The Witcher

Coaan · Post by **Coaan** » 2007-11-02 07:34pm

I couldn't get by that damned hellhound in act 1. No matter what I try, the bastard always manages to stun me then proceed to maul me to bits..it's becoming really frustrating.

Any advice for dealing with that part? I've tried unpotioned, potioned...with different talents allocated, it's just driving me nuts.

nickolay1 · Post by **nickolay1** » 2007-11-03 12:06am

Apparently it's possible to one-shot him by stunning him with Aard first.

Coaan · Post by **Coaan** » 2007-11-03 02:09am

I've tried that with powered up level 2 Aard...but the bastard keeps getting up pretty much instantly. I've heard that you have to beat him down to half health before it will actually work, but I've never actually managed to pull it off.

Coaan · Post by **Coaan** » 2007-11-03 05:40am

I feel like an idiot. After putting the RIGHT blade coating on for the spectres, the mutt was dead after one attempt.

Anyway, in act 2 now. If I come across anything Zix, I'll let you know.

Zixinus · Post by **Zixinus** » 2007-11-04 04:30am

Nevermind, I was able to figure it out.

Hint: Do not be afraid to bribe people. It's there for you to go to places, and don't be afraid of going somewhere early.

Hint 2: If you see the pylons look what form they make.

Now I am in act three. Does anybody know the successful recipe for getting lots of money by gambling?

Coaan · Post by **Coaan** » 2007-11-04 01:18pm

There's no real recipe for poker, it's alot of luck on the dice rolls...that said, I've been able to make a fair bit from it and advance to the professional grade fairly easy.

Fist fighting also serves to bring in a steady income if you are patient enough to beat the shit out of everyone. With the fist fighting upgrades, there's very very few who can ever match Geralt with fists.

Zixinus · Post by **Zixinus** » 2007-11-04 01:59pm

I know both, but I've read that if you do something correctly, you can get allot more money from people whom you gamble with, as the bets keep raising insanely. I am in Act 3, and a new set of armour would be very handy for me.

Coaan · Post by **Coaan** » 2007-11-04 09:02pm

Same...

That 5000 gold leather armour is awfully tempting, but I can never get my gold above 1.5k, so it's a very long term goal at the moment.

I had actually thought about brewing and selling potions enmass to raise some gold. Do you know where you can sell potions? I've not found anyone that's interested in them yet (Or been able to remember who buys them...I was sure there's someone)

Zixinus · Post by **Zixinus** » 2007-11-06 02:53pm

You can't sell Witcher potions as they are useless for anyone else but Witchers. Unless they want to kill themselves or someone else, for which the market is already cornered. Witcher potions are poisonous to anyone else.

With the exception of Perfume and Wife's Tears. Perfume you have to look up the recipe on the net, Wife's Tears you receive in Act 2 in the Hairy Bear Inn with a drinking game.

By the way, if you can understand Polish, get that version. The English script was butchered. Supposedly for no other reason then to make it shorter, probably by some idiot in accounting or something like that. Too bad they couldn't go the Anachronox way, giving voices only to significant dialogues.

EDIT: You can read about the cuts here: http://writerscabal.wordpress.com/

EDIT2: Good news! You can get back the original script in subtitles only if you edit the witcher.ini file and search for "Language=FinalEnglish_Short" and replace it with "Language=FinalEnglish_Long "

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2007-11-14 08:41am

The Witcher gets the greatest accolade for a western RPG I can think of - in 16 hours of playtime, I have not once thrown up my hands in disgust at a clumsy, forced, or 8-bit sequence where the hand of the designers comes down and pushes you in a certain direction.

It has amused me that all the complaints I've heard from RPG 'purists' (ie, no equipment farming, clumsy inventory, lack of customisation etc) are complete bullshit. The skill system is far more interesting than, say, Hellgate, and I've been having a great time with TK cheese.

My only complaint so far is that the second act kind of drags: it's a bunch of not-very-interactive conversations and some stonkingly hard fights. After ruling everybodies schools effortlessly (lol one-hit the beast, one-hit the mages, etc) going to the swamp was a real shock. Also, unless I'm blind, the underground areas don't have many unlit torches around, so I have to constantly switch between torch and sword for Pitch Black Combat By HUD.

Actually, can I haxxor the game to not constantly autosave on loading new areas? It takes aaaaaaaages and semi-frequently crashes the game.

PeZook · Post by **PeZook** » 2007-11-14 08:45am

Stark wrote:Also, unless I'm blind, the underground areas don't have many unlit torches around, so I have to constantly switch between torch and sword for Pitch Black Combat By HUD.

