Let me reiterate that I am not super far into the game (just finished Novigrad related quests) and have just started to get into Skellige so I can't read much, if anything, from the link you posted because of spoilers. I do appreciate the info you provided regarding how the quests were originally designed to play out. I obviously also made a mistake in reading older articles about the patch opening up more dialogue options in the romance territory because it already came out w/ patch 1.10. I purchased the game on Day One but I stopped playing through the game on a consistent pace/basis because of various reasons and I'll just say dealing w/ things happening in Life (I was OK w/ this knowing that patches were being released to fix glitches, issues, make improvements, etc.). This is why I'm not very far along for those wondering.
There is
no denying that a patch
did effect your ability to keep Triss as a potential lover in the future if you decided not to pursue Yen later according to online videos and the original Wiki from IGN that
jvmunhoz copied to this thread (even if this was not CD Projekt Red's intention to "leave the door open to love"). I can't link the page because I have under 10 posts but you can find it under "Sex and Romance" within IGN's W3 wiki. This is a better option for those who play like me.
Regardless, I was just making a side comment about the patch but really my issue is w/ how the game does not accommodate gamers that like to explore and finish as many quests as they can in the same area before moving on. The game gives you a reference point of when you should tackle quests based on a suggested Level of your character. The further away your character's level is to the recommended lvl when you complete each specific quest, the less EXP points you get when completed (i.e. I received 1 xp for completing A Hallowed Horn quest that had a recommended Lvl of 12 and I was at 20. This was supposed to be fixed in patch notes 1.04 for PS4 but it doesn't seem like it when I received only 1 xp). This is just further detailing what you meant when you said "both A Matter of Life and Death and Now or Never only fail when you begin The Isle of Mists,
their levels are just set in way that suggests playing them before even going to Skellige for the first time." All of these reasons are what caused me to finally finish Now or Never which I put off as long as possible in regards to my play-style.
At this point, the most feasible option for me I guess would be to go back to the save point that I made just before starting Now or Never and doing everything I can up until The Isle of Mists quest, correct? If I start the Main Quest Destination: Skellige and do other Secondary Quests, Witcher Contracts and Treasure Hunts I will eventually meet up w/ Yen I assume but when? Bottom line, if I sleep w/ Triss then I can't sleep w/ Yen (I understand you have 2 "moments" w/ Yen) and then choose one of them at a later time, correct? Some people may think I'm taking a game a little too serious but I like to take my time and enjoy the story and experience everything. I don't want to get less XP for putting off Now or Never like I have w/ other quests that I was a much higher lvl than suggested. Also, I don't like failing quests - I finished it originally but after the update Novigrad, Closed City 2 quest shows failed - which I understand they are supposed to patch. Your responses/advice are appreciated.