Witcher 2 CDPR Defends Difficulty

The Witcher 2
After a few attempts, I beat the harpies quite easily - made liberal use of bombs and ensured that I managed to keep distance between myself and them. I still think, though, that Geralt should be able to tumble beneath them, given that they are flying creatures and attack from the air.

As for the Kayran….hm. I defeated it several times but didn't know what to do when it was badly wounded and flailing about. They could have put in more obvious clues …which I beleive they have done now?

Not really - I was quite lost, and really annoyed - I thought I had finally beat the thing and stood to admire the ruin, when suddenly I get pelted with bits of bridge and die again. Gah! At that point I consulted a walkthrough....
I hate Boss fights.
 
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I was under the impression that the 1.3 patch added some kind of marker that pointed out where you needed to go after you wounded the Kayran.
 
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As for the Kayran….hm. I defeated it several times but didn't know what to do when it was badly wounded and flailing about. They could have put in more obvious clues …which I beleive they have done now?

You mean after it's destroyed that stuff by falling, modifying the terrain in an unmistaking way?

If so, well, it is another example that those developpers got bitten in the bottom by their will to deliver mature gaming.
 
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I see that they made the game a lot easier with patch 1.3 after all. You now get armour that is as least as good as, for instance the raven armor you can import, but the game itself also feels a lot easier.

As an experiment I tried out the prologue on "easy" with patch 1.3, and there is simply zero challenge to it - a 6-year old girl can do it. Why can't the people who struggled on the harder difficulties just leave well enough be, and play the game on an easier setting? Some of us need a challenge, not an interactive movie - if I wanted to watch a movie I would have stuck with the Witcher TV show.

As for battle mechanics, at least the first Witcher game allowed you a bit of variety in your battle strategies. Certain foes could be killed more easily with certain weapons, and certain signs worked better than others on particular foes. What worked with which specific ones could be researched, adding to the depth of the gameplay experience.
You could research and experiment with potions. Different styles worked better on different enemies. (Fast, strong, group)

Now in Witcher 2, strategy has been thrown out the window; you don't use different styles beyond strong and fast, and you can't upgrade them into combo's anymore.

So now even CDPR has yielded to the pressure to remove all depth and complexity and make all games into a generic mashing of buttons.

I guess I won't bother doing upgrades to my PC anymore in the future - newer games are just becoming less worth it.

Yes, I know I sound rather bitter, and as if I rather belong on the Codex at the moment… I'm just feeling so frustrated by this whole "streamlining" process that seems to be affecting all the franchises I used to enjoy.
 
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You mean after it's destroyed that stuff by falling, modifying the terrain in an unmistaking way?

If so, well, it is another example that those developpers got bitten in the bottom by their will to deliver mature gaming.

Every time I moved out to explore I got killed by falling debris. So *logically* I'm going to run *further* into said falling debris so I can get killed more quickly, right? The fact that you cannot climb most surfaces in TW2 (and you can only tell when you bump against the surface) made your options very unclear. And I was not alone in failing to notice the "obvious".
 
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@ RivianWitch - I agree completely. I preferred combat in TW1, seemed more fluid. Kuist boughthe Baldu're Gate Original saga from GOG and started playinga gain last night - I'd forgotten the wolf on the map past Candlekeep....but not for long!
 
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As an experiment I tried out the prologue on "easy" with patch 1.3, and there is simply zero challenge to it - a 6-year old girl can do it. Why can't the people who struggled on the harder difficulties just leave well enough be, and play the game on an easier setting?

Easy was easy from the start. After reading a review on here, I had the same thought and wanted to experiment whether or not easy was unplayable (as the reviewer could not make it on normal)
It was easy.

For me, another evidence the developpers got caught by their belief that players wanting maturing game really wanted mature gaming. In mature gaming, if the player can not manage on a certain level of difficulty and the option exist to reduce the difficulty, the gamer uses it. So it all boils down to having a easy level easy enough to play. And in TW2, it was the case from the start.

For some reason, some players can not take it to reduce the difficulty settings with the known consequences.
 
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Every time I moved out to explore I got killed by falling debris. So *logically* I'm going to run *further* into said falling debris so I can get killed more quickly, right?

