Tips and Tricks for the Witcher 3

This is a collection of useful information about the Witcher 3 for those of you who are new to RPGs or who are struggling with the combat mechanics or other systems of this wonderful game.

Some of this may be obvious but based on some of the questions on the forums I think that sometimes it is easy to overlook things and to feel like you are banging your head on a particuarly hard wall. I hope that you find at least some of this guide useful :)

I will be adding more as and when I think of it. If you have any tips you want to share I am happy to credit you as co-author. Drop me a message and I will add a new section if needed.

Assuming you are a big gaming fan you are welcome to pop on over to my corner of the World Wide Wait at :
http://john-rhys32.wixsite.com/pressanykey

I have plenty of content about Retro gaming and how to emulate EVERY system you can think of and thousands of games to boot via one interface, Worthy Free to Play Games, My Curator Page, Custom Content on the Steam Workshop and more besides.

Have fun All :)


Monkeydude AKA John IRL

It's just a flesh wound..

Combat basics

If in doubt, run away - You don't have to kill an enemy. Like the saying goes discretion is the better part of valour.

Personally I find using my XBOX gamepad way easier than KB + M. The combat is really action oriented in this game and dodge and roll are your best friends. Not having to worry about using SPACE or ALT as modifier keys makes life alot simpler imho.

You dont have to use one input method as it is not locked like alot of games. I use the Pad for fighting and keys 3-7 for changing Signs on the fly. I find this alot less immersion breaking than using the quick menu.

By default Stamina is used to cast signs and for doging/rolling. Unless you buy the perks Rage Management and Adreniline Burst you need to be rolling only when really needed. Dodging is less stamina intensive and sets you up for side and rear attacks.

Parrying and counter attacking - Generally speaking this only works against Human enemies and is dependent on the type of weapon they are wielding. There are some monsters you can use this on but I will leave that up to you to discover. If you are running Quen all the time (if not, why not?) you can always experiment. At worst your shield will break and you will know parrying is not a feasible option.

A rule of thumb is that if an attack has a massive wind up, involves a polearm or similar two handed weapon or the monster is three times bigger than you is that it probably wont work. The human arm can only deflect so much force, Witcher or not.

Combat Example Video using Quen and Igni

Bombs away..

Effective use of your arsenal.

Swinging a sword is only the beginning of combat in the Witcher. Between Oils, Bombs and Signs you have plenty of ways to dispatch of the slimy, scaly, icky and downright gross things you will face.

Whenever you encounter a new foe or find information in the form of books or torn out pages their history, affilations and most importantly strengths and weaknesses will be added to your Bestiary. Dont ever underestimate the power of using the right tools against the enemies you face.

That said : it never hurts to mix things up and try different Signs against enemies. Igni upgraded to armor burn for instance is wonderful against human enemies as nothing breaks the concentration like being on fire. However Axii can stun them leaving them wide open for heavy attacks with a nice finisher to boot. The same goes for Drowners, again Igni is lots of fun, especially for breaking up packs. However a quick blast of Aard will knock them down giving you the luxury of skewering them where they lie.

Boss Fight : Jenny o 'The Woods - Using all the tools at your disposal to win

(This is on Blood & Broken Bones setting at Level 10)

Once you have crafted a bomb,potion etc all you need to do is mediatate and providing you have a nice stock of alcemical alcohol all your Potions, Deoctions and Bombs will be topped right up again. So don't be afraid to chuck a bombs into a pack of aggravated monsters to even the odds.

Early on in the game you will get a crossbow which is useful, but you don't really want to think of it as a main damage dealer. There are plenty of different bolts that you will be crafting over the course of the game which have varying effects. Used situationally it is a brilliant weapon, but in the middle of a hectic fight taking time to reload and fire will leave you wide open for a free hit.

