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The Witcher 3 vs Skyrim: which did you prefer?
- Thread starter CaptainofIndustry
- Start date
Complicated
Banned
Can't think of an aspect of Skyrim that isn't done better in the Witcher 3. I definitely prefer roleplaying the well-defined protagonist over the blank slate that nobody acknowledges even when you make your mark on the world. If we were comparing Witcher 3 and Morrowind I think it would be a tougher decision. My top two games of all time.
Primethius
Banned
Witcher 3, no contest.
Skyrim was an absolutely mediocre game in almost all aspects. I personally consider it one of the most overrated games of all time.
Skyrim was an absolutely mediocre game in almost all aspects. I personally consider it one of the most overrated games of all time.
Norwegian_Imposter
Member
The witcher 3 without a doubt!
ElfArmy177
Member
Skyrim no contest for me. Feels more atmospheric and immersive to me because of first person. Love the locations and music. Restarted Witcher 3.. about 5 times and still can't stand it.
This is my biggest problem with Skyrim. What's the point of having the freedom to be anyone/do anything if nobody in the world acknowledges your actions? It makes the world in Skyrim feel so flat and stagnant.
PapaEmeritus
Member
Skyrim for me, I hated the Witcher 3
_/¯
Ploid 3.0
Member
This thread, a day later, made me think over the many adventures I had with TES and Bethesda Fallout games. In Fallout NV I was able to go through the game as a person that was obsessed with becoming the best puncher in the wasteland, and it actually worked. The journey was made so much better because of that mindset. It was unique to me, and these types of personal adventures trump anything a game creator crafts for me. Like I said, with Oblivion it was about stealth, sneak attacks, and getting rich on robbing castles blind.
For me games that allow you to customize more, make your own stories, and accommodate the idea of role playing in this way are just better. I remember the way Oblivion was set up to make you better the more you did things. So I was actually training with bows, magic casting, and agility by practicing them. It may have been a bit tedious but in the end I liked it. In Skyrim I could get lost in it's world, because my character was free to do whatever I felt. I'm sure Witcher 3 could have moments like this, but with my short time with it, it didn't feel like it.
A person here played through Witcher 3 2 times 100% and is half way through the 3rd. I started to ask for tips on playing that makes it so enjoyable, but didn't want to sound like a jerk. I also play through RPGs a lot of different times, but mostly to play as different roles, builds, and just to see how differently things will end up (Dragon Age games, Divinity OS especially). Playing through Witcher 2 again was quite boring for me. I didn't feel different going through that long intro with the 3 different stories, and it really put me off of getting to the meat of the game the second times. Those beginning areas had me fighting sleep, though maybe because I was probably already sleepy and I was doing the same thing over again with hardly any change to the character build, I couldn't start as a archer, mage, or anything different to spice things up.
So because of the way I like to play RPGs, Skyrim is the clear winner of this match up, but there are so many others that take Skyrim's lunch money. I'm looking forward to TES next, though after Fallout 4, I probably shouldn't. That engine seems very needed, and allows Bethesda to do the things these games excel in. If I were them I'd put so much money into getting engineers to make a better one that still allows the random items and what not.
Character creation, magic, archery, stealthy exploration, I don't feel too far into W3 but NPC routines? Gear customization to suit your play style is also a good one. I haven't made it to dungeons in Witcher, but I do like enemy encounters where I end up taking over their position and snooping through their things (loot, notes, and such).
For me games that allow you to customize more, make your own stories, and accommodate the idea of role playing in this way are just better. I remember the way Oblivion was set up to make you better the more you did things. So I was actually training with bows, magic casting, and agility by practicing them. It may have been a bit tedious but in the end I liked it. In Skyrim I could get lost in it's world, because my character was free to do whatever I felt. I'm sure Witcher 3 could have moments like this, but with my short time with it, it didn't feel like it.
