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[Deified Data]

Only a couple hours in and Geralt already got his dick wet. Dude moves fast.

I spent my first three skill points on adding stun/knockdown to Aard and taking the first Strength perk.

 

[Helmholtz]

Great game. Has a good story and atmosphere.
Combat/inventory and stuff is kind of janky, but it works. Graphics are getting dated but they don't look that bad imo, aside from the copy pasted NPCs everywhere.
Witcher 2 was a much needed modern update, but I feel that the first game is certainly worth checking out, and it makes the second one all the more impressive. There are some things I liked more in the first game.
Definitely not a game for the impatient though. It's pretty deliberately paced and there is quite a bit of backtracking and stuff from what I remember.

Awesome game, loved every second that I played until I hit the swamp. Then I got bogged down there for so long that I have up, and started TW2 without finishing it.

Man, you might want to go back and finish it. The swamp is certainly a weak point in the game, but the other later chapters are really good.

Such a boring game, IMO. Combat is pretty horrid, most characters are pretty meh, and the story is barely memorable.

Yeah...no. The way the story comes together by the end is pretty damn satisfying. I don't think it's fair to pass judgement on the game's story if you only got to chapter 3.

 

[ChawlieTheFair]

To be quite frank I played it on easy, as I only wanted to play it for story saves for witcher 2 and subsequently witcher 3.

 

[Helmholtz]

To be quite frank I played it on easy, as I only wanted to play it for story saves for witcher 2 and subsequently witcher 3.

Is that even worth it? Iirc the story in the first and second games are barely even related, and the primary cast in the first game basically takes a back seat in #2.

 

[abunai]

I had a friend who was like most people and couldn't bring themselves to play past the first chapter. I told him to keep going because it's worth it. After he got into chapter 2, he was awake for about a day and a half straight completing the game. He went back and played it 3 more times too.

It's that good. The atmosphere is much superior to The Witcher 2, and felt closer to how I imagined the world/universe from the books. The combat isn't everyone's cup of tea but I didn't mind it (but it is far from great). You actually feel like a witcher moreso than in the sequel, where the monster hunting side quests are much less frequent/interesting. I liked that, but some people might find them boring.

The way the story unfolds towards the end, and a couple of dialogue interactions in particular are very memorable. One of my favourite RPG's.

I'm just hoping the third game feels more like the first than the second. TW2 is great, but missing a few things from making it excellent.

 

[Sinatar]

I just want to throw out there that the ending to this game is the biggest mind fuck I've ever had in a game.

Spectacular.

 

[poopninjamvc3mk]

How would this run with the Intel HD 4600 iGPU?

You should have 0 problems tbh at least 720p

 

[10k]

whenever you get stuck/bored in it and feel like not playing it anymore feel free to jump to 2 really

1 is a great game, but it's not really representative of what the series is now. 2 is really really different, and it has a nice recap of 1 so don't feel like you HAVE to play through all of em if all you want is get up to speed on 3

I needed to read this post. Thank you. Last summer I tried real hard to like Witcher 1, but didn't like it. I bought both Witchers on a steam sale for cheap but I haven't jumped into 2 because I'm OCD when it comes to playing things in chronological order and getting into the story.

 

[Xyber]

I just installed it today actually.

I finished getting flowers for this lady. I made the wrong choice trying to collect them myself when I realized I didn't have any points spent on that damn talent and had just leveled before getting there. 100 coins wasted!

http://a.pomf.se/abxyon.webm

The hair is trying to say something I think.

 

[Mideon]

I played backwards. I finished 2 and needed more witcher so went on to finish 1. I love them both so much. 1 is much more like an rpg and 2 is an action rpg. I love the fact the fact that they are so different but are both amazing.

 

[Exuro]

I just want to throw out there that the ending to this game is the biggest mind fuck I've ever had in a game.

Spectacular.

Yep. Super satisfying ending. Absolutely loved it.

 

[Denton]

It looks hideous

This looks hideous to you?

For a game released in 2007 made on 2002 engine, it looks fantastic.
Performace was flawless last time I played it (3 years ago), constant 60fps, on GTX560Ti and 2500K. The problem you have will be something else.

And combat? I would argue that playing on hard makes it lot more fun. The flaming cursor is gone and it is more involving than just clicking when it changes color. Stances, various potions and oils and actual moving during combat become necessary.

