The Witcher

[Akka]

Although maybe the 1.1 or 1.2 patches made them easier.

1.2 was a COLOSSAL overall nerf.

 

[aelf]

I'm going to re-play on Insane, but I have to choose a different path to stay interested. Only I still prefer helping Roche, though I concede the other path is much better for lore. Ahh, it's unfair.

 

[Disgustipated]

Iorveth is less of an ahole once you start following his path. He acts less like a terrorist and more like a freedom fighter. He actually seems like an honorable person in chapter 2.

I should up the difficulty level on mine, but I'm just not interested in that kind of challenge. I'm still playing on normal. It's difficult enough that I have to keep on my toes and not take battles for granted (I did that once today and some endregas killed me). The endrega queen was much easier this time. I don't think they nerfed that battle. I think they only nerfed the prologue (according to the patch notes). I think she's easier now because I know the strategy to kill her. Yrden kicks her ass. Every once in a while she would resist it and still be able to move (killed me once), but usually it worked.

edit: dammit, stupid alchemy screen. I was so careful not to use good ingredients when I made a bunch of potions, but somehow I still lost 6 endrega teeth (to make the jagged sword). Grrrr. I wish they would fix this. I wasn't paying attention last game, so it wasn't a big deal, but that's how I used all my diamond dust last game. I also didn't pick up the diagram for the diamond armor enhancements last game. So I don't want to use diamond dust for potions and bombs. I also didn't want to use engrega teeth. I was so careful swapping them out, but somehow I messed up. What's worse, when you make one potion, it reverts back to using diamond dust for an ingredient, so you have to swap ingredients out for every single potion.

 

[Wolfbeckett]

Yes, the alchemy screen is poorly designed. It's one of my main lingering griefs with this game. Not only is it badly designed, but I just overall greatly preferred the alchemy system in the first game.

 

[Disgustipated]

I was going to go the magic tree this game, but I think I'll do the alchemy route. I already put 2 points in magic, but that's okay, they are useful skills (Aard and Quen). Alchemy seems like it will encourage me to use more potions and other items and make me think more, and it seems more interesting in a way. Not to mention they get more mutagen spots. I'm not a big fan of the first couple alchemy options (the right side or the left side), but the rest seems pretty cool.

The only trouble I think I'll get into is maybe the Draug battle at the end of chapter 2 because I can't use potions for that battle. I think maybe the battle with the dragon at the end of chapter 3 I can't use potions either (I haven't actually tried to), but we'll see.

The Kayran battle was still a PITA, I forgot you have to push space on the QTE (it's hard to see because the text blends in with the background), I also had to remember the pattern of the arms swinging etc. I died like 4 times. I was upset I died so much as I should know this battle.

edit: I did pick up the madness mutagen in chapter 1 which was pretty sweet.

 

[Disgustipated]

Anyone find a use for red/blue meteorite ore? Is it used to make fire runes? I never figured that one out. I was thinking of just selling all this junk.

 

[Wolfbeckett]

There are meteorite silver swords you can craft in Chapter 2 that are decent, that's the only use I found for them.

 

[Maniacal]

As in TW1 they are used for making swords.

 

[Disgustipated]

I actually found an area in Chapter 1 I hadn't been to before in my first game. It's such a large area, but no quests in there. But if you find the bandit hideout key, you can go over there for a little bit of loot. It's an interesting area. It's a big swamp, but you'll find a few enemies from back in TW1 days. Like drowned dead. I don't think there are any other drowned dead in TW2 other than here. And on my way out it was night time, and a bruxae scared the crap out of me by appearing behind me as I was on the way out. That swamp got me a little jumpy.

I'm in chapter 2 roche's path. Just had a little wine and fun with Ves. Not the hottest POA in the game, but sometimes the challenge if getting the more difficult ones is nice. Roche's path has its rewards.

So I'm doing the alchemy route. I have a question about potions. When you drink potions there are 2 lines on the toxicity meter. What do they mean? Do I get harmful effects if I go past the second line? Some potions like thunderbolt can have very high toxicity (but it's a pretty cool potion). I can drink 4 potions now, but I'm worried about going past that second line. And my damage dealt is based on me being poisoned. Does that mean any amount of toxicity qualifies for this? Or Do I need to be past the first or second line?

 

[Wolfbeckett]

For your second question I'm not sure, but I've never noticed any bad effects from going past the second line, I think they are just guideposts to remind people to reign it in before they fill the bar.

