Very disappointed with the combat

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Very disappointed with the combat

Witcher series has never really been known for great Combat, but I thought for Witcher 3 we would get something better.

Fighting enemies, usually large groups of enemies, is an exercise in frustration. Enemies can stun-lock you quite easily.
One hits you, and you stagger, then another hits...you stagger...then another hits...you stagger...
And while this is happening there's nothing you can do. You can't dodge, or parry , or anything like that.
By the next hit, you're dead. And then you take the time to reload...rinse repeat.
Signs are borderline useless, so the real combat is with your sword.
You can try dodging (ALT key? Who the heck can reach the ALT key..so you need to rebind.) forever, but you'll never be able to time it right every time.

I just...I can't get my head around the combat in this game.

What am I missing?
 
Quen sign should be up at all times, especially if you are playing on Death March. In fact, you can beat the game on the hardest difficulty really just using that ability alone, it's a game changer/life saver. Upgrading this ability with the KB/Dmg/HP regen features are awesome also.

Also, depending on difficulty, it is important you are utilizing roll/dodge properly. Making sure you wait for attack animations and attempting to roll behind the enemy for Critical Strikes.

Lastly would be the use of potions and oils. Can't overstate how much these can swing a fight, especially on higher difficulties.

Hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions.
 
Signs are useless? Are we playing the same game? When fighting groups, don't lock on, try to separate enemies from the pack and dodge instead of roll. Try to use bombs for AoE. Yrden is great for slowing enemies down. Also use your potions and oils, they can make a huge difference.
 
Strange.

I love everything about the combat, it has depth and it's fun and rewarding.

PS: I use a Xbox One Controller on PC and it's the best way to play, tried keyboard and mouse - no thanks!
 
I disagree with @blizzunit about Quen, I mean unless he's upgraded it 5-10 times or something, it really absorbs just one hit before the gang hitting you continues hitting you.

OP I see what you're saying, I JUST experienced it with some vicious Rotfiends.. And I love it. This is how it's supposed to be, you're supposed to get f'd when surrounded by more than 2 vicious beasts because, why allow yourself to be surrounded by them? You must dodge and cast signs all the time.
They hit multiple times and Geralt just staggers while receiving more hits, that's pretty infuriating yes, which is why I look forward to more and more upgrades to make this a non-issue in the future, that's what satisfaction is all about!
 
Quen is your best friend. In group, usually I go this way : Quen, trying to first attack someone "alone", hitting him a few times, maybe the shield will explode (I took the skill point for Quen to the max, when it explodes, enemies are pushed back), back off a few feets away, refresh Quen, maybe throwing a bomb if I have time. AI differs greatly for that routine, for example with wolves you don't have a breakup time, so it needs to be done quickly.

PS : Playing on hard difficulty btw.
 
My opinion is to invest in upgrading it early and often. And even it absorbing 1 hit can be the difference between surviving a fight or not. Higher difficulty you are playing on the more this ability becomes crucial.
 
It's supposed to be this way. Since TW2 it's difficult on purpose, but not impossible to beat. I've seen a guy beat TW2 on Dark Mode bareback and with a ladle the entire game. When enemies hit you while not protected the pain makes you momentarily stutter in real life too you know. It's suppose to be realistic. You need to use dodges AWAY from your enemies and avoid being cornered or surrounded. Use quen and yrden whenever fighting groups of enemies. Also Igni does massive damage early in game. If you single out one opponent use axii on him. Fight on horseback (remember to pay attention to Roach's fear meter and if need be ride away and calm her with axii), as if you hit an opponent while charching you usually one shot kill him. And use proper preparation before fights - use witcher senses to hear what's ahaed and use proper oils/bombs/signs in the fight.
 
I'm playing on Death March and here are the three key principles keeping me alive. It's extremely basic, but I don't have time to write more than that.

Know when to dodge and when to roll.

It's important to know when to dodge and when to use the roll to reposition yourself to buy yourself some time. Some larger enemies, especially bosses, require more roll dodges. Also, when you're fighting groups, try to dance around with dodge stepping to strike in the right moment and then to roll away from the crowd.

When step dodging, try dodging sideways and somewhat behind the attacking enemy to strike one or two critical hits and then roll away to Mexico to reposition yourself.

Don't get greedy.

Don't spam attacks, enemies won't be stunlocked forever. Do it like Vesemir told you in the tutorial - do the old 1, 2, 3 and then dodge. Try setting a basic rhythm and then alter it if the situations require it (e.g. side step dodge, quick attack, quick attack, Aard, heavy attack and then roll away. Something like that for starters)

Use signs, potions and bombs for crowd control or to exploit weaknesses.

Self explanatory. USE THOSE THINGS, especially on higher difficulties. For example, I like nuking archers first with Grapeshot when fighting humans.

Also, don't spam attacks or moves. CDPR went with the whole inertia idea for Geralt's movement, so you have to get used to it, I guess.