Also, people, select OTS view.

Do not ever attempt to play in any other view. They suck ass, but OTS is perfect.

 

[Ermac]

They way Geralt holds his sword over his head and spins it in a circle is so funny to me.

Great game though.

 

[Dysun]

Combat is a complete joke besides The Beast. The world is great although visiting the same locales can get a bit tiresome. I enjoyed it alot

 

[Zushin]

Yeah I started playing through yesterday too, after having played the Witcher 2 a couple of years ago. Currently up to Chapter 2. Pretty good so far, combat isn't really too engaging but I'm enjoying myself none the less.

 

[Berto]

Chapter 4 is so, so good, incredible atmosphere. Low points are definitely the prologue and the swamp,

 

[Saintguine]

That you should prepare yourself for the shittiness that is Act II, which is a shame because everything else beyond it is amazing. Especially Act IV.

Also that your mother sucks dwarf cock.

 

[R1CHO]

Just finished playing it for the first time yesterday. It's enjoyable for its atmosphere, music and story. It looks hideous, performance is one of the worst ever, combat is monotonous clicking over and over with some super-long takedown animations and silly somersaults. Can definitely recommend playing on very easy, because you will get tired of combat pretty soon.

Opinions and all, but this is crazy.

Hideous? What? I restarted the game yesterday, I am not talking from memory. It just looks good.

Performance? 10 fps? WTF now really? The game runs in an old engine, and they made a great job back in the day, still you may have some cpu bottlenecks here and there as it's single threaded, but never 10 fps stuff, if you break the thing with mods, who's fault is that?


The combat stuff, I don't think is great, but one thing is true, in very easy the game is just click-click.

 

[ChawlieTheFair]

Is that even worth it? Iirc the story in the first and second games are barely even related, and the primary cast in the first game basically takes a back seat in #2.

Yeah but I didn't know that at the time, and I just wanted to get through it.

 

[Grumbul]

I really enjoyed The Witcher (yet to finish it however) but one thing that drove me insane was the 'head bob'.

No scouring of the internet enabled me to come up with a solution for this.

 

[SkeptiMism]

I actually just started to play the game a few days ago (for the first time). So far (I'm in chapter 2 now) I'm really enjoying the game. Sure, there are some pretty archaic systems in the game, but it's so incredibly atmospheric due to its looks (in my opinion beautiful) and music (awesome).

Mods to install:
Texturen Mod
High Res Character Models (can't remember if this was the name exacty, but it's linked before in this thread already)
Rise of the White Wolf (this hasn't been said before in the thread, adds quite a lot of stuff to the game)
Full Combat Rebalance Mod (changes combat to a slightly better and more fit to the books I think)

All of these mods are compatible with each other. I think Rise of the White Wolf tells the installation order too.

People are claiming the beast is hard? Aard stuns it, if you hit it while stunned you auto kill it. It literally takes 2 seconds.

Sure it's easy when Aard stuns, but it doesn't stun it nearly always. The first time I killed The Beast I stunned it the first time and one shotted it. But then I went back to a slightly earlier save to check something, and had to fight the beast for like 6 times before managing it.

 

[Window]

For me the two Witcher games are about on par. I actually really enjoyed the swamp area the first time you get there. Enemies here were extremely dangerous at this stage of the game and trekking through the swamp meant wisely using your potions, pulling individual enemies at a time from a horde while seeking out the next fireplace to rest at. I did run into a game breaking bug in Act 2 though....had to resort to using someone else's save.

 

[Megapsycho]

As much as I enjoyed Witcher 2, I feel the first game is much better as an RPG. The atmosphere and the story are much better. Combat is very confusing at first; I didn't get the timing concept right away, but it clicks in and works well enough. Once you start mastering more abilities, it becomes more fun. There is a larger bestiary in W1. Potion crafting and usage is superior in the first game, as well as inventory management, and the journal. Pretty much everything in the menu system is better in the first game. Also, bar fights reduced to QTEs in the second game was very disappointing. Both games look outstanding in Nvidia 3D Vision. And it's like Pokemon trying to collect all the fuck cards!
The only mod I used is the scabbard mod.

I'm really looking forward to The Witcher 3.

