Have the patches made TW2 far too easy?

[Eldanon]

Have the patches made TW2 far too easy?

*UPDATE* Poll removed - it appears what I am experiencing is a bug that affects either the prologue or perhaps imported TW1 gear when the REDKit is installed - all enemies in prologue die in a single hit from me. This doesn't appear to be an intentional combat nerf so the poll is a moot point.

I would appreciate if people only vote if they actually played TW2 at least a couple of hours with all the latest patches.

I hope I won't get flamed too hard but I feel like with all the patches that came out, combat in TW2 became far too easy. I remember when the game first came out, it was a hard game. I used to die time and time again even on normal mode. I understand that a lot of people found the game too hard. However, when I play now, the combat has no challenge and it doesn't matter if I try it on hard or dark.

I know that many adjustments have been made to the combat system but Geralt deals a TON more damage and is able to withstand absurd amounts of abuse now. For example, the fight against Aryan and his men on Hard can be done by simply left clinking away. No need for signs, no need for blocks, no need for dodging. Geralt used to die in 2-3 hits, now he can take 10 of them.

I understand that I've become better at the game's combat since I went through it quite a few times but I can clearly see that the combat that used to require more than just left clicking like a madman has been replaced by being able to do just that in most fights. I'm a bit sad about what this might mean for TW3.

 

[AsTheDeath]

You have either Lykaon or a different REDkit Mod active. There's a bug with the REDkit currently that gives Geralt ridiculous stats in Arena and when starting a new game. So you should deactivate all mods and start a new game; that savegame should be OK. After that you can reactivate the mods, just remember to turn them off if you want to play Arena (I forgot, hence my highscore...).

This is a bug CDPR knows about and they say they´re working on it, but that was over a month ago. And in the meantime, they don´t want to communicate this issue to the players : /

EDIT: FCR is OK, though.

 

[TheFawz]

The new patches have made some segments easier, but at the same time they balanced that by adding new challenging content and difficulties. There's also simple mods that can change the gameplay.

However, as is The Witcher 2's combat is still too harsh for newcomers. I have yet to see anyone who after a few hours got the combat and felt it was the right difficulty.

So in the end I guess it was a good concession to make.

 

[AsTheDeath]

I have little experience with TW2 on older patches (I've never played it pre-EE), but to my knowledge there are pretty much no parts of the game where mouse-spamming will get you through a fight (nekkers in Act 2 are perhaps an exception), so I am fairly sure this is not due to patches but due to the bug I described in my original post.

As far as I know, the only thing patches have made easier is the Prologue, I don't think they've touched much outside of that.

 

[Dprelate]

The only combat related change that I remember is nerfing Quen which was pretty good and increased difficulty. I don't recall any other.

 

[Senteria]

I liked the hard challenge on normal. I remember some reviewers being very pissed off by the difficulty. Yes I died quite a lot when I played it after it had just come out but I shrugged it off and was determined to keep playing and beat the game. Now I don't seem to notice the difficulty anymore. But I guess for new players the difficulty is right.

 

[Eldanon]

The only combat related change that I remember is nerfing Quen which was pretty good and increased difficulty. I don't recall any other.

Well that's precisely my point... while I don't recall reading patch notes saying that Geralt can now take 5 times as many hits and does 3 times as much damage, that's precisely what appears to be happening. Soldiers that used to take 3-4 hits now die in a single hit every time while Geralt can now take hit after hit after hit when I just stand there and intentionally let enemies slice him.

I do not have any mods installed so that's not the issue.

I hope the person that said it was just the prologue is correct because that's precisely what made me make this topic - I decided to go for a new run through and was astounded by everything dropping dead in one hit while Geralt cannot seem to die even if I try. I'll check later today what happens when I'm in Flotsum but after getting through most of the prologue I was so disappointed that I just quit the game and considered uninstalling and reinstalling version 1.0 from disk and not allow it to update.

 

[DukeAlmighty]

If it's too easy for you, play dark mode without using the special armors/weapons as I do or don't upgrade your gear at all..

Difficulty is fine, except I hate the spectral mist battle, cause when I play on dark I die there alot, because no abilities to dodge or ... and Letho is too easy..

 

[Dprelate]

Soldiers that used to take 3-4 hits now die in a single hit every time while Geralt can now take hit after hit after hit when I just stand there and intentionally let enemies slice him.

I do not have any mods installed so that's not the issue.

I hope the person that said it was just the prologue is correct because that's precisely what made me make this topic - I decided to go for a new run through and was astounded by everything dropping dead in one hit while Geralt cannot seem to die even if I try. I'll check later today what happens when I'm in Flotsum but after getting through most of the prologue I was so disappointed that I just quit the game and considered uninstalling and reinstalling version 1.0 from disk and not allow it to update.

Just check out the arena and see if it works fine.

 

[dragonbird]

The fact that the game got easier between 1.0 and 1.1 is fairly well documented, but the rest?

