Jump to content

The Witcher


deanb
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hot Heart is one of those folk who sign up to forums to (not quite)surreptitiously steer your opinions of upcoming video games.

 

Eight hours is a good run — means you'll have no trouble beating it in less than a week. Assuming you can maintain the pace. But like the deceptive grunt said: many find the first chapter the worst. So you should play twelve hours the next day. Fourteen the next. Seventeen after that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wait, you mean it gets better? :o

 

Then I guess I know what I'll be doing for most of the day :lol:

 

Also, this is probably a by-product of having played a ton of Bethesda RPGs recently, but I feel like the game would benefit from having a fast travel function. lol

It's getting annoying how long it is to run from one end of that shitty village to the other.

Edited by FLD
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Does anyone know how to get the damn harpy traps to work in Witcher 2?

 

I've all but given up on it and moved on with the story by now, but I'm still curious. Has anyone figured out how to use them?

 

It's not very well sign-posted but they're only for a quest, I think. You set one down when harpies swoop down, one will then carry it off to a nest, where it explodes. The other confusing thing is that the quest is split between two or three areas. The first is the main quarry that you've probably seen. There is another area on the other side of Vergen where you cross over some water and harpies swoop down. If you follow a path up a hill on the right you find a tower and a stronger type of harpy guarding a crystalised dream. I don't think you use any traps here (could be wrong) but finding the crystal should then lead to one of the dwarves opening up a cave behind the big door at the bottom of the quarry. In there are some more nests, the harpy queen and some other quest-related stuff with viewing dreams kept in crystals...you only need one particular crystal but be sure to look out for one, involving a dwarf dreaming he is being chased, that opens up another questline called 'Baltimore's Dream', I think.

 

Phew!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm starting to see what you guys meant by "slow to start".

I played Chapter I pretty much in one sitting, so regardless of the pacing, it was still fun because what little story there was actually moved forward and came to a conclusion pretty quickly.

 

But it was a bit irritating to start Chapter II and realize I basically had to start over and do the same thing, only in a different area. I ended up playing a lot less over the past few days.

Today I soldiered on and made some good progress, so now it's starting to become interesting again, but for a while there it was a bit meh.

 

Also, at the point I am right now, I have to make a decision and I have fucking no idea what to do! That's pretty damn awesome. It sure as hell is a welcome change from all the binary morality systems found in games like inFAMOUS and Mass Effect. Only problem is I'm sorta stuck because of that :lol:

 

If anyone's curious, here is my quandary:

 

 

One of the Scoia'tael asked me to help them against the Knights of the Order, but there's also that Knight I met in the Vizima sewers who's injured and asks me to lead his men into battle against the Scoia'tael in his stead. So there's a battle going down and I have to pick a side (or possibly not get involved, but I'm not sure if that's an option).

 

On the one hand, I sympathize with the Scoia'tael's cause. They're victims of discrimination and it's perfectly normal for them to fight against that.

 

On the other hand, I don't approve of their methods. They basically come across as terrorists so I don't feel like I should fight for them. But I don't want to fight against them either.

 

 

I think it's great that a game asks me to make such a difficult decision, but it's kinda hard not to think of it in terms of "which option will be less troublesome for me down the line".

Edited by FLD
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also, at the point I am right now, I have to make a decision and I have fucking no idea what to do! That's pretty damn awesome. It sure as hell is a welcome change from all the binary morality systems found in games like inFAMOUS and Mass Effect. Only problem is I'm sorta stuck because of that :lol:

 

If anyone's curious, here is my quandary:

 

 

One of the Scoia'tael asked me to help them against the Knights of the Order, but there's also that Knight I met in the Vizima sewers who's injured and asks me to lead his men into battle against the Scoia'tael in his stead. So there's a battle going down and I have to pick a side (or possibly not get involved, but I'm not sure if that's an option).

 

On the one hand, I sympathize with the Scoia'tael's cause. They're victims of discrimination and it's perfectly normal for them to fight against that.

 

On the other hand, I don't approve of their methods. They basically come across as terrorists so I don't feel like I should fight for them. But I don't want to fight against them either.

 

 

I think it's great that a game asks me to make such a difficult decision, but it's kinda hard not to think of it in terms of "which option will be less troublesome for me down the line".

 

 

HAHAHAHAHAHA. Wanna know what's so great about the game? You've already made tons of game changing choices already. You probably killed a butterfly at some point.

 

Btw there's not just those two obvious choices.

 

You can choose not to do anything at all. You get an update on it at the end of the chapter. It's the "true" Witcher way (you're meant to be neutral and not get involved). If you do I'd suggest siding with the Flaming Rose.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ah okay, and yeah, now that you mention it, Geralt did say something about not getting involved the first time I ran into consequences from a past decision.

 

It's nice to know that the game tracks more than just the obvious decision moments, though. Can't wait to see what kind of impact everything will have later on. Actually, I think I'll go play in a bit :)

 

Oh and I was wondering, is there any kind of save import feature to Witcher 2 like Mass Effect does, or are the two games mostly self-contained when it comes to choices and consequences?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

yeah, the whole importing of gear seems like a waste because you're either way too powerful or the gear is weak and so it's worthless after 5 minutes. Importing choices however is very cool.