P.S: You can parry strikes from multiple enemies, so use that. Also riposte. And last but not least: Ditch auto lock-on. It's terrible and will only get you killed when you're not in one on one situations.
 
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Also, the locking on feature is almost a setback for combat when fighting multiple enemies. I have found it best to not lock on and this allows for better movement and attacking strategies. Once you thin out the herd, locking on is fine though.
 
Strange.

I love everything about the combat, it has depth and it's fun and rewarding.

PS: I use a Xbox One Controller on PC and it's the best way to play, tried keyboard and mouse - no thanks!

I find the Xbox combat to be perfect. At least where swordplay is concerned. My only gripe is I find the "sign" switching wheel to be cumbersome and it means I often end up using just one type of sign throughout a battle. It would make far more sense for me to use the D-Pad (L+R) to cycle through the signs. I hardly need it to draw my swords any more.
 
Am I the only one who's happy that A group of Enemies actually interacts in some whay that makes them behave like a group and not 4 enemies who attack you in turn?

old DkS-rule that applied to, for example the Ornstein fight:
never get trapped inbetween (use roll to get out of the pack)
isolate one enemy (you rolled out, one is nearest - this is the one to attack)
CC (igni, ard, yrden)
and above all: be patient?

the game punishes you for blindly mashing the attack button, which is totally fair - there should be some skill involved. If the difficulty is too hard, then drop it? I don't get the people who wanna play on the hardest no matter what and then complain about balance - or those who play on the easiest and then complain "I outlevel everything" (Duh, if you are getting more experience than average, how would that not be so?)

only point of critique I have to really admit to is, that the game plays thousandfolds better with a controller... seems to be also a peak of these types of combat systems (again, see Darksouls and similar)
 
Use obstacles to your advantage also (trees, rocks, etc.) this will allow you to dodge-roll more effectively and force enemies to path around objects and take longer to get to you. This will allow stamina to regen faster also.

Also, you can body pull single enemies out of a pack of mobs in this game really easy. This will allow you to thin out the numbers and make the fight more even, can be extremely beneficial on Death March.
 
Agreed with Skunkito.

Using the Sign wheel in a fight generally puts me off my routine and strategy for the fight, so i use what i have equipped or what sign i decide right before the fight starts.

Other than that, i found the combat system a real struggle when i started playing. Just take the time to learn how it works. I went and got myself a couple of drowners to use as practice. Learn to dodge, learn the distance you need for speed and heavy attack, learn your timings, and practice practice practice.

In a group i generally have my parry stance up all the time, just in case something or someone jumps in at you with an attack from out of your FOV.
 
Agreed with Skunkito.

Using the Sign wheel in a fight generally puts me off my routine and strategy for the fight, so i use what i have equipped or what sign i decide right before the fight starts.

Other than that, i found the combat system a real struggle when i started playing. Just take the time to learn how it works. I went and got myself a couple of drowners to use as practice. Learn to dodge, learn the distance you need for speed and heavy attack, learn your timings, and practice practice practice.

In a group i generally have my parry stance up all the time, just in case something or someone jumps in at you with an attack from out of your FOV.


Pretty much the same for me, I was rolling around as before a lot and it wasn't helping, then I started looking for the patterns in attack. Downers usually jump at you 3 times for example. Or you can side dodge a bear charge and smack it on it's arse endlessly. AS Kassandrian mentions above I particularly enjoy the fights with humans, firstly because each soldier/bandit looks utterly unique, the fact that some are hotheads and others more cautious is great. I even had one guy sneak round behind me and attack, I'm pretty sure he was buck naked except for a pair of boxer shorts. (It was late so maybe I dreamt that)

All the fights feel unique, I also thought the horse swordplay was nonsense to begin with but I've started getting the hang of it, the first time I sliced a guy in half from horseback was a genuine "wow" moment.
 
Horse back combat is something i still need to learn.............. i keep missing the enemy, which is obviously a timing thing for me!
 
My biggest issue with combat is the fact that when both you and your enemy attack at the same time, if you land first, it doesn't interrupt the enemy, they seem to eat your blow and then hit you anyway. And on DM this is pretty lethal. I am enjoying the combat AI but i think CDPR went a little overboard in their efforts to prevent spamming attacks. The combat AI is pretty smart, but it's not groundbreaking, because I swear I've seen similar enemy dodging mechanics in the Risen series. It is improved though because I like it when I'm facing multiple enemies, and some of the slowly circle around me to attack my back. That's pretty cool. I just wish combat was more fair, because as OP said, sometimes the enemy can feel a bit cheap when they interrupt your attacks out of nowhere and put you in a stunlock. I know I should probably be using more potions and signs but without one-key casting, it's a little tricky when surrounded by deadly monsters.

Horse back combat is something i still need to learn.............. i keep missing the enemy, which is obviously a timing thing for me!

I have no problems with horse back combat, but i guess that is where my 500+ hours in Mount & Blade finally pays off..
 
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