2943

Lordkosc: I’m not at the pc right now so I can’t check but you can view all the schematics you have from the crafting menu which can be accessed anywhere.

2944

NOPE, it can’t be accessed while I am at work. :p

2945

Those swords don’t require any other blade to make.

2946

For me it was a deep, emotional conversation and then as soon as the screen faded in to restart the fight, the boss jumped and killed me in one hit. Since I was just complaining about the awful autosaves a little while earlier, I thought I’d have to do the whole fight over again. I was ready to rip CDPR a new one. Fortunately it saved just before the conversation. Which is bad, but not criminal.

The next time it roared and gave me a second to get away. Must have been a little glitch the first time. They’re really stretching the engine to the limit with some of this stuff. It will need a complete overhaul for the next game.

Great quest though.

2947

I can confirm the Viper swords do not require any other swords to craft.

I’m really digging the combat at this point. Despite clomping around like a blind man when in town and peoples’ homes, or “swimming like a man who wants to drown”, in combat he’s incredibly fluid and fun to play. What’s better is that the animations for his movement when dodging link so perfectly into the attack animations so it looks really awesome to see him sidestepping around and hacking away at bad guys in a manner that looks so realistic and natural.

Also, I gotta say, the potion/consumable system in this game is better than any other, bar none… I love the fact that you only need to craft most things once (I’m not sure about bolts though… they have a count on them, do they actually get used up and need to be re-crafted? They seem insanely powerful, so I suspect that may be the case). In most games, I always end up hoarding potions because “I might need them”, but then as a result never end up using them ever, so they end up being a mostly non-element to me.

I find I’m using them all the time in Witcher, which is nice. My only gripe is that I wish I could just put them on a quick menu and use all of them at will. Being forced to slot them, use them, then slot another one, use it, etc… seems pointless. Since you’re clearly supposed to combine potions, due to the whole toxicity level thing. Now that I say that though, is it possible to just consume them directly from the inventory screen? That would likely be better for some cases where I want to chug like 3 potions at once. Regardless, it’s a minor point, but kind of an annoying one.

I’ve definitely encountered a few minor bugs, where quests got stuck or whatever… Although I kind of feel like some of this is inevitable. It’s like the Elder Scrolls, where the complexity of the world sometimes trips itself up.

One question about a minor side quest in white orchard

[spoiler]
So, with the herbalist, if you give her the potion to save the wounded girl Lena, she starts to recover. But then later, the herbalist says that some guys from Nilfgaard came and took her away?

Is this the end of the quest, or what? I went around and checked the Nilfgaard camp and garrison, but couldn’t find any trace of her.

Then, in the quest log, it says something about how Geralt found her at some camp in Valen or something and her mind was destroyed by the potion. But I don’t recall this actually happening.

Does anyone know what exactly is supposed to happen with this quest? It seems like it may have gotten bugged or something?

Also, awesome yoga pants on the Herbalist.[/spoiler]

2948

I didn’t have a problem with the
fight mentioned above (boss fight in secondary quest in no man’s land) because

I let him kill the girl for getting his wife killed. I normally don’t take that route, but for some reason I felt I should during that quest.

2949

On-foot combat is still very fun. My biggest annoyance is when I win a great fight and then forget to quicksave.

2950

I like the combat more every time I play this game. Now that I’m feeling pretty comfortable with it I’ve cranked the difficulty up to hardest and it feels just about right.

I also gave the no mini-map thing a try. I might leave it off for a while because when it’s on I often end up playing the map instead of the game. I just wish there was a compass-only option. That’s one mod I wouldn’t mind having.

Oh, and I gave Kotaku’s suggestion of turning the music down a shot. I think they’re right, the music is great but sometimes it’s a bit much when you’re not doing story quests. Maybe it’s just because I started this right after Bloodborne, though.

2951

Anyone else using the new HIGH sharpening filter setting? I feel so alone. :p

Another small but really cool detail, when I was messing around in White Orchard last night, I happened to come a cross a nice size tree trunk on its side that could have been used for a seat. Walking up to it, I got a loot option! There were a few gold coins there, as if they had fallen out of some persons pocket when they had rested sitting on the log.

2952

I’m using it. It seems to make the clothing textures pop a lot more.

2953

I suspect there are pros and cons. I can’t go back to the quest text but I did waste 10 minutes last night running around before I remembered to check the quest menu for another “oh duh” moment. It doesn’t help that the menu sucks. It needs to open on my active quest. Like we mentioned before, the game isn’t intelligently designed around disabling the UI. You have to really work at it.

I almost considered turning on the minimap quest path dots again since I have to check the map all the time to remember which roads to take. At least the UI is snappier now.

2954

I appreciate the slow burn in this game. I don’t feel like I have to consume it nonstop like a Souls game.

Nor does it have that “one more turn” effect from something like Skyrim, which is compelling but also nerve-racking as I try to vacuum every dungeon. In The Witcher 3, each unmarked location is either a short fight or a long, satisfying quest. It feels natural instead of compulsive.

I’m so relaxed I might even play a little Pillars of Eternity this weekend!

2955

Spoooilers

Equipment, crafting and component tables

2956

Has anyone tried the dodge talent? Does it work on both forms of dodging or just the roll?

2957

My PS4 copy arrived early! Was surprised to find a physical map and a soundtrack CD in a non-CE console game, which is so rare these days (we’re lucky to get a manual!), so kudos to CDPR for that. Played a little bit last night, I have no regrets cancelling my GMG pre-order and getting the console version instead. The music and ambient sounds are amazing in 5.1 surround. I often turn the music off in games but not this time. It’s beautiful.

Someone mentioned the game has a Red Dead Redemption vibe to it, I agree wholeheartedly.

2958

Reminds me of Gothic due to the world being tailored to the player instead of just a big sandbox.

2959

Answering…

spoilery question, spoilery answer

[spoiler]The journal is written as if Dandelion was writing it well after the events described (just like in Witcher 2 and possibly Witcher 1), so, while he tells the ultimate fate of Lena, it is implied that Geralt himself doesn’t necessarily witness it.

And yeah, Tomira (the herbalist) is remarkable. ;)[/spoiler]

2960

Loving the game. I’ll go on record as well touting the voice acting and dialogue.

Apart from the cons already mentioned in the thread, I am always broke! The repair costs are high coupled with a “master level” looted sword selling for 8 crowns I am always looking for spare change in my saddlebags. Because the looted weapons sell so poorly I usually break them down which compounds the problem. This is less of a con and more of a feature for me because I like the idea of Geralt always broke, but it is tough.

Are there repair kit schematics? I wonder if this would be a more cash efficient way to go since I break down most of the stuff anyway.

Tip (maybe): I played someone in Gwent that I had already beat once, and for the second win got a number of crafting materials. No new card.

2961

It could be better, but so far I’m digging the game enough that it’s worth it. I’m not in much of a hurry to finish this anytime soon so I’m going to see how far I get without the mini map. One tweak I’d love, though: on the PS4 you open the menu by pressing on the track pad, then click on world map; I wish they’d do something a little fancier like let me draw a circle on the trackpad and have it open the map directly.

I believe you can only win one card from each person and you’ll get it on your first win against them. I really like that minigame. I still don’t regret buying digital instead of the room-sized CE for this but I wouldn’t mind having a couple decks of Gwent cards.

2962

Yes, you can use them from the inventory screen.

I’m very disappointed you can’t romance various peasants like you could in Witcher 1. Geralt is a fantasy James Bond.