Most of the ingredients you need for crafting will be ripe for the picking whether its directly from a plant, looted from your foes or from robbing the populace blind. One of the most useful oil recipes you will obtain is Hanged Mans Venom which goes on your Steel Sword and adds 10% bonus damage vs Humans and Non-Humans. Always nice when you stumble over a pack of deserters. Just make sure you keep the charges topped and show 'em who's boss >:)

However the most important weapon in the Witcher 3 is your mind. If you insist on charging into a mixed pack of wolves while stabbing buttons randomly they will make short work of you. Think about your positioning, how long it will take to regenerate stamina and try and use the terrain to your advantage.

Regardless of how much of a big bad Witcher you think you are you will get hit on a regular basis. If all else fails like I said in the previous section RUN AWAY !

Stronger, faster, harder to kill

Missed me, nyah, nyah !

As you level up or find place of power you will earn points to spend on upgrading various aspects of your character. You need to bear in mind that these will only be effective if slotted on the character sheet.



As you can see these abilites can be slotted in blocks of three and each have a corresponding mutagen slot. The best way to utilize them is to color code them to the mutagen upgrade as this will add a larger bonus than mixing and matching. I would recommend planning accordingly as there is no point in unlocking multiple upgrades if you cannot slot them.

My personal recommendations for the lower levels are :

Posioned blades - You can't go wrong with D.O.T (Damage over time) abilities

Heightened Tolerance leading eventually down the line to Side Effects - You will be chugging potions alot during this game. Anything that makes them less toxic, last longer and more useful is never a bad thing.

Melt Armor - Set enemies on fire and mess up their resistance? Win/Win

Explosive Shield - Quen is your best friend. Causing Knockback when it goes down is only going to make your life easier, especially when surrounded.

Gourmet - Food is your second best friend for Out of Combat health regeneration. A million times better than Sun and Stars.

Later on you will be able to afford a Potion of Clearance which are sold by various Merchants. If you have made a total mess of your upgrades one of these will let you reset your points and spend them more wisely.

Armour gonna get'cha.

Rule No 1. Loot everything.

Rule No 2. See rule 1

As you traipse around the world of the Witcher you will be literally falling over loot as long as you investigate every structure you see and make liberal use of your Witcher Senses. From rare crafting materials to runes you never know what you may find in that humble looking chest.

The rarity level of the items (from best to worst) goes like so :

Green (Witcher Gear) > Orange (Relics) > Yellow (Magic) > Blue(Master) > White > Grey.

However this isn't the whole story as some items of lower rarity might have better bonus stats but lower base damage. I have found a few Relic Silver Swords that have four built in boosts and three rune slots. Paired with some major runes these could end up being significantly better than a sword that is craftable.

As for Armour types you have Light, Medium and Heavy.

Unlike most traditonal RPGs this does not progress for instance like Leather > ChainMail > Plate Mail but are just different levels of padding and reinforced plates. The only tradeoff is between Armour rating and Stamina Regeneration.

Light armor allows for higher regen rates and Heavy will be a slower rate with Medium being a tradeoff between the two. With the Cat, Griffin and Bear perks you can spec to your preferred type if you wish and for example slot Rage Management to allow Signs to be cast with Adrenaline if your Stamina is still regenerating.

Generally speaking you want to be selling any mundane items (those with no colored background) rather than disassembling them as materials like leather, thread and iron are in plentiful supply. Don't forget to sell your vendor trash to the right person though. Alchemy ingredients should be sold to alchemists, Swords to Blacksmiths and so on. Sometimes the profit may only be small, but it all adds up.

Pro Tip : KEEP RUNES. Put them in storage for later. You will thank me.

Always keep an eye on what items that are close to your level can be crafted and stock up in advance. If you happen to level up deep in some cave or in the middle of no-where it is always nice to have a fresh set of duds to change into rather than messing about going back to town.

When you are trading with Merchants buy up every weapon and armor repair kit you can. You are going to need to repair on the fly at some point and it is alot cheaper than getting your gear repaired by a Blacksmith or Armorer. I have found it useful to carry spare Swords and Armor in case you don't fancy a trip back to town.

If you only have mundane gear then it will break fairly quickly so you are better off replacing it with something that has higher durability than wasting time, crowns or repair kits on it. Kill enough enemies and loot like crazy and you will soon have an embarrasment of spare gear
anyway.