A person here played through Witcher 3 2 times 100% and is half way through the 3rd. I started to ask for tips on playing that makes it so enjoyable, but didn't want to sound like a jerk. I also play through RPGs a lot of different times, but mostly to play as different roles, builds, and just to see how differently things will end up (Dragon Age games, Divinity OS especially). Playing through Witcher 2 again was quite boring for me. I didn't feel different going through that long intro with the 3 different stories, and it really put me off of getting to the meat of the game the second times. Those beginning areas had me fighting sleep, though maybe because I was probably already sleepy and I was doing the same thing over again with hardly any change to the character build, I couldn't start as a archer, mage, or anything different to spice things up.
So because of the way I like to play RPGs, Skyrim is the clear winner of this match up, but there are so many others that take Skyrim's lunch money. I'm looking forward to TES next, though after Fallout 4, I probably shouldn't. That engine seems very needed, and allows Bethesda to do the things these games excel in. If I were them I'd put so much money into getting engineers to make a better one that still allows the random items and what not.
Character creation, magic, archery, stealthy exploration, I don't feel too far into W3 but NPC routines? Gear customization to suit your play style is also a good one. I haven't made it to dungeons in Witcher, but I do like enemy encounters where I end up taking over their position and snooping through their things (loot, notes, and such).
Copper
Member
Don't really know if it's fair to compare but Skyrim with mods makes it a completely different animal. I'm playing through with 100's of mods installed and can say it hands down beats everything in W3 except main story. I'm really exited for the special edition to see what kind of possibilities open up without the memory limitations.
Ploid 3.0
Member
Totally, even without the mods though, I still know I'd enjoy Skyrim more. I started out on PS3 (Oblivion, Fallout3, and Fallout NV) and I later moved to PC, Bethesda's TES and Fallout are an amazing experience for me. My H2H character in F:NV for example, some underground facility capture me and take my gear? They think they disarmed me? Wrong!
GametimeUK
Member
I unfairly look back at Skyrim with a weird feeling of... Can't find the word... I'm gonna go with hatred (a bit strong, but you catch my drift, I'm a bit of a hater). I don't know why I look back and reflect in such a bitter manner because in my head I know I remember I thought it was magnificent and I liked it more than the Witcher 3... but ask me what game is better and I'll feel inclined to say Witcher.
Why?!?!?!?! It makes no sense.
Why?!?!?!?! It makes no sense.
The Last Wizard
Member
I'd give it to W3 only cause it has a better narrative, both games combat systems are ass though.
BigTnaples
Todd Howard's Secret GAF Account
They're completely different experiences and types of game really.
manfestival
Member
Witcher 3 is a better game in every aspect except mods.
RunTheBrules
Member
Guess I'm the only person who didn't enjoy the Witcher.
Skyrim had the better world and was overall more immersive. The inclusion of a mini-map in The Witcher III broke my sense of environment in the game at time (and yes I know you can disable it).
With that said . . . Witcher III is better literally everywhere else and is the overall better game. I will say I enjoy both soundtrack immensely.
With that said . . . Witcher III is better literally everywhere else and is the overall better game. I will say I enjoy both soundtrack immensely.
Corpsepyre
Banned
The Witcher 3, baby! Fuck all the other RPGs.
