Now that the next-gen update for The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt is out, many players are about to experience the world of the witcher for the first time. Besides that, many veterans of the universe might also be returning after a while and get confused by some of the changes made to the game. To help players understand The Witcher 3 better, we have prepared these handy tips explaining various aspects of the game.
Below you will find some tips to make your witcher journey a lot smoother in The Witcher 3.
Learn to dodge, roll, and parry attacks
Dodging and rolling from attacks are your two basic methods of getting out of enemy attacks in Witcher 3. Both seem fine as they get you out of harm’s way, but knowing which to use when will prove to be very useful.
Dodging is done by double-tapping the directional button. For dodges, Geralt will only take a small step away from the line of attack. Dodging is only effective against smaller enemies like drowners with a limited attack range, and a single dodge will save you from getting hit. For such enemies, dodges allow you to retaliate quicker and faster.
Rolling away allows Geralt to jump and roll a greater distance and get away from the fight. Rolling is easier to pull, but it creates a distance between you and the enemy, which makes it difficult to follow up with an attack.
Rolls are better when you want to avoid attacks that have a more extensive hit range or for chain attacks so you don’t have to keep dodging. You can also roll away if you are surrounded and need breathing space before reentering the fight.
Similarly, Parrying is one of the most important abilities you can learn. You can freely train to parry attacks without the fear of dying in the tutorial for Witcher 3. Parrying allows you to negate attacks from humanoid enemies and retaliate quickly with one of your own.
Parrying can mean life and death in many situations later down the game when you face hordes of enemies simultaneously. Only blocking them won’t do you any good.
Quicksave before every fight
Players can save their game at any point in Witcher 3, and we recommend that you take full advantage of this. TW3 Wild Hunt offers players choices that might change the quest’s outcome altogether.
Once you have completed the mission, you cannot redo it to change the outcome if it doesn’t suit you. As such, you can always use these quicksaves to return to a point before you make the decision and try again to get the desired outcome.
Furthermore, you can use it to experience both the paths/outcomes that The Witcher 3 offers and then go with whatever way you think suits you the best.
Keep your vitality/health topped up
At lower difficulties, when you are out of combat, HP automatically recovers and will eventually replenish completely. Still, the rate of recovery is too slow for HP. You should always keep your vitality filled when out of combat so you can be prepared for anything.
Using potions and eating food will increase HP regen for Geralt in and out of combat. Furthermore, you can invest in skills like Gourmet Food that allow you to regenerate HP faster when out of battle.
If you are anticipating a fight, we recommend Meditating before heading into the fight. Meditating for an hour will completely restore your health and is free. You can meditate anytime when out of combat, even during quests with a partner. Use it to your advantage to save up on your supplies in the game.
Don’t sleep on alchemy
Alchemy in The Witcher 3 allows you to make potions, oils for swords, and bombs. Unfortunately, most players forget about the benefits of indulging in Alchemy and focus more on brute strength.
Oils act as buffs that you can get in any fight. Certain oils, such as Cursed Oil, etc., are the source of weakness for a lot of monsters that you fight, and lacing these particular oils on your weapons helps in increasing your attack damage to different enemy types, allowing you to work better against difficult enemies altogether.
Similarly, bombs are also quite useful in your fights as they give you a ranged option to deal AoE damage, perfect for dealing with large groups and finishing off strong enemies without taking risks.
Almost all the lot that is not consumable in Witcher is for alchemy. As you progress, you only get more ingredients for alchemy, making it easier to brew healing potions, buff oils, and craft bombs.
Adjust the difficulty according to your preference
The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt offers players the option to change game settings at any time. The most notable is changing the game’s difficulty anytime they want to, even in the middle of fights.
Suppose you are ever struggling at any point or dying to enemies or bosses again and again, maybe because you chose the Death March difficulty on a dare. In that case, you can lower the difficulty of the battle and even increase it later if you want to.
This makes it much easier and safer for new players to approach the game without feeling overwhelmed. For quests in the game, don’t leave any quest for later on. This targets explicitly side quests.
Side quests in the game are often linked to the events in the world that are brought about by your actions in the main story progression. If you leave a side quest dangling, it might disappear later, locking you out of the quests.
