How can anybody stand this horrid combat system?

[Flazz]

I am seriously just running away from everything and not fighting anything because of how utterly trash the combat in this game is. Why in there an entire button for parry when all that happens when you parry is you get stunned and then they beat your face in during the stun duration. With the camera angles as well it's near impossible for me to determine when to dodge because half of the enemy is covered up by geralds back and also against monsters the only signal that they are going to attack is them biting you, not swinging a sword or something easily seen. Why the hell does Geralt keep turning his back to the enemy and let them dig their claws/swords in his back and then his turn speed be so damn slow that by the time I turn around i'm already dead. I have played this game for 5 hours now and I am getting now not getting any exp because of this. Also, I have beat Demon souls as well as dark souls 1 and 2 and the souls series is one of my favorite game series of all time. How come I have a relatively easy time in the souls games combat which is known for being extremely hard yet I always die here?

[supertrooper225]

This is a different game than Dark Souls. It is not part of the Dark Souls series. It also plays differently as it is a completely different game. You have to get used to how different games play in order to succeed in the challenges presented by the game.

[Flazz]

Originally posted by supertrooper225:

This is a different game than Dark Souls. It is not part of the Dark Souls series. It also plays differently as it is a completely different game. You have to get used to how different games play in order to succeed in the challenges presented by the game.

I obviously was comparing this to dark souls, not saying it is.

[supertrooper225]

Originally posted by Flazz:

Originally posted by supertrooper225:

This is a different game than Dark Souls. It is not part of the Dark Souls series. It also plays differently as it is a completely different game. You have to get used to how different games play in order to succeed in the challenges presented by the game.

I obviously was comparing this to dark souls, not saying it is.

Only game that is comparable to Souls is Souls...or Lords of the Fallen.

I will give you some tips.

1. Don't lock on. Geralt can automatically target an enemy without it.

2. Certain enemies require certain tactics. Dodge when dealing with drowners. Parry when dealing with bandits or you can dodge. DO NOT try to block or parry monsters in general.

3. When a bandit has a two handed weapon do not try to block or parry them. Dodge them.

4. Certain signs work better on certain foes. For instance, the trap sign is good for wraiths...igni seems to work well against drowners.

5. There are two dodges. One is a jump, the other is a roll. The jump dodge has been more useful to me as you have to get your bearings together after rolling.

[ZX119A]

99% of your problem is you. Combat is actually incredibly easy, even on death march. Stop trying to play the game like it's Dark Souls. It isn't. Those are very slow, plodding games. Witcher 3, while certainly not the best combat system ever made, isn't. You need to plan, you need to react quickly, and you need to maintain situational awareness at all times. Get used to the controls, and get good.

[Big Boom Boom]

It's pretty easy compare to Soul, just dodge (Alt) instead of Roll whenever you see the enemy start attack animation. You can only counter attack human and some monsters, which is also extremely easy compared to Parry in Souls. Parry (block) is not recommended at any times.

The enemy at most times only have 2 attack moves, so it's extremely simple to memorise it.

You don't really need to plan, just dodge, attack, dodge, attack, dodge attack and everything will go down. Bleed, Poison, Burn is your key to kill 99% of the red skull monster in Death March, except for the Elementia if they are Red Skull you're in for a 10 minutes dancing session since they are immune to Damage over Time effect. Once did 20 minutes to kill a lvl 30 Golem at lvl 11.

[danbig]

1st off if u get stuned because ur parrying stop it...learn wich attacks u can parry and wich u cant...the ones that stun u u need to move out of the way with a dodge or a roll

2nd if u cant controll ur char ie. put ur back to the enemy...there is a lock on system that u can use so he'll always face ur selected target.

