Even Dragon Age 2 combat is better then Witcher 2 combat BUT Witcher 2 is still a fun game despite how bad the combat system is.

Combat stinks to high heaven. The only difficulty comes from the terrible controls. The whole targeting system was a mistake. Just let us swing the sword and hit whatever is in front of us. If I need to attack in a different direction let me pan the camera a bit and attack in that direction.

The way your target switches at the tiniest of movements is frustrating. More often than not sending you in a pointless lunge at the enemy at the back of the pack. Trying to change targets to the one you want is difficult due to the oversensitivity of the controls.

Alt to sticky the target is even worse. Because you have to switch targets and reposition. So adding an extra key press in a awkward location like alt just slows down your responsiveness.

I may slog through one play-through due to stubbornness, but the sucky combat is killing any curiousity I'm having about what would happen if I made different choices.

Witcher 2 is no doubt the better game. But I gotta admit that DA's combat is better, agreeing with you.

I agree with the topic of this post. I'm not liking the combat even as a big Witcher fan I can see it's not so great. It feels like hit and roll/run. I can't even press the back(S) button without turning my back on the enemies.

I played this game right after I beat the 1st one. Geralt was a true swordsman then now he has one fighting style and a single way to dodge. I have the right to complain like you, because I bought the game. But it is pretty strategic, I admit.

I love everything about it except combat, and I hope someone talk to the developers about it. If not, I will.

(Constructive Criticism)

I just finished the first witcher and i have to say the combat really grew on me after awhile. I can't get used to the new combat now. Maybe someone will mod it soon.

Well I played TW2 right after TW1 (didn't complete the latter though) and I kept pressing RMB to cast signs lol

This is your opinion
In my opinion The Witcher 2 has the best combat system ever for an Action RPG.

Period.

PS Dragon Age 2 is not an Action RPG... however, it's a fail anyway.

This is my second and probably last post in this forum as I'm done with TW2 and will uninstall it.

Fist and foremost, I'm playing games for my fun, my enjoyment. For me, TW2 just doesn't offer this in contrast to TW1.

My main complaint is about the new combat system. While combat in TW1 was kind of an elegant ballet, TW2 offers almost exclusivly nothing but mindless and time consuming "hit-dodge-run-rinse&repeat". I'm aware that a lot of folks do enjoy the new combat system and I'm happy for them, but I don't have to like it because others do. Sure, after getting used to the new system, I did e.g. not die once against the 6 elves in ch. 1, but the combat was just boring and exhausting, mindless fast-key hitting for hit-and-run for several minutes, testing my ability to react quickly to use the proper key/mouseklick over several minutes. If it would be say once or twice per chapter againt a boss, ok, but almost every combat against 3 or more enemies takes a couple of minutes of the same fast-clicking-key-hitting-hit&run-rinse&repeat, i.e. each group fight takes minutes over minutes. Not my piece of toast, thanks, but no thanks.


Minor complaints (still combat):

The targeting system as already described by others.

The delayed keyboard responsiveness as already described by others.

The lack of camera controls as already described by others.

I'm still missing the dedicated group style one had in TW1.


Other complaints (in no specific order):

Drinking potion is only possible before combat. Who knows (w/o save-reaload) what to expect in the next encounter? Wild guessing at best.

Geralt tends to run into doors etc. almost constantly and then tries to hit them with his sword. Same with looting containers. Wouldn't it be nice if the game engine would show the "open door/loot container" option not only if he's just 1m away but also if he's just in front of?

Loot visibility: spamming medaillon-clicks is stupid and pointless and time-consuming. Add at least the option the highlight things permanently like in TW1.

The rotating minimap in its current state is completely useless. Either let the map always point north or at least add markers for N-S-W-E.

In TW1 I could set a map marker, gone in TW2.

The inventory is, simply put, a mess. On every aspect I can think of. Consolitis, imo.

Same is true for alchemy in respect to ingredients.

Lack of storage (inn keeper) option I had in TW1. Now I have to keep anything with me and below the magic 250/300 limit, only to realize in ch. 2 that I should have kept 10 more of this from ch. 1 but didn't need to keep 20 of that.

In TW1 I could simply change _directly_ from journal to character view to monster lore etc. with _one_ click/key.

Changing settings like keyboard mappings inside the game (from what I've read, this shall be addressed in the first patch).

Can't see what I've equipped (to compare and maybe buy/sell) when trading.

The "consolitis-feeling" I can't get rid of, TW1 just felt "right", while TW2 feels as aimed for consoles, in respect of UI.

A couple of other things I don't like but can't think of right now, or that are not worth extra mentioning, respectivly.

To all who enjoy the game: I'm glad for you, have fun :)

I'm done with TW2.

Feeling sad.

@ Cephalod


You've got some valid complaints and hopefully are fixed in a patch such as (going from journal to character with one keystroke) but you lose all cred when talk of consolitis. The inventory couldn't be eaiser to navigate, do you want it more obtuse? You're really nitpicking in many areas.

I still don't know how people call TW1 an elegant ballet when it's click, watch animation, click again, watch animation again, click. The only challenge in TW1 was switching the styles and half the time, you really didn't need to. TW2's combat is way more player interactive, which is what a game should be.

It sounds like you ARE looking for a console game, :). Bioware has a fine, fine selection of games up your alley.

Storage space is severly overrated. Why haul around a ton of crap if you aren't going to use it?

A game with such beautiful graphics should use the difficulty system to cater for the various types of gamers :
-easy for the novices, or those that mostly wants to see the graphics, and do not care so much about the fights;
-normal for the typical gamer who wants to fight, but without spending hours on each boss;
-hard for the real fighters.

Witcher 1 was mostly like this. Witcher 2 is NOT !! :
-fights are too easy at low difficulty level, except for bosses which are too hard for the novice, blocking further progress into the game (possibly until cheats are released).
-at "normal" level of difficulty, the fights become much harder, the difference with low is too great.
-and I did not even try the high levels !

I can usually beat a game at the difficult level (recenly Dragon age and Crysis 2), here I can hardly progress at normal against basic foes, or at easy against bosses.

I will not recommand this game except maybe to a very few hard fighters, and I feel sorry that all the good work done by the graphics designers is spoiled by a few bad decisions on difficulty levels...

These complaints remind me a bit of the complaints Stardock (another great small company with big successes and no DRM!) got with people complaining they should be able to beat Galactic Civilizations at Hard difficulty. The entire point of difficulty levels is that if it's too hard, you can play at a lower difficulty level. In The Witcher 2, you can even do that during play!

If Easy would be too hard, you might have a point. If the gap between Easy and Normal is too big, that might be a point too. Just keep in mind you're not automatically entitled to be able to beat the game at the highest difficulty level. You're only entitled to a difficulty level that's playable for you, and that could easily be Easy.

Personally I don't think Normal is too hard. I do think combat is too fast, which limits me to a handful of maneuvers (dodge, run, Quen, attack). I'm not an action gamer at all, and prefer games that let me think, or make me think, even. But despite that, I can easily hold my own in battle on Normal difficulty. Well, I do die occasionally, but that's generally because I simply forget to dodge and Quen. On my second try, I always survive.

I just feel combat is too fast.

I'd like to muck around with my signs and use bombs and traps, but it doesn't work because the combat is so relentless that I HAVE to roll around using Quen, otherwise I'd die :(

And traps seem bugged. Like the enemy AIs have a certain "range" in which they are activated, if I want to safely set traps, they're just wasted cos I try to lure an enemy but their AI deactivate before they get to my trap!!