The Witcher 3

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Billy86 wrote: »

I could well be wrong but reckon it's more of a Nordic/Celtic mix, mainly due to there being a good few Scandinavian sounding names like Olaf, Svanrige, Hjalmar, Harald, Guthlag, etc.

Yeah, cause of the historic influence. Historically the early Irish & Scots have close ancestry with the Norse and are referred to as Norse-Gaels so that goes a long way to explain the Scandinavian sounding names in Skellig.

Potential-Monke

Ugh, I remembered what was the smudge on an otherwise outstanding game... Just back to the Dandelion questline...

I remember playing it the first time round with a fresh face, and getting quite sick of it half way through the questline (I don't want to be in a fecking play!!). I haven't even met the littler fecker yet, still checking his ex's, but the want to continue has died and I'm dreading doing the rest of it!

. Can't wait to finish it so I can get back to the goodness!

kg703

kg703 wrote: »

I'm only playing through this now for the first time. Opened up Novigrad and Skellig (Irish reference?) but have so many question marks littered around my screen that the OCD inside me will not move on until I've gotten through a good chunk of them. This is my first Witcher game but have played plenty of RPGs similar.

Really enjoying it, the crafting system could be a bit more fun and a few little moans about equipping, maps etc. but so far a really enjoyable game. So many time we have laughed out loud (playing with husband) and literally recoiled in disgusted (The botchling - bleugh) and even though I'm still in Velen we have seen some consequences of our actions

Damn Barron hung himself,
really thought we were being helpful and trying to save Anna whoops

So now we are just dedicating hours to wandering around exploring, doing contracts and ticking off some of those question marks. Bit worried about over-leveling but the combat seems to be fun and challenging anyway

The game won't throw XP at you from the combat at that stage of the game even later it's not massive. Most XP comes from quests but I think it gets reduced if you go too far over the level recommended for the quest. I think it's about 5 levels (someone will confirm that for me) so it's best to do stuff as it comes up or before you go too far over the recommended level.

Kiith

I've added the mod that gives you XP even after you out level a quest. Plus the 9000 bag weight mod. I definitely woudn't recommend them on the first playthrough, but it's great for the 2nd.

Billy86

Might look at the XP one if you can add one mid-game, but I strayed from the weight one on purpose. Can fully see why people would use it, but it's a restriction I actually prefer.

dr.kenneth noisewater

Notorious wrote: »

Billy86 wrote: »

Finally, don't bee line the main missions, the contracts and side ones are out of this world but also impact the main story lines and give you unexpected drastic options.

Any of ye read Blood, Sweat, and Pixels? Great book about how games are developed; what it took to keep the projects alive, why certain decisions were made, and what killed off some projects. Each chapter is about a particular game, and one of the best is the chapter on Witcher 3 (it starts with some history on CD Projekt Red which was very interesting). Anyway, the book is well worth a read.

On Billy86’s point above, they made the Witcher 3 with a team responsible for side quests. Their aim was to make side quests interesting; the devs wanted no fetch quests. Every quest had to tell a story.

Never heard of the book but might order it on Amazon, looks good!

kg703

Deleted User wrote: »

The game won't throw XP at you from the combat at that stage of the game even later it's not massive. Most XP comes from quests but I think it gets reduced if you go too far over the level recommended for the quest. I think it's about 5 levels (someone will confirm that for me) so it's best to do stuff as it comes up or before you go too far over the recommended level.

Thanks, I think I recall Diablo 3 doing something similar in the coop game, if I leveled up first, my XP would be worth nada until himself did. They recommend level 10 to go up to Novigrad and we are at 12 (nearing 13) with loads still to do in Velen. There has been some games that having done all the side quests, was completely overlevelled and destroyed the main boss. Heartbreaking.

ShadowHearth

jones wrote: »

I was seriously tempted to get the one X - have a pro at the moment and love it but i like new shiny powerful things. If i do get it at some point or a gaming pc i think i would rebuy the witcher 3. It's THAT good

I have gaming pc, ps4 and had phat xbox one, which I traded in to get xbox one s for my ratty. So its was between ps4 pro and xbox one x. I will get both eventually, but first I went for xbox one x, because it is just plainly more powerful, my ratty has an xbox now, ea acess and game pass. I do prefer ps4 exclusives though. Right now playing on xbox one, I dont feel like playing inferior version of games to pc, like it was with previous and early current console generations. Xbox one x is damm amazing powerful machine for the money and its coming from pc gamer, who play mainly pc for at least 20++ years.
Witcher so far is great, its a shame I dont have much spare time, because for us chefs the torture holiday season is not over yet. I try to squize in some gaming time after work, and right now I am going to play some witcher as misses a sleep already.

Thargor

Billy86 wrote: »

You're well ahead on this but do death March! Esp when done in white orchard, might be best to start on medium until you've got the mechanics down.

Assuming that you're still in white orchard, then mate... You're not even at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to visuals (although the battle cut scene when yen puts the bird through the guys skull was class... An for people like me who had never even heard of the witcher stuff, completely unexpected and bad ass). Even the velen swamps look gorgeous in a certain light, and when you get to Skellow much later on... Well. Well, just... well well well!

Also the music throughout, get ready for deafness because while the sound isn't too high the music will make your ears just melt off in delight.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CiSeoX_4nzU - the best fighting song in any game ever made, hands down. As well as Dooms music captured a rampage through space and hell obliterating demons with superguns and grenades perfectly, this does the same here for running into a pile of bandits or whatnot... Tension building first as you're getting your bits together for the fight and right on cue, in you go to hack, slash, weave, dodge, burn, magic ****ing zap, hypnotise and butcher every single one of them!

