Okay, I Just Got The Witcher 3

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Faustus5
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Okay, I Just Got The Witcher 3

Post by Faustus5 »

Inspired by the Netflix show and after hearing about how this is one of the greatest video games ever, I have this for the PS4 now. I'm in the very early stages where the game is still teaching itself to me. Any advice as I begin my journey?
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Re: Okay, I Just Got The Witcher 3

Post by Raxivace »

Even on the hardest difficulty this is a pretty easy game. Quen and spamming the dodge button will literally get you through 95% of the game's billion hours of content. Occasionally you'll want to actually use a potion or something to buff your stats, but honestly its not even necessary most of the time. The only major exception I can think of are like certain DLC bosses that have attacks that Quen arbitrarily can't tank a hit from.

The beginning portion of the game in White Orchard is the hardest overall part of the game in all honesty, since potions and such actually kind of matter there since you start out low leveled.
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Eva Yojimbo
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Re: Okay, I Just Got The Witcher 3

Post by Eva Yojimbo »

I'll reiterate that by far the hardest part of the game will be early on where you're learning the mechanics and don't have (m)any buffs to work with. It's especially difficult when you encounter hordes of enemies that swarm you. Probably the hardest time I had in the game (minus the final boss in the last DLC) was a group of Drowners on a beach. I know Rax and Maz both loved Quen, but much of the time I found Igni more useful as it can hit multiple enemies and give you an opening to get more hits in. Quen is great against tough, single enemies though, especially slow ones as it gives you the ability to absorb a single hit, take no damage, and then just immediately activate Quen again, essentially making you invincible. You can even take down some single, high-level enemies early on by just keeping Quen up. I'll also mention that Aard is great for knocking down flying enemies.

As you progress, it's good to pay attention to the Bestiary to learn enemy weaknesses. I was big on getting every buff (Oil, decoctions, etc.) I could and always using them before I went into battles. However, that's really only useful/necessary if you're playing on the harder difficulty settings. Make sure to check out Gwent, the card game within the video game. It's really fun and if you stick with it there are some major rewards for beating the tougher players later in the game. I was also pretty obsessive about getting the best weapons/armor, but this is also more useful/necessary on harder settings. If you do get really into getting the best weapons/armor I'd read some online guides on the game's complex crafting system as you'll be doing a lot of it as it's way too cost-prohibitive to just buy everything.

As for stat/character building, this is was a favorite aspect of mine that I played around with a lot. There are plenty of guides online you can read about the different possible directions. I generally like a balance between fighting, magic, and alchemy, but most prefer to have "specialty" characters. At some point in the game you can buy a potion that will allow you to reset all your choices, so don't worry too much about taking a wrong path.

The rest is more familiar RPG stuff. Nearly every storyline has multiple decisions/choices that can profoundly effect the outcome, so the game you end up playing can be quite different than the game we played. One thing I wasn't crazy about is that the choices that most effect the major, overarching storyline seemed pretty inconsequential at the time... but I guess sometimes life is like that.

Beyond that, just enjoy the experience! I played it last year and it did end up being one of my favorite games of all time, but more for the world/atmosphere than anything else. I just loved being immersed in that world, and many of my strongest memories are just riding my horse at dusk with the wind blowing and that haunting soundtrack playing. Maz and I both loved it, but Raxi was less thrilled (you can read our discussions about it in last year's gaming thread... I think Raxi and Maz discussed it before that as well).

EDIT: Realized it was the gaming thread for the year BEFORE last. Man, time flies!
Last edited by Eva Yojimbo on Tue Jan 07, 2020 4:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Raxivace
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Re: Okay, I Just Got The Witcher 3

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Eva Yojimbo wrote:I think Raxi and Maz discussed it before that as well).
Yeah at the beginning of the 2018 Games thread (Tiger Tiger Tiger etc.) I start Witcher 3 and me and Maz go back and forth on it for a while.

