Witcher 3 Combat Complaints?

"Usually when big media outlets begin scoring games close to perfection - which is the case for the IGN (9.3) and Gamespot (10) scores for the Witcher 3 - everybody picks something out about the game to perhaps taint the general perception. In the case of CD Projekt Red's latest title, combat seems to be a point of contention."

[ArchangelMike]

I have no issues with the combat, and absolutely love the fact that even if you are level 20, you an still get owned by a pack of level 15 drowners.

For me my biggest complaint is the loot/inventory system. My goodness, I've never known a game overly bog itself down with an overcumbersome inventory/loot system. You get way too much loot, which completly devalues items such as Dwarven spirit, alcohest etc etc.

But I have to say though, that this is really a minor inconvenience. All-in-all I'm loving The Witcher 3 and can't get enough of it!

[sevilha82]

Me too ,the combat is fine,most people don´t even try to learn it,they just go Kratos on the Npc´s and get owned.
Also agree with the inventory,not only is somesort messy,it starts to get some delay of switching stuff when there´s alot to occupie in the slots,and by the Gods do whe have alot to occupie the slots. =)

I hope they could give us a storage and maybe an armory in Kaer Mhoren,all that work that i had build all of my mastercrafeted armors and swords ,only to constantlly keep them on my inventory occupying space and a lot of weight,perhaps in a future update.

[camel_toad]

Storage would be nice but in the meantime you can always drop whatever loot you dont want to carry (near your preferred signpost) and it will always be there.

[Magicite]

I always go Kratos mode :)

[Vegamyster]

Personally my issue isn't really to do with the combat, its the enemy AI which has a pretty generic move set, especially the bigger boss type enemies. Regardless I'm loving the game, almost 40 hours in.

[starchild]

I agree, sevilha82. I think the combat is great. It's very tactical in that you have to think and use different tactics depending on what kind of an enemy you are fighting. It's also very responsive and well-animated.

I think the main problem for some people is that they are used to the combat in certain other popular games and they kind of subconsciously expect the combat in this game to work the same way.

The combat in this game has its own rules that must be learned, but it all works very well. For example, I don't even use the hard lock on in this game. The Witcher's combat is fast paced and I need to fluidly move in and out of striking distance and be able to strategically switch targets very quickly as the battle unfolds. It's all about mastering control of the camera and managing angles and distances through analogue stick movement, dodges and rolls. You will attack whichever enemy is in the direction you are pushing towards, which is a little different than the way some games have done it. But it works very well and gives full control to those that bother to learn it.

My only issue is that the combat tends to get somewhat easier when you get further into the game. I wish the difficulty could be better maintained throughout the whole game. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoy the combat and find it greatly superior to what we typically get in the genre.

[buttclown]

Such it was it the other witcher games, combat is fine. You just have to be patient and learn the game. That's one of the things I love about it.

[joab777]

I think they felt they needed something akin to Skyrim in which you could pick up everything.

As far as combat goes, coming from bloodborne, it takes getting used to, and lacks some weight but compared to skyrim, it's much, much better.

The Witcher 3 is an amzinging game. It lost a little of its direction when going open world, but damn can they make an open world!

[slappy508]

Im the opposite; I finished Withcer (well going to do another playthrough later) and picked up Bloodbourne. I keep getting mixed up with the withcer 3 controls. Keep hitting square to attack and x to sprint :p

[nucky64]

no complaints on combat. but, trying to get geralt to simply step in a boat?....another story-the more precise controls are much too sloppy.

[MegaSackman]

And almost every time I call Roach He comes from the most inconvenient possible way.

[FragMnTagM]

Everything to do with roach needs improvement. He randomly leaves the path when on auto. If you aren't even on a path he will randomly go left or right while you are trying to go straight. Gets stuck on everything. Randomly stops when there is no obstacle in the way even when you have full stamina. The overall controls for the whole game are clunky but riding roach is more a chore than anything.

Other than that though this game is amazing. Having a blast playing it. Like 20 hours or so in and I'm only level 6. Not because I suck but because I am exploring a lot.

[Kingdomcome247]

Same here, lol. I'm actually about 55 hours in, and I'm only level 12, because I've spent almost all of my time simply exploring. I've been at the family matters quest for at least 20 hours now. There are definitely some minor annoyances and gripes that I have with the game, but I'm loving every minute of it and am unable to put it down.