Skyrim:
- given sets of objectives which seem like checklists
- walk to checklist items and do something
- repeat for rest of game
- moving around feels like shit
- world is nice but feels basically like a map with checklists on it
- occasionally get in fights where you swing/fire at empty air which enemies happen to be standing in, usually while backpedalling for minutes at a time
- the story and writing is nice
- but only really enjoyable if you turn off subtitles
The Witcher 3:
- given sets of objectives which feel like an adventure rather than a checklist
- even if task is similar to other ones, it still has unique camera angles, phenomenal writing, unbelievable design (level and character) which feels real and it often truly impacts the world or other aspects
- repeat throughout rest of game but then also get surprising break-out situations that mix up the gameplay flow
- moving around feels alright but the world is so well realised it's incredible to journey through
- often get in fights which have a couple of bad bits of design (encounter design) but on the whole is reactive, intense, and true to the character, requiring a lot of strategy and concentration
- story and writing is unbelievable - enjoyable no matter what, although you may have to power through some hours of exposition if you're not familiar with the series
- given sets of objectives which seem like checklists
- walk to checklist items and do something
- repeat for rest of game
- moving around feels like shit
- world is nice but feels basically like a map with checklists on it
- occasionally get in fights where you swing/fire at empty air which enemies happen to be standing in, usually while backpedalling for minutes at a time
- the story and writing is nice
- but only really enjoyable if you turn off subtitles
The Witcher 3:
- given sets of objectives which feel like an adventure rather than a checklist
- even if task is similar to other ones, it still has unique camera angles, phenomenal writing, unbelievable design (level and character) which feels real and it often truly impacts the world or other aspects
- repeat throughout rest of game but then also get surprising break-out situations that mix up the gameplay flow
- moving around feels alright but the world is so well realised it's incredible to journey through
- often get in fights which have a couple of bad bits of design (encounter design) but on the whole is reactive, intense, and true to the character, requiring a lot of strategy and concentration
- story and writing is unbelievable - enjoyable no matter what, although you may have to power through some hours of exposition if you're not familiar with the series
MR ARCADE FOREVER
Member
I never played Skyrim will the remaster version coming up soon have better graphics on pc?
GeordieMark
Member
I loved Skyrim, but it is pretty shallow. The Witcher 3 has so much more going on in terms of quest design and storytelling. Obviously it's a different take on RPGs to Skyrim's approach, but it just feels like a much more mature and deep game. For me, TW3 is the best RPG I've ever played, so it's an easy decision.
PumpkinPie
Banned
Skyrim, surprisingly. After all the hype TW3 was disappointing. Everything was copy and pasted, it wasn't a true open world and I didn't think it was graphically amazing on PS4 either.
There are two different definitions of 'role playing game' in the sphere:
- games where you role-play a specific character
- games where you role-play a character you have made up
Obviously both overlap, but in this case there's a huge divide between The Witcher, which is the former and a masterwork for it, and Skyrim/TES generally which are the latter and pull it off really well.
I played Skyrim for 8 hours and just couldn't stomach it any more. It just felt like walking from checklist to checklist and occasionally getting in a shit-tier fight.
However, I did have an incredible amount of fun with the game for about two hours. This was when I decided to role play a thief. Up until then I hadn't been role-playing; I'd just been moseying about doing occasional quests and levelling my character and shit. But when I deiceded to focus, to drill down into one role, and look for the thieves' guild etc, it started getting really compelling. I joined them, did a couple of missions, started rising through the ranks...
But again, shit-tier mechanics (stealth) and the eventual decision to try the main quest again (and it was shit) just put me off the game for good.
This experience was entirely on Xbox 360. I actually have the PC version of the game. If you guys recommend any particular mods, I'd be happy to try it again.
Today's opposite day, right?
It literally does all three of those points better than Skyrim, and tenfold IMO. A more open world (plus at least 5 times bigger), almost no copy pasting of assets, and graphics that blow Skyrim out of the water (sans mods, and this isn't fair because they're a gen apart anyway).
There are other things that Skyrim definitely does better, but you picked those specific aspects? Those are precisely the things TW3 did better than Skyrim, unequivocally.
This is my take. I prefer Skyrim purely because it scratches a larger itch for me, but Witcher certainly destroys Skyrim in terms of presentation, story, and execution
JimJamJones
Member
lordfuzzybutt
Member
I liked Skyrim a lot. Spent around 80 hours on it.
TW3, however, is on a whole another level. It's on top of my top 5 GOAT.
Opinions and all that but I feel like taking crazy pills here.
TW3, however, is on a whole another level. It's on top of my top 5 GOAT.
Opinions and all that but I feel like taking crazy pills here.
