As you advance through The Witcher 2’s narrative, you’ll encounter enemies with increasing health and damage, making it difficult to proceed further. To do so, you must level up fast and invest points into your Talent Trees. As you unlock more skills in your skill tree in Witcher 2, Geralt becomes stronger and can cleave through anything the game throws at him.
In this guide, we’ll go over the basics of each Skill Tree and their talents in The Witcher 2.
The Witcher 2 Training Tree
Before you go on to invest in swordsmanship, magic, or alchemy, you need to invest a minimum of six talent points in the training branch of the skill tree in Witcher 2. This tree is more general and focuses on several different talents.
Do note that the other Talent Trees will remain locked until you invest six talent points in this tree.
| Ability | Level 1 | Level 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Vigor Regeneration | Vigor regeneration out of combat increases by +25% | |
| Hardiness | Vitality +10 | Vitality +50 |
| Parrying | Allows you to parry blows from all sides | Reduces damage while parrying by +100% with a full vigor bar |
| Dagger Throwing | Lets you throw daggers | Increases Dagger damage by +20% |
| Arrow Redirection | Enables you to redirect arrows | Arrow allows redirection to the shooters |
| Fortitude | Increases Vigor regeneration in combat by +10% | Increases Vigor by +1 |
The Witcher 2 Swordsmanship Tree
The Swordsmanship Talent Tree is centered around Melee and critical damage. Investing in this tree will make you a melee powerhouse, allowing you to strike down your opponents quickly.
| Ability | Level 1 | Level 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Position | Damage taken by backstab: 150% | This ability allows you to execute a group finisher. When activated with a full adrenaline bar, sword attacks regenerate adrenaline. |
| Riposte | Allows retaliation | Increases the chance of Instant Kill by backlash by +10% |
| Footwork | Increases dodging distance by +100% | Increases dodging distance by +200% |
| Violence | Increases Sword damage by +5% | Increases Sword damage by +15% |
| Whirl | Causes damage to multiple opponents at a time. Secondary enemies take 50% damage | Increases secondary enemy damage to +100% |
| Guard | Reduces Vigor required to block by -25% | Reduces Vigor required to block by -50% |
| Tough Guy | Damage taken is reduced by -5% | Damage taken is reduced by -15% |
| Schemer | Vigor regeneration in combat is increased by +10% | Vigor regeneration in combat is increased by +40% |
| Hardy | Increases Vitality by +25 | Increases Vitality by +100 |
| Precision | Increases the chance of critical bleeding by +10% | Increases the chance of critical bleeding by +10%. Increases Sword damage by +5% |
| Sudden Death | Increases the chance of Instant Kill by +2% | Increases the chance of Instant Kill by +5% |
| Finesse | Increases the frequency for all critical effects by +5% | Increases the frequency for all critical effects by +15% |
| Invincible | Increases Vitality by +50 and reduces damage taken by -5% | Increases Vitality by +150 and reduces damage taken by -15% |
| Combat Acumen | Increases adrenaline generated by sword blows by +30%. All resistances and chances of all critical effects increase by +20% | Increases damage dealt by +10% and reduces damage taken by -10% |
| Whirlwind | Increases adrenaline generated by sword blows by +10%. all resistances and chances of all critical effects increase by +10% | Increases adrenaline generated by sword blows by +10%. All resistances and chances of all critical effects increase by +10% |
The Witcher 2 Alchemy Tree
Using Alchemy, Geralt can craft potions and mutagens to aid him against both men and monsters. The more talent points you invest in the Alchemy skill tree, the more effective the mixtures will be and the longer they last in Witcher 2.
| Ability | Level 1 | Level 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Alchemist | Increases damage dealt by bombs and traps. | |
| Synthesis | Increases Vitality by +20 | Increases Vitality by +100 |
| Side Effect | Increases the chance of producing a mutagen as a by-product of alchemy by +2% | Increases the chance of producing a mutagen as a by-product of alchemy by +10% |
| Specialization: Potions | Increases potion duration by +10% | Increases potion duration by +40% |
| Harvester | Increases the amount of alchemical ingredients harvested by +1 | Increases the amount of alchemical ingredients harvested by +2 |
| Catalysis | Increases the effects of all potions | |
| Specialization: Oils | Increases the duration of oils by +10% | Increases the duration of oils by +40% |
| Transmutation | Increases the duration of all oils | |
| Impregnation | Increases the effects of all mutagens | |
| Taster | Allows the consummation of an additional potion | Increases damage dealt while you’re poisoned by +15% and reduces damage taken while you’re poisoned by -10% |
| Condensation | Increases Vigor regeneration while poisoned by +15% | Increases Vigor regeneration while poisoned by +35% |
| Metathesis | Increases damage dealt when poisoned by +5% | Increases damage dealt when poisoned by +25% |
| Berserker | Increases the chance to instant-kill while poisoned by +1% | It allows you to use the Berserker mode, activated by the adrenaline bar, and allows you to fill your adrenaline bar while you’re poisoned. |
| Mutant | Allows you to use the Berserker mode, activated by the adrenaline bar, and allows you to fill your adrenaline bar while you’re poisoned. | Increases the amount of adrenaline generated while poisoned by +25% |
| Amplification | Increases the amount of adrenaline generated while poisoned by +15%, Increases damage done while poisoned by +10%, and reduces the amount of damage taken when poisoned by -5% | Increases the amount of adrenaline generated while poisoned by +50%, Increases damage done while poisoned by +30%, and reduces the amount of damage taken when poisoned by -25% |
The Witcher 2 Magic Tree
The magic branch of the ability tree allows you to improve your abilities and unlock additional effects such as numbness, cremation, or damage reflection.