Truthfully I'm probably even less positive overall on the game now though then I was during those discussions, since the post-Baron stuff that I was positive on at the time (I.e. Mainly gangster plotlines in the city) has not stuck with me very much at all. I think I'd still stand behind everything from White Orchard through the Baron plotline though.
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Re: Okay, I Just Got The Witcher 3

Post by Eva Yojimbo »

TBH I'm really surprised you didn't like the Toussaint/Blood & Wine stuff more. That whole DLC seemed a really colorful, creative riff on the Don Quixote theme blended with tons of fairy-tale stuff. Granted, something like Shrek's kinda already done that, but I've never seen it done in a video game, and even Shrek didn't get so creative/trippy with it. Also granted it's tonally completely different from the Bloody Baron and even Wild Hunt/Ciri stuff, but still really creative I thought.
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Re: Okay, I Just Got The Witcher 3

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I got this game a few years ago and after watching the characters talk to each other for 30 minutes I decided it was not for me and I haven't played it since then.
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Re: Okay, I Just Got The Witcher 3

Post by Raxivace »

Hey Faustus, you still playing Witcher 3? Kind of curious to know your thoughts at this point.
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Re: Okay, I Just Got The Witcher 3

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Raxivace wrote:Hey Faustus, you still playing Witcher 3? Kind of curious to know your thoughts at this point.
I'm a very casual video game player so I haven't gotten very far. Still in Novigrad, only level 17. But I'm really enjoying it. Story based games are my jam and this one really excels at story. I've never played a fantasy RPG that made me feel that I was in a living, breathing city the way this one does.
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Re: Okay, I Just Got The Witcher 3

Post by Eva Yojimbo »

Have you done the Bloody Baron storyline yet? I forget exactly where/what part of the game that was (I know it was quite early), but Raxi and I mostly agreed it was the best part (we just disagreed some on the quality of everything else).
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Re: Okay, I Just Got The Witcher 3

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Eva Yojimbo wrote:Have you done the Bloody Baron storyline yet? I forget exactly where/what part of the game that was (I know it was quite early), but Raxi and I mostly agreed it was the best part (we just disagreed some on the quality of everything else).
Yep, very well done. Not sure it is entirely over, though, based on stuff I encountered watching tutorials and reviews of the game. I keep getting (intentionally) distracted by side quests and exploration.
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Re: Okay, I Just Got The Witcher 3

Post by Eva Yojimbo »

Faustus5 wrote: I keep getting (intentionally) distracted by side quests and exploration.
Yeah, that's what drives the playtime of these modern RPGs up so high; it's very easy to get lost doing all the side quests/exploration. As big as Witcher 3 is, I think the last Assassin's Creed (Odyssey) I played was even bigger.
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Re: Okay, I Just Got The Witcher 3

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Eva Yojimbo wrote:As big as Witcher 3 is, I think the last Assassin's Creed (Odyssey) I played was even bigger.
I loved that one! I am actually replaying it in-between sessions of Witcher 3.
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Re: Okay, I Just Got The Witcher 3

Post by Eva Yojimbo »

I played/reviewed AC:O here if you care to read: http://forum.pittersplace.com/viewtopic ... 348#p27348
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Re: Okay, I Just Got The Witcher 3

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Should I bother with Gwent? I haven't so far, but offers to play during missions keep popping up.
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Re: Okay, I Just Got The Witcher 3

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If you end up liking it then yeah. There are some sidequests tied to it too.

Tbh Gwent was consistently my favorite ongoing part of Witcher 3. Like the main reason I even trudged through the DLC's was for the new cards and opponents.
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Re: Okay, I Just Got The Witcher 3

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Eva Yojimbo wrote:TBH I'm really surprised you didn't like the Toussaint/Blood & Wine stuff more. That whole DLC seemed a really colorful, creative riff on the Don Quixote theme blended with tons of fairy-tale stuff. Granted, something like Shrek's kinda already done that, but I've never seen it done in a video game, and even Shrek didn't get so creative/trippy with it. Also granted it's tonally completely different from the Bloody Baron and even Wild Hunt/Ciri stuff, but still really creative I thought.
Huh somehow it seems never actually got around to replying to this post before.

With Toussaint part of it might be that I played through the game in a month and I was already starting to feel the burnout out before even starting the first DLC (And I ended that first DLC a bit disappointed by since large parts of it seemed like a rehash of stuff in the main game to me, which was a bit puzzling for how positive the reception of it was), so a lot of Toussaint was just the feeling of "Ugh really there's even more in this damn game?" to me and it ended up being even longer than I expected. Plus the new enemies, while something the main game needed to be fair, were kind of obnoxious to me, like the guys that burrow underground.

