The Witcher 3

Thargor · 10-08-2017 9:25pm

Blood and Wine is Witcher 3.5, its absolutely massive. The 2 expansions together are amazing.

Sephiroth_dude · 10-08-2017 10:05pm

93 hrs and nearing the end of the main game after a break from it, still have the expansions too play.

skerry · 10-08-2017 10:21pm

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

93 hrs and nearing the end of the main game after a break from it, still have the expansions too play.

Just finished it last week after a long stint playing in since January and leaving it down for a few months. Brilliant game, have yet to get stuck into the expansions.

I did think that some of the last few missions were a tad drawn out, and felt the game was long enough without some of those missions but that could've just been me being eager to get to the end.

Have a potion of clearance so I'm thinking I might reset my character to a different build before starting the expansions. Have a equal enough mix of signs and combat at the moment with Griffin Armour but might try an all out tank build for the laugh.

dreamers75 · 11-08-2017 12:27am

skerry wrote: »

I did think that some of the last few missions were a tad drawn out, and felt the game was long enough without some of those missions but that could've just been me being eager to get to the end.

In the context of the ending(s) I disagree they were drawn out, you made choices, you did things, you got your ending. The game gave you a perfect amount of time to Role Play your ending.

It was perfectly paced if you were invested in the outcome.

Sephiroth_dude · 11-08-2017 1:50am

I knew that snake Dijkstra couldn't be trusted.

Interested Observer · 11-08-2017 8:12am

Thargor wrote: »

Blood and Wine is Witcher 3.5, its absolutely massive. The 2 expansions together are amazing.

Yeah must be some of the best DLC ever. Blood and Wine is what, 30 hours long on its own?

skerry · 11-08-2017 8:14am

dreamers75 wrote: »

skerry wrote: »

I did think that some of the last few missions were a tad drawn out, and felt the game was long enough without some of those missions but that could've just been me being eager to get to the end.

In the context of the ending(s) I disagree they were drawn out, you made choices, you did things, you got your ending. The game gave you a perfect amount of time to Role Play your ending.

It was perfectly paced if you were invested in the outcome.

I didn't think the ending itself was drawn out, I invested a lot of time in making sure I did all the secondary quests so I could get the ending I wanted and it was hugely satisfying when I did. I just thought some of the Battle Preparations missions were a tad laborious but I was doing them in 30 minute sittings so was probably over eager to get to the end having invested so much time.

Fantastic game though and I'm going to give it a little break now and play something different before I get stuck into the expansions, I have Bayonetta and Titanfall 2 up next on the queue I think.

I did make the mistake with the Witcher when first playing it of thinking I had to do every ? in an area to level up quicker which burnt me out a bit. If I was to do it again I'd just do them as I stumbled across them cos they don't give a lot of XP and its infinitely quicker to level up by sticking to main and secondary quests.

Gonna do Hearts of Stone first but looking forward to Blood and Wine cos it looks like a nice departure from the gloomy scenes of Velen and the like.

Doctor Nick · 11-08-2017 8:26am

My nephew has been going on and on about how good this is. I had it before, got as far as the griffin near enough to the start and wasn't feeling it. But decided to chance it again so restarted it yesterday. So far I'm still not feeling it. Is there some sort of turning point as I've seen most people rave about this but a lot who do also felt like I did at the beginning. Roughly how much longer before it really gets going? I'm just preparing for griffin again.

CatInABox · 11-08-2017 8:36am

Doctor Nick wrote: »

My nephew has been going on and on about how good this is. I had it before, got as far as the griffin near enough to the start and wasn't feeling it. But decided to chance it again so restarted it yesterday. So far I'm still not feeling it. Is there some sort of turning point as I've seen most people rave about this but a lot who do also felt like I did at the beginning. Roughly how much longer before it really gets going? I'm just preparing for griffin again.

Once you get past the griffin, really. You're let lose in the main world, allowed to go wherever you want, and talk to whoever.

Really though, once you get out of white orchard, do a few of the main story missions, just to get a feel for some of the characters in the game.

Interested Observer · 11-08-2017 8:57am

The world opens up once you get past the Griffin, who isn't really that hard. Beat him, give it another hour or two, and if it's still not doing it for you then might just not be for you.

It's easily in my top 5 games ever so that's how much I enjoyed it.

Doctor Nick · 11-08-2017 9:06am

OK thanks lads. Me my nephew has said the same. After the Griffin. I'll get stuck in after work. I'll probably be back looking for help /guidance.

Stone Deaf 4evr · 11-08-2017 10:05am

Doctor Nick wrote: »

OK thanks lads. Me my nephew has said the same. After the Griffin. I'll get stuck in after work. I'll probably be back looking for help /guidance.

I would say play as far as the end of the bloody baron quest.If that hasn't got you on board, nothing will. I think that was my turning point where I decided to stop farting about and start doing the main story quests. One point on leveling - I cant remember the exact figures, but you should only do quests that are within 2 or 3 levels of your current level - as in, if you're level 5, clear out anything quests with a recommended level of 3 before you level up, otherwise you'll get very little xp from them.

Also, theres no xp farming from killing monsters, so after a while its as easy ride past them.

Billy86 · 11-08-2017 10:18am

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

Also, theres no xp farming from killing monsters, so after a while its as easy ride past them.