[Clogmaster]

Can someone honestly explain to me what the combat is like in Witcher 3? Still working on a backlog, but would appreciate some foreknowledge.

Using DMC, Dragon's Dogma, and Souls as a point of reference, can I get a decent compare and contrast.

I got Inquisition, and reviews I read never told me the combat was going to be garbage.

[Allsystemgamer]

It's mostly patience. Heavy and light attacks. Strike when the enemy is exposed and use magic to help sway the tides.

Example. Pack of drowners swarm. Use igni to ignite them and dodge back. Harass one with the cross bow to get him to single himself out then lob off his head.

[sevilha82]

It´s very tactical,parrying,magic combos,dodging etc...
Not only that,you have to learn who your opponent is (or what)and what works best against it,also you have to master alchemy to use the right potions,it´s very complex but very satisfiying,problem is learning and using your brain dosen´t have "swag" in this days and age so some "Belibers" are deciding to bash the combat sistem. =)

[Pintheshadows]

It encourages you to use a combination of heavy, light, and sign attacks. You also have to adapt to enemy types. Certain enemies are easier to roll from where others are better to dodge from. It really depends.

A shielded opponent for example will block the likes of Aard and Igni unless you use the firestream version of igni. I tend to use Axii to stun them and then hit them with a heavy attack.

A pack of Drowners on the other hand is an entirely different scenario. Dodge, igni sign, fast attacks. Very handy.

And then there are opponents like Noonwraiths who require an entirely different strategy. And Sirens and Harpy's. Who are, to quote Nico Bellic, annoying dicks.

If you are OP you can get away with mashing fast attacks against a few easier enemies but for the most part signs, heavy attacks, and fast attacks, along with dodge and roll need to be used.

The main things I want to see are an alchemy and crafting screen with submenus for potions, oils, boots, etc so scrolling down a huge list isn't necessary, fixing the irritating swimming mechanics (not a huge deal but they can get annoying), adding in sorting options in the inventory to just see swords, armour, etc, a separate place for books, and somewhere for storage.

There are a few more bits and bobs but nothing I can remember right now. Oh wait, the camera in fist fights. It needs to correct when you dodge.

[eklektic]

Its like a souls game but sloppy lol. Wait i take that back its a mix of souls and batman but not as good as either.

[BiggerBoss]

A mix of Souls and Batman actually describes it pretty well, haha

[HammadTheBeast]

Like Bloodborne but a bit less fluid.

[Big_Game_Hunters]

Extremely basic, easy,not fluid, not satisfying,clunky. Don't listen to what these guys are saying about comboing light and heavy attacks, whatever you max in your skill points is what will do more dmg.
There is no risk/reward in trying to land heavy attacks because in the time frame you have to attack after dodging you do the same dmg hitting 4 fast attacks as you would 3 heavy ones.

There is no combos either, its pretty much mash either light or heavy atatcks until the enemy breaks out. Unlike other character action games you cant keep an enemy locked in combo if you are good enough, therefore the skill cap is limited to dodge, hit a few times repeat. Such a formula isn't so bad in a game like Souls because souls enemies have unique attack patterns to learn. However,In Withcer 3 almost every enemy has the same attack pattern which makes the combat feel even more repetitive.

Magic doesn't add much, you can either spam fire or spam shield so instead of dodging you can just head on button mash enemies. The other spells are just as shallow.

In short, the witcher 3's combat is simple, basic and feels clunky. Don't buy this game for the game play. There are many other amazing things about the game, just not the combat. I enjoy gwent more than the actual combat.
Don't listen to these other guys, i actually play action games like DMC, Ninja gaiden and bayonetta.

[Pintheshadows]

'i actually play action games like DMC, Ninja gaiden and bayonetta'.

Good for you, so do I. Doesn't have much bearing here though as this is not an action game, it is an RPG.

And the fact is you had all of these tools at your disposal and you spammed Igni and fast attacks only I imagine. Did you even bother to experiment with the signs, it doesn't sound like it.

Try playing on a harder difficulty where the AI is more intelligent and realise that tactics like laying down Yrden in a group a group of drowners to slow them and make them easier to deal with are entirely necessary due to the casting speed of Igni and the speed of Drowners.