 

[Linkyn]

Though it's a little time-consuming (and, depending on your linguistic skills, rather difficult), I've found reading the books really helps you understand the lore a lot better.

 

[Deified Data]

Though it's a little time-consuming (and, depending on your linguistic skills, rather difficult), I've found reading the books really helps you understand the lore a lot better.

I was considering this, but every novel I've ever read that was translated from a foreign language has read very "off" to me.

 

[tringworldso]

As much as I enjoyed Witcher 2, I feel the first game is much better as an RPG. The atmosphere and the story are much better. Combat is very confusing at first; I didn't get the timing concept right away, but it clicks in and works well enough. Once you start mastering more abilities, it becomes more fun. There is a larger bestiary in W1. Potion crafting and usage is superior in the first game, as well as inventory management, and the journal. Pretty much everything in the menu system is better in the first game. Also, bar fights reduced to QTEs in the second game was very disappointing. Both games look outstanding in Nvidia 3D Vision. And it's like Pokemon trying to collect all the fuck cards!
The only mod I used is the scabbard mod.

I'm really looking forward to The Witcher 3.

Well said, I have the same opinion. For me W1 > W2 and it's interesting to see W3 go back to it's roots.

 

[Murtrod]

As much as I enjoyed Witcher 2, I feel the first game is much better as an RPG. The atmosphere and the story are much better. Combat is very confusing at first; I didn't get the timing concept right away, but it clicks in and works well enough. Once you start mastering more abilities, it becomes more fun. There is a larger bestiary in W1. Potion crafting and usage is superior in the first game, as well as inventory management, and the journal. Pretty much everything in the menu system is better in the first game. Also, bar fights reduced to QTEs in the second game was very disappointing. Both games look outstanding in Nvidia 3D Vision. And it's like Pokemon trying to collect all the fuck cards!
The only mod I used is the scabbard mod.

I'm really looking forward to The Witcher 3.

I actually agree with this. Witcher 2 for me is vastly superior in story telling, characters, and gameplay, but the skill tree and leveling in 1 is so satisfying. 2 worked out quite well, but was dull and too simple.

 

[jim-jam bongs]

Such a boring game, IMO. Combat is pretty horrid, most characters are pretty meh, and the story is barely memorable.

 

[itzknickknac]

I bought Witcher 2 to prepare for Witcher 3. I may now get Witcher 1 to play first.

 

[Deified Data]

I can't seem to find any ghouls in the first area...

 

[Makarov Cubone]

I can't seem to find any ghouls in the first area...

Outskirts right? Aside from the occasional random spawn around at night you're not going to encounter very many at all. You'll have to progress the main plot a little bit until you gain access to the outskirts' catacombs before you encounter them in any real numbers.

 

[Deified Data]

Outskirts right? Aside from the occasional random spawn around at night you're not going to encounter very many at all. You'll have to progress the main plot a little bit until you gain access to the outskirts' catacombs before you encounter them in any real numbers.

Ah cool, I was wondering when the crypt would open up. I'll just worry about it then.

Still making the rounds through the outskirts. Collected 2 naked lady cards so far. lol, can you imagine the uproar if a game shipped this year with a feature like that?

 

[dekline]

I will forever be upset that they removed the romance cards.

 

[Deified Data]

Chapter 1 down. Impressions...

• I actually like the combat quite a bit better than I thought I would. It's a happy medium between boring auto-attack and annoying "clickclickclickclickclick" attacking. I initially thought this game would be the latter.
• Nice creature variety. I enjoy having to change up stances and weapons on the fly depending on the type of mob I'm looking at.
• Is there a single best weapon to keep in your tertiary weapon slot at all times? I haven't found myself using any but the torch so far, but not that I started making Cat potions I don't really need that either.
• Dialogue is well-written and Geralt is starting to solidify in my mind as a unique character. Drunkenly slaying the monsters in that merchant's field was awesome.
• I don't think I've played a more sexist game since Sleeping Dogs. Going on a whole quest just to shag a bar wench at the mill was hilarious in its own way, but the way Abigail gives you a quicky to motivate you to not kill her made me feel like a creep. Damn you CDPR, how can you expect me to act like a gentleman when you throw collectible cards into the mix?!
• Chapter 1 had a very satisfying ending. Expected a straight "move into town, help out townsfolk, move on" sort of scenario. Got a lot more than that.
• Is it just me or is it always raining in this game? Maybe just in the Vizima Outskirts?

