Help With Decision (Sorry)

[AXidenTAL]

Help With Decision (Sorry)

So due to real life commitments and computer problems I've only recently been able to get around to playing Witcher 2 properly (I started a play through mid 2014 but my computer died at the beginning of act 2). This holidays I'm hoping to get through TW2 and TW3 (or at least get a sizeable way through it so I can play scarcely through the rest of the year as I understand it is very large). My issue is I can't decide which "version" of TW2 to play after speaking to my friend. On my original TW2 playthrough I did I sided with Iorveth largely because in my TW1 save I used I went neutral - but lent more towards siding with the elves (from memory before you can go neutral you still needed to choose human or elves for the bank heist mission I think? I went elves). That being said I felt even then the Roche option seemed more natural at that stage and I really liked his character. A friend of mine also said that act 3 is way better on the Roche path and that he appears in TW3 whereas Iorveth doesn't? Ideally I'd like to play both pathways but given my time constraints if I do that now I won't get to play TW3 until end of next year. :/ As a result can anyone offer some guidance as to which way to go for a playthrough where I may not get to see the other playthrough anytime soon? I kinda want to go with Iorveth and follow my TW1 mindset, but from what my friend said it's a better game with Roche and it'll lead into TW3 better?

Sorry for being indecisive - I know it's ultimately my decision but hearing others input would help because I keep going back and changing my mind and I don't want to waste my precious gaming time. Thank you!

 

[dragonbird]

First of all, don't let TW3 influence your decision. I don't want to spoil anything for you (and if anyone thinks it's OK to spoil stuff, don't.) Your friend has already told you that Roche appears in TW3, but it's a different story, and you should decide your path in TW2 based on what you think is right for TW2.

If you're going for "what felt more natural", then yes, you may want to go with Roche. But the game will make you feel OK about going with either, so don't worry TOO much about that either. Neither path will push Geralt into doing anything totally out-of-character.

From a role-play perspective, think about the reasons why you made the decisions you did in TW1. Did you feel that Geralt would be more sympathetic to the non-humans than to the authorities? Did you think that he should try to stay neutral as much as possible?

If you think he should be sympathetic towards non-humans, then you'll probably want to go Iorveth. If you think that he should try to stay neutral, then, based on lots of discussions in these forums, you should probably go with Roche.

From a story perspective, the Iorveth path is more focussed on friendship and ideals, the Roche path is more focussed on politics and intrigue. The Roche storyline is more complex - some like that, others don't.

 

[AXidenTAL]

Thanks for the good reply!

In TW1 I felt he should aim to be as neutral as possible but when forced to take a side go with the underdog or the side that I felt needed help the most - which in most cases seemed to be the non-humans. That being said I do like a complicated storyline - but maybe I can come back to that (Roche's path that is) in a year or so down the track when I have more time to explore the game fully?

I felt at the beginning of the prologue Geralt was quite insistent that he didn't enjoy being stuck for so long working with the king which to me indicates after the conversation with Roche and Triss in chapter 1 in the elven bath that he would probably veer away from becoming further involved with the politics of Flotsam? That being said I do feel clearing his name would be a priority too and Dandelion says in the dwarf city that if he had wanted to do that he should have gone with Roche... Argh this series and its impossible decisions. I love and hate it. Thanks for hearing me out!

 

[Alfred.Moragas]

I am just starting Chapter 2 (with savegames for both paths, so I would be able to play both Roche- and Iorveth-path), but I consider that my "official path" (and the one I will export to "The Witcher 3" is allying with Iorweth.

Something in my interactions with Iorweth during Chapter I made me to think more "natural" to leave Roche and ally with Iorweth as the fastest and easiest way to reach my goals (rescue Triss and catch Letho) even If I have to sacrifice the third goal of clearing my name.

I think I begun the side with Iorweth during the first meeting with Letho, in the scene in which you may chose to give his sword to Iorwerth, or punch him in the throat. My natural reaction was to give him his sword. The Roche's commandos / Flotsam militia's unexpected attack had ruined my chance to catch Letho with the scoia'tael help, and Iorweth had literally placed his life in my hands when he offered to pose as a prisoner to catch Letho unaware, so it seemed to me more proper to return his sword instead of attacking him, although I didn't care if Iorweth would be able to escape the ambush or would be captured. But at least that would happen without any intervention of my part.

But returning Iorweth's sword (and him escaping the ambush) causes the Flotsam progrom, which considerably cooled my view about Roche (he could have deployed the Blue Stripes to provide a safehouse for non-humans, instead or just keeping them sitting and watching the progrom from the windows of their headquarters). Iorweth's help also seemed to provide me a fastest and more reliable way of rescuing Triss, as Iorweth had worked previosly with Letho, and he wanted revenge because the Kingslayer had betrayed him. I had no clear idea of how could Roche help me in finding Triss, so I chose Iorweth.

After siding with Iorweth, I tried to follow the "bloodless" way of freeing the prisoners (doing the ruse of Iorweth posing as my prisoner), and I saved the elven women and let Loredo escape. Siding with Iorweth had the added benefit that his scoia'tael unit would leave Flotsam and travel to Aedirn, so, in some way, I was also helping the human community of Flotsam (no more Scoita'tael attacks, as they are now in Upper Aedirn). And seeing Roche's barge leaving Flotsam just after I started the liberation of the elven prisoners made vanish my last thoughts about that I was betraying the pact that I previously did with Roche. I had already saved Roche's life during the Scoia'tael ambush at the beginning of Chapter I, so I thought we were even, and, after all, both of us were still pursuing the Kingslayer. Only that now Roche and me were pursuing the Kingslayer following different paths, and I was convinced that my path was more reliable than Roche's.

 

[HarelMor]

I decided to take roche path because i felt that he constantly acted like a friend and he was very honorable to geralt in every occasion. I didn't took Iorveth path because i felt like even though the elves are the underdog they are acting like terrorists, burning villages and destroying the life of innocent unarmed humans. Iorveth constantly tried to kill and manipulate geralt, when he accepted to be geralt's prisoner it was only after he told geralt that few archers will attack geralt if geralt will do anything suspicious, roche tried to do the right thing in the wrong way. i dont know why but i really like roche character, while Iorveth feel like a politician to me.

 

[AXidenTAL]

After having played the Iorveth path I must say I think Roche's character is the better choice - but the Iorveth path is better for Geralt's needs. I feel if Geralt choose's the Roche path, he's more or less doing it for Roche himself.

Am now replaying the end of chapter 3 to see which ending of that I prefer more.

 

[Randomdrowner2015]

The reason my Geralt went with Iorveth was primarily because they where going in the same direction that Triss had been taken by Letho and that he trusted his friend Zoltan. Also, the initial idea was to try to get information from Iorveth on the Kingslayers,