Take care of your armor and weapons
Armor and weapons in TW3 Wild Hunt have limited durability. For this, you need to ensure that the durability factor for your gear is high enough so that neither your armor nor your weapon breaks during combat. If they do, your armor stops providing any protection, and your weapons deal very low damage, thus limiting your chances of survival in The Witcher 3
To keep yourself safe, you should always carry a few repair kits for weapons and armor. You can repair them at any time, and the better variant of the repair kit you have, the more durability you can return by using the kit.
Next, you can also enhance your gear. For this, you need to visit any blacksmith or armorer. Instead of talking to them, interact with the grindstone or workbench they have, and Geralt will enhance his gear. This buffs your gear for a limited time and upgrades their abilities. Your weapons deal more damage, your armor’s protection is increased, and both degrade slower on use.
Since weapon enhancement is free, make sure to enhance your gear whenever you visit a settlement.
Roach runs faster on roads
Roach is your trusted stead in TW3. You can call Roach to yourself anywhere in the world by pressing the designated whistle key. The first thing you need to know is that Roach travels faster when running on roads, rather than when running in the wild.
Suppose you are using Roach to travel to a faraway area. In that case, it is better to travel by road instead of taking a shortcut through the woods, as Roach runs slowed here, and you are safer on the roads.
Why does being safe matter? Well, Roach isn’t a witcher and is afraid of monsters. As you fight monsters while mounted, Roach’s anxiety meter goes up. When it is fulfilled, he will drop you and run away, unable to be summoned again for a short while.
You can reduce the anxiety buildup in Roach by using blinders to keep him from seeing all the monsters.
Discover Places of Power to improve your Signs
Many players will set Igni as their default sign and always use this one. However, the game offers you five signs from the beginning for a reason, and you should use them accordingly.
Aard, Quen, and Axii signs can also play a massive role in your fight to save Ciri and defeat the Wild Hunt, but players fail to use them effectively. Don’t sleep on your signs, and do upgrade them.
Moreover, discovering Places of Power during your playthrough is also equally important as meditating at these particular stone monoliths will help boost the intensity of one of your five signs temporarily in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
Apart from that they will also grant you with an additional skill point when you meditate the first time after discovering them. Using Quen can help you stay safe from many attacks in the game. Axii allows you to influence the minds of enemies and people, providing you with allies and saving you from unnecessary conflict in the game
Check notice boards regularly
Many side quests are provided through the contracts posted on the message board in different settlements. Unless you stumble upon these side missions by accident, there is no way for you to find these side quests other than the contracts.
For that purpose, you should make it a permanent habit to check out each one of these Notice Boards in different regions since you can find valuable contracts and earn a decent amount of coins (crowns) and Experience Points by completing them in the Witcher 3.
Moreover, if you are interested in leveling up faster, then taking on side quests and contracts by checking the notice boards is always a good option in TW3. Even if the contract doesn’t lead to an epic side quest, you can always earn extra crowns and XP by completing basic easy quests as you progress, and this way, you will also observe new points of interest on your map as well.
Looting and encumbrance
Looting is a vital part of The Witcher 3. Most of the items and gear you get are by looting them from the world, and this isn’t limited to gear but also includes ingredients and consumables.
Therefore, whenever you are out in the wild, it’s best to loot everything you can get your hands on. Yes, you might not need it, but you can always sort out your inventory later on or sell the extra items for an easy buck.
While looting, you need to keep an eye on your encumbrance. If Geralt is encumbered, he will be too heavy to move efficiently and slow down. This includes dodging, rolling, and even walking. At this point, you might have to drop something important that you wanted.
We recommend unloading your unwanted stuff in the stash at safehouses and inns to save yourself from the hassle. You can access them anytime later on.
Otherwise, upgrading Roach’s saddle might be essential to boost your encumbrance through skills and increase your carrying capacity.
Adding Useful Mods (Optional)
When it comes to The Witcher 3 mods, you will observe a lot of interesting changes and details, whether it is related to texture, fighting animations, etc. Let’s suppose that you want to play The Witcher 3 in first-person view, well the game has no vanilla method of offering a first-person view so it can be easily solved by downloading the required mod.
In short, you will be able to experience Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in first-person view; you need to download a mod that allows you to change the camera angle to first person. That being said, you can explore a ton of Witcher 3 mods and download them to add to your game.
Keep in mind that adding mods does not affect your Steam achievements, so if you want to experience something new, you can always check them out during your playthrough in The Witcher 3.
