. I have put 2 points into the first combat thing, and 1 on signs I think. So a bit of advice here would be welcome.


Next would be healing potions, what do I need to do to get these?

Quote

More thoughts on Combat: Axii rules now. They've nerfed Aard (again!) to be only useful against weak sword-and-no-armour foes. For guys with shields, Axii is a must have now.

how does that work, what do you mean?

Quote

Got the first Viper set. Need to craft it.

I killed a Griffin on a quest, so maybe similar place, so what do you mean here...

Quote

Just about wrapped White orchard, but now I discovered the riverbed may be littered with chests full of recipes. Now I gotta make sure to skim all the water before leaving.

[Morgoth]

Well, a lot of your questions depend upon what difficulty level you play.

You get 1 point pr level, and with all expansions you can expect to climb up to somewhere between lvl 50 and 60. However, around the world you can find numerous Places of Power (marked by a questionmark, like everything else) which grants you an additional skill point. When you level up though, you get more hp and you can wear better equipment. There's a lot of cool stuff out there, but as a rule the unique Witcher gear is the best, especially if you get the corresponding armour skill (light, medium or heavy). You'll find that stuff though, the quests that guide you to them, more or less without looking.

when it comes to oils, potions and all that stuff, I would advice you to let that happen organically. I didn't search for any of that early, but found them naturally as the game progressed. By exploring the world at your own leisure it'll all turn up. Relax and enjoy the world and you'll be more than over leveled by the end.

As for signs:

I'd suggest you find a few you enjoy using and specialize. I used Aard and Axii almost exclusively. Axii with the skills that adds effects to some conversation, and then all of the Aard skills. I loved throwing people around, and very much enjoyed the alternate skill where your shockwave travels like a bubble in all directions. Axii also stuns enemies, which can be advantageous against enemies with shields etc.

You'll still need to use the others now ans then thouhg. Yrden to trap enemies that are too fast or wights and stuff that normally wont take much damage from physical attacks. Quen at the start of a big fight never hurts. Some times Igni might be good, I dunno, I never much liked it.

This post has been edited by Morgoth: 29 June 2017 - 10:29 AM

[Mentalist]

Igni is awesome later on against mobs. I've always been an Aard + Igni guy.

@ Tatts: there are multiple types of alchemical recipes. Elixirs are your typical "potions"- and they exclude" Swallow" (rapid health Regen) + Raffard the White (insta-regain a ton of HP)

Oils do extra damage to a corresponding monster type.

Decoctions (these are the ones there's lots of in the riverbed) don't really come into play untill you start killing rare, powerful beasties. They give insane buffs, but are VERY toxic.

If you want to make your life easy, reload back to White Orchard, explore it fully. There's like 5 places of Power there (meaning 5 extra skill points). Put one into the Talent that grants you + 200 HP. That'll tide you over for the first 5 levels or so. You can also find the plans for the Viper swords there, which are pretty ok starting kit and deal extra poison damage to enemies.

In general, White Orchard is a VERY comprehensive tutorial area, that should be explored fully. By doing that you'll answer like 75% of questions about the game's mechanics.

In Velen, in order to level up, explore the western coast until you hit cannibal village. There's a few things to run away from quickly, but in general, by finding stashes and killing bandit camps and low-level creep nests, you can gain a few levels. Also, each camp usually has a recipe. Do keep in mind that simply killing enemies does NOT give you XP. "Solving" a point of interest (question mark) provides an XP boost, though, which is why early on those nests and hidden chests and bandit camps are worth spending your time on.

This post has been edited by Mentalist: 29 June 2017 - 12:06 PM

[Serenity]

^^ Agree - fully exploring White Orchard is for the best.

I'll just add that later on you'll be able to buy potions that let you re-allocate your skill points, so you can experiment a bit. It all depends on the way you want to play really. I went Signs heavy initially. Igni and Aard are great. The alternate mode for Igni is brilliant against larger enemies, I found. The alternate mode for Yrden is good cos it creates a field that deflects projectiles and slows enemies.

I found this skill calculator helpful, too: http://www.rpg-gaming.com/tw3.html

[WinterPhoenix]

Yeah you should definitely do everything you can in White Orchard before moving on to Velen, the 5 Place of Power bonus ability points especially are great for getting you ahead of the curve. I'd suggest using your early points in the damage increasing perk for either Fast Attacks or Strong Attacks depending on which you use most - Fast Attacks have unbeatable dps potential in my opinion, but mixing it up a little bit is beneficial. Once you've invested 8 points in Combat, you can pick a skill called Fleet Footed, at it's max it nullifies all damage from any hit that occurs while you're dodging, it's use in terms of survivability when you are starting out is unrivaled. If you care about flavour and such then you might wanna get the 3 levels of Delusion in the Axii tree ASAP as well, as it provides new dialogue choices and other ways to complete certain tasks. Now, personally I wouldn't suggest making a build that is both Sign and Combat heavy, I think it's unnecessary and Alchemy is just such a godly set of abilities that I would always go Alchemy and then pick either Signs or Combat to supplement it - the exception being those first 5 points in Combat which you should probably always get even if you intend to do a Signs build. Trying to use all 3 trees at lower levels is difficult because of the lack of ability slots and relative lack of points.

Signs can be quite cool and Quen especially is literally a life saver but in terms of simply killing enemies fast (and thus reducing chance of death) Alchemy + Combat is untouchable once you get to the mid-to-late game stage where you have more wiggle room. In terms of Signs though, Quen is great even without putting any points into tbh, just put it up before any fight and then switch to whatever other sign you intend to use once the fight starts. Igni is great for crowd control in the event you're being swarmed by Drowners or Nekkers or Endrega's or any other swarming enemy, it's not the only option on that front though, I really like Whirl for that in the Fast Attacks portion of the Combat tree. Axii is absolutely fantastic against humans opponents, if you really invest in the skill tree you can end up with many insta-kills on stunned opponents and actually cause enemies to fight each other.

[Serenity]

WinterPhoenix, on 29 June 2017 - 09:45 PM, said:

Now, personally I wouldn't suggest making a build that is both Sign and Combat heavy, I think it's unnecessary and Alchemy is just such a godly set of abilities that I would always go Alchemy and then pick either Signs or Combat to supplemement it

Agree on Alchemy for later on - I re-specced into it somewhere mid to late in the base game, once I had the points and access to the more useful decoctions/potions - and have stuck with it since. I found Signs (along with Muscle Memory) were great early on for my style of play at that point in time.

Someone on another forum complained about there only being three skill trees and it being very rigid, but I found it becomes pretty flexible as you go along. I've used three or four different builds during my time with it and had fun with them all.

Plus don't attack anything with a red skull above it, cos that means it's too high a level for you to take on at the moment.

[Tattersail_]

I am not sure where I am at the moment, if I am in Velen am I able to go back to White Orchard?