The best gear that you can hope to get is Witcher Gear which is distinguished by its Green Background. If you were vigilant with your exploring in White Orchard you should either have or be chasing down the Viper Silver and Steel Swords which are the earliest examples of their type.

You can buy schematics for Armor and Swords from vendors but personally I have been tripping over them on my travels and have yet to feel the need to actually spend valuable crowns on them.

Last, but by no means least keep your eyes peeled for Armorers Tables and Grindstones. Using these will add a limited time buff to either your Armor or Weapons accordingly.

Over the hills and far away..

My precioussss...

When you are following the dotted line on the map to a particular destination it is not always the fastest route especially if there are alot of roads on the way. Sure roads are safer, but bandits and monsters aren't generally known for hiding their shiny loot on main roads.

Go off the beaten path and your risk of death increases significantly. But who ever said their was any reward without risk? Another place to find rare alchemy ingredients and filthy lucre is underwater. Jump in that river ! Dive into that lake and use your Witcher senses to see what is under those gentle (or not so gentle) waves! If you spot a drowner a quick shot of your Crossbow will sort them out.

This isn't some Korean MMO grindfest so you don't have to always be following a marker to your next destination. Every now and then I simply go off the reservation and see what I can find in the way of plants, raw meat for OOC (Out of Combat) regeneration or bandits looking to get their heads handed to them.

Talking of following markers there is alot to do, so make sure you keep track of all the various side missions, Witcher contracts and treasure hunts. Talking to NPCs, reading books and notes, looking at notice boards will all add points of interest or quests to your Journal (default J) so remember to switch things up a bit rather than just following the main quests like a trained monkey.

If you are interested in the Lore surrounding the inhabitants of this wonderfully realised world then keep tabs on the Glossary (default G) which is a fascinating read and gives a real sense of immersion along with its companion section on Books.


Addendum : Now I have a decent PC that can actually cope with the frame rates I have restarted the game. One other tip that I would offer is : go high when you can, you never know what might be hiding just out of plain sight ....

Your four legged friend

Ahh Roach, my faithful companion :)

Now despite the fact that good ol' Roach has some kind of personal teleportation device to instantly reach your side he is a wonderful mount. I personally prefer the sense of immersion riding him if I want to travel quite a distance rather than finding a Fast Travel post. Plus you never know what you my stumble er canter over on the way.

Your faithful steed can be upgraded in various ways to make your life more interesting.

• Trophies can be slotted onto the saddle to add various effects like increased experience or chance of dismemberment etc.
  
  
• Saddlebags increase your maximum carry weight. Yay, more goodies to sell :)
  
  
• Saddles increase his stamina, allowing you to gallop further (handy when you have a pack of Wargs looking for a quick and easy Geralt Burger with a side order of Horsey.)
  
  
• Blinders reduce the rate at which Fear builds. Unlike you ol' Roach is not some Monster Slaying mutated demon. Poor Horsey ! Don't let him get scared. BOO HISS monsters !!

You can get better gear for Roach either from Merchants or by winning Horse Races.

[<Piss Muffin 420>]

Thanks Monkey emperor !!

[FrozenDude101]

I'm on my first playthrough and have finished the baron quests. The abilities got me at first, didn't realise you had to equip them, but I learnt eventually. Had around 4k crowns so just bought the full Nilfgardian set from a merchant at the baron's castle place. Almost all of it was better/equal to mine and it all fits well.

[Ingarr_]

Thanks! Om new and dont really know what I am doing lol

[leonieyates]

Nice to see someone helping newbies without the negative feedback they often get. Remember we were all new to this at some stage and it is often the simpliest things that bring us undone. So well done for being considerate to others.

[MonkeyEmperor]

@Maggot You Sir/Madam are more than Welcome :)

[Maggotuk]

Some nice tips, thanks!

[MonkeyEmperor]

er CHARACTER .. woops typos lol

[MonkeyEmperor]

It is under the general chatracter traits :)

[Dash]

Where is gourmet on the Character screen? I cant find something by that name.

[76561198037979492]

Always a pleasure