As far as the story goes, edgy takes on fairy tales just seemed like shit from Newgrounds or South Park or something that I was already sick of by like 2005, and I just don't have the patience for that level of ironic detachment anymore. I like my irony balanced by at least some kind of sincere feeling.

For contrast's sake I rather liked how the Netflix series/the first novel updated fairy tales, like with the genie being a spin on the 1001 Nights story about the fisherman, Snow White in The Lesser Evil etc.
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Re: Okay, I Just Got The Witcher 3

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Faustus5 wrote:Should I bother with Gwent? I haven't so far, but offers to play during missions keep popping up.
I agree with Raxi. Gwent was one of my favorite parts of the game. The only difficulty was in collecting all the cards as there are some that can only be gotten at certain times from certain people (and many online guides aren't clear about this). Though overall I found the game pretty easy, there are a few good challenges later on, including a tournament that will require you to plan and switch decks depending on who you're playing.
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Re: Okay, I Just Got The Witcher 3

Post by Eva Yojimbo »

Raxivace wrote:
Eva Yojimbo wrote:TBH I'm really surprised you didn't like the Toussaint/Blood & Wine stuff more. That whole DLC seemed a really colorful, creative riff on the Don Quixote theme blended with tons of fairy-tale stuff. Granted, something like Shrek's kinda already done that, but I've never seen it done in a video game, and even Shrek didn't get so creative/trippy with it. Also granted it's tonally completely different from the Bloody Baron and even Wild Hunt/Ciri stuff, but still really creative I thought.
Huh somehow it seems never actually got around to replying to this post before.

With Toussaint part of it might be that I played through the game in a month and I was already starting to feel the burnout out before even starting the first DLC (And I ended that first DLC a bit disappointed by since large parts of it seemed like a rehash of stuff in the main game to me, which was a bit puzzling for how positive the reception of it was), so a lot of Toussaint was just the feeling of "Ugh really there's even more in this damn game?" to me and it ended up being even longer than I expected. Plus the new enemies, while something the main game needed to be fair, were kind of obnoxious to me, like the guys that burrow underground.

As far as the story goes, edgy takes on fairy tales just seemed like shit from Newgrounds or South Park or something that I was already sick of by like 2005, and I just don't have the patience for that level of ironic detachment anymore. I like my irony balanced by at least some kind of sincere feeling.

For contrast's sake I rather liked how the Netflix series/the first novel updated fairy tales, like with the genie being a spin on the 1001 Nights story about the fisherman, Snow White in The Lesser Evil etc.
Yeah, I can understand about the burnout thing. I was feeling that with AC:O, even though I ended up thinking the DLCs were better than the main game.

FWIW, I didn't really see it as an "edgy" take on fairy tales; I thought it was pretty straight-up Don Quixote meets Shrek, but maybe that's because I haven't seen the Newgrounds/South Park stuff you were referring to. I guess I'd just say that the ironic treatment of fairy tales and chivalry is as old as the novel form itself, and I'd just never seen it done in a video game.

I also liked how the Netflix series handled those elements story-wise, but visual-wise I liked the game better. It just seemed like a more visually/aesthetically imaginative world.
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Re: Okay, I Just Got The Witcher 3

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I just finished this puppy--so much for its reputation for consuming a billion hours! Sure, I left a bunch of quests uncompleted since I had no idea the main story was about to wind down, but I'm only level 35--I was thinking the end would come when I was nearing 100.

Anyway, a very good game and deserving of its reputation. It was kind of buggy, though. Now on to the first DLC that came with my copy.
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Re: Okay, I Just Got The Witcher 3

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The sidequests are where most of the time is taken up because there are a lot of them- the game itself probably goes much faster though if you just beeline the main story though, yeah.
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Re: Okay, I Just Got The Witcher 3

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I'm a casual player and hate lengthy boss fights, so I'm done with this game regarding its DLC. I'm not going to struggle over and over to kill that damn frog thing in the first mission. Glad it came with the game and I didn't just pay for and download this crap.