Vincent Grayson
Member
Witcher 3 has a ton of unique, bespoke content. But it also has a lot of Ubisoft-style open world stuff, like the villages you free, monster nests, and a good chunk of the treasure (especially in the water in Skellige).
Personally, as someone who loved Skyrim I wouldn't advise jumping in at this point in all honesty. I think for many the ship will have sailed without them knowing it. We are talking about a game that is 5yrs old on an engine that is older. It doesn't hold up, at least to me, as strongly as FO3 or FNV and FO3 holding up is probably up for discussion (I love them both).
Having said that if you play on PC with all the right mods it can certainly entertain you for a good few hours, just don't expect it to stand up against Witcher 3
Having said that if you play on PC with all the right mods it can certainly entertain you for a good few hours, just don't expect it to stand up against Witcher 3
How long it took to fix compatibility and stability issues? Riding that out dated engine hard if pushing 100's of mods on it. Also I would say it really isn't that fair to compare extremely modded and pimped out game to another game with next to no modding even available. Compare vanilla to vanilla I say, even if modding is what enables Bethesda games to rise from sea of mediocrity.
It's a fair point, but considering the original question was regarding getting the remastered version which has visual and performance improvements, all the dlc, and mod support it's not really about comparing a 5yr old vanilla game to a fairly recent vanilla game.
Vincent Grayson
Member
It's a bit of weird comparison in the first place, since Skyrim launched the same year as The Witcher *2*, and handily beats that game in just about every way (IMO).
Shake Appeal
Member
There isn't a single thing I can think of that Skyrim does better than The Witcher 3, except, like... character customization? And why would I want to be one of Bethesda's weird mannequins over Geralt?
Interfectum
Gold Member
Without a doubt, The Witcher 3.
MiamiWesker
Member
Still blows me away how many people just set aside how simplistic and boring the gameplay of witcher 3 is just cause the story is enjoyable. I guess that's what people want. Everyone is fine with the same exact quest repeated over and over, go to marker, follow red line cause how dare the player have to think, kill this thing you killed a bunch of times before, enjoy some sob story about a guy who murdered someone. There is no real freedom in the gameplay of witcher, no emergent gameplay, it's heavily scripted. Now games that are well designed with actual gameplay variety, well designed dungeons, a deep combat system, and good puzzles it's ok to be scripted.
At least TES game have actual gameplay freedom. Random walks around the world could lead to crazy situations like battling a bear from a mountain top form through a giant valley where the Giants join in on the fight and then a dragon shows up. There is actual options like playing as a thief, or being a general asshole, or being a true Mage. Yeah it's clunky at times and the story isn't as good as witcher but at least the gameplay is ambitious.
At least TES game have actual gameplay freedom. Random walks around the world could lead to crazy situations like battling a bear from a mountain top form through a giant valley where the Giants join in on the fight and then a dragon shows up. There is actual options like playing as a thief, or being a general asshole, or being a true Mage. Yeah it's clunky at times and the story isn't as good as witcher but at least the gameplay is ambitious.
I always hear that the Witcher 3's quests don't feel like a slog and that everything flows nicely, but I never believe them. I heard the same thing about Fall Out, Skyrim, Dragon Age Inquisition, etc. I loved the Witcher 2 but that was much more linear an experience. Skyrim's atmosphere was neat, and I loved getting lost in it, but nearly all the quests felt like a chore, and having a massive quest list and waypoint markers just made me feel like nothing had any meaning. And sometimes quests sit in your inventory so long that you don't remember when you picked them up.
I really want to try The Witcher 3, but I don't want to end up feeling bored halfway in like with Skyrim or DA Inquisition. Few quick questions:
When you walk into a populated area in The Witcher 3, do you immediately see 4 or 5 quest markers in town? If you collect all of them, do they take you all over creation, to the point where you will stumble across several other hubs with 4 or 5 quests, and end up with 30 quests taking you all over the map?