 

[Green Card]

I tried to like this game but I just got bored the two times I tried to play it. I read The Last Wish first too so I was really looking forward to it. Oh well I think I will still give Witcher 2 a shot hopefully it has better combat.

 

[Pakkidis]

Recently beat the wticher and although I enjoyed it a lot I thought it lacked focus. Keep in mind I played the witcher 2 first so that may have something to do with it .

I thought the skill tree was redundant with having to invest in both steal and silver attack styles. I went for the pure igni build and every other skill point went into everything else.

The combat was simple, just switch attack styles depending on enemy and click away. I was playing on normal so I'm sure hard would be more strategic.

The ending disappointed me a bit as well. The game has intriguing characters/sub plots and story lines yet it devolves into something cliche.

 

[Freedom = $1.05]

Chapter 1 down. Impressions...

• I actually like the combat quite a bit better than I thought I would. It's a happy medium between boring auto-attack and annoying "clickclickclickclickclick" attacking. I initially thought this game would be the latter.
• Nice creature variety. I enjoy having to change up stances and weapons on the fly depending on the type of mob I'm looking at.
• Is there a single best weapon to keep in your tertiary weapon slot at all times? I haven't found myself using any but the torch so far, but not that I started making Cat potions I don't really need that either.
• Dialogue is well-written and Geralt is starting to solidify in my mind as a unique character. Drunkenly slaying the monsters in that merchant's field was awesome.
• I don't think I've played a more sexist game since Sleeping Dogs. Going on a whole quest just to shag a bar wench at the mill was hilarious in its own way, but the way Abigail gives you a quicky to motivate you to not kill her made me feel like a creep. Damn you CDPR, how can you expect me to act like a gentleman when you throw collectible cards into the mix?!
• Chapter 1 had a very satisfying ending. Expected a straight "move into town, help out townsfolk, move on" sort of scenario. Got a lot more than that.
• Is it just me or is it always raining in this game? Maybe just in the Vizima Outskirts?

Hey, I just finished chapter one as well! I gotta say, by the fourth or fifth time someone asked me to help them out I was really fed up with them. Geralt runs ssssoooooo slowly and they have you backtrack a bunch in that chapter.

At the end they all got their's, though muahahaha.

 

[Nordicus]

Chapter 1 down. Impressions...

• Is there a single best weapon to keep in your tertiary weapon slot at all times? I haven't found myself using any but the torch so far, but not that I started making Cat potions I don't really need that either.

There really isn't, as far as I remember. All tertiary weapons are trash and they got rid of that outright in 2

• Is it just me or is it always raining in this game? Maybe just in the Vizima Outskirts?

It rains pretty damn often. What surprised me is that the NPCs will seek cover from it, which is far more detail than I expect from a game made in Neverwinter Nights engine

 

[Principate]

I was considering this, but every novel I've ever read that was translated from a foreign language has read very "off" to me.

Did you at least read the enhanced edition short story that was included with game. Since it directly correlates to the plot of the game. Anyway your in for a treat just keep with it has an amazing pay off.

 

[OrlanisWorks]

I've started the game again for the third time, this time making it finally to the first chapter. I'm reliving the beginning of Morrowind again, being lost and losing interest due to not being able to determine where I need to go. Goddammit, I've lost my patience and it suuuucks.

But I really like the game. I'm just lost and confused by the very first chapter's quests. Where the hell is the reverend? Dammit, I such a newb.

 

[RedSwirl]

I remember getting sucked into TW1 for the exploration, story, and getting really deep into the alchemy system. Every other part of the game was simply decent (except the graphics and performance).

 

[Daingurse]

People are claiming the beast is hard? Aard stuns it, if you hit it while stunned you auto kill it. It literally takes 2 seconds.

I believe that's how I ended up beating it, but I remember being frustrated myself. I recall having difficulty with the game at first, then around half-way through the game I felt fucking invincible. One of the stranger difficulty curves I've encountered.

I played The Witcher for the first time in 2011, beat it before I tackled The Witcher 2. Look past the jank, and you will find an excellent RPG.

 

[DrSlek]

But....that sword is for monsters!