3rd camera angles...learn to use ur mouse/controller accordingly there is nothing wrong with camera angles...and u can always tell when a monster/human is about to attack...then dodge/roll

[Hutch]

Try timing the parry ..get it right it stuns them

[Goobzor]

if you lock onto a target that is your target and your back will never be to them but other mobs will be attacking your back. i do not play with the lock on system and i turn my back and fight other mobs while the other one is backing away from my attacks and so on. the AI in the game is better then most games and in turn means you need to know what your doing. you can fight in the middle of a group of mobs but then you need to have fast reflexes and know when to dodge. you can also fight outside of the group in a falling back followed by attacking nature but i like fighting in the middle as it takes more skill and fits into the lure of the games better.

so back to your issue. (not the games) sounds like your fighting in the middle of a group and do not understand that when your not locked on you turn and fight based off of who is closer when you move. all your movements have to be deliberate and planed out while your fighting in the middle of a group. (example. hitting mob but it starts backing up so you decide to back up as well. well when you start backing up without lock on your going to look at the mob behind you and turn your back on the mob you where attacking. ) when you understand that you will start to like fighting all of the mobs in a group from the middle at the same time or learn to fight from the outside because there is no way to fight in the middle without changing target all the time.

[Planeforger]

While we're making comparisons to Dark Souls...you sound like a new player who has wandered into the Catacombs and is raging about how terrible the game is.

The combat in this game is totally fine. I dare say that it's actually pretty great. You're just playing it incorrectly, which is why you are losing.

On to your points...
1) The parry button deflects basic weapon attacks (and arrows, with the right skill). Parrying with the correct timing stuns the enemy, allowing you to counter-attack them without any troubles.

I don't think you can parry many monster attacks, like wolves leaping at you. Don't even try to parry them - just side-step and hit them before they recover from their attack animation.

2) Monster attacks are generally telegraphed, and stick to the same patterns. You simply haven't learned them yet. If you're standing in front of an enemy and they aren't attacking, thrn there is a good chance that they are about to attack.

3) Geralt takes up less of the screen than your Dark Souls character. Feel free to move the camera about, and don't try to lock on to individual enemies when you're surrounded. The camera doesn't need to be facing enemies for you to attack them, either - so you can hit people to your left and right without needing to move the camera at all.

4) The Souls games...weren't really that hard, they were just slow and methodical. You could hide behind shields for the most part, which you can't do in The Witcher 3. TW3's combat is paced more like Bloodborne, but with much more of an emphasis on side-stepping rather than rolling.

[ostar]

I really don't get how people have a hard time with the combat in this game.

Even on death march, it's 100 times easier than the dark/demon souls games.

[Egro]

Quen, dodge often, only chop them a few time unless you want them to counter your face, watch their movements, bait and counter...Easy

[MACIORELLA]

Combat system has some problems but for sure aint the ones u described. The fact that you have beaten dark souls remembering when to roll or jump did not help u with Witcher - thats for sure. Fight here is more dynamic and unpredictable, u can roll, dodge parry etc, thats the basic of it. If u fight in close contact u use bombs to get some didstance between u and opponent.

[MACIORELLA]

Originally posted by ostar:

I really don't get how people have a hard time with the combat in this game.

Even on death march, it's 100 times easier than the dark/demon souls games.

I now what u r talking about, but in souls games combat is base don arcade jump n roll timings than witcher3, here remembering when to roll aint goint to help u. You want soul type of combat play soul.

[Sheytanaslan]

Originally posted by TSYR119-A:

99% of your problem is you. Combat is actually incredibly easy, even on death march. Stop trying to play the game like it's Dark Souls. It isn't. Those are very slow, plodding games. Witcher 3, while certainly not the best combat system ever made, isn't. You need to plan, you need to react quickly, and you need to maintain situational awareness at all times. Get used to the controls, and get good.

The SA aspect is key, move so you force the enemy if a group to pool in front of you, they will at times impede each other and allow you to kill them one on one, dont get flanked....DONT get flanked...and use your signs. I had a event where I ran into a group of drowners or something like them and had just gotten the shrapnel bomb with silver, these wernt werewolves but I figured what the hell, I had 3 so use em, was quite funny to see the enemy explode from the bomblets.

[Rubyeyed]

I had a hard time at the beginning too (killing a wolf was a struggle), just try alt dodging and poking. That is all there is to combat here and long (space) rolls were useful to me only once during a boss fight with the mace-knight. If you are a souls vet (I spent a lot of time in souls too) you need to stop long-rolling only use alt short-dodge to flank and poke. It is kinda weird at first but when you get a hang of it the game is a breeze.