Are there bullshit quests? By that I mean 'deliver my letter to my ex husband half way around the globe' *delivers letter* 'thanks!' +200XP. Or, kill 10 bears for bear belts, bring them back, +100XP.
How is the loot progression? In DA Inquisition, I felt like I had the same helmet for 95% of the game. Are you frequently finding better gear, or is it the same where loot = gold.
How are the vendors? Do they sell worthwhile items?
How is the encumbrance system? Does it feel limiting?
I really want to try The Witcher 3, but I don't want to end up feeling bored halfway in like with Skyrim or DA Inquisition. Few quick questions:
When you walk into a populated area in The Witcher 3, do you immediately see 4 or 5 quest markers in town? If you collect all of them, do they take you all over creation, to the point where you will stumble across several other hubs with 4 or 5 quests, and end up with 30 quests taking you all over the map?
Are there bullshit quests? By that I mean 'deliver my letter to my ex husband half way around the globe' *delivers letter* 'thanks!' +200XP. Or, kill 10 bears for bear belts, bring them back, +100XP.
How is the loot progression? In DA Inquisition, I felt like I had the same helmet for 95% of the game. Are you frequently finding better gear, or is it the same where loot = gold.
How are the vendors? Do they sell worthwhile items?
How is the encumbrance system? Does it feel limiting?
DryvBy
Member
The Witcher 3 by miles.
I really didn't think Skyrim was anything amazing outside of the graphics for it's time and ease to play. But the story wasn't spectacular and I felt like I was doing that same thing over and over again (go in cave, kill everything, get something at the end). That said, the Skyrim mod community is amazing.
As someone who likes being a general a-hole thief, Skyrim and Oblivion felt like a giant step down from Morrowind. Also, I find Skyrim's combat to be more boring than Witcher's. I ran into more cool encounters in Witcher than Skyrim. A griffin landing in inches behind me while I was harvesting flowers on a cliff side scared the crap out of me.
I really didn't think Skyrim was anything amazing outside of the graphics for it's time and ease to play. But the story wasn't spectacular and I felt like I was doing that same thing over and over again (go in cave, kill everything, get something at the end). That said, the Skyrim mod community is amazing.
As someone who likes being a general a-hole thief, Skyrim and Oblivion felt like a giant step down from Morrowind. Also, I find Skyrim's combat to be more boring than Witcher's. I ran into more cool encounters in Witcher than Skyrim. A griffin landing in inches behind me while I was harvesting flowers on a cliff side scared the crap out of me.
Raven117
Member
While I thought Skyrim was excellent, I thought Witcher 3 is the best game of the generation so far and arguably the best open world RPG ever.
To me, they finally hit that formula of pulling together an open world, but still giving you a purpose in it...and story lines that did indeed interact, especially with sidequests.
To me, they finally hit that formula of pulling together an open world, but still giving you a purpose in it...and story lines that did indeed interact, especially with sidequests.
Grindlefly
Member
Skyrim for me. Only because I liked to create my character. I didn't care much for Geralt and for that reason I wasn't as invested in the universe. That being said, the witcher is a stronger rpg experience for sure
alexbull_uk
Member
I really didn't enjoy the Witcher 3 at all. Gave up about 5hrs in because it was just that boring I didn't want to continue.
Skyrim on the other hand I've played for 350hrs and loved every second.
Skyrim on the other hand I've played for 350hrs and loved every second.
Why would you compate these two games?
Skyrim came out in 2011! You could compare Skyrim and Witcher 2.
Also: If you want to create your own character and your own story in the deep and profound elder scrolls universe, Skyrim is the better game.
If you want character-driven story, were you have no influence on the development of your character, his skills and so own, Witcher 3 is your game.
Skyrim came out in 2011! You could compare Skyrim and Witcher 2.
Also: If you want to create your own character and your own story in the deep and profound elder scrolls universe, Skyrim is the better game.
If you want character-driven story, were you have no influence on the development of your character, his skills and so own, Witcher 3 is your game.