Really hoping Witcher 3 has balanced difficulty scaling

[spacehamsterZH]

Kayran is a weird boss, very hard to figure out what you should do

Uh, Sile: "The Yrden, trap it with the Yrden!"

I'm not trying to be snarky because I know you're not the only one who had trouble with the Kayran, I guess I just don't understand it. Sile tells you what to do, and beyond that it's basically a series of QTEs. I don't particularly like the Kayran fight because of the QTEs and the fact that it seems basically like a poor man's God of War boss, but why people think it's hard to figure out what to do is beyond me.

Hm, I disagree that the Prologue is tough on subsequent plays. It's entirely possible to do the entire Prologue without using any items or potions. But is there any part in specific which troubles you most?

1) Making your way to the ballista
2) On the way to Aryan La Vallette, at the bottom, where you're being shot at from three sides
3) Fighting your way towards the gate while the dragon spits fire from above, especially at the end where you have to fight around a corner.

I think I pulled 1 off without dying last time, the other two, I still get killed everytime. I also find that early in the game I have to pull damn near every trick possible out of the hat to survive, which I never find necessary later on.

I guess if this post proves anything it's that different people have different problems at various points through the game.

 

[wichat]

For me TWs are two games absoluty diferents from other games because you live a story. And this immersion is possible because fights and battles aren't the main funds.

I guess some aspects of fighting system can be improve but I hope and wish that never becomes more significant than the story itself.

 

[vivaxardas2015]

Uh, Sile: "The Yrden, trap it with the Yrden!"

To trap what? What was that "it"? The entire kayran is "it"? Or four tentacles, each one of them "it"? If you do not have a kayran trap with you (thankfully, I did, and I saw a marker right away, so I got it), it is quite hard to figure out that you should place a Yrden on the ground where a tentacle hits with a glowing part, and not somewhere else. And do it four frigging times. Then ride a frigging tentacle hitting a button like crazy. Then roll up to its head to have a cut-scene. Yeah, real intuitive, especially when Kayran one-hits you all the time.

The problem is that when you know what to do, it is not a problem even on Dark mode. When you do not know, it is a pain in the arse. Other bosses are all right.

 

[wichat]

Several CDPR devs already admit that to place the kayran in the very begining of the game was a mistake and that won't be repeated in TW3.

 

[cmdr_silverbolt]

Mm, seriously? Not only do we need to be told what spell to use, but also what to attack? How about the big, bulging, red things, one of which you just hacked off after trapping in a metal claw, and which some tentacles have in common. It's okay to lose fights, and then look for ways to win them.

I thought Kayran was the most exciting fight of the game, but I am worried that all this complaining about it will exclude similar or tougher fights from TW3. I really wish that harder modes of the game had different enemy encounters or what have you, so maybe there wouldn't be problems like this.

Oh, and I am still unconvinced- yes I've died in the Prologue on subsequent playthroughs as well, but usually because I got careless. I am not a master fighter, so mistakes happen *shrug* You just try again, right?

 

[Garrison72]

I really don't see how the Kayren was hard to figure out, but then CDPR explained before release how to beat it. It features a very old gaming trope of glowing weakened parts to be attacked. My main concern is CDPR will make TW3 easier than TW2 because of all the butthurt reviewers whinging about the prologue.

 

[Daywalker30]

To trap what? What was that "it"? The entire kayran is "it"? Or four tentacles, each one of them "it"?

Ahh shouldn't that be obvious? I mean don't you see the glowing marks on the tentacles ? />

But I actually agree about that the beginning is quite hard and later on it gets easy, it should be the other way around.

 

[vivaxardas2015]

The only way I figured it out right away because I had a trap. I put it on the marker, and I saw what happened. After that it was easy. But I had no experience with glowing monster parts before, so without a trap I would be at a loss. Glowing parts may well be a part of a design as far as I knew. As I see it, I got lucky. After I beat Kayran the first time, all other times it was easy and boring.
Draugr was different. If you use Yrden, you can beat him in 10 seconds - place the first one, roll behind him, hack half of his health, place the second, hack the second half. Even on Dark I do not loose any health beating him, he does not even have an opportunity to take a swing at me. Too easy.
Dragon was the most exciting one, unless you use silver daggers. At least you have fun rolling around and hitting his head. On dark it takes time and patience.

 

[cmdr_silverbolt]

Well, I didn't play TW2 till this Jan, so I did benefit from all the fixes/patches, and the combat tutorial in the arena. So I am appreciative of the fan feedback which brought on that stuff.

I don't, however, think that combat in TW2 (now) is that bad. So you die a few times, so what? If you can't figure a solution, look it up. Or try again after you're rested. It's kind of ridiculous to expect victory handed to you on a platter :\

Hopefully TW3 has relatively tougher combat than TW2 for people who'd like that.

Also, you don't need the trap to figure the Kayran fight- Sile tells you to use Yrden and the monster has freaky bulging things on its tentacles.

 

[spacehamsterZH]

I don't, however, think that combat in TW2 (now) is that bad. So you die a few times, so what? If you can't figure a solution, look it up. Or try again after you're rested. It's kind of ridiculous to expect victory handed to you on a platter :\

Just to be clear, I liked the combat overall in TW2, and I hope they don't mess with it too much for TW3; at the moment it actually sounds like the tweaks they're making are very careful ones and are going to be good changes, so I'm not worried about that. It's the backwards difficulty curve of the game where it starts out totally unforgiving and eventually becomes a cakewalk that bothers me.