But not from bandits, pirates etc... could never resist the urge to chase the awesome slow-mo kills!!

bigphil2 · 11-08-2017 12:02pm

Doctor Nick wrote: »

OK thanks lads. Me my nephew has said the same. After the Griffin. I'll get stuck in after work. I'll probably be back looking for help /guidance.

Can i just say,you are a lucky chap to be experiencing the game for the first time.. That Bloody baron Quest is probably one of the best gaming sequences ive ever played..

I hope you enjoy the game as much as i did,it really is special.

Kiith · 11-08-2017 12:07pm

I still haven't gone through the expansions, and i absolutely adored the main game. Playing through it at the moment though, and look forward to eventually seeing it.

Taylor365 · 11-08-2017 4:51pm

Doctor Nick wrote: »

OK thanks lads. Me my nephew has said the same. After the Griffin. I'll get stuck in after work. I'll probably be back looking for help /guidance.

Same happened me. Played an hour or 2 then dropped it. Came back few months later and decided to give it a real go.

225 hours later, I'm on blood and wine. :pac:

Sephiroth_dude · 12-08-2017 2:03am

God damn...yenn and triss are teases!

Evade · 12-08-2017 11:28am

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

God damn...yenn and triss are teases!

Did you try having your cake and eating too?

Sephiroth_dude · 12-08-2017 11:52am

Evade wrote: »

Did you try having your cake and eating too?

I must have LOL!

Dave_The_Sheep · 12-08-2017 3:12pm

Kiith wrote: »

I still haven't gone through the expansions, and i absolutely adored the main game. Playing through it at the moment though, and look forward to eventually seeing it.

You should. They're absolutely superb, Hearts of Stone has one of the finest antagonists in any game ever, and Blood and Wine is fantastic from start to finish, particularly if you've read the books. Both expansions are probably better than most main game arcs from other titles.

Get cracking.

Billy86 · 12-08-2017 3:23pm

For reference as to how good the DLC expansions are, Blood and Wine last year cleaned up with multiple RPG of the year awards and a lot of top 5-10 finishes in terms of overall game of the year. It's estimated playing time on 'How Long to Beat' is if I recall about double that of Rise of the Tomb Raider, Uncharted 4, or Doom.

Hearts of Stone didn't have much award representation as the main game cleaned up entirely there with the most GOTY awards any game has ever won apparently (in the same year MGSV, Bloodborne, Rise of the Tomb Raider and Fallout 4 were released, and GTAV came to PC for PC specific awards so hardly lacking for competition) but equally has 90% on metacritic and some (not me, though it is bloody excellent) prefer it to Blood and Wine. And it does have one of the very best antagonists ever, all the way down to their introduction. It's playing time is estimated about equal to ROTR, Uncharted 4 and Doom, so it also is very much a full game in it's own right.

Dave_The_Sheep · 12-08-2017 4:05pm

Billy86 wrote: »

but equally has 90% on metacritic and some (not me, though it is bloody excellent) prefer it to Blood and Wine. .

I'm one of those. Loved both, but felt the story in Hearts of Stone was a little better and even with the new region in Blood and Wine I enjoyed it more.

Either are up there with best DLC ever created though.

Interested Observer · 14-08-2017 12:21pm

From a shallow point of view, the environment is just so spectacular in B&W that I can't not prefer it. Standing on a hill or something overlooking Beauclair, it's one of the finest things I've seen in a game.

The bad guy in HoS though is one of the best chars in the whole game.

Sephiroth_dude · 15-08-2017 1:07am

Finished this tonight, what a epic ending! I still have the expansions too play and loads of? To visit.

Doctor Nick · 15-08-2017 8:29am

At the moment I'm 50:50 on this which is a huge improvement on when I started. I find the controls are awful. I've done some pretty cool quests (all featuring the sorceress), one with the Botchling was good too tho nothing like it had been hyped up to be by my nephew. Favourite was either Tower of Mice or the one where you fight nithral.

I don't know why I don't like it more as this would usually be the sort of game I loved. I'm willing to continue as to be honest the quests I've enjoyed have all been relatively recent so I hope that's a sign of things to come and I'll like more quests than not.

It seems to take ages to level up though, currently at level 7 (nearing 8). Like I said, I find controls horrible and think that may be a huge factor in my 50:50 ratio.

Evade · 15-08-2017 9:29am

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

Finished this tonight, what a epic ending! I still have the expansions too play and loads of? To visit.

What endings did you get?

Doctor Nick wrote: »

It seems to take ages to level up though, currently at level 7 (nearing 8). Like I said, I find controls horrible and think that may be a huge factor in my 50:50 ratio.

Since you only gain any decent experience by completing quests if you spend a lot of time exploring and fighting random monsters it can seem like it takes forever.

Sephiroth_dude · 15-08-2017 10:46am

Evade wrote: »

What endings did you get?

The one where you tell the king ciri died and you meet her white orchard, I actually thought she had died and shed a tear

Interested Observer · 15-08-2017 2:17pm

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

The one where you tell the king ciri died and you meet her white orchard, I actually thought she had died and shed a tear

Same one as I got. I honestly did think the same too.

awec · 15-08-2017 5:55pm

I think that's the most common ending, to get one of the other ones I would guess you'd have to make some more nuanced decisions during the game.

Sephiroth_dude · 15-08-2017 6:08pm

Is there about 50 hours between the two expansions?

The Witcher 3

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