 

[Minsc]

This game really delivers towards the end. It just keeps getting better and better, and doesn't really let you down. Rare game that does that anymore. Really enjoyed the quests, so many great and memorable (even disturbing) ones, in that sense it was stronger than the sequel.

 

[Murtrod]

Chapter 1 down. Impressions...

• I actually like the combat quite a bit better than I thought I would. It's a happy medium between boring auto-attack and annoying "clickclickclickclickclick" attacking. I initially thought this game would be the latter.
• Nice creature variety. I enjoy having to change up stances and weapons on the fly depending on the type of mob I'm looking at.
• Is there a single best weapon to keep in your tertiary weapon slot at all times? I haven't found myself using any but the torch so far, but not that I started making Cat potions I don't really need that either.
• Dialogue is well-written and Geralt is starting to solidify in my mind as a unique character. Drunkenly slaying the monsters in that merchant's field was awesome.
• I don't think I've played a more sexist game since Sleeping Dogs. Going on a whole quest just to shag a bar wench at the mill was hilarious in its own way, but the way Abigail gives you a quicky to motivate you to not kill her made me feel like a creep. Damn you CDPR, how can you expect me to act like a gentleman when you throw collectible cards into the mix?!
• Chapter 1 had a very satisfying ending. Expected a straight "move into town, help out townsfolk, move on" sort of scenario. Got a lot more than that.
• Is it just me or is it always raining in this game? Maybe just in the Vizima Outskirts?

Geralt's speech before the Beast is iconic for me (if you choose to defend the witch). Absolutely awesome.

The Beast fight had me so satisfied when I beat it on my ninth try... on NORMAL difficulty.

 

[Sera O]

Remember to prep potions for when things get tough, and use your signs - I remember getting a lot of mileage out of the one that you set like a trap. Other than that, enjoy. I don't recall many specifics about the game, but I remember having a good time.

The idea of the cards is kind of repellent, but when I got one that looked like a romance novel cover for satanists, I became really curious about what the others were like.

 

[Lasthope106]

My favorite Witcher game and my all time favorite western RPG. It's quite janky, but to me it delivered where it counts. Amazing story, characters and world. Act II can get tedious but looking back I remember that area fondly. It really served to immerse me in the game.

 

[Deified Data]

I thought the skill tree was redundant with having to invest in both steal and silver attack styles. I went for the pure igni build and every other skill point went into everything else.

Yes! This is probably one of my biggest complaints. A sword is a sword. Sure, different swords have different weight and balance, but this is a videogame and the steel and silver sword look almost identical in function. Wish there was just a straight "swordsmanship" skill tree. Would have opened up a skill tree for tertiary weapons like axes, perhaps.

I've started the game again for the third time, this time making it finally to the first chapter. I'm reliving the beginning of Morrowind again, being lost and losing interest due to not being able to determine where I need to go. Goddammit, I've lost my patience and it suuuucks.

But I really like the game. I'm just lost and confused by the very first chapter's quests. Where the hell is the reverend? Dammit, I such a newb.

With quest markers I'm not having too much trouble finding out where I need to go, especially since the map is so neatly labeled. But I agree that the day/night schedules of NPCs can make some of them hard to find. I had some trouble finding the Reverend a few times, as well.

I believe that's how I ended up beating it, but I remember being frustrated myself. I recall having difficulty with the game at first, then around half-way through the game I felt fucking invincible. One of the stranger difficulty curves I've encountered.

Yep, I just used Aard and beat it on my second try. I can't imagine how annoying it must have been to have to click through Geralt's speech every time the Beast killed you. If I didn't have the Aard advice I probably never would have tried that sign on him and might have given up in frustration.

The idea of the cards is kind of repellent, but when I got one that looked like a romance novel cover for satanists, I became really curious about what the others were like.

Yep, I know in my gut that it's kind of awful but the art's so good I feel compelled.

 

[JaseC]

I'm disappointed that CDPR didn't replace the sex cards with something comparable in TW2. The fact that they were condition-based rather than simply "Talk to this person and bed them" meant that obtaining them all was a mini-game in itself.

 

[Daingurse]

With quest markers I'm not having too much trouble finding out where I need to go, especially since the map is so neatly labeled. But I agree that the day/night schedules of NPCs can make some of them hard to find. I had some trouble finding the Reverend a few times, as well.

I remember this! I could not find that motherfucker sometimes either, lol