The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Combat Explained
The combat in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is similar to that in the previous game. It’s action oriented, fast and this time around, clearly inspired by the Souls games.
That doesn’t mean it’s punishing to the extreme. But you will have to pay attention if you wish to stay alive.
Keeping up the Souls’ parallel, stamina plays a big role now. When you drain an enemy’s stamina all the way, they get exhausted. You then get an opening to execute them – it’s like the gruesome, gory decapitation you’ve seen in the trailers. Stamina is used for swinging, so you just need to time your dodges properly, and soon enough, your opponent will be tired.
Pay attention to enemy weakness – use oils to enchance your weapons and make them dish additional damage against certain enemies for a while. Bombs can also give you an leg up in combat, either by damaging or debuffing your opponents. Using Runestones and Shattered Cores to upgrade armor and weapons is significant – it can up your resistances, give you more stamina, or allow for greater sign intensity.
Something that hasn’t changed since the first game is the beautiful choreography of Geralt’s moves. You start out with only a few, but as you upgrade your swordsmanship, the moves become more complex and enchanting.
When leveling up, you can spend your points on swordsmanship, magic or alchemy. Whatever you choose, be sure to commit. If you’re investing in sword skills, you’re mostly going to fight hand-to-hand. If you invest in magic, you’re going to need to rely on signs a lot – learn their pros and cons. Finally, if you’re going to go the way of the alchemist, be sure you pick up every piece of material you come across – you’ll use it to craft bombs and potions.
Keeping up the Souls’ parallel, stamina plays a big role now. When you drain an enemy’s stamina all the way, they get exhausted. You then get an opening to execute them – it’s like the gruesome, gory decapitation you’ve seen in the trailers. Stamina is used for swinging, so you just need to time your dodges properly, and soon enough, your opponent will be tired.
Pay attention to enemy weakness – use oils to enchance your weapons and make them dish additional damage against certain enemies for a while. Bombs can also give you an leg up in combat, either by damaging or debuffing your opponents. Using Runestones and Shattered Cores to upgrade armor and weapons is significant – it can up your resistances, give you more stamina, or allow for greater sign intensity.
Something that hasn’t changed since the first game is the beautiful choreography of Geralt’s moves. You start out with only a few, but as you upgrade your swordsmanship, the moves become more complex and enchanting.
When leveling up, you can spend your points on swordsmanship, magic or alchemy. Whatever you choose, be sure to commit. If you’re investing in sword skills, you’re mostly going to fight hand-to-hand. If you invest in magic, you’re going to need to rely on signs a lot – learn their pros and cons. Finally, if you’re going to go the way of the alchemist, be sure you pick up every piece of material you come across – you’ll use it to craft bombs and potions.
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