The Witcher 3 Alchemy System

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The Witcher 3 Alchemy System

  • Yes

    Votes: 250 24.3%
  • No

    Votes: 270 26.2%
  • I need to see it in action to be sure

    Votes: 294 28.6%
  • I prefer the system of TW1

    Votes: 363 35.3%
  • I prefer the system of TW2

    Votes: 104 10.1%

  • Total voters
    1,029
Anything which is less grindy in games, and therefore less is spent wasting time playing a video game for the sake of it - is a good idea. Therefore I vote yes.
 
The autorefilling was not a bad idea, because now the ingredients you need work in a different way. In the previous games you needed only the generic substances to make a potion, now you need the exactly ingredients to make a potion, and without the autorefilling, it would have been extremely grindy.

By the way, I still think that TW1 alchemy system is the best one.
 
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Even though I feel alchemy is one of the rare missed opportunities in TW3 I haven't commented about it since I really can't come up with a system I would replace it with. I do see what the problems in TW2 and TW3 are though and I'm positive CDPR struggled and debated over the alchemy system for TW3. I haven't played TW1 so unfortunately I can't compare that game.

It seems the main problems with the way TW2 handled alchemy was it was entirely proactive, as in you would need to see the future in order to prepare. This doesn't work well in an RPG that relies on exploring. There is no Karate Kid training montage before each fight knowing what you'll be up against. You find out as you explore and so needs to be reactive to changing events / opponents.

The scarcity and time investment of alchemy in TW2, while making it far more interesting and robust of a system ended up resulting in most players 'saving' those precious potions until they really needed them. Of course you only know you needed them in hindsight so for the most part they were either wasted prematurely or never used at all.

Like I said I have no solution but I think some combination of having access to potions & decoctions in combat (with a quick animation please) without having to scroll through un-fun menus but also having the preparation of them be as deep a system as in TW2 would be ideal.

I hate to say it but even though I really wanted a drug chugging alchemy addicted Geralt in practice in TW3 it devolves into a 'menu scroll meditation spam build'. So not so fun for me personally.

Really hope alchemy gets some love by CDPR as I'm sure it will from modders down the road.
 
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I would at least change the refilling of bombs... using salpeter (which is the basic ingredient when creating them) for refilling would make much more sense than alcohol. All in all, I must say, the system works within this open world game setting.
 
Okay I admit it, autorefill has it's use. Between all the decoctions, different plants and materials you have to gather and walk around with it would be horrible to have to refill the potions every time.
 
Honestly, the auto-refilling isn't the main issue. It's okay. Or they could adjust ingredients and get rid of it. That'd be fine by me.

The issue comes in when you want to play an alchemy build, or a build that relies on even a little alchemy. Before the Better Combat mod (among many, many other things, it increases potion durations/slightly changes effects), I spent OVER half of each fight in my inventory screen, changing potions around. If you're going to make a system that has you "release" potion effects during combat (call it what you want, it's drinking the potions during combat) instead of preparing for combat beforehand by drinking them, you at least need more quickslots for them.

And here's why this would have been an even better game for TW2's system than TW2: In this game, we investigate attacks before finding monsters when we take contracts. We use Witcher senses - we see footprints - we think to ourselves - we then check the Bestiary and remember that particular monster's weakness. We can then prepare for the upcoming fight properly by using the right potions/oils and equipping the right bombs. Of course, we can only do that through mods now. Because if we use potions before battle they'll probably be done by the time we get to the monster.

Also - even when we're out in the world, we can use those Witcher senses. I use mine all the time to listen to what's around me. Check for those little outward flowing circle things that mean something's there. You can usually tell a monster is near, or whatever, by listening. Even tell what type it is if you think about it a little bit. Allowing us to even prepare for the random! How could we not have pre-fight preparation when we have all this at our disposal?

So yeah. I use mods to do it. And will continue to. I don't see CDPR changing the way it works. And mods allow us to alter stuff to our liking without bothering them. Which is why Redkit2 will be so great (provided the rumors are true and it's waaay more versatile than Redkit1 was).
 
True.
There is really no preparation at all anymore in a game were preparation would theoretically be favorable, easy and logical.
All you have to do now is go in the menu and quick-drink the potion.
 
The issue comes in when you want to play an alchemy build, or a build that relies on even a little alchemy. Before the Better Combat mod (among many, many other things, it increases potion durations/slightly changes effects), I spent OVER half of each fight in my inventory screen, changing potions around. If you're going to make a system that has you "release" potion effects during combat (call it what you want, it's drinking the potions during combat) instead of preparing for combat beforehand by drinking them, you at least need more quickslots for them.

