Very disappointed with the combat

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

For me it's not just timing but you really need to have them within the arc of the swing which is quite close to the flank of the horse. Also (as long as there are no archers around) I try to Run through them and out the other side, don't get caught in a dogfight.

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

Any other tips appreciated.
 
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.

In my opinion The Witcher 1 had the best combat style. The Witcher 3's combat style is good and you are right, it is not easy to reach the dodge keys every time they are needed. That is why I mapped mouse button 4 to dodge. :) If you don't let enemies hit you, you won't stagger. What I don't understand is what's the point of parry, if enemies can stagger Geralt anyway...
 
i was getting stun locked to hell, i was about to flip keyboards and mice and then i found a dedocotion(SP) recipe that makes me immune to be stunned blinded and bunch of other stuff!
 
ON a keyboard I haven't yet found a set of keys that allows me to move and dodge/roll/parry at the same time. Anybody got any preferred mappings that work for them?
 
Any other tips appreciated.

Start holding LMB when you are less than one horse lengths' distance from target, and try to follow through as if you're literally trying to cut them in half. Other than that it's all about feels. Don't sprint, but glide past them as if you're intentionally side swiping a car. Some enemies are probably easier to strike than others, for example, humanoids vs wolves.
 
Spamming Quen is pretty much the most degenerate way to play the game. It's a pity CDPR couldn't figure out a way to make its use more active in nature, considering how much people relied on it in TW2 already. I probably wouldn't use it at all, but considering how flukey the targeting system is and how quickly Geralt goes down on Death March, there are times when that extra survivability is just too valuable, even if it comes at the price of not being able to do something actually interesting with that stamina.

I'm really, really liking the combat otherwise, but the targeting system is ****. Which is why I made a thread about it.
 
i was getting stun locked to hell, i was about to flip keyboards and mice and then i found a dedocotion(SP) recipe that makes me immune to be stunned blinded and bunch of other stuff!

yeah it's the noonwraith one I think, But I wasn't if it was a one time use concoction or if it replenishes with meditation also? I was saving it for a big battle.
 
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?

LOL, what? Are you actually blaming CDPR's combat system or your lack of skill?
 
I can't say I agree, I love the combat. It's so precise and in depth and the challenge can be brutal on death march. Signs are really useful though, and doing a riposte or dodge against monsters is what you should do rather than trying to parry them. Parrying is something you should do only really against humans and much smaller monsters. Trying not to be cornered, getting a sign out just in time and having Quen save you just as you're dodging out of the way of surrounding enemies is great.

It's all about the preparation. Getting Oils and potions ready before combat, getting Quen up quickly and then using Yrden on packs of small enemies to slow them giving you breathing room. Try learning what certain enemies are weak against, and also try to use rolling when trapped in a group (this is where Quen comes in handy because it lets you escape if you have it up). Get bombs ready and use them to distract or harm enemies as well, and using potions like Thunderbolt slows down time a bit which also can help in big groups. So if you don't use the signs or bombs or potions you're doing it wrong.

The key really is the not focus on one group enemy, keep hitting one back and dodging to hit another. Learn there attack movements so you know which direction to dodge.

The combat is excellent, but it's very in depth and has many layers to it that make it quite difficult sometimes. So if it's too frustrating for you just lower the difficulty a bit as not everyone likes complex combat. If you stick with it though you'll find that when it clicks for you it will be very satisfying and you will have a lot of fun. Just try to use everything at your disposal.
 
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.

Hold parry/block than tap left and right on d-pad to switch signs on the fly.
 
Get Gud, as they say in another game. Seriously though I love the combat, dodging is the key, hit and move, I don't use anything but Igni at the moment as my main sign and at level 10 can handle most opponents in Velen with a two slot steel and three slot silver sword.
 
you need to be more strategic, have everything ready, always, and don't roll, just jump, always keep distance, and attack only when you are certain that you will hit th enemy, and always read the bestiary and use the sign/bomb/oil that works against that enemy, i don't think the combat is totally disappointing, but two things that could benn better are the combat roll consumes energy and Geralt is too slow to start moving, the combat in tw2 was perfect, i can easily kill al enemies even in the hardest situations,
 
I love the combat. Play on XBox One.

It's a thinking and adaptive system, one I hope Bethesda takes note of - I am a HUGE Elder Scrolls fan (ESO? No thanks.) but always felt their combat was too button-mashy. Honestly, the pre-release gameplay footage of combat was what sold me on the game. I have to think, react, and plan in every fight. Potions, oils, signs. Read the bestiary, and scavenge every tome scrap I can find to gain more entries. I've been swarmed and overcome plenty already, and I've only just gotten to Velen to search for Ciri. It's not the system that's at fault for those fails, it's my own for allowing myself to be overwhelmed. The enemies are smarter than any RPG before has earned credit to be, and this is my first foray into the Witcher series,

I've currently involved myself in the Fake Papers side quest outside Velen where I need to help clear the ghouls from the field. I'm level 4, and the ghouls are levels 7-9, plus a couple raiders on horseback (where did THEY come from??). I was doing SO well and got cocky. Forgot all the lessons learned, because I succumbed to bloodlust. Since it was late and I had to go to work in the morning, I quit - frustrated with myself, but not the game.

Enemies circle, retreat, and lure.I don't use lock-on, because I know when one enemy backs up and draws me closer, there's another one circling around behind me. It's not as unforgiving as a Dark Souls, but you'll definitely pay for hasty decisions.
 
the only real issue is i feel the movement feels like im on skates.. and when i roll its almost across the full screen. IMO, i felt witcher 2 combat was better. overall, im ok with the mechanics.. i just feel the movement and rolling feel clunky.
 
Personally I find the combat system very good and a huge upgrade to the previous games. Even manage to do it with KB and mouse now. Had some trouble initially to adjust since key binding is a bit screwed up atm, but finally getting the hang of things and rarely die (playing on hard btw).
 
I think the combat is fantastic (playing on BBB) and a big improvement over the last two games. Nothing like wading into a group of enemies, dancing around them, and scoring crit after crit. Love it!
 
In my opinion The Witcher 1 had the best combat style. The Witcher 3's combat style is good and you are right, it is not easy to reach the dodge keys every time they are needed. That is why I mapped mouse button 4 to dodge. :) If you don't let enemies hit you, you won't stagger. What I don't understand is what's the point of parry, if enemies can stagger Geralt anyway...

You don't need to press Alt; pressing the key two times (for example two times A to go to the left) performs a dodge too.
 
I think the combat is ok, but the combat controls from TW2 feel better to me, especially after they patched them.
I don't know if it is because of the console style controls, but Geralt doesn't react well. TW2 had a simmilar problem when it was released.
And I really hate the heavy strike, most of the time I want to use it, Geralt doesn't perfom it. I need to hit Shift+LMB several times till he uses it. Especially when I have performed other actions (like a dodge) before. So this hit is pretty useless for me.
 
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