It might only be right when you omit the fact the character has short range reach and should have at one point in the combat, find a way to close on in.

When you dont omit it, the picture is drawn totally differently and debris are only stuff put in the way between your character and the monster.

As to people missing it, it is not surprising. Many people discovered playing that game that maybe, maybe, playing a light armoured character could include the necessity of dodging blows as the character is not built to soak damage.
 
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I admit that the Kayran was pretty difficult, especially figuring out the 'catch' to it isn't really all that obvious.
I was talking about general combat being easy. Even the little sequence with the dragon and sneaking through prison, at the start of the game, which some people inexplicably found difficult, was simply really easy if you just follow the instructions the game gives you.

Now managing to focus the trebuchet correctly to hit Count Etcheverry - that is a different matter.. :biggrin:
 
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Doesnt Sile yell out how to beat the Kayran? I seem to remember her yelling something to the effect of "use *sign* .."
 
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Doesnt Sile yell out how to beat the Kayran? I seem to remember her yelling something to the effect of "use *sign* .."

Yes, "trap it with the Yrden!" - but only that - nothing on part two.
 
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And I remember, it comes very fast.
During the first encounter with the Kayran, I missed the first attempt to use the spell. And just as I was about to succeed on the second attempt, that NPC was already buggling her hint.

Some games (used to?) let the players turn around three or four minutes before buggling the hint, in this game, it is what 30 seconds?
 
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Finally getting to play this game.... and getting my butt kicked!! I'm playing on Normal.... seriously??? This is like Gothic hard... only more frustrating. I just cleaned out my first cave of Nekkers after around 15 re-loads. Finally struggled through it using traps, signs, and every buff augmentation I could.

Now I'm stuck just trying to get the Kayran Mucus sample. - There is a wave of drowners that attack right after arriving at the location. I am finding it impossible... Is this game like Gothic where you have to grind out some in-town simple quests until you level up enough to handle certain areas? I'm on the verge of level 8, with health stats maxed given my current options. I'm using augmented Blue stripes armor, and buffing my silver sword. I've set traps, used signs, etc... but as soon as I get in the thick of combat the drowners kill me in like 5 seconds. I mean.. really?!?
 
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Now I'm stuck just trying to get the Kayran Mucus sample. - There is a wave of drowners that attack right after arriving at the location. I am finding it impossible… Is this game like Gothic where you have to grind out some in-town simple quests until you level up enough to handle certain areas? I'm on the verge of level 8, with health stats maxed given my current options. I'm using augmented Blue stripes armor, and buffing my silver sword. I've set traps, used signs, etc… but as soon as I get in the thick of combat the drowners kill me in like 5 seconds. I mean.. really?!?

Try drawing out a few enemies at a time. That works well in a lot of places, especially against Nekkers and similar monsters. You can usually take them out 1 or 2 at a time, as they'll only pursue you a certain distance.
 
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Finally getting to play this game…. and getting my butt kicked!! I'm playing on Normal…. seriously??? This is like Gothic hard… only more frustrating.
What JDR13 said, try to draw out one or two enemies at a time, that way the fight becomes more manageable. It's a Very Good Idea(tm) not to get mobbed, as that is easily curtains for Geralt in the early game. Use the Stun and Trap signs (can't remember their in-game names now — Aard and Yrden?) to give you some breathing room. E.g. against the Endrega Warriors and especially the Queens, the Trap sign is very good, allowing you to kill them relatively easily (at least on Normal).

In the early game it is very important not to get hit, no matter what armor you have on, as some enemies don't need but few hits to kill Geralt. Dodge and roll; it's better to dodge and not get hit, than to hit an enemy and get hit in return. Also, I know it's obvious, but remember to use the Shield sign (Quen? Or was this Yrden? ) to protect you. It is a life-saver. And do not over-extend or over-stretch yourself, i.e. don't just buttonmash or wade in like Conan the Conquerer — get a few strikes in, roll away, maneuver, use a sign maybe, attack again, etc. And last but not least, know when it's time to flee. The tactic of Brave Sir Robin (;)) is good if you find yourself in over your head. Run and live to fight another day. The early game is full of such situations.