Or, you could do it the Witcher way: Brew yourself a potion that lets you see in the dark, and use it before entering a dungeon.

I just got the game, and despite the fact it MURDERS my computer, I am having a great time with it.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2007-11-14 08:52am

Psssssscht cat potions are for hoarding, not using! One day I'll need those 12 cat potions in storage, AND I'll be able to get there in a convienient fashion.

Doesn't stop 'lets design sprawling levels with no way to create light even though there's burnable shit and fireball spells' from being lame.

I mean, cat potions? Bah. Bah!

PeZook · Post by **PeZook** » 2007-11-14 08:58am

Stark wrote:Psssssscht cat potions are for hoarding, not using! One day I'll need those 12 cat potions in storage, AND I'll be able to get there in a convienient fashion.

Doesn't stop 'lets design sprawling levels with no way to create light even though there's burnable shit and fireball spells' from being lame.

I mean, cat potions? Bah. Bah!

I gave up on hoarding long ago, when I took a look at my inventory in SS2 and noticed I had 200 psi hypos, and the game was almost over.

Man, was it liberating to use them all...but now I am free! A free man, I tell you!

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2007-11-14 09:01am

Yeah, I've never been able to kick the habit ever since finishing Eye of the Beholder with like 87,000 potions and scrolls. They're single use, so ... I don't use them much. In Oblivion (with it's list-o-inventory) it's utterly absurd, I'm carrying hundreds of potions.

Sometimes I feel bad eating food to clear out the inventory. I'm *wasting* that +1 vitality regen! Wasting it!

I actually haven't been using much alchemy at all. I'm only in act 2, so I've been thinking about restarting in hard. All those oils I'm saving for the HARD badguys... but then it's too late!

PeZook · Post by **PeZook** » 2007-11-14 09:13am

Stark wrote: I actually haven't been using much alchemy at all. I'm only in act 2, so I've been thinking about restarting in hard. All those oils I'm saving for the HARD badguys... but then it's too late!

I started out on hard, and, well...

It's not THAT hard, but using alchemy is certainly a must, even if in most cases it's just limited to healing potions.

Those hellhounds in act 1, though, they die easily enough

Is it possible to find iron ore in act 1, so that this dwarf blacksmith can re-forge your sword?

I haven't found even a single piece...

P.S.

Oh, also: Dice poker is ridiculously easy. Act 1, thousand + orens to my name with little to no effort.

Coaan · Post by **Coaan** » 2007-11-14 09:20am

I've been having a blast with the game so far...and after a week and a half of on and off play, I'm FINALLY into act 4. I can quite happily say that I have not had a game that was so engaging or long in quite a while.

Though I have to echo Stark's comments about removing the annoying auto-save. Why don't they just leave it up to the player rather than auto-save at EVERY area transition? It would speed loading times by a stupidly high amount.

Zixinus · Post by **Zixinus** » 2007-11-14 09:24am

After ruling everybodies schools effortlessly (lol one-hit the beast, one-hit the mages, etc) going to the swamp was a real shock.

Wha? The Swamp was a pain in the ass, yes, but I don't remember any monster before that was one-hit kill.

You might want to look around for potion recipes, they are handy. Two potions in particular are very useful, as they prevent poisoning and mitigate damage from poison and acid attacks. Also, you might want to avoid the plants for a while, some of them are very nasty.

Actually, can I haxxor the game to not constantly autosave on loading new areas? It takes aaaaaaaages and semi-frequently crashes the game.

Developers promised to make it a toggle-able future in the next patch.

Psssssscht cat potions are for hoarding, not using! One day I'll need those 12 cat potions in storage, AND I'll be able to get there in a convienient fashion.

A cat potion lasts for 8 hours (in-game) so don't hoard. And really, there is no point in hoarding potions, although there is in always having an example of each, in case you need them in an unforeseen fight. Remember, you can make potions any time you rest.

Sometimes I feel bad eating food to clear out the inventory. I'm *wasting* that +1 vitality regen! Wasting it! Smile

Don't bother with food, trust me. They give too little of a bonus for too little time to be worth it. There is a skill that makes you regenerate health automatically, and a little toxicity from a swallow potion is much more worth the trouble.

Is it possible to find iron ore in act 1, so that this dwarf blacksmith can re-forge your sword?

They are called "meteorite stones" and no, I don't think you can get enough ores in Act 1 to make a new sword (they don't reforge your sword, they make a new one).