In all honesty, if the whole game was as unforgiving as the prologue, I wouldn't mind it as much. Then it would just be a really hard game, and I like hard games (I know, duh, says the guy with the Demon's Souls avatar). But as it is, it kind of seems like an unintentional design flub.

 

[Georgie_Porgie]

The main problem is that everyone has his own definition of a difficult game. I for example found both TW2 and DS too easy for my taste because of a slow paced combat however my opinion doesn't mean anything. Its probably impossible to make difficulty that is suitable for everyone unless someone modifies game files to his own taste

 

[CrimzonTearz]

The main problem is that everyone has his own definition of a difficult game. I for example found both TW2 and DS too easy for my taste because of a slow paced combat however my opinion doesn't mean anything. Its probably impossible to make difficulty that is suitable for everyone unless someone modifies game files to his own taste

there is some guy on the BSN claiming that if ME was made for his definition of hard it would have sold like 10 000 copies...now, I am not saying it did not pass as a dick especially with subsequent comments but truth is you are 100% right.....of course, there is another factor to consider and that is who are the devs trying to appeal to the most

 

[Mataresa]

Ahh shouldn't that be obvious? I mean don't you see the glowing marks on the tentacles ?

Also Triss tells you, when you take the samples from its lair, that it must be sick and has these growths as weak spots as far as I remember. So if you pay attention, you know everything.

 

[adridu59]

TW2 is pretty easy on any settings, given that you use roll and Aard. Sure, when you play for the first time, it may be hard but only until you discover how to deal with the enemies. In a way it is similar to Dark Souls - find a good method, and you are OK. Upgraded signs and bombs make Geralt a killing machine already in Chapter 1. Kayran is a weird boss, very hard to figure out what you should do, while he one-shots you on any difficulty, but in TW3 there won't be anything like this. Other bosses are easy when you figure out how to deal with them.
I hope TW3 will be exactly like this, not just wildly swinging swords till everyone is dead, but by figuring out tactics, with completely different approaches for different monsters.

I never really used Aard, mostly Quen and Igni...

 

[wichat]

Well, Everyone has their own way of playing, I've rarely used Quen but I abuse of Aard to exhaustion (I like to see enemies flying through the air against their will /> /> )

 

[violetdreams]

The first game was exactly like that for me: alright in the beginning, too easy in the end. I drew a conclusion that I chose the wrong level of difficulty, it shouldn't be Normal. That's why I picked Hard difficulty for TW2 and it was very good, still difficult in the end. In my opinion, TW2 didn't feature such a leap in becoming easier as TW1.

Sword + quen all the time here. Sometimes bombs to help myself with crowds. No runes or mutagens or armor enhancements, for a long time I thought they were all temporary like potions and didn't bother using them (what a shame).

I don't really understand how people use heavy magic (igni to attack), since the vigor bar is so small. What's the point to cast three ignis if you have to use the sword for the rest of the fight?

 

[GuyNwah]

The first game was exactly like that for me: alright in the beginning, too easy in the end. I drew a conclusion that I chose the wrong level of difficulty, it shouldn't be Normal. That's why I picked Hard difficulty for TW2 and it was very good, still difficult in the end. In my opinion, TW2 didn't feature such a leap in becoming easier as TW1.

Sword + quen all the time here. Sometimes bombs to help myself with crowds. No runes or mutagens or armor enhancements, for a long time I thought they were all temporary like potions and didn't bother using them (what a shame). />

I don't really understand how people use heavy magic (igni to attack), since the vigor bar is so small. What's the point to cast three ignis if you have to use the sword for the rest of the fight?

That's what skills that upgrade Vigor are for. As a sign caster, you can have 7 or more Vigor points by the time you need them for crowd control in late Act II or Act III.

Setting enemies on fire while staying out of their striking distance is especially handy in Dark mode.

 

[ReptilePZ]

I don't really understand how people use heavy magic (igni to attack), since the vigor bar is so small. What's the point to cast three ignis if you have to use the sword for the rest of the fight?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2uk0ILZvOU

 

[violetdreams]

I tried for a magic user just recently in the second playthrough and it didn't work out. Too small a number of talent points to spend, too slow point gain. In the end I only got enough points in the half of act III, but throughout act II Geralt was both a poor magic user and a poor swordsman. With so little opportunity to fight in act III, I felt like the whole game was about Geralt being a crappy magic user.

I guess I misunderstand something... Yes I had a bigger vigor bar, but it still was not enough. Enemies tend to crowd you, so it's not like you can stand and cast seven ignis in a row. But I never upgraded igni to its fullest due to lack of talent points, so maybe it becomes a powerful mass-control spell?

 

[vivaxardas2015]

Well, Everyone has their own way of playing, I've rarely used Quen but I abuse of Aard to exhaustion (I like to see enemies flying through the air against their will />/> />/> )

Same here. I just love how in Vergen you blow all these knights off the walls. It makes even on Dark a battle for Vergen very easy but real fun.