 

[aelf]

Meh, I didn't play on Insane because the game doesn't really allow you to change to that difficulty halfway. Basically, I didn't want to replay Chapter 1 before you make the big decision, and changing the difficulty to Insane just means your saves can never be loaded unless you've never died before that. So I just played the other path on Hard and did my best not to die, which didn't always work out, so I guess Insane is really just too hardcore for me.

So now, having done both paths, I have no more reason to play the game. But it was a good game and I wasn't expecting much replayability anyway, so I'm pretty content.

 

[Disgustipated]

finished the Roche path. Only got to level 33 for some reason. I'm guessing that path just doesn't offer as much XP for some reason.

The Iorveth path feels more satisfying for some reason. I'm not sure why. I can't believe what Roche did to Dethmold before he killed him. The problem with the Roche path is having to work with Dethmold and Henselt I guess.

One line I didn't understand at the end of chapter 2 was when Geralt said Ves was lying (about what Henselt did to her), they never followed up on that. I don't get it. But later in chapter 3 they accept that fact. It seems contradictory.

 

[aelf]

finished the Roche path. Only got to level 33 for some reason. I'm guessing that path just doesn't offer as much XP for some reason.

Yep. Some quests on Iorveth's path seem to give you inexplicable amounts of XP.

The Iorveth path feels more satisfying for some reason. I'm not sure why. I can't believe what Roche did to Dethmold before he killed him. The problem with the Roche path is having to work with Dethmold and Henselt I guess.

I prefer Roche's path probably for the opposite reasons - I'm not a fan of reenacting the classic story of the hero who turns the tide of that crucial battle. For me, Geralt sympathises with the plight of the non-humans, but he isn't going to fight anyone's battles for them, at least not at this point.

One line I didn't understand at the end of chapter 2 was when Geralt said Ves was lying (about what Henselt did to her), they never followed up on that. I don't get it. But later in chapter 3 they accept that fact. It seems contradictory.

Yeah, I found that a little weird as well.

 

[Maniacal]

1.3 patch is coming soon (no exact date yet)

1. New FREE DLC – “A Sackful of Fluff” is a new quest in Chapter 2 of the game. To start the quest, visit the eccentric
Elthon, who inhabits a solitary hut near the quarry outside Vergen. The quest will prove most rewarding to those who
demonstrate patience.
2. Game now supports 4:3, 5:4, 16:10 aspect ratios.
3. Item storage has been added. Players can now store items from their Inventory at inns. To leave items in storage or collect previously stored items, talk to innkeepers.
4. A “Junk‟ panel has been added to Inventory to provide greater clarity in item classification.
5. New menu option added in “Extras‟ – enables players to view in-game animated sequences (flashbacks, memory flashes, dreams stolen by harpies) outside of the game.
6. A “Quickload‟ option has been added under the F9 key.
7. The game’s HUD can now be hidden in order to produce HUD-free screenshots! On newly installed game copies, the option to hide/show the HUD is available by default under the ‘H’ key. Users who have modified the key assignments on their installations should go to the ‘Input Settings’ dialogue of the Witcher 2 Configuration Tool to assign a key to this option. Please note that the game cannot be played with the HUD hidden.
8. Issue involving the game not running at 2560×1440 resolution has been resolved.
9. Issues with nVidia 3D Vision technology have been resolved. Players no longer need to uninstall the related drivers.
10. Key bindings have been corrected to enable configuration of mouse buttons for use by left-handed players.
11. Assorted key binding options have been added to facilitate configuration of controls and quick access to various in-game panels.
12. Issue related to game settings being reset to defaults upon patch installation has been resolved. Patches no longer reset
game settings.
13. The configuration file is no longer over-written when the launcher/configuration tool is patched and over-written.
14. The launcher now closes while the game is being patched, thus eliminating the resulting game patching error.
15. The launcher now closes completely and no longer continues to operate in the background.
16. „Installed game version is invalid or incomplete‟ error in updater when free space on system drive is insufficient – message has been corrected to reflect more accurately the nature of the error.
17. Mutagens are now alchemy ingredients. Minor mutagens drop more frequently than do major mutagens, though the overall mutagen drop rate has been reduced.
18. Corrections have been made in the mutagen drop rate and in Thorak‟s store.
19. “Dragon‟ section of Prologue does not become available until after all assault-related sections have been completed, thereby softening the difficulty curve at the start of the game.
20. During the fight against the kayran, when the bridge collapses, a map pin appears at the end of the bridge to facilitate player navigation and quest completion.
21. Map pins have been corrected in many quests.
22. Quen Sign slightly de-buffed – Sign dissipates 20% faster after foes land a blow. Assorted minor balance issues related to this Sign have also been resolved.
23. Issue with Dragon‟s Dream bombs has been resolved. Damage to bosses from cast daggers has been reduced by onehalf.
24. Several optimization improvements have been made in the tavern in Vergen.
25. Problem with music accompanying “stealth‟ sequences has been resolved.
26. Issue related to arm wrestling Bart Bargee has been resolved. Players can no longer win coin from this character endlessly.
27. Option to fist fight woman praying at a statue in Vergen has been deactivated.
28. Mini-game contestants at one of the in-game taverns now switch positions correctly without blocking one another.
29. Problem involving Fenn‟s sword in combat has been resolved.
30. Problems with herbalist‟s gloves have been resolved.
31. In the Prologue, Geralt retains his steel long sword throughout, i.e., he is no longer automatically equipped with his default sword for the „Assault‟ sequence.
32. Problem with some nekkers being immortal has been resolved.
33. Issue with triggered black screens blocking game progress has been resolved.
34. Interactions no longer appear on nekker nests after these have been destroyed.
35. The “Scent of Incense” quest no longer shows up as failed after being completed successfully.
36. Sudden switch to gameplay just prior to cut scene involving Cynthia and Philippa has been eliminated.
37. Triss, Roche and Iorveth are now de-spawned before the final credits roll.
38. Guard pacing cycles have been corrected.
39. The Redanian messenger in Henselt‟s tent can no longer be killed, preventing him from re-spawning.
40. Elf woman in Vergen no longer strikes a T-pose.
41. Rotfiends feeding on corpses no longer re-spawn after corpse is burned.
42. Several fixes have been made in the functioning of in-game populaces.
43. Numerous problems with cameras in dialogue sequences have been resolved.
44. Assorted corrections have been made in dialogue sequences (including King Foltest‟s gestures on the town walls in the Prologue).
45. A progression break in the „In the Claws of Madness‟ quest has been eliminated.

