talent tree choices and advice

[skilly187]

talent tree choices and advice

Question about talent tree build, I invested bronze talent in my 2 signs, i got igni maxed for bronz with inicineration... and ardi pretty maxed too for knockdown.
Now whats best to put the points into ?? silver or steel from chap 2 and on?? i mean 3 points each level is miniscule, i got a nice amount in my steel strong, quick and group and now JUSt put a great amount in Silver group... where else is good to invest points at??
What about that mutagenic talent in agility? the one where it only activates a midnight and i need to drink a mutagenic IDK ..is this worth it? just some advice would be great for distributing the talents TYY

 

[volsung]

As far as I know, you can't really "break" your build unless you try really hard to do it on purpose. So don't worry, choose whatever paths YOU like.

Normally you will want to favor Intelligence and Stamina if you want to become magic oriented, and you will want to increase Strength and Dexterity if you are sword oriented.

The two most useful signs in combat are of course Aard and Igni because they cause direct damage/effects, but depending on your approach you may want to use some of the others. I personally used Yrden very rarely and never used Quen in TW1.

Sword talents are generally considered to be best invested in the strong and fast styles, as you don't really face enough groups to justify becoming a master in the group style. Most special monsters will require the strong style, and some others the fast style (like drowners and some vampires). For humans I'd say you face a similar number of armored and fast opponents, and not enough groups to justify increasing steel group style too much.

Remember you get way too many bronze talents, so don't worry about where you spend these points. Silver talents are a little less common, so it's good to have an idea of what you want to become. Gold talents are rare, so make sure you spend those in skills you really use, need or want.

Some of the mutagens come as rewards for making a specific choice in the game, so chances are you will not see some of them. But if you do, simple create the potion related to them and drink it. They are essentially a free talent. Some of them will give you an extra talent point you can assign yourself, while others will unlock skills in your character sheet right away.

OVerall, enjoy. Don't worry too much. The Witcher, especially the first one, is not at all oriented at power gaming.

 

[GuyNwah]

A different view: I actually get a lot of mileage out of group sword talents. Drowners, barghests, wolves, Salamandra mooks, and similar nuisances tend to attack in mobs, and a well-developed group sword ability cuts them down like a weed whacker. Here are some that I emphasize:

Get some buildup in Aard and Group Steel early in Act 1.

Get Incineration (Igni level 2) and Patinado (Strong Silver) early in Act 2.

Sometime in Act 3, get Bomb Making and the Group Steel power attack (level 4). Good for wiping out whole platoons.

 

[Thendarion]

Or you can literally throw away your swords and focus on (offensive) signs entirely. I recommend to keep a dagger though to quickly finish off stunned foes from time to time.

 

[Thothistox]

Volsung pretty much summed it up. I've never found Quen or Yrden to be useful in TW1. With sword styles you're better off investing in the strong and fast. As a tip, the hardest fight is at the end of act 1. Everything else is easy. By the end of Act 5 your igni will take out entire mobs of drowners. Also, most of your talent tree will be invested.

 

[Thendarion]

Yrden is indeed too bothersome to use, Quen however can actually inflict wounds if charged and you are free to drink potions and use bombs in the meanwhile which makes it pretty useful for a certain style of playing.

 

[GuyNwah]

There are a few late quests where Quen makes sense, and it can be handy for buying time to slug down a shot of White Raffard's. Yrden is occasionally useful when you would rather make a getaway than stand and fight in the swamp. But Axii is pretty well useless.

 

[dragonbird]

Do you need points in Quen for that Special Need late in the game? I can't for the life of me remember ever putting points in any signs other than Aard and Igni.

There're a few talents in TW1 that I just never use. I don't think I've ever used a bomb, or arrow deflection, or bothered with that one that reduces drunkenness.

And yes, this:

Also, most of your talent tree will be invested.

I always find TW1 to be one of those games where it's more about where you put priority rather than what you take, because if you do a bit of grinding, you always have all necessary skills before the endgame.

 

[GuyNwah]

Do you need points in Quen for that Special Need late in the game? I can't for the life of me remember ever putting points in any signs other than Aard and Igni.

There're a few talents in TW1 that I just never use. I don't think I've ever used a bomb, or arrow deflection, or bothered with that one that reduces drunkenness.

And yes, this:


I always find TW1 to be one of those games where it's more about where you put priority rather than what you take, because if you do a bit of grinding, you always have all necessary skills before the endgame.

I'm thinking of two battles: the Striga (unimproved Quen is quite satisfactory for this; actually, it makes a mockery of the whole scene) and the Koshchey (much improved by power Quen; buying time to drink a Kiss or White Raffard's can be a lifesaver).

Usually, by Act 4, I have my sword, Aard, and Igni skills well built out, and I start putting points into resistances and Attack and Dodge enhancements.

 

[vulcanfury]

So that's how you kill the Koshchey. I

Spoiler

Cheesed it by running around the pillars with Tawny Owl in effect and just kept blasting it with Igni until it died. The Bleed effect is simply too much to handle.

 

[GuyNwah]

So that's how you kill the Koshchey. I

Spoiler

Cheesed it by running around the pillars with Tawny Owl in effect and just kept blasting it with Igni until it died. The Bleed effect is simply too much to handle.

Spoiler

I usually do Aard, whack, whack, get out of there. If I'm sloppy, I'll get caught and beat up; if I end up bleeding hard, then I'll cast Quen and drink a Kiss.

Owlbedo (Tawny Owl with Albedo) is very helpful, because as long as the Albedo is in effect, additional potions are less toxic. You can get very intoxicated if you have to use both a Kiss and a White Raffard's, and it makes you slow and clumsy at the worst possible time.

After this fight, a White Honey to clear your head is highly desirable.

 

[dragonbird]

I'm thinking of two battles: the Striga (unimproved Quen is quite satisfactory for this; actually, it makes a mockery of the whole scene) and the Koshchey (much improved by power Quen; buying time to drink a Kiss or White Raffard's can be a lifesaver).

Usually, by Act 4, I have my sword, Aard, and Igni skills well built out, and I start putting points into resistances and Attack and Dodge enhancements.

OK. That confirms my memory on the Striga, that you can deal with it using unimproved Quen. I've never used Quen on the koschey fight.