You can get three blue stones if you have the money and keep an eye open, its an improvement from the standard sword.

The better version is a sword made out of three red meteorites, although you better keep an eye open for three red ones.

There is also a good and cool-looking sword in the northern area of the swamps, if you can beat the wyverns or whatever away. Safe before you engage one.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2007-11-14 06:55pm

Fixing that shit up would be a good idea, but I'm not very interested in looking shit up on gamefaqs to make the game even EASIER. Going 'full TK' in build, I've stunned and one-hit almost every supposedly 'important' fight so far.

Like I said, alchemy seems worthless in medium: I've made bajillions of potions, and maybe used one healing potion once. Sure, I'm TK-cheesing my way through life, but come on: all those oils/bombs/buff potions seem unnecessary in the early game. Running in circles then stunning everyone with TK involves less inventory management.

And whose great idea was it to not only have money in loot screens (ie, not auto-looted because there's no reason not to) but to have MULITPLE stacks of coins separately? Clicking is bad!

nickolay1 · Post by **nickolay1** » 2007-11-14 08:22pm

After drinking barely a handful of potions throughout the entire game, I found several of them to be of extreme utility during some of the final boss fights.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2007-11-14 08:28pm

nickolay1 wrote:After drinking barely a handful of potions throughout the entire game, I found several of them to be of extreme utility during some of the final boss fights.

Meh, sounds like poor pacing to me. I like that the game is much harder if you're an idiot (ie getting surrounded, pinned, or lack of crowd control) but if you're NOT an idiot it's kind of a cakewalk. It's still fun, but I think I'll restart in hard for the extra challenge at least.

NeoGoomba · Post by **NeoGoomba** » 2007-11-14 09:09pm

I want to get this, but I don't think the sissy ATI 200M graphics card on my laptop can handle it. And dammit, hearing Stark NOT get in murderous rage over his hate of the game is just another positive review forcing me into pondering speeding up the ol upgrade.

Post by **Vympel** » 2007-11-15 09:03am

Wow, this game's really pretty. And it has sex scenes with tasteful fadeouts! Woot.

PeZook · Post by **PeZook** » 2007-11-15 09:07am

Vympel wrote:Wow, this game's really pretty. And it has sex scenes with tasteful fadeouts! Woot.

Those scenes are great. Humorous, tasteful and, frankly, quite erotic...

...though I never understood what women saw in Geralt. He's an emotionless, cold-blooded killer with reptillean eyes, for fuck's sake.

Psychic_Sandwich · Post by **Psychic_Sandwich** » 2007-11-15 01:49pm

They are called "meteorite stones" and no, I don't think you can get enough ores in Act 1 to make a new sword (they don't reforge your sword, they make a new one).

There are four, two red and two blue:

Red - In the Crypt after you complete Mikul's quest.
Red - The Crypt in the Chapel, after you complete the Burial quest.
Blue - From the Salamandra cave.
Blue - You can buy it from Harlen Brogg.

Zixinus · Post by **Zixinus** » 2007-11-16 06:34am

There are four, two red and two blue:

Ah, yes. There are. However, it is highly reccomended that you get "pure" swords, that is a sword forged out of three meteorites of the same colour. A pure red sword, for example, is the best you can get up to several chapters.

Like I said, alchemy seems worthless in medium: I've made bajillions of potions, and maybe used one healing potion once. Sure, I'm TK-cheesing my way through life, but come on: all those oils/bombs/buff potions seem unnecessary in the early game. Running in circles then stunning everyone with TK involves less inventory management.

Later in the game, that sign will be far less powerful and the endurance cost is non-negletible, unless you constantly use Tawny Owl and Marribur Forest. There are and will be plenty of enemies that are immune to that sign. However, when combined with other signs, it can still be particularly nifty.

What I like, is the feel of combat the developers were able to convey: witcher's work has nothing to do with luck. They prepare and pay close attention to their prey. If you are caught off-guard or don't pay attention, or be reckless, you are good as dead. However, if you pay attention and make effort to learn as much as possible about your enemies, you dominate the battlefield.

Boss battles are not pure hack and slash, in fact you rarely do any hacking. Rather, you must understand the strenghts of your opponent and make use of the environment.

What I also like is that you don't have to sacrifice combat for magic, as you can comfortably have both. Meaning that you can mess around with magic or sword, and swich as often you want, whichever you prefer.

What I have to ask, is whether does the Hex spell/sign have any real use? Good deal of enemies seem to be immune to it, and I wonder whether I should even bother to spend point on it.