I don't think it's a version issue. What makes a difference is the fact that you've already played it once - player experience is the biggest single factor in how easy or difficult the game is.

I can't answer the poll, as that makes it "none of the above"

 

[Eldanon]

I don't think it's a version issue. What makes a difference is the fact that you've already played it once - player experience is the biggest single factor in how easy or difficult the game is.

As I mentioned, this is definitely NOT the problem. When a soldier used to take 4 hits to die and now takes 1 hit to die, this isn't me getting better at the game. Yes of course I am now better at the game but at least in the prologue (I'll test Chapter 1 later today), the game was absolutely without a doubt made several times easier just because even armored knights die in a single hard swing where they used to take easily 5 of those.

 

[Kindo.824]

There were some big changes made in version 1.1 and also a few balance alterations in 2.0, but since then, I can't recall anything major aside from the Quen-nerf - which naturally makes the game harder, if anything - that could possible explain what you are experiencing. The way you describe it makes it sound like your version of the game is bugged or otherwise affected by a mod, or more likely afflicted by the already known glitch that Wut the Melon already explained. I know for a fact that I die fairly quickly if I decide to carelessly take on Aryan's posse, for example. I made it a challenge for myself to win that fight on Hard difficulty, and it was anything but a walk in the park.

I think the game is balanced just fine. There are some itemisation- and skill-issues here and there, but nothing that truly makes the game feel too easy.

 

[GuyNwah]

I saw it too, from an imported TW1 save on a host with REDKit and Lykaon installed. Damage done by enemies is unchanged, but Geralt's armor and damage done are way too high (he has something like 33 armor and does 60 damage with Raven's Armor and Moon Blade).

I believe Eldanon's report describes a real problem that is not anything like the combat changes in earlier versions. It's possibly related to the presence of REDKit or Lykaon or to unpacked files.

 

[Eldanon]

Interesting... that sounds like perhaps a bug of some kind then. I don't have any mods nor have I ever had any. Just the GOG version of the game that I allowed to update whenever it wanted.

At least in prologue, every single soldier drops dead in 1 hit, including armored knight at the catapult and horned knight right before Aryan fight. I can also very easily just left click on the entire Aryan and his guards and they all die. I think Aryan might've taken more than 1 hit but not by much.

Whew, that's a big relief... I was afraid CDPR has decided that the combat was way hard and just nerfed it into submission sometime during the last 3-4 months. Perhaps a clean install will help me. I was so disappointed, I couldn't continue playing when everything took a single hit and died.

 

[Eldanon]

I saw it too, from an imported TW1 save on a host with REDKit installed. Damage done by enemies is unchanged, but Geralt's armor and damage done are way too high (he has something like 33 armor and does 60 damage with Raven's Armor and Moon Blade).

I believe Eldanon's report describes a real problem that is not anything like the combat changes in earlier versions. It's possibly related to the presence of REDKit or to unpacked files.

Oooh, I think you nailed it... I do have the REDKit installed. I didn't install any mods, I just grabbed the kit when it came out and haven't done anything with it. I really do think this can bug our the main game, sounds like the rest of you guys aren't experiencing it but it's real.

 

[dragonbird]

So if it's a REDkit issue, then would the recommendation to the OP be to install version 3.3? Going right back to 1.0 seems a little extreme (and I'm not sure if it's possible anyway, because of the registration requirement).

Version 3.4 (the REDkit update) isn't supposed to change the core game but it sounds as though it does, from what you guys are saying.

 

[username_2635215]

This is a bug that comes with Redkit. If you have Lykaon installed, then Geralt is overpowered, but I have no idea why. I don't even know how to change his stats in Redkit, so unfortunately I can't help with that. This seems to be a bug with every mod that was made using Redkit (maybe not FCR, since Flash changed all the stats). I am going to ask again if this can be fixed.

 

[AsTheDeath]

I'm fairly sure it's not the 3.4 patch that causes this, so simply uninstalling the REDkit SHOULD solve this, as long as you remember to start a new game (bugged savegames will stay bugged).

 

[Dprelate]

Why don't you check the arena anyway ?
The bug you mentioned has been reported earlier, with effect in both story and arena.

Those people that are just using a mod (except for FCR) should disable them, start a new game and then enable their desired mod in order to avoid this issue. but for you the case is different.
use these savegames to start a new game. TW1 items are also included.
Hard:
http://www.mediafire.com/download/p8e0b4f4tgofs32/AutoSave_0000.sav

Dark:
http://www.mediafire.com/download/v761amdqqaa56dd/AutoSave_0001.sav

 

[magnoos]

Actually when game first came out it was much easier than now. Quen was SUPER OP! I hate it worst thing about TW2! as well as Yrden. monsters should have some sort of ways to avoid it or be resistant/ignore the effect. its way to easy to kill 1v1. quen+yrden = god mode.