Good tactics for group fighting?

[BonaFide]

I've got the 1 on 1 combat pretty much handled but group fighting, even when low level, often seem to overwhelm me, especially if they can pounce. What tips can you give to fight packs of enemies?

[Planeforger]

My biggest tip? Don't lock on to anything in group combat. Locking on narrows your field of vision and restricts your movements, while leaving the camera free makes it easy to dodge out of the way or change targets.

[BOT Ty]

Originally posted by BonaFide:

I've got the 1 on 1 combat pretty much handled but group fighting, even when low level, often seem to overwhelm me, especially if they can pounce. What tips can you give to fight packs of enemies?

Try not hit only single enemy, 2hits and change target, dont use target lock

[Fox, Star Fox]

1)Get back from them->charge upgraded Igni(normal works too, but not as awesome).
2)Upgraded Axii spam(those enemies that come in groups usually kill each other pretty fast when hypnotised)
3)Separate them from each other by getting away from them(watch out for archers/crossbowmen though)
That fast attack upgrade that gives a long-time AoE might work too, but I don't have it yet.

[Asaghon]

Try igniting things like barrels and gasi if available, find a choke point if you can so they can't gang up on you and go for ranged characters first. Igni can dtun enemies a short time while they burn too

[The DarkLight Emissary YT]

Also a good skill to invest in a few levels is the Quen shield of course. Some enemies have to hit it like 4 times before it fails so that can help you deflect unwanted attention while focusing down one enemy. Bombs can help too, especially with softening a group or eliminating a few enemies you have weakened.

When it comes down to it though it will be what your system ends up being, there is enough flexibility with your skill-tree that you can doit quite a few different ways.

[VerminatorX]

1.Use igni
2.one-two attacks and dodge
3.repeat

[Set-115689]

As mentioned use quen. If you get the quen active shield perk you can hold hold down Q to get a shield that recharges your health when hit. There's also potions like swallow that heal and tawny owl that lets you use quen more and other perks/mutagen combos for the skill tree to increase sign strength. Dancing stars bombs cause enemies to catch on fire and you can hit them without getting attacked back while they are on fire.

[Space King]

I'm playing on Death March (2nd playthrough, same difficulty again because it's fun), and while on my first playthrough I had a ton of issues, I've really started to get the hang of handling groups now.

1. Use Quen liberally. Don't rely on other signs in groups (and I'd recommend upgrading Quen as much as possible, too). The reason for this is, if you do happen to get surrounded - which I'll cover next - you'll have a few hits leniency, can roll away, recast Quen, and walla, you got away without a scratch.
2. Try to seperate single enemies as much as possible. Again, when referring to getting surrounded by enemies before, that should be something that only happens when you slip up or if it just happens. But usually, I will approach from one side and try to agro one enemy away. At the very least, try not to let yourself be flanked. If you see an enemy starting to flank you, roll away immediately. You always want to face all the enemies at once if possible. Again, restrict enemies getting to the side of you as much as possible, and never let one get behind you (But, it happens from time to time, and again, that's why Quen is so useful here). It's really just a combination of dodging and rolling to place yourself in front of enemies, outside of any flanks they may attempt. Naturally, this tactic doesn't lend itself to quick, dirty battles, but it's a safe way to get out of any battle with relatively little health loss.
3. Don't use Z to lock targets. The problem with this is that it severely restricts your field of view and peripheral vision. So, if an enemy does happen to flank you, you can't see it as well, and by the time you do, it may be too late to roll or dodge.
4. Timing. It's just a matter of getting used to the timing of dodges, really.
5. Fighting humans is a bit different. You want to use parries more, naturally. Also, go for archers first, then sword weilders, then axe weilders, and then shield users last. The archers are essentially free kills, and even if you do have parry arrow ability, they can still nick you from time to time if they catch you off guard for even a second. So get rid of them right off the bat. Next, the sword users. They are the second easiest to kill. When facing axe users or shield users, you want as few enemies to contend with as possible, because they require a bit of special tactics. For instance, parrying against axe users doesn't work all that well. It's all about dodging there. If sword users are coming up on your flank, you're gonna' find yourself in a heap of trouble. Finally, the shield users. Usually there's only one of these guys, and since normal attacks don't particularly work for them, leave them for last, because now you can just systematically use Axii on them. Stun, hit hit, back up, stun, hit hit, back up, and so on, until they are dead. Again, for human enemies, Quen is great, but I also sometimes use Igni as well, and once you level it up some, Aard is great, because if you knock them down, it's an instakill.
6: Finally, and this is something that will get you killed a ton if you ignore it: don't get greedy with how many hits you do at once. Usually, the most you can do is about 2. Maybe three if lucky, but that's risky. It's always best to dodge away, hit hit, dodge, and so on. The reason for this in group fights is that when you swing so much at a given enemy, it gives other enemies all the time in the world to swing behind you. If you get in and then out lickety-split, you'll be able to control your position in the battle.
SPECIAL CASES:
-Drowners and Nekkers can be super tricky sometimes as they lunge super fast and Nekkers will roll right at you. Pop a Tawny Owl if there is a ton of them so you can cast Quen and then immediatly cast Yrden. Yrden REALLY slows down drowners and helps you contain them.
-Another note on Quen: if it's the only sign you plan to use in a battle, constantly keep refreshing it, even if it hasn't been broken. It will expire eventually, and you don't want to rely on it, only to be hit and realize that it has worn off.
-In confined spaces, it's all about dodging/rolling to the side, almost like in a circle around the room. However, be careful with this: do NOT let yourself be cornered. Three dudes against you cornered will get you killed fast.