Back to another play-through of The Outer Worlds with a completely different build. . . .
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Re: Okay, I Just Got The Witcher 3

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Pass me the controller bro, I'll handle this. FedEx it if you have to.
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Re: Okay, I Just Got The Witcher 3

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Raxivace wrote:Pass me the controller bro, I'll handle this. FedEx it if you have to.
Something like that thought occurred to me. Like, if I downloaded my last saved game file in a USB. . . .
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Re: Okay, I Just Got The Witcher 3

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Faustus5 wrote:
Raxivace wrote:Pass me the controller bro, I'll handle this. FedEx it if you have to.
Something like that thought occurred to me. Like, if I downloaded my last saved game file in a USB. . . .
If you really wanted me to get past this for you, I think the "Share Play" function on PS4 allows me to virtually control your game from my own PS4. Thing is, I've never actually used Share Play before and I'm not sure how well it even works.
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Re: Okay, I Just Got The Witcher 3

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Raxivace wrote:If you really wanted me to get past this for you, I think the "Share Play" function on PS4 allows me to virtually control your game from my own PS4. Thing is, I've never actually used Share Play before and I'm not sure how well it even works.
I investigated this and unfortunately Witcher 3 doesn't support the function.

Damn. But thanks for the offer--I was fully prepared to take you up on it!
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Re: Okay, I Just Got The Witcher 3

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That's a shame; I was all ready to kill the monster for you and then demand you write a song dedicated to my greatness that you could then travel the land performing, perhaps in taverns and bars and the like. The song would be a great hit of course, and then we would both get rich off of it. I would probably waste the money though through bad investments and questionable purchase choices, ending up even more penniless than I started and ultimately succumbing to drunkenness- ironically being driven to the very bars and taverns from which our new funds and fame had been generated from in the first place.

Now that fate is avoided, all because PS4's Share Play arbitrarily doesn't work on Witcher 3. 'Tis a shame indeed.
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Re: Okay, I Just Got The Witcher 3

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Raxivace wrote:That's a shame; I was all ready to kill the monster for you and then demand you write a song dedicated to my greatness that you could then travel the land performing, perhaps in taverns and bars and the like. The song would be a great hit of course, and then we would both get rich off of it. I would probably waste the money though through bad investments and questionable purchase choices, ending up even more penniless than I started and ultimately succumbing to drunkenness- ironically being driven to the very bars and taverns from which our new funds and fame had been generated from in the first place.

Now that fate is avoided, all because PS4's Share Play arbitrarily doesn't work on Witcher 3. 'Tis a shame indeed.
A deep loss, indeed.
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Re: Okay, I Just Got The Witcher 3

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Faustus5 wrote:I just finished this puppy--so much for its reputation for consuming a billion hours! Sure, I left a bunch of quests uncompleted since I had no idea the main story was about to wind down, but I'm only level 35--I was thinking the end would come when I was nearing 100.

Anyway, a very good game and deserving of its reputation. It was kind of buggy, though. Now on to the first DLC that came with my copy.
The worst thing about Witcher 3 are its janky controls and bugs, but I still consider it a masterpiece if only because of its world-building and atmosphere. Some of my greatest memories of that game are just riding around the country on Roach at sunset listening to that soundtrack. Such an awesome world to be immersed in. I'm a completionist so I did all the side-quests I could find, but that's just me.
Faustus5 wrote:I'm a casual player and hate lengthy boss fights, so I'm done with this game regarding its DLC. I'm not going to struggle over and over to kill that damn frog thing in the first mission. Glad it came with the game and I didn't just pay for and download this crap.

Back to another play-through of The Outer Worlds with a completely different build. . . .
Shame you won't get to Blood & Wine. I thought the first DLC was OK, but the second was great. It was basically set in a fairy tale land similar to Shrek or Don Quixote and it had a lot of fun and humor playing around with cliches. I do remember that frog being difficult, but I think it only took me a couple of tries; but by that point I think I had all the buffs you could get in the game. Second DLC was much easier until you get to the last boss, which was probably the single hardest part of the game. Reminded me a lot of the old Ninja Gaidens with how it kept changing forms.
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Re: Okay, I Just Got The Witcher 3

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All this talk of Witcher 3 has increased my excitement for the next-gen version.

The show is decent too (season 2 releases next month).
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