Right I've only played this for maybe 8-10 hours. I have landed in the town in chapter 1 and I am running around doing parts of quests and exploring atm. I do have a few questions which I hope people can help with due to the lack of info available for this game (I don't have the manual as I bought the digital version) and don't want the experience spoiled by reading walkthroughs!

1. Can I Identify which is the main quest line and if so will I be able to go back and finish off any side quests I may have missed once I complete the main one? I am assuming that killing the Krayan is the main quest for Chapter 1 (but if it's not please don't sopil it for me:))

2. What is the best way to level up, I seem to have got up to lv6 very quickly but the completion of small/side quests seem to give very little exp. I want to go exploring in caves etc. but atm I walk into a cave, get surrounded and die very easily?

3. Where the hell do I get silver from, I want someone to forge me my silver sword but can't find silver anywhere.

4. Can I not put a sword other than the silver one in the silver sword slot in my inventory?

5. Where do I get additional armour/clothing from?

6. Why is the sword skill tree locked and when does it re-open?

7. What does mutagen do? I have 5 talent points waiting to be spent but I am unsure whether to save them or use them now and I read somewhere mutagen increases the effect of talent upgrades?

8. I have a lot of things in my inventory do I sell them to traders or do I keep them? IS there somewhere I can store all my inventory items like in other RPGs?

If the answer to all the q's above are wait and the game will show it all to you then that's what I will do ;) and sorry for the long list!

1. There are actually a couple of "main quest" lines, so don't worry too much. Just follow what you can and do side quests when you can't go any further. It will all flesh out.

2. You get XP points to level up by doing quests and killing monsters, etc. Although you don't get much for killing a Nekker, for example - there are so many of them that it adds up over time.

3.You can find Silver Ore in mines and at vendors. Try a Blacksmith. Don't forget that his inventory respawns ever 24hrs (I think), so you can go back again and stock up if needed.

4.You can put any Silver sword in the Silver Sword slot. But not Steel ones. Go to Inventory and drag what you want to the slot.

5.You find Armour/Clothing during Quests and Looting. Also at vendors. There's lots of vendors in that Act.

6. Your Training Tree needs to have 6 Talents placed in it before the other trees open up.

7. Best to search these forums for a ton of detail and hints on using mutagens. Once you use one - you cannot undo it. Basically, only use the Greater Mutagens.

8. There is no storage like Witcher 1, so you have to keep items on you. Do be careful not to sell anything that is listed as "Quest Item", or Formulas. Many items are labelled as "Junk" - which are typically fine to sell.

Do be careful when making potions, as the default mixture will always use the most expensive item - even if it is needed for a quest. Double check and exchange items as necessary.

Good Luck!

EDIT: ninja's, but I'll leave my answers up anyway. Enjoy the game! You should have a manual available, even for a digital release. There's also the in-game journal which covers quite a bit, like the tutorial. It should be pretty simple to tell the difference between side quests and the main one. Doing a lot of exploring will also reveal other quests at times. That sounds more like you need to learn combat tactics, and the basic rule of "never allow yourself to get surrounded". There really is no wrong way to level up, but I do personally think the Alchemy tree is one of the weaker branches. Once the other branches are unlocked I'd focus on combat skills, especially vitality and vigor bonuses, and ways to protect them, like Quen, Yrden, and Axil. The crafters also trade and often carry silver. Otherwise, you have to hunt in bags (cheaper that way, too). Nope, only silver swords go in that slot. The other slot can hold different weapons, though, like axes, blackjacks, etc. You'll find them through exploration and also crafting. Many armors you'll only get the formula for. Also, some crafter-merchants will get new formulae from time to time, so check them often. It and the others unlock around level 7 or 8. Mutagens "mutate" certain abilities to give Geralt additional bonuses. When you level up an ability for the first time, you might notice a little circle attached to it - that's a slot for a mutagen. Frankly, I'd NOT fill any of those slots until you get Greater mutagens. Things sold to merchants disappear after a day. There's no storage in Witcher2. Best bet is, if you don't need a crafting component you find in a bag, leave it in that bag. You might need it later.

Not really, though it should be fairly obvious as to what the main quest(s) are. Always read the journal when quest state changes. Questing is indeed the best way to level. As for getting surrounded and dying, you need to get used to the combat mechanics and act accordingly, depending on the situation. Groups will always try to surround you and flank you. Don't let them do it. Kite, use bombs/signs/thrown weapons or employ hit and run tactics. Fortunately, it gets better as your skills increase and your gear improves. You will usually find silver ore in caves and crates around the world. Blacksmiths also sell limited amounts that they usually restock after a day (ingame). Nope, it's a silver sword slot for a reason :p You either buy them outright, acquire them through quests (as rewards), or find/buy the necessary patterns and craft them by visiting a craftsman. Every tree is locked, save for the Witcher training tree, until you spent 6 talents point in it. Mutagens provide passive bonuses and can only be used in certain (mostly end) talent slots. Once you use them, you cannot replace them, so always use Greater mutagens. Sell all the lesser ones. Tip : If you are going for Impregnation, in the Alchemy tree, you may want to hold onto your mutagens until you have invested points in that talent. There is no storage (yes, huge oversight and I agree), so I would suggest that you keep the weapons/materials that you need or will need in the immediate future and sell the rest. When it comes to materials extracted from monsters, I'd say it is always wise to keep 1-2 from each type, just to be on the safe side. There are a couple of quests that will require them.

