Caster Geralt: Three Magic Builds for Witcher 2
Few magic builds make it to the forums. A Witcher is no sorcerer, and the game mechanics favor his sword: it does more damage, hits more quickly, and doesn't deplete a tiny pool of Vigor. Swashbuckler Geralt kicks sand on Caster Geralt.
... usually. Here are three Magic Builds that actually work (at least on Normal and Hard, where I've used them). They hardly use Quen. And they don't require running in circles like a pansy while waiting for Vigor to regenerate. You're no Dandelion.
But first, to see why and how they're effective, it helps to know
HOW VIGOR WORKS
Lack of Vigor causes Fatigue.
Vigor regenerates at an even rate after your last cast.
Now the builds!
Aard Crit Build
So fun, and so different from in play style from any other build. If you like 'finishing move' animations, this is for you, as it relies on Critical Effects.
Fights feel even more like fencing than with a standard Swordsman build. It enables a quick attack to probe for weakness (a stun, a freeze, a knockdown), and when you get one, you rush in for a kill. When you don't, you poke again while keeping just enough distance and safety. You control the fight not by being invulnerable but by being ready. It's intense, and great fun.
You need Quen only occasionally, and you don't suffer from the Fatigue penalty since you're using your sword as a finisher.
The drawback: Critical Effect Mutagens are essential for this build, along with a respec after slotting them with Impregnation. It's possible to go this route without mindless rolling, though. You're aiming for 30%+: five improved Greaters, or six improved Basics.
Note that Finesse and Energy Flow won't get you there, and also that your proc rate will be about half that listed in the Character Pane (with Pyromaniac and Winter’s Shroud Abilities, this build procs about one in three casts) - see the post below on Mutagens.
Igni Damage Build
Ok, ok: this build occasionally demands that you run like a pansy while your Vigor refills. Axii at the start of a battle can help, but this remains as close to a glass cannon as a Witcher can get. Unlike the Aard Crit Build, you won't be looking to 'finish' with a sword, as most of your enemies will burn to death. Again, you don't suffer from the Fatigue penalty, so cast away.
Rolling for Concentration Mutagens is no fun - the success rate is low. If you do slot them, it's worth getting Impregnation first, and then a respect, since it triples their bonus. See the post below about Mutagens.
Instead, you can get by with stacking +Sign damage items. With them, Igni damage can equal that of a sword and deliver more, because enemy spell resistance subtracts less than their armor does from sword blows. Just be aware that this is a fragile build, and that without a stack of Concentration Mutagens, you'll often need a Vigor refill to finish a fight.
Solid Caster Build
This is my favorite of the builds that don’t rely on a Quen/sword combo. It blends Aard, Igni, and even a little Axii, and it has enough defense bonuses for Geralt to stay in the fight even when out of Vigor.
Strength Mutagens improve survivability, but they can be Basic, and while Impregnation and a respec can help, it isn't necessary at all. See the post below about Armor and Mutagens.
Variations: take a point from Metathesis to get Footwork 2, or drop Catalysis 2 to get Destructive Magic 2 (an especially fine route early if planning to respec) or Berserker plus Control Over the Power if you’re nuts about slotting mutagens.
The Swordsman route generates adrenaline faster than the Alchemy tree (which in turn is faster than adrenaline through sign use). Swordsman also offers the cleave effect through Whirl and 150 more Vitality.
But Alchemy offers 70% more single-target sword damage (55% more if swapping Tough Guy for Violence in the Swordsman tree, trading 15% armor for 15% damage), plus the bonuses from Catalysis.
The end build choice differs most in having Heliotrope up more often (roughly two to three times as much) plus bonus damage fighting groups, versus more damage against each individual target. Both work.
The other consideration is when you want your abilities. Swordsman offers fun skills sooner than Alchemy, and, if starting with Footwork and Position, enables its final skills sooner. The difference is real, perhaps a third of the game.
Few magic builds make it to the forums. A Witcher is no sorcerer, and the game mechanics favor his sword: it does more damage, hits more quickly, and doesn't deplete a tiny pool of Vigor. Swashbuckler Geralt kicks sand on Caster Geralt.
