Build Advice - 1 time play through (Normal)

[AstroCat.669]

Build Advice - 1 time play through (Normal)

I've got time for one Witcher 2 play through on Normal. I'd like to go mostly sword and "check out" alchemy and magic. I've been looking at some of the build advice online but have some questions.

1. How important is Vigor Regeneration? Since I'm only going to do one play through I want to see as much of the game as I can. I was thinking: 1 Dagger, 2 Parry, 1 Arrow Deflect, 2 Vigor. How does this sound, or is Vigor Regeneration 2 a must have?

2. Things I've seen, get Impregnation under alchemy, don't use mutagens till you do and only use greater ones. Weapon/Armor upgrades are permanent. I've looked at some of the attributes and how get them, but I hate spoilers so I'm trying to be careful. I like they idea of parry and riposte but I've seen it gets mixed reviews.

3. Any other advice for a Normal, 1 time play through with an emphasis of swords?

Thanks!

 

[AsTheDeath]

I like your training tree, especially for a one time playthrough. Riposte is... not implemented all that greatly and is more likely to fuck you over than it is to help you against larger groups of enemies or faster enemies such as wraiths. It's still worth putting a point in Riposte, though, just know when to use it and when not to.

I'd say 'Whirl' which lets you do damage against multiple enemies with your sword is pretty neat if you're going swordsmanship. If you want to do anything with alchemy at all, the potion talent that increases positive effects while decreasing negative effects is essential because without that boost the potions only make a very minor difference in combat.

 

[GuyNwah]

On Normal, you will in general not be overmatched, and character build decisions are not critical.

Extra points in Vigor regeneration are not "must haves"; your Vigor regenerates fast enough, and Tawny Owl potion helps it.

But extra points in base Vigor (in the Training tree, the Vigor +1 you get for the second level of Fortitude) are very helpful. With more total Vigor points, not only can you cast more signs, but your swordplay will be more effective. (There's a damage penalty of up to 50% for hitting with reduced Vigor.)

With your emphasis on Swordsmanship, get Whirl early and climb the tree as fast as you can to get Combat Acumen and Whirlwind so you get Group Finishers and a lot of time to use them.

You have to spend a lot of talents on mostly useless skills in Alchemy to get Catalysis (potion improvement) or Impregnation (mutagen improvement). I do not bother with those unless I am playing Geralt as an alchemist.

Greater mutagens, except for the useless Greater Vitality, are very rare. It's better to use mutagens than hold out for Greaters you may never find and Impregnation you will waste talents reaching. I favor Critical Effects, Enhancement, and the rare Madness mutagens.

 

[AstroCat.669]

Sounds like on Normal I don't really have to worry about min/maxing my character so much, which is cool. I really just want to explore the game, have some challenges and have fun. As for weapon and armor upgrades is this something I should worry much about or should I just kind of "go with it" like with the mutagens since I'm on Normal difficulty? I know they are also permanent like the mutagens.

I like the game but the amount of mechanical information it seems you need to know not to "gimp" your character is too high. It forces you to go online and research your builds as opposed to being able to just play the game and learn as you go since the upgrades are permanent and it seems very easy to choose the "wrong" ones as a new player.

 

[GuyNwah]

Just go with it. Mostly, it's arranged so that you'll get better weapons and armor when you need them. So you shouldn't worry about weapon and armor enhancements being permanent: there will always be more of them.

There's really very little you need to do to be sure you have built an un-gimped character, and you do not need to min-max a character even on Insane or Dark mode. There are plenty of enthusiasts who will tell you otherwise because they like to sound like what they know is important, but it's not so, especially at the difficulty levels where enjoying the flow of the game comes first (Easy and Normal).

 

[AstroCat.669]

Thanks for the tips, appreciated!

 

[TheBlackCrusader]

There are plenty of enthusiasts who will tell you otherwise because they like to sound like what they know is important...

Hey!

 

[emberstrife]

I don't think it's actually possible to mess up a character build on Normal. No matter how weak your build ends up, you can always compensate with skillful combat and good gear.

A bigger problem is your intention to make it a "one time playthrough". The Witcher 2 has roughly eight exclusive story branches, and the first and most important divide happens a little over a third into the game. If you only complete the game only once, you only get half of the picture, and miss out on a lot of content.

 

[AstroCat.669]

Yeah I wish I had time to do another play through, maybe I will at some point. Just so many good games and so little time! (not a bad problem to have!)

 

[spacehamsterZH]

Quen is extremely useful for Swordsman builds. Otherwise, my advice for a playthrough on normal would be, don't pour too much into defensive skills and focus more on damage output - what's dead can't kill you, and the game is more fun that way.

(very, very minor spoiler follows - fair warning)

If you're only going to do one playthrough (please don't, really, you'll miss out on so much that's good about the game), side with Roche - you'll get to see more that way.

 

[AstroCat.669]

Yeah I didnt side with Roche, my Geralt went with the squirrels in Witcher 1 as well, so it fits his groove in Witcher 2 as well. In chapter 2 currently, lots of fun.

 

[whiplash27]

Riposte comes in big time handy for the spectral mist. For first time play throughs I feel like swordsmanship is the easiest to go with. Mage can also be done fairly well. Alchemy you need to know what you're doing, but it can become the most overpowered. I'd save that one for a later play through.

If you like the game, definitely play through on Roche's path. It's not as "fairy tale"-like as Iorveth's but it's great and gives you a completely different perspective on things.