This. Absolutely, 100%, this.
 
It just doesnt make sense to me that alcohol refills formulae. lol Its just not right coming from Witcher 1 (the best for alchemy imho) and Witcher 2. Witcher 3 alchemy system is pretty disappointing since its previous games did so well with it. I found Witcher 2 to be slightly more punishing to use though easy to create compared to W1. They removed using alcohol bases but at least it still made more sense than W3 because potions were still made from gathered ingredients and had alchemical properties such as Vitriol, Hydragenum, Aether, ect. I really just felt W1 did a fantastic job of realism as far as alchemy was concerned, durations felt right as well as the strength of the potions. Really hope at some point in time, that Witcher 3 has its alchemy system addressed! Its my only complaint for this wonderful game and is something that can be enhanced/fixed within reason. So my hopes are high that we get something closer to what we had in 1 or 2. Haha! Yea!

Thanks for reading! Have a nice day everybody! (^_ ^ )_// *waves*

-Zero
 
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W1 alchemy brewing is by far the best. W2 awfull and W3 ok but to simple. Better if you had to remake the potion using all ingredients once you used up 3/3 swallow potions for example
 
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I would love it if you drink potions during a meditation the effects of the potions will last longer like in TW1, TW3 ( and with the Witcher 2 Potion Length mod) but will be less intense. And if you drink potions while running around in the field or during combat they should work like they do now, last a short while but the effect is more intense. This should however come with a drinking animation so that it becomes a risk to drink mid-combat, similar to casting the alternate Yrden sign.

That I think, at least for me would help the alchemy system feel a lot more immersive and encourage more preparation. As it is now the alchemy just feel like buffs/potions from any other generic fantasy RPG.
 
I love the current system. The previous version made for better witcher simulator but worse game. Constantly hunting for potion ingredients is tedious and unfun, and most people ended up never really using alchemy at all.
 
I love the current system. The previous version made for better witcher simulator but worse game. Constantly hunting for potion ingredients is tedious and unfun, and most people ended up never really using alchemy at all.

Totally untrue. How do you know what "most people" do? Every one of my friends and I have played the Witcher games since the first one. And we all loved alchemy and used it all the time. So in my experience, "most people" did use alchemy.

You're also not "constantly" hunting for potion ingredients. When you need some potions, you go get your ingredients. Like in the first contract quest of TW3. You had to track an ingredient down for a specific purpose. And it was very easy to just nab an ingredient as you passed it if you felt like stocking up. Me, I prefer realism. In TW1 and TW2, (and now that I use a mod to alter alchemy in TW3), I would only use potions for fights I know I'm going to be in and have time to prepare for. So I go gather the ingredients I know I need to brew the specific potions I need for this specific fight. It's just how witchers roll.

Again, this is something that I hope Redkit can fix. You see how everyone wants different things here? (Well, to be honest, from what I've read in this thread, most of us seasoned witcher fans want basically what I posted a page back.) Once Redkit is released, there will most likely be a bunch of different alchemy mods to pick from, allowing us long-time witchers to have the familiarity and preparation we know and love, and the new guys to have the simplicity and instant buffs they love. It's a win/win.

*beats head against the wall*
 
I must say that I was the one who had bitched (is it correct form for that verb? :D) here about rumors on alchemy system before TW3 release. And now I think that it turned out very good - it fitted well into gameplay pace, and some major concerns that I had (futility of herbs hoarding, cheap auto-refilling) didn't become real. And I like the concept of decoctions, that's a really game changer thing (some of them are a bit OP, though).
 
I must say that I was the one who had bitched (is it correct form for that verb? :D) here about rumors on alchemy system before TW3 release. And now I think that it turned out very good - it fitted well into gameplay pace, and some major concerns that I had (futility of herbs hoarding, cheap auto-refilling) didn't become real. And I like the concept of decoctions, that's a really game changer thing (some of them are a bit OP, though).

Except for the part where the durations are so short that you spend half the fight in menus switching potions. That slows the pace down to a CRAWL.
 
Except for the part where the durations are so short that you spend half the fight in menus switching potions. That slows the pace down to a CRAWL.

Yeah, without investing at least ~10 skill points in alchemy potions' durations are too short. It's a subjective thing, but I like this kind of approach to balance skill system.
 
I love the current system. The previous version made for better witcher simulator but worse game. Constantly hunting for potion ingredients is tedious and unfun, and most people ended up never really using alchemy at all.

I always used alchemy. why? Because there were enough potions.
Costantly turn off your brain and let the system automatically refill your potions, is for sure not fun.

Just copy and paste 1:1 the alchemy system in TW1. It was the best, there was no reasons to change it.
 
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