The Witcher 3 Tips & Tricks

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The Witcher 3 Tips & Tricks

In this list you’ll find tips on combat, crafting, alchemy, character development and more. If you have any additional tip please leave the comment below.
General Tips
  • You can change the difficulty settings anytime – even during combat.
  • Loot everything. You’ll need even the most useless-seeming stuff for alchemy and crafting.
  • Sell armor you won’t wear and weapons you won’t wield to make room for materials.
  • Using the witcher senses will show you everything you can pick up in the vicinity.
  • You can craft armor at the blacksmith/armorer. The level of mastery he possesses will define which armors he can craft.
  • Weapons can be upgraded with runes, while armor is improved with glyphs. If you decide you want to take a rune/glyph out of your gear, you’ll have to choose which one to save – the item or the upgrade material.
  • Alcohol is important – you can use it to recharge potions after you’ve used them.
  • When you drink a lot of potions, keep an eye of your Toxicity. If the bar is full, you’ll start losing health.
  • Make sure you always have a monster trophy equipped. They provide valuable bonuses at no cost. -
  • You can eat food to heal yourself. It’s not as powerful as the potions, but it’s free and there’s lots of it.
  • Some monsters only come out during the day, some during night time.
  • When you pass near a point of interest, it will be marked on your map.
  • Don’t ignore quests or leave them for later – tackling the main story might trigger their disappearance.
  • Visiting notice boards in towns will reveal nearby points of interest.
  • Some objects can be destroyed with the Aard sign.
  • Memorize the controls. The game will constantly remind you of them, but that won’t do you any good in a tight spot.
  • Instead of playing poker dice, you can play Gwent, a card game about war.
  • If you get caught while breaking the law, the guards will attack you, and they’re not ones to mess with. They’ll beat you up and take half of your money.
  • Meditating will heal your wounds and replenish your potions, but it can’t be done in a bind.
Story Tips
  • Listen to the dialogue carefully.
  • Be mindful that your choices will often have consequences beyond the quest you’re doing.
  • If it sounds important, write it down – the previous game had quests that required you to perform rituals step-by-step from memory.
  • Using the Axii sign on people will yield results, but it won’t make you any friends.
  • Yellow dialogue options are the one that will advance the conversation – they can be mutually exclusive. Gray ones are just there for gathering information. Those colored in dark gray are the ones you’ve already chosen.
  • There is sometimes a timer ticking down, rushing you to make a choice. Try to keep calm during these moments.
  • Not everything is what it seems. Get used to the idea that people will lie to you.
  • Romance is a big part of the game. Having sex with one character may change the way another treats you.
Combat Tips
  • Even if you don’t want to invest skill points into signs, use them whenever you can. A little fire damage is better than no fire damage.
  • You’ll do more damage while on a horse, but you need to keep an eye on its fear level.
  • Oils and bombs are great, even if you aren’t upgrading your alchemy skills.
  • Check opponents’ weaknesses in the bestiary. No matter what approach you choose, there’ll be at least one you can use.
  • Try not to get surrounded or flanked.
  • Keep moving all the time.
  • Remember to dodge, but don’t be timid – the game rewards aggressive play with adrenaline, which increases damage.
  • Watch the durability of your gear. Worn down armor provides little protection, and dull blades don’t cut very well.
  • The crossbow can be used to ground flying enemies, but also to pick ground enemies from a distance. It has a much lower damage output than the swords, but it’s safer. You can also craft a variety of bolts for it – exploding, bleeding, tracking, knock-down.
  • Use the environment whenever possible – the gasses in the swamp are highly flammable, for instance.
How To Make Money
  • Doing secondary quests is a good way to get cash.
  • Witcher contracts usually have a reward tied to them.
  • Selling items you don’t use won’t make you a millionaire, but it adds up over time.
  • Diving and sailing is a great way to discover Smuggler’s Caches, which contain treasures that can be sold, or money.
  • Guarded treasures come with monsters attached. They’re worth the effort, though. The special items found inside can be sold for decent amounts of money.
  • There are multiple currencies in The Witcher 3, but merchants only accept Crowns. You’ll have to trade the Orens and Florins you collect at Vivaldi’s Bank in Novigrad – it’s the building with the coin hanging above the door.
Character Development Tips
  • Visit as many places of power as you can – each of them will give you one ability point.
  • Try not to invest only in one skill group – diversity is good, more abilities means more tools at your disposal. You can also test your build with Skill Calculator
  • One the other hand, one group will have to be your main group – there are only so many skill points to invest.
  • Always try to pair mutagens with active skills, grouping them by color.
  • Switch mutagens and active skills depending on the situation.
  • General skills have greater benefits, but do not scale with mutagens.
  • If you have a small number of active slots, it’s better to upgrade a skill you’re already using than to unlock a new one.
  • If you see a merchant selling a Potion of Clearance, buy it. It’s uses to reallocate misspent skill points.
Travel Advice
  • You can fast-travel to any signpost you’ve already visited, but the scenic route holds surprises and treasures.
  • Do not pinch pennies on horse equipment – you need a fast and reliable mount.
  • Mermaids and other sea creatures can damage and sink your boat.
  • If you make the horse gallop, it will follow the road automatically.
  • You can mark quests in your journal, and the game will show you a quest marker and the quickest way to get there.
 
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