... usually. Here are three Magic Builds that actually work (at least on Normal and Hard, where I've used them). They hardly use Quen. And they don't require running in circles like a pansy while waiting for Vigor to regenerate. You're no Dandelion.
But first, to see why and how they're effective, it helps to know
HOW VIGOR WORKS
Lack of Vigor causes Fatigue.
When your Vigor bar is empty, you do half your normal sword damage.
The formula is 50/total Vigor points = % reduction for each (so after using 1 of 3, you do 17% less damage), but the math matters less than the concept. Emptying your vigor bar before whacking an enemy isn't efficient if you want to kill with your sword.
Why this isn't listed in the Journal entry for Vigor is a mystery. Ask Dandelion, when he stops running.
The formula is 50/total Vigor points = % reduction for each (so after using 1 of 3, you do 17% less damage), but the math matters less than the concept. Emptying your vigor bar before whacking an enemy isn't efficient if you want to kill with your sword.
Why this isn't listed in the Journal entry for Vigor is a mystery. Ask Dandelion, when he stops running.
Vigor regenerates at an even rate after your last cast.
After 4 seconds without casting, you get a new bar. If you cast again in 3 seconds, the timer resets.
That assumes 2 pts in Vigor regen through Training. Otherwise, it's 5 seconds per bar in-combat.
Schemer 2 cuts regen to 3 seconds each. Condensation 2 cuts it to 2 seconds per bar, but Schemer can be had earlier in the game. Armor of Ysgith combines with Schemer to equal the bonus of Condensation; it does not stack with Condensation.
Out-of-combat, there's an additional delay of 2+ seconds before the first bar returns.
That assumes 2 pts in Vigor regen through Training. Otherwise, it's 5 seconds per bar in-combat.
Schemer 2 cuts regen to 3 seconds each. Condensation 2 cuts it to 2 seconds per bar, but Schemer can be had earlier in the game. Armor of Ysgith combines with Schemer to equal the bonus of Condensation; it does not stack with Condensation.
Out-of-combat, there's an additional delay of 2+ seconds before the first bar returns.
Now the builds!
Aard Crit Build
So fun, and so different from in play style from any other build. If you like 'finishing move' animations, this is for you, as it relies on Critical Effects.
Fights feel even more like fencing than with a standard Swordsman build. It enables a quick attack to probe for weakness (a stun, a freeze, a knockdown), and when you get one, you rush in for a kill. When you don't, you poke again while keeping just enough distance and safety. You control the fight not by being invulnerable but by being ready. It's intense, and great fun.
You need Quen only occasionally, and you don't suffer from the Fatigue penalty since you're using your sword as a finisher.
Training (6): Vigor Regen 2, Parrying, Fortitude 2, Arrow Redir
Swords (4): Footwork 2, Position 2
Magic (13): Aard 2, Destructive Magic 2, Quen 1, Magical Vigor 2, Magical Intensification 1, Fatal Attraction 1, Yrden 1, Energy Flow 2, Sense of Magic 1
Alchemy (11): Synthesis 1, Potions 1, Harvester 1, Oils 1, Transmutation 1, Metathesis 1, Condensation 2, Mutant 1, Amplification 2
Swords (4): Footwork 2, Position 2
Magic (13): Aard 2, Destructive Magic 2, Quen 1, Magical Vigor 2, Magical Intensification 1, Fatal Attraction 1, Yrden 1, Energy Flow 2, Sense of Magic 1
Alchemy (11): Synthesis 1, Potions 1, Harvester 1, Oils 1, Transmutation 1, Metathesis 1, Condensation 2, Mutant 1, Amplification 2
The drawback: Critical Effect Mutagens are essential for this build, along with a respec after slotting them with Impregnation. It's possible to go this route without mindless rolling, though. You're aiming for 30%+: five improved Greaters, or six improved Basics.
Note that Finesse and Energy Flow won't get you there, and also that your proc rate will be about half that listed in the Character Pane (with Pyromaniac and Winter’s Shroud Abilities, this build procs about one in three casts) - see the post below on Mutagens.
Igni Damage Build
Ok, ok: this build occasionally demands that you run like a pansy while your Vigor refills. Axii at the start of a battle can help, but this remains as close to a glass cannon as a Witcher can get. Unlike the Aard Crit Build, you won't be looking to 'finish' with a sword, as most of your enemies will burn to death. Again, you don't suffer from the Fatigue penalty, so cast away.