[wsoutlaw87]

Never ending stun lock would ruin the game and you should get better at using your magic. I would suggest getting farther in the game if you think attack patterns are all the same. Combos? As everyone is saying, its more of a strategy combat system like a souls game not a button mash, action game.

[Big_Game_Hunters]

Where is this strategy everyone is talking about? No one is asking for never ending stun lock, but actual combos is a different story. Why would i experiment with signs if i don't need them? I mean.. i have tried them i jsut don't use them.

Its not a strategy combat game, where is everyone getting this from? i don't think you guys know what strategy is. I'm plenty far into the game, I'm beating monsters 7 or 8 levels above mine by doing nothing but dodging and fast attacking/igni spam.

If you guys think its fun i don't care, My post wasn't for you, It was for the guy asking how the combat is like. I'm playing on hard but i recommend playing on normal. no point in having to take longer to kill enemies when the combat isn't that fun.

[Clogmaster]

Thanks for all the info.

So the combat is sounding a bit like Shadow of Mordor.

I'll keep my combat expectations low for the game since it's not a Japanese developer. I doubt there will strong usage of elements such as just frames, and cancels.

I did have fun with Mordor though by mixing up moves as much as possible. It's fun to create some flair.

[Celeras]

The combat is fine. Criticizing popular games is clickbait 101.

[Big_Game_Hunters]

So true man, Popular games are all perfect. They are ALL flawless.

[NovusTerminus]

Combat can be abit dodgy at times, but considering it's an open world RPG they have it very fine tuned.

My only complaint is that sometimes when I attack Geralt does this long spin attack and the enemy recovers, and hits me before I could strike him.

[Ultraplayerxp]

I think the Witcher 3 is a great example that the 'whole' is indeed greater than the sum of its parts. The combat system is simplistic but to CDR's credit it doesn't make the game a bore to play 40 hrs in because its other gameplay elements(e.g. leveling, fighting in different environments) hide that weakness really well.

[susanto1228]

boring and repetitive that is all

Great writing extremely great

Not next gen graphics

Boring gameplay

[kraenk12]

Trolling

[TheFirstClassic]

Opinion

[Mr Lahey]

The combat is ok! But when i explore the world, looting chest and stuff it all too often feels like im trying to maneuver a drunk Trevor in gtav..

[Pintheshadows]

I got used to it pretty fast, although it can be awkward for sure.

Swimming on the other hand is a pain in the arse at times.

[wsoutlaw87]

Lol ya try walking not running around if you are just trying to loot chests in a room.

[TheFirstClassic]

Movement and combat in general is sort of lackluster in this game, I'm a little disappointed with it to be honest, I actually feel like Witcher 2 had tighter combat.

[WizzroSupreme]

The combat's a bit laggy, but nothing that a few more patches will hopefully fix. It's (usually) playable, I find.

[JamesBondage]

combat is fun enough. its the way they "organize" the quests, i scroll for 10 minutes through all my active quests trying to find the one i was recently given. if they could just divide them by location at least, that would make it slightly easier to navigate..

also, both the horse and boat travel are very disappointing. Roach acts like a total tard, and even when he's only 10 feet behind and i whistle he still appears out of nowhere and struggles to get around every tree, rock, etc.. And the waves go through the boat. its all very immersion breaking for me. The seamless world is great, but at what cost? Can we get a bigger boat? its a bitch trying to fight screamers on the water in that bullshit excuse for a boat

[wsoutlaw87]

Not sure what system you play on but on ps4 when you get a new quest it will say "r3" to track.

[JamesBondage]

For 2 seconds, and if I'm not at the screen for that crucial moment I have to look forever, I've actually loaded a game just to get the quest again so I can press R to track it

[wsoutlaw87]

Lol why you you not be looking while you are pushing the buttons to accept the quest. Why on earth do you have so many open quests that you would think loading is faster than scrolling a list. The quests are separated by type.

[Dyldog69]

This author stating 30 hours in meant 3 hours but somehow out of total deuchieness rationalized X 10. Tw3's combat is acceptable but lacks variety. Stealth anybody? No stealth in TW3? Skyrims combat although a collision detection nightmare still presented gamers with numerous means to approach it. Stealth, one hand, two hand, archery, several magic types including dual wielding. I personally prefer skyrims combat on the basis of varietal approach, but I supremely enjoy the screams of armored bandits engulfed in flame as they realize they're going to die by my hand. What's your version of this vision?