The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt developer CD Projekt RED has discussed Geralts five starting magic signs, his two combat stances and some 96 new battle animations in a new interview.
Speaking with ClickOnline, The Witcher 3′s lead gameplay designer Maciej Szcześnik said At the beginning, Geralt will be able to choose from five signs.
It doesnt end there, however in The Witcher 3 we introduce new casting modes which effectively double the number of signs at the players disposal. These alternative versions will be unlocked through character development, but dont think of them as simply stronger versions of the same spells they will offer different tactical uses.
Lets take Aard as an example. The primary version of this sign will send a telekinetic thrust to stun or knock down foes. With time, players will be able to unlock a secondary version of the sign and by pressing and holding the button, they will send out a shockwave that knocks down all surrounding enemies (you can actually spot this in our gameplay trailer). Similar dual modes are available for every other sign.
Similar to previous Witcher games, Geralt will have multiple combat stances that employ some 96 new character animations, while battle QTEs have been removed. Szcześnik likened the games encounters to Dark Souls, stressing that defence will be as equally important to the players survival as attacking.
