Witcher Very early game question

The Witcher

dteowner

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So, I finally decided to start this game. After a couple restarts (it's a disease), I'm working thru the quests of the first town (well, technically the outskirts of the first town). I've stumbled on a quest that's really irritating me because it seems pretty unsolvable. I'm playing on easy, BTW. I know, total mommy parts, but I'm usually a gaming monogamist and this is really my first dalliance with 2 serious games (plus DDO) at the same time, so I'm not pushing the issue just yet.

During the nighttime, while the barghests are attacking, you come upon the friendly tavern wench being accosted by a group of unsavory gents. After relieving the gents of their worldly burdens (and their worldly possessions), I'm asked to escort the fair damsel to the other side of the map. And there's to be a reward, nudge nudge wink wink say no more!

The dumb lass insists on attacking every barghest she can. Like, running away from me nearly to the edges of my sight. Swinging a rusty spoon. Against monsters that kill her in about 2 hits.

Now, I can't talk to the chit and tell her to stay close. There's half a million spawn points between me and her house, whether I go clockwise thru the shacks or counterclockwise by the lake. I tried just running thru, but she won't follow. I tried good old fashioned violence. I tried spamming the telekinesis sign to try to knock the doggies down long enough for me to work thru the mobs one by one. Next up was to try that coating recipe I got that's supposed to give me a faux-silver pointy stick, but even if that's a guaranteed one-hit-kill I don't know that I'll be able to keep the doxy alive.

Is there a trick, am I an idiot, or are the designers giving me a graphic tutorial that this will be a frustrating game for a complete-ist?
 
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Is there a trick, am I an idiot, or are the designers giving me a graphic tutorial that this will be a frustrating game for a complete-ist?

All 3 of that, I guess. ;)

It's indeed pretty tough. Do other stuff in that area first. Maybe it also helps to clean the path to her house before you accept her quest, I don't remember. But it's basically powering through this journey with all the healing potions you have.
 
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I tried good old fashioned violence. I tried spamming the telekinesis sign to try to knock the doggies down long enough for me to work thru the mobs one by one. Next up was to try that coating recipe I got that's supposed to give me a faux-silver pointy stick, but even if that's a guaranteed one-hit-kill I don't know that I'll be able to keep the doxy alive.

You are on the right track, but you need to keep a few important details in mind:

1) You need to make sure that the Barghests target you when they spawn, in the same predetermined parts of the path to the house. To do that run ahead of the girl until you come to the spawn points so when combat starts she is yet somewhat behind. Note that those points are usually near the shrines and the spawn time is iirc presaged by a howl.

2) Aard is a given. Open combat with it and try to back up a bit first so the Barghests converge in a single point and you get all of them. Make sure you time your next use of Aard for when you really need it, i.e when the girl catches up and she is attacked. Try to keep em engaged to you, so if a dog attacks her double tap the forward direction key to do a flip over the enemy engaging you and attack hers (that should shift his focus to you).

3) Do not forget to use the Group style when at least two dogs are engaging you. It works best if you wade exactly in their midst and do this. This is very important. Switch to fast when facing a single one. (you have to pretty much use the styles as the devs want you). If you have invested a bit to it (i.e the knock the 3 enemies down skill) that should make this fight a breeze…

4) Practice makes better ;)

What recipe would that be? Argentia? It needs to be used on the Silver sword…
(Edit: In case you mean Specter oil and are just confusing me with the faux silver bit,
yeah, Specter oil is a nobrainer!)
 
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Has been a long time, since I played it, but using that sign, which pushes enemies away and stuns them a little bit (is it the Aard JonNik mentioned?) was the most useful thing to do.
Edit: And using the appropriate fighting style is also important in general.
 
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you don't have to use any sign, just run forward to a shrine , wait fow the dog to turn green, switch into group stule and slaughter them, it is much harder to be at the date in the right time than escorting the girl home.
 
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Hmm, yeah I seem to remember a little difficulty (meaning I had to retry once or twice). Just running to the shrine way ahead of the girl is a good first move. And waiting to get some spectre oil is also good, but you may want to save some for the final encounter of that act as well. Also, engaging the group all at once without the group perks can be tricky. Try to engage one at a time. Or do this quest later. Good luck!
 
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Sounds like I was on the right track, then. Just need a little more focus and an extra dash of that strateegery stuff. Thanks for the help, all. I guess too much time with DDO has dulled my gaming chops, such as they are.
 
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The run ahead move so you can kill them first worked for me as well. Nothing will pop behind you to attack her. Just forget her and do your stuff.
 
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It's only hard if you spent the experience points wrong you've gotten so far. At the beginning of the game it's very important to put all the first bronze points into strength and dexterity (the main level, not necessarily the secondary skills that are unlocked in each level of the tree), because these double the witcher's fighting abilities right away. Check the stats in the character screen. If these are the first points you spent and no other skills are selected, all these barghests are nothing but a joke. You destroy them as if you were the Terminator or something. Especially if you fight them in group style, because you'll hit most of them simultaneously. This way it often only takes seconds to dispatch whole groups. Vesna will never be hit.
Even the battle against the beast is super-easy if you spent the points right. I remember how hard it was for me to win this in my first playthrough. I was completely stunned how easy it was in my second. At first I had selected all kinds of alchemy skills because I thought they sounded interesting. But the Witcher needs to be a good swordsman first, because if there's one thing you can't avoid in this game, it's fighting monsters.
 
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You need to determine that the Barghests target you when they generate, in the same decided ahead of time parts of the way to the house. To do that run in front of the young lady until you go to the produce indicates so when battle begins she is yet to a degree behind.
Click Here
 
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