Training (6): Vigor Regen 2, Parrying, Fortitude 2, Arrow Redir
Swords (4): Footwork 2, Position 2
Magic (13): Destructive Magic 2, Quen 1, Magical Vigor 1, Magical Intensification 2 (improves base damage by a third), Igni 2 (adds range but no damage), Yrden 1, Magical Life Force 1, Sense of Magic 1, Control over the Power 2
Alchemy (11): Synthesis 1, Potions 1, Harvester 1, Oils 1, Transmutation 1, Metathesis 1, Condensation 2, Mutant 1, Amplification 2
Swords (4): Footwork 2, Position 2
Magic (13): Destructive Magic 2, Quen 1, Magical Vigor 1, Magical Intensification 2 (improves base damage by a third), Igni 2 (adds range but no damage), Yrden 1, Magical Life Force 1, Sense of Magic 1, Control over the Power 2
Alchemy (11): Synthesis 1, Potions 1, Harvester 1, Oils 1, Transmutation 1, Metathesis 1, Condensation 2, Mutant 1, Amplification 2
Rolling for Concentration Mutagens is no fun - the success rate is low. If you do slot them, it's worth getting Impregnation first, and then a respect, since it triples their bonus. See the post below about Mutagens.
Instead, you can get by with stacking +Sign damage items. With them, Igni damage can equal that of a sword and deliver more, because enemy spell resistance subtracts less than their armor does from sword blows. Just be aware that this is a fragile build, and that without a stack of Concentration Mutagens, you'll often need a Vigor refill to finish a fight.
Solid Caster Build
This is my favorite of the builds that don’t rely on a Quen/sword combo. It blends Aard, Igni, and even a little Axii, and it has enough defense bonuses for Geralt to stay in the fight even when out of Vigor.
Strength Mutagens improve survivability, but they can be Basic, and while Impregnation and a respec can help, it isn't necessary at all. See the post below about Armor and Mutagens.
Variations: take a point from Metathesis to get Footwork 2, or drop Catalysis 2 to get Destructive Magic 2 (an especially fine route early if planning to respec) or Berserker plus Control Over the Power if you’re nuts about slotting mutagens.
Training (6): Vigor Regen 2, Parrying, Fortitude 2, Arrow Redir
Magic (10): Aard 2, Quen 1, Magical Vigor 2, Igni 2, Yrden 1, Magical Life Force 1, Sense of Magic 1
Swords (3): Footwork 1, Position 2
Alchemy (15): Synthesis 1, Potions 1, Catalysis 2 (to max use of Virga and Thunderbolt), Harvester 1, Oils 1, Taster 2, Metathesis 2, Condensation 2, Mutant 1, Amplification 2
Magic (10): Aard 2, Quen 1, Magical Vigor 2, Igni 2, Yrden 1, Magical Life Force 1, Sense of Magic 1
then...
Alchemy (15): Synthesis 1, Potions 1, Catalysis 2 (to max use of Virga and Thunderbolt), Harvester 1, Oils 1, Taster 2, Metathesis 2, Condensation 2, Mutant 1, Amplification 2
or....
Swords (18): Footwork 2, Position 2, Whirl 2, Schemer 2, Tough Guy 2, Hardy 1, Sudden Death 1, Invincible 2, Combat Acumen 2, Whirlwind 2
The Swordsman route generates adrenaline faster than the Alchemy tree (which in turn is faster than adrenaline through sign use). Swordsman also offers the cleave effect through Whirl and 150 more Vitality.
But Alchemy offers 70% more single-target sword damage (55% more if swapping Tough Guy for Violence in the Swordsman tree, trading 15% armor for 15% damage), plus the bonuses from Catalysis.
The end build choice differs most in having Heliotrope up more often (roughly two to three times as much) plus bonus damage fighting groups, versus more damage against each individual target. Both work.
The other consideration is when you want your abilities. Swordsman offers fun skills sooner than Alchemy, and, if starting with Footwork and Position, enables its final skills sooner. The difference is real, perhaps a third of the game.