Geralt uses Signs, which are basic spells to use inside and outside battle. As you upgrade them, you increase their effectiveness, allowing our favorite Witcher to hold his own against even some powerful mages.
| Ability | Level 1 | Level 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Enhanced Aard Sign | Unlocks Aard level 2 and increases Sign range by +2m | Unlocks Aard level 3, increases Sign range by +6m, and gives you a wider AOE |
| Destructive magic | Increases sign damage by +5 | Increases sign damage by +10 and increases vigor by +1 |
| Enhanced Axii Sign | Unlocks Axii level 2 and increases damage by +20%. Bewitched opponent gets +20% vitality. | Unlocks Axii Level 3 and increases damage by +50%. Bewitched opponent gets +50% vitality. |
| Enhanced Quen Sign | Unlocks Quen level 2, sign duration increases by +20s, and damage deflected increases by +20% | Unlocks Quen level 2, sign duration increases by +60s, and damage deflected increases by +50% |
| Magic Intensification | Increases sign intensity by +1% | Increases sign intensity by +2% and reduces damage taken by -5% |
| Venting | Quen transfers the reflected damage to 2 additional opponents | Quen transfers the reflected damage to 3 additional opponents |
| Fatal attraction | Axii can bewitch two opponents at once | Axii can bewitch three opponents at once |
| Magical Vigor | Increases Vigor by + 1 | Increases Vigor by +2 |
| Enhanced Igni Sign | Unlocks Igni level 2 and sign range increases to 3m. Incineration chances increase by 50-60%, Incineration damage increases by +4-+6, and Incineration duration increases to 8-12s. | Unlocks Igni level 3 and sign range increases to 6m. |
| Enhanced Yrden Sign | Unlocks Yrden level 2, allowing you to set 2 Yrden traps at once | Unlocks Yrden level 3, allowing you to set 3 Yrden traps at once |
| Glyph enhancement | Links all Yrden traps together. Enemies cannot move between traps. | The links between the Yrden traps deal 5 damage per second |
| Energy Flow | The chance of critical effect of a sign increases by +5% | The chance of critical effect of a sign increases by +15% |
| Magic Life Force | Increases Vitality by +50 | All resistances increase by +5% |
| Magical Sense | Allows the use of the Heliotrope sign and allows you to fill the Adrenaline meter through sign usage | All resistances increase by +5%, and Adrenaline generation through Signs increases by +50% |
| Power Control | Increases all resistances by +20%, Sign Damage by +3, and Adrenaline generated through signs by +10% | Increases all resistances by +30%, Sign Damage by +10, and Adrenaline generated through signs by +60% |
The Witcher 2 Mutagens
Mutagens allow you to enhance your abilities even further. You can acquire them in two ways: loot one from a defeated enemy or invest points into certain skills.
To undergo mutation, enter meditation, select the ‘Character’ option, and find an ability with a mutagen slot.
The mutation cannot be reversed. Mutagens usually take one of three forms: lesser, basic, and greater. Each of these forms raises the character’s statistics but by different amounts. These are the different mutagens in The Witcher 2:
| Mutagen | Effect |
|---|---|
| Critical Effects Mutagen | Increases the chance of causing critical effects |
| Range Mutagen | Increases the range of Aard, Igni, and Axii Signs. |
| Vitality Mutagen | Increases vitality (health) |
| Power Mutagen | Increases sword damage |
| Strength Mutagen | Increases damage reduction |
| Concentration Mutagen | Increases sign damage |
How to Respec Talent Points in The Witcher 2
In The Witcher 2, you can respec your talent points. However, this can only be done once. To do so, you need to complete the Chapter 2 quest “From a Bygone Era”. During the quest you can pick up a mysterious note titled “Malget’s notes”. Keep them with you until you reach Act 3.
Once you’re in Act 3, take the note to Bras of Ban Ard, who will instruct you to make your way to some tunnels. In the tunnels, you’ll encounter a character to whom you can present Malget’s note, and you’ll be given the option to receive your Talent Points.
Alternatively, you can use cheats and console commands to do the same. Several trainers are available that let you unlock skill points for free or respec them without the need to complete a separate quest.