 

I disagree. I had the improved jacked and Aerondight from the first game and found them invaluable in the beginning yet not overpowered. I don't think I actually got rid of Aerondight until halfway through Chapter 2.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Finally finished Chapter II earlier and started Chapter III.

 

Is it normal that the framerate is so fucking shit in the Trade Quarter? We're talking a constant 20 here. Sometimes it even suddenly drops and the game sorta of half-freezes for a second.

That only happened once in the Temple Quarter, and reloading a previous save fixed it. But now it's really only happening in that area. It's fine when I enter a building or when I return to the Temple Quarter.

 

Also, I just fucking love how it's all grey sky and rain in the Temple Quarter but sunshine and blue sky in the Trade Quarter. Great attention to detail, there. Doesn't kill immersion one bit :lol:

Edited by FLD
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alright, so I finished the game tonight. Overall it was pretty good, but I thought it kinda sucked that

 

 

they never answer the questions about Geralt, such as how he got his amnesia and how come he's alive when so many people claim to have seen him die.

 

 

 

Also,

 

 

I'd suggest siding with the Flaming Rose.

 

 

 

When you suggested that, I assumed you said it because they were the "good" faction.

 

But ultimately I couldn't bring myself to fight against the Scoia'tael and ended up becoming an enemy of the Order. Then at the very end I find out that they were behind the whole thing and the Grand Master of the Order turns out to be the big bad.

 

Does the decision of who you side with affect who the villains are?

For example, if I'd sided with the Order, would the Scoia'tael have turned out to be in league with Salamandra instead?

Or were you just trying to screw with me and get me to work for the bad guys? :P

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

they never answer the questions about Geralt, such as how he got his amnesia and how come he's alive when so many people claim to have seen him die.

 

At least the second game will definitely expand on that for you. :P

 

 

When you suggested that, I assumed you said it because they were the "good" faction.

 

But ultimately I couldn't bring myself to fight against the Scoia'tael and ended up becoming an enemy of the Order. Then at the very end I find out that they were behind the whole thing and the Grand Master of the Order turns out to be the big bad.

 

Does the decision of who you side with affect who the villains are?

For example, if I'd sided with the Order, would the Scoia'tael have turned out to be in league with Salamandra instead?

Or were you just trying to screw with me and get me to work for the bad guys? :P

 

 

Not sure why Dean said that (he may have meant earlier on to make things easier?). I thought someone here mentioned it, but there is actually a true Witcher neutral option. Doesn't affect the actual outcome of the story in the way you mentioned though.

 

I think the most interesting theory I've seen is that:

 

Alvin is the Grand Master. Sounds odd, but I was reading all the signs as to that and it seems pretty convincing.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

What do you mean by "Alvin is the Grand Master"? Care to explain?

 

 

 

I went with the Scoia'tael in both games. The first because I really didn't like the Flaming Rose, despite the romantically coruscating title. The second because it seemed to me they'd be the quickest route to... Witcher 2 spoilers...

 

 

 

...rescuing Triss.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought someone here mentioned it, but there is actually a true Witcher neutral option. Doesn't affect the actual outcome of the story in the way you mentioned though.

Yeah, it was actually Dean who mentioned the neutral option for the decision I was hesitating on in Chapter II. But starting in Chapter III, the game really does make it a point to insist that you get involved.

I never really considered to be neutral about it from that point on, honestly.

 

I think the most interesting theory I've seen is that:

 

Alvin is the Grand Master. Sounds odd, but I was reading all the signs as to that and it seems pretty convincing.

 

You know, at the very end of the game I picked up on that possibility when

 

Geralt mentions finding the amulet on the Grand Master. But at first I figured it was just meant to show that the Grand Master had powers he had troubles controlling, like Alvin. Then I went to bed and around 4 AM I woke up. While I was drifting back to sleep, for some reason I started thinking about it and then I realized that when Alvin teleports away the last time, Triss mentioned that he could be anywhere in time. So yeah, I'd sort of accepted that the Grand Master is actually Alvin.

 

 

Also, the true Witcher way might be neutral, but with the way things turned out in the end, I overall feel like I made the right calls.

 

Mostly

I prevented the villagers from killing Abigail. I let Vincent live. I helped the Schoia'tael escape the bank through the sewers by killing the kikimores. I never killed humans for the Scoia'tael, helped them "the witcher way". I tried to help them escape peacefully during the hostage situation in Chapter IV, but the assholes of the Order jumped the gun and ended up losing the battle. Didn't feel too broken up about that lol And at the end I lifted the Striga curse from the princess instead of just killing her.

 

Actually, the only decision that came to bite me in the ass was back in Chapter I, back when I let the Scoia'tael take the weapons crate. Later on they killed a guy I was supposed to deliver a package to, but the package got stolen anyway so the question just ended when I saw he was dead. He was a scumbag, anyway, so I didn't regret it. Oh and I also picked Triss over Shani, though with the way the story goes from that point on, I think you're kinda meant to pick Triss because of the way she's involved with Leuvaarden. Shani sort of stops being relevant to the story from that point on.

 

 

I must be forgetting a few, but that's the big ones off the top of my head.

Edited by FLD
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...