Tw things - a little later in the game you can buy a "option of clearance" to reset/redistribute all your ability points, so don't worry if you've something useless like arrow dodge. You can buy a few times too. Finally, don't bee line the main missions, the contracts and side ones are out of this world but also impact the main story lines and give you unexpected drastic options.

I was adamant that Mario 64 was the best game of all time from the moment I got it for Christmas in 1997 I think it WAS, right up until I finished this. That's how good a ride you're in for... And be sure to say hi to the barron for me!

Only after clicking that link do I realise its different fight music for humans and monsters.

Kiith

I love the music when you win a fight. A real sense of "**** ya!" every time :P

Dave_The_Sheep

Deleted User wrote: »

The game won't throw XP at you from the combat at that stage of the game even later it's not massive. Most XP comes from quests but I think it gets reduced if you go too far over the level recommended for the quest. I think it's about 5 levels (someone will confirm that for me) so it's best to do stuff as it comes up or before you go too far over the recommended level.

If he/she is on PC, then there's a mod for this.

https://www.nexusmods.com/witcher3/mods/820/?

Bear in mind if you do plan on doing a NG+ run, it can mess with the levelling there a bit. However, there are several options you can use with the mod, from full XP to only a bit.

I'd forgotten how brill the Trolls are in this , just met Trollolo

Off to fetch some paint for him.

Billy86

Holla peasenters. Holla soldiermans. Gentle, move them apart. But all lie down. Soldiermans too!

Fecking love those lads.

kg703

Dave_The_Sheep wrote: »

If he/she is on PC, then there's a mod for this.

https://www.nexusmods.com/witcher3/mods/820/?

Bear in mind if you do plan on doing a NG+ run, it can mess with the levelling there a bit. However, there are several options you can use with the mod, from full XP to only a bit.

I'm on xbox one x. Ah it's not too bad, although I find I'm able to take on enemies higher than me anyway with a decent bit of ease....suppose I should of started on a harder lever but it being my first time playing any in the series, went for normal.

Billy86

You can change difficulty mid-game in the options menu, would definitely recommend.

Mainly though I came here to post how much I absolutely love these little-mentioned monologue gems in the game.

Finally moved on to Skellig , I can see why people lose it at this point. Having spent so much time in Velen and Novigrad you get present with a whole new map.

I'm speced heavily into alchemy this time out which I pretty much ignored on my first playthough. At level 20 I can hold my own against single level 30 contracts and monsters. Poison blades wrecked the fiend on missing son. So I just had to sit there and let him die. The other skill that gives 25% protection from the oils is great, lets you not get taken out in one shot

EDIT: I don't recall red mutagen being so rare last time out, actually had to farm some.

Potential-Monke

Deleted User wrote: »

EDIT: I don't recall red mutagen being so rare last time out, actually had to farm some.

I do. It was hard to get them the first time, and i'm level 20 now and have 2 red mutagens and no more! Took this long to get 6 lesser ones!

Ha yeah hen's bloody teeth it seems, I'm about to spec into synergy so I'll get a boost to them all from that . Should put it at 38% to attack when matched with 3 red skills which is only 2% under a greater red without a point in synergy.

Going to be a nice boost when I get 5 points in it and a 2 greater reds.

Billy86

I thought I had read about it here a few days ago but cannot find a post mentioning it now? Anyway, gave it a go earlier and for those on PC the 'Ansel' gadget from nVidia is pretty awesome to mess about with.


(couldn't quite nail this one, shame because it looked incredible playing, as the red setting sun kept disappearing lower and lower behind the crest of the hill in a ridiculously long fight)


(second time's the charm it seems though!)

Sephiroth_dude

I brought it again for the ps4, any tips for death march play through?

Sephiroth_dude

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

I brought it again for the ps4, any tips for death march play through?

Stock up on as many health replenishing items as possible! Deathmarch gets a lot easier after the bloody Baron quest line is finished.

Sephiroth_dude

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

I brought it again for the ps4, any tips for death march play through?

Yes use this build https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=453260742

I ignored the alchemy tree 1st time out as I figured I'd need to hit hard, truth is you hit so much harder when you have good defence. The skill thats linked to oils and defence is superb.

Use your oils every time and get them upgraded asap. White Raffard's expecially and thunder bolt for extra dps. The build will help to make toxicity a none issue. and your potions will last a crazy long time.

I've been able to poison and kite big un's 10+ levels above me with this

Billy86

Yeah I went green tree the first time because I figured it was most unique to the game, and to be honest I'm struggling to go with anything else this time around either. Some basic red/blue stuff but really just hammer green. Taking potions giving you back energy can be priceless to against some really difficult/relentless enemies. It's actually exactly how I beat the last boss of B&W on my first attempt in the most epic 45 minutes of offline gaming I've ever been involved in.

Grahamer666

Never finished this on PS4 but bought the GOTY edition on PC last week. Can you respec in the game?

Grahamer666

Grahamer666 wrote: »

Never finished this on PS4 but bought the GOTY edition on PC last week. Can you respec in the game?

A merchant sells a book you can use to respec in Novigrad.

Billy86

By respec do you mean the skills/abilities tree? There's also something called potion of clearance you can buy from a number of herbalists for that.

AH you're right it is a potion of clearance, not sure why I thought it was a book.

Grahamer666

Sound. Will keep my eye out.

Sephiroth_dude

Grahamer666 wrote: »

Sound. Will keep my eye out.

Its a thousand gold I think and he's near the barber in novigrad if I remember correctly.

I'd forgot all about the Shock Therapy side quest , just did it earlier