1. The main quests have a shield icon to the left of the quest name.
2. Best way to level up is completing the quests. Put the cave aside until you get your silver sword. You'll find that the monsters don't like to run all the way up to the last cliff at the entrance. Let them come to you one by one, don't run in to the nest, swinging at the air.
3. If you don't have enough of a crafting material from just looking around town, the merchants might have them available to buy.
4. I don't think so. You can use things like a pickaxe in your steel slot, though.
5. From fallen foes, and maybe quests. You could buy some from merchants, but you might want to save those orens to get the best weapons and armors at the end of the game.
6. You have to spend 6 points on the witcher path first, then the others are unlocked.
7. Some talents will develop slots for mutagens. It doesn't otherwise cost points to use mutagens.
8. There isn't a storage chest. Sell junk and old weapons/armor. I didn't sell all my alchemy/crafting components, instead opting to sell SOME of the ones with the heaviest weight. That way, I'd still have some if I need them, and lose a little weight.

It should also be noted that even though you got the digital version, you still have access to the manual in PDF format somehow, which may vary depending on which place you bought it.

It's worth a quick look, just to get a clear explanation of some of the mechanics.

I can answer a couple of these for you... Not sure how to differentiate here... but generally main quest line(s) will have to be done to continue the story. I like to complete every quest I get anyway because it's good xp (level up faster) and occasionally decent (or if you're lucky, indecent) rewards. Also be aware that some non-essential quests can span chapters (eg, Melitele's Heart spans prologue and act 1) Do everything you can to gain xp - side quests, random monster bashing (best done after you get the silver sword) etc

With combat, divide and conquer... get them to chase you, use roll (double tap direction key) to dodge attacks and avoid being surrounded. If you're talking about the cave with the Nekkers, they will swarm you given the chance. Don't give them the chance, use traps and your Yrden sign, Jedi mind trick one to fight for you (Axii). Not having a silver sword here is a real downer, as the steel sword does plough-all damage to them... necrophage oil will help. Also you can back up the tunnel a bit and they will bugger off and your health can regen a bit.... up to you if you use this method as it could be considered an exploit. The above-mentioned cave has a couple of silver deposits (if you can get past the nekkers, damn hard without silver sword)... also the dwarf smith sells silver ore (for a hefty sum, might need to do a bit of looting and a few side quests to get some moolah)...

You can also buy a rather weak silver plated sword from said dwarf, may be helpful until you get enough silver to craft one. No. 1 steel sword (or other weapon besides silver sword), 1 silver sword, and a few slots for bombs, traps and/or daggers... that's all the weaponry you can have equipped at any given time Buy diagrams for armor crafting and/or pre-made armor from vendors. To craft you need the diagram and any raw materials listed in the diagram Need certain amount of points spent in Witcher talents to unlock the other 3 trees (sorry don't remember how many... about level 6 or 7 I think, should be able to unlock) Once you have spent some talent points any selected talents that can take a mutagen will display a small circle (like on your armor and weapons) and will give you the option to mutate if you highlight it. Not sure if the talent needs to be level 2 or not though. Sorry, no storage. Inventory management is a right pain in the arse, but the only way to avoid having to manage your inventory properly is to cheat. There are a couple of weight reduction mods that might help if this is really frustrating you. Up to you whether or not you use them. Otherwise just sell any crap you don't need, and like others have said, if you don't need it right now, leave it in the container and grab it later.


Hope this helps :) happy witchering....

edit: Plough me dead !!! 3 edits.... ploughing stupid crappy Chinese made keyboard...... grrrrr

Everybody covered your questions really well.

You should have a link on your launcher that will open your manual.

One reason you are getting ganked is because you really need to spend those 5 points.

Running around killing monsters in the forest is a good way to learn the combat, gather materials AND level. Until it gets tedious.

Avoiding spoilers for you: Assume any quest with a shield symbol next to it could propel you forward to the next chapter. So do the ones without shields first.

Thanks Peetz, Slacker, Trist, Dark, jvolpert, black and hanns for all your help, it is very much appreciated :)

I will read the manual tonight, my fault as soon as the launcher starts it's straight to 'play game' and I don't look at anything else!

Thanks again, there seems to be very nice people on this forum and once I get the basic mechanics of the game under my belt (which I imagine will take about another 5-10 hrs of gameplay) it should hlep me to enjoy the game even more than I do currently..

You are most welcome my friend. I am a firm believer in the "pay-it-forward" philosophy... I have received a lot of great advice and helpful answers from this great community, and do my best to show the same courtesy to others :) have fun!