Regarding the drowners, I can't remember specifically what I did, but I do remember they hit HARD. Use the Shield sign to protect you (or be very good at dodging, you do not want to get hit by them). Maneuver to get a good opening on one drowner and wail on it (with the shield still on). If you can stun it first, all the better, might even get an instant kill that way. After a few hits, retreat, dodge and roll. Repeat. When your shield runs out, retreat and run around keeping your distance from the drowners, wait for your "mana/stamina" to recharge. Recast Shield. And so on. Grit your teeth and persevere. It is doable.
 
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I hate Boss fights.
Same here, with a passion! There were more than a few boss fights, where I almost quit the whole game in disgust. I loved the game, but hated the boss fights (and QTEs).
 
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:delurk:

I just finished my second play-through. I had previously started to replay The Witcher, but gave up in Chapter IV. I had entirely forgotten how much fetch-and-carry and relatively pointless trudging across the landscape there was. The visceral gameplay has been so. much. improved. in The Witcher 2.

I chose Iorveth this time around, and took my time in Chapter III instead of just following the main quest. Developed magic rather than swordsmanship. Only tagged the Mobility and Riposte abilities in the Swordsmanship tree (as soon as I could).

First off, this playthrough was way easier. Like the whole game had been rebalanced. I think my mistake in the first playthrough was to pretty much ignore crafting and go with whatever I found, and also ignore a good many sidequests. The upshot was that I was a lot weaker then for those really tough fights. The Kayran was the only one that had me tearing hair, and that because of that stupid QTE at the end. I bleeping hate that overgrown cephalopod.

Second, Iorveth's path was, IMO, better done than Roche's path. More background was revealed, there was a feeling of siding with the good guys, and it just hung together more nicely. Chapter III felt more fleshed-out than before, too; an actual chapter and not just a coda. Perhaps because—as detailed as it was—the military camp had something of an in-between feel about it, whereas Vergen was an actual town.

After this play-through, my already high opinion of the game went up a notch. Far better in terms of gameplay than The Witcher, and as good in terms of writing and content. I still think it could've used some more meandering sidequests; nothing there that's quite up to the Noonwraith/Nightwraith thing The Witcher 1.

:relurk:
 
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What JDR13 said, try to draw out one or two enemies at a time, that way the fight becomes more manageable. It's a Very Good Idea(tm) not to get mobbed, as that is easily curtains for Geralt in the early game. Use the Stun and Trap signs (can't remember their in-game names now — Aard and Yrden?) to give you some breathing room. E.g. against the Endrega Warriors and especially the Queens, the Trap sign is very good, allowing you to kill them relatively easily (at least on Normal).

In the early game it is very important not to get hit, no matter what armor you have on, as some enemies don't need but few hits to kill Geralt. Dodge and roll; it's better to dodge and not get hit, than to hit an enemy and get hit in return. Also, I know it's obvious, but remember to use the Shield sign (Quen? Or was this Yrden? ) to protect you. It is a life-saver. And do not over-extend or over-stretch yourself, i.e. don't just buttonmash or wade in like Conan the Conquerer — get a few strikes in, roll away, maneuver, use a sign maybe, attack again, etc. And last but not least, know when it's time to flee. The tactic of Brave Sir Robin (;)) is good if you find yourself in over your head. Run and live to fight another day. The early game is full of such situations.

Regarding the drowners, I can't remember specifically what I did, but I do remember they hit HARD. Use the Shield sign to protect you (or be very good at dodging, you do not want to get hit by them). Maneuver to get a good opening on one drowner and wail on it (with the shield still on). If you can stun it first, all the better, might even get an instant kill that way. After a few hits, retreat, dodge and roll. Repeat. When your shield runs out, retreat and run around keeping your distance from the drowners, wait for your "mana/stamina" to recharge. Recast Shield. And so on. Grit your teeth and persevere. It is doable.

Thanks for the tips! As I mentioned in another thread, I've found that this game has very random difficulty changes. All that trouble with 5 drowners and afterwards my last several encounters have been easy. Still, it never hurts to apply Brave Sir Robin's advice once in a while… Now if you'll excuse me, I must go and change my armor ;)
 
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