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The Witcher 2 - Roundup #8

Here's a collection of new Witcher 2 reviews.
Neoseeker - 9/10. On some weaknesses:

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A lesser weakness but still a significant one is the UI. While aesthetically very pleasing, it's grossly inefficient and somewhat poorly optimized for high resolutions — a far cry away from the elegant interface of its predecessor. There are automatic scrolling sections, no sorting options, no ability to switch between menus directly, and no weapon and armor comparitor in shops to make picking out your new digs easy (strangely, a comparitor is present when browsing your own goods). The last one isn't a huge deal as there aren't tons and tons of arms to sort through as in some games and usually the best stuff is looted or crafted anyway, but it's a needed change regardless. These are the big items — the community has already pointed out many smaller ones. Note there's already at least one mod ('Tooltips') which alleviate the matter a bit.

Video review at GameTrailers (thanks Melvil)
GameSpot - 9/10:

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The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is a gift, gilded with moments that stay with you even after the curtains close on its dark tale of uncertain pasts and uncertain futures. Like the rare Roses of Remembrance you might find growing in this role-playing game's lush fields, these moments are carefully cultivated. They're meaningful not just because they are packed with excitement, but also because there are stakes—both personal and political. As Geralt of Rivia, your actions don't just bring you closer to the truths of your own murky history, but they also influence the tides of war. And just as you exert your power on this game's events, they work their power on you, drawing you further into a gorgeous world populated by quarrelling trolls and drunken, sex-crazed dwarves. Some bugs, combat quirks, and other foibles prove bothersome, but they don't greatly diminish the impact of exploring a dungeon whose walls ooze the agony you've just witnessed. This superb role-playing sequel offers a bold world woven together by tenuous alliances and closely guarded secrets.

Shacknews:

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The moment I completed the campaign, I started a new game. The excellent core of The Witcher 2’s combat and conversation remained the same, naturally, but what followed was an entirely different, equally absorbing game. So it goes when developers leave players to their own devices instead of spelling out all the answers. I adored stumbling into tucked-away corners of the country, meeting (quarreling with, helping, killing) interesting new characters, and chopping my way through The Witcher 2’s dense quest line. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings outweighs anything that tries to bring it down, and it outdoes everything in its class.

StrategyInformer - 9.1/10:

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Frustrating. Buggy. Irritating. Incomplete. These are just some of the words that describes The Witcher 2, arguably our most anticipated game of the year. But there’s more. Epic. Stunning. Gorgeous. Thrilling. Classic. CD Projekt have definitely crafted a masterpiece, but it’s by no means a perfect one.

More information.

I love this game so far, including the combat but I am not very far along, so I can't comment on the difficulty curve yet. I have to agree with Neoseeker on the UI - though I don't even find it aesthetically pleasing. The menus in TW1 were maybe overly gaudy, but now they are just plain. Not being able to switch directly is a major pain and the too-small autoscrolling descriptions are annoying. I don't care if its "consolish", its just not very well designed.

A steep curve is when alchemy as the only specialization is chosen.

Alchemy is mostly inefficient, always beaten by gear upgrades. Potions time keep running during cutscenes (and this is a crossed over the chest arms game) and it is not possible to take them into combat.

I am in chapter 2, hard difficulty and the character is an alchemist.

Are you kidding me? Alchemy is one of the most potent combat aids out there. Only it becomes about bombs and traps, not about potions. In a Dyna Blaster-like way. You avoid all melee combat and thus don't really need potions except perhaps a swallow. Quen becomes less essential, but using traps at the beginning of each fight is a must. Also, combining traps and interactive bombs like Dragon's Dream or Red Mist is pretty OP at times, IMO. And some bombs (e.g. Grapeshot) are ridiculously cheap to make, I have like 100 now —> instawin most fights, just throw-throw-throw, all mobs dead. Kinda wished daggers were a bit cheaper to produce, it's a few gold pieces plus iron ore is used up quite inordinately; if I'm in a pinch, daggers usually solve most probelms as well.

The toughest fights allow you no time to put up traps or potions though. Quen + bombs is pretty much the only proper offense at that point.

True. But, a simple Samum is generally enough to grant time to lay traps. Quen is a must in battles where you can't prepare ground in advance, that much is true for all types of builds where you're "surprised" by an enemy.

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Originally Posted by Propheet (Post 1061071857)

Are you kidding me? Alchemy is one of the most potent combat aids out there. Only it becomes about bombs and traps, not about potions.

You spent time reading my comment. Very good. Who is kidding the other really?

So back to the topic:
-how many points is the alchemy tree globally worth?
-how many points have to be invested in the alchemy tree to unlock the full potency of bombs and traps?
-What are the minimal points one can invest to unlock the full potency of an ability(cumulated of course)?

Final question that will answer who is kidding the other: how can this amount of points depicts alchemy other than a support field? How can this amount of points justify specialization in alchemy?

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how many points is the alchemy tree globally worth?

All trees contain 15 skills (except Training).

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-how many points have to be invested in the alchemy tree to unlock the full potency of bombs and traps?

Just 2. How much inventiveness and combining situational, or rather interactive elements does it take? Not the tree, the playstyle which I describe (reliant first and foremost on at least modest investment into Alchemy tree) — IMO, quite a lot. You use snares to root, or red mist to deaggro, you have various possibilities of self-triggering the traps from afar, thus producing desirable effects at a distance (e.g. rage triggered by red mist -> hilarious). It's not so much about trees (check what I wrote above), it's about using the tools you have either way.

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how can this amount of points depicts alchemy other than a support field? How can this amount of points justify specialization in alchemy?

If you think of Witcher 2 as RPG, yeah, skill tree defines your character. But if you think of the Witcher 2 as a special kind of game that rather bends the boundaries of the genre (and never touches on other elements associated traditionally with RPGs), it's all about the way you want to play it. Justification lies within the ease with which you can use something to your advantage. And some traps and some bombs are very easy to make, while granting superb AOE coverage + nuke/DPS, even if you don't aspire to be an alchemist by tree.

Oh and let's not forget. Alchemist tree has the most mutagen slots. So you work not only on potency of bombs, then oils, then potions, you work on indirect stat boosting as well. Toxicity is essential if you want your alchemist to be there in the fray, I prefer to stand on the outskirts and watch them kill one another, wander aimlessly, or doze off while being consumed by flames. To each their own :D

Contradictory.
In that post

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Alchemy is one of the most potent combat aids out there. Only it becomes about bombs and traps, not about potions.

In this post

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So you work not only on potency of bombs, then oils, then potions, you work on indirect stat boosting as well.

Somehow, potions and oil efficiency is revamped.

As to playing on the attrition potency of the alchemy specialization:

http://www.rpgwatch.com/forums/showp…9&postcount=15

This is the cause why alchemy is nothing but a support field.

Maybe the most potent attribute of alchemist tree was left out though: money. The amount of ingredients an alchemist witcher collects from monsters is such that money flows in and should warrant that a witcher can always afford the best gear, no matter what.

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No matter what, in this game and in many others, the upgrades, power ups chosen by the player delineate the style of play available to the player.

Somebody investing in swordplay have different options somebody investing in signs.