 

[Disgustipated]

40. Elf woman in t-pose? What is that?

27. I never knew about this. I'll have to check this out before I apply the patch. Not that I'm some misogynist, but I can't help but wonder what it'd look like for Geralt to beat the crap out of some woman.

Overall it looks like a good patch. Too bad I'm done with the game. The replayability isn't really there, although it is a great game. I played through twice. I'd have liked that junk tab, and item storage very much.

 

[aelf]

27. I never knew about this. I'll have to check this out before I apply the patch. Not that I'm some misogynist, but I can't help but wonder what it'd look like for Geralt to beat the crap out of some woman.

The fist fight is not much fun. You can't actually hit her at all. Unless she dies while you are fist fighting her. Essentially, you can attack the two female NPCs at the statue and no one gives a crap. Hitting them with your sword and watching them fly (and burn - if you have fire runes) is pretty funny for a while because they respawn right away with different names (so you can have many bodies of the same people lying around).

To actually be able to finish one of them off in a fist fight, you'll need to igni her before. One igni should be enough to kill or almost kill her, but before she dies, you will likely get into a fist fight with her. The first blow you land will finish her off in the usual fist fighting manner. I was able to finish each of them off while having a sword drawn (during fist fights) a few times. Once I ended up fist fighting one of the dudes next to them and finishing him off. Haven't been able to reproduce that one though.

 

[Maniacal]

40. Elf woman in t-pose? What is that?

The T-Pose is a default position for models when their animation isn't playing.

 

[Loppan Torkel]

Patch for Witcher 2 released -

Spoiler :

Patch 1.3 Fixes:

1. New FREE DLC – “A Sackful of Fluff” is a new quest in Chapter 2 of the game. To start the quest, visit the eccentric Elthon, who inhabits a solitary hut near the quarry outside Vergen. The quest will prove most rewarding to those who demonstrate patience.
2. Game now supports 4:3, 5:4, and 16:10 aspect ratios.
3. Item storage has been added. Players can now store items from their Inventory at inns. To leave items in storage or collect previously stored items, talk to innkeepers.
4. A ‘Junk’ panel has been added to the Inventory to provide greater clarity in item classification.
5. A new menu option has been added under ‘Extras’ – this enables players to view in-game animated sequences (flashbacks, memory flashes, dreams stolen by harpies) outside of the game.
6. A ‘Quickload’ option has been added under the F9 key.
7. The game's HUD can now be hidden in order to produce HUD-free screenshots! On newly installed game copies, the option to hide/show the HUD is available by default under the 'H' key. Users who have modified the key assignments on their installations should go to the 'Input Settings' dialogue of the Witcher 2 Configuration Tool to assign a key to this option. Please note that the game cannot be played with the HUD hidden.
8. A counter has been added for items placed in quick slots.
9. Players can now create multiple items in the Alchemy panel.
10. Issue involving the game not running at 2560x1440 resolution has been resolved.
11. Issues with nVidia 3D Vision technology have been resolved. Players no longer need to uninstall the related drivers.
12. Assorted improvements have been made in the game’s 3D Vision, SLI and Crossfire functionality.
13. Assorted improvements have been made for running the game in Ubersampling mode on nVidia cards.
14. Key bindings have been corrected to enable configuration of mouse buttons for use by left-handed players.
15. Assorted key binding options have been added to facilitate configuration of controls and quick access to various in-game panels.
16. Issue related to game settings being reset to defaults upon patch installation has been resolved. Patches no longer reset game settings.
17. The configuration file is no longer over-written when the launcher/configuration tool is patched and over-written.
18. The launcher now closes while the game is being patched, thus eliminating the resulting game patching error.
19. The launcher now closes completely and no longer continues to operate in the background.
20. ‘Installed game version is invalid or incomplete’ error in updater when free space on system drive is insufficient – message has been corrected to reflect more accurately the nature of the error.
21. Mutagens are now alchemy ingredients. Minor mutagens drop more frequently than do major mutagens, though the overall mutagen drop rate has been reduced.
22. Corrections have been made in the mutagen drop rate and in Thorak’s store.
23. ‘Dragon’ section of Prologue does not become available until after all assault-related sections have been completed, thereby softening the difficulty curve at the start of the game.
24. During the fight against the kayran, when the bridge collapses, a map pin appears at the end of the bridge to facilitate player navigation and quest completion.
25. Map pins have been corrected in many quests.
26. Quen Sign slightly de-buffed – Sign dissipates 20% faster after foes land a blow. Assorted minor balance issues related to this Sign have also been resolved.
27. Issue with oil enhancements not working on silver swords has been resolved.
28. Issue with Dragon’s Dream bombs has been resolved. Damage to bosses from cast daggers has been reduced by one-half.
29. Several optimization improvements have been made in the tavern in Vergen.
30. Problem with music accompanying ‘stealth’ sequences has been resolved.
31. Issue related to arm wrestling Bart Bargee has been resolved. Players can no longer win coin from this character endlessly.
32. Option to fist fight woman praying at a statue in Vergen has been deactivated.
33. Mini-game contestants at one of the in-game taverns now switch positions correctly without blocking one another.
34. Problem involving Fenn’s sword in combat has been resolved.
35. Problems with herbalist’s gloves have been resolved.
36. In the Prologue, Geralt retains his steel long sword throughout, i.e., he is no longer automatically equipped with his default sword for the ‘Assault’ sequence.
37. Problem with some nekkers being immortal has been resolved.
38. Issue with triggered black screens blocking game progress has been resolved.
39. Interactions no longer appear on nekker nests after these have been destroyed.
40. The “Scent of Incense” quest no longer shows up as failed after being completed successfully.
41. Sudden switch to gameplay just prior to cut scene involving Cynthia and Philippa has been eliminated.
42. Triss, Roche and Iorveth are now de-spawned before the final credits roll.
43. Guard pacing cycles have been corrected.
44. The Redanian messenger in Henselt’s tent can no longer be killed, preventing him from re-spawning.
45. Elf woman in Vergen no longer strikes a T-pose.
46. Rotfiends feeding on corpses no longer re-spawn after corpse is burned.
47. Several fixes have been made in the functioning of in-game populaces.
48. Numerous problems with cameras in dialogue sequences have been resolved.
49. Assorted corrections have been made in dialogue sequences (including King Foltest’s gestures on the town walls in the Prologue).
50. A progression break in the ‘In the Claws of Madness’ quest has been eliminated.

Still don't get the T-pose bug...

 

[Maniacal]

Um, I just posted that a couple of posts above and explained the T-Post in the post right above yours.

 

[Loppan Torkel]

The lists aren't the same, so you didn't really post it, did you!?

And the elf woman in T-pose that they fixed.. you explained what T-pose is supposed to be and posted a link that shows this:

Your search - t-pose model - did not match any documents.

Suggestions:

Make sure all words are spelled correctly.
Try different keywords.
Try more general keywords.
Try fewer keywords.

I'd hardly call it a good explanation for what they fixed...