To recap:
The ultimate basics are just this: Use Quen a lot for groups specifically and upgrade it if you can afford to do so, and always use rolling/dodging in a manner that will prevent yourself from being flanked - always try to lure single/two-at-the-most enemies from the larger group if possible (this works best on ghouls and drowners, specially. Always do that for them). Either way, always keep it so that you are facing the enemies. Of course, this isn't always going to happen, and that's where Quen comes in.

Of course, I'm sure there's other strategies, but this is what I've found to be super useful for groups on Death March (not sure what difficulty you're on, but if this works for Death March, it will obviously work for the others as well), and I have to be honest, I rarely even have to pop off a swallow because I usually don't lose more than about 10% of my health in a given group battle. (However, sometimes you do mess and up die lol; that's to be expected).

Hope this was helpful!

TL;DR: Use Quen and use rolling/dodging to prevent yourself from getting flanked.

[VerminatorX]

Really, when u find griffon armor and some mediocre gear, u can just faceroll the game, nothing tactical about it.

[IRMcG]

Don't let them get behind you, be aware of where they all are and roll out of the way if you see them surrounding you and closing in. Getting target fixated's often fatal.

Use area effect powers like Aard and Igni plus grenades to disrupt groups (intense Aard's handy, it sometimes knocks down enemies and you can "insta-kill" them). If you're up against bandits or soldiers, go after the archers first.

Use the terrain if you can to stop them getting around you, but don't get backed into a corner. if you can't evade, you're probably dead.

Lastly, you can "game" most of the mob-type beasties in the wild. They've usually a patrol area they won't leave, so if you get into trouble you can run away to heal up.

[Aramitama]

spec quen. spec whirl. click quen. click whirl. be a majestic ducking ballerina. watch limbs and genitals fly all around you.

[Possum]

Good post Jolly Butch.

[GarnetFire17]

If you have time to prepare quen up and set a Yrden turret and yrden trap.
If they are people, than axii them one by one and kill them right away while staying moving.
If you get hurt or need to block arrows, use quen shield to heal your self then get out of striking distance.
If we are talking about alot of people right around you, use aard and knock them all down if your sign intensity is strong enough. That will buy you time. If they are all grouped together right in front of you, igni, ingi flamethrower, grape shot, dragons's dream.
If it is not too heated use dodge, if not roll away.
dodging in 2-3 strikes roll out of harms way... repeat.

[VerminatorX]

Use alternate yrden. Turret ^^