The Witcher FAQ/Tips

This FAQ is intended for the fans who have enjoyed, played and finished at least once, and are now wondering what quests, and other goodies they may have missed. In short, the FAQ is written for those that want to get more out of the game!
Note: I am assuming you more or less know how the game works, i.e. you learned the basics from playing . If you want to be informed of things that go beyond "just winning the game", keep reading.
The FAQ makes extensive use of The Witcher Wiki, mainly highlighting things of note. Should you miss specific details, feel free to check with the wiki, it is quite content complete.
== The Witcher gameplay Goals? ==
There are quite a few things you can/will want to achieve when playing the game:
* Unravel the story around witcher Geralt.
* Character Building: Create a powerful witcher.
* Level up your char as far as possible, i.e. maximize XP gain (grinding is possible), also see Maximizing Experience Points.
* Use alchemy to your advantage (there is not really any experimentation though).
* Read books and scrolls to learn new abilities, i.e. recognize plants / monsters or brew potions from recipes.
* Collect and earn heaps of orens (gold).
* Collect meteorite ore pieces and runes to upgrade your swords.
* Collect all the Romance cards.
* Play the mini-games.
* Solve all the quests and side-quests.
* Have fun!
== How to Maximize your XP? ==
If you want to maximize your experience point counts, to thus push your PC Level. Look into Rank Progression to find out how many Talents you get per XP level.
:Note: This game is not XP limited. Even though the amount of XP you gain via quests is limited, most monsters respawn again and again. Making any record in XP, less of a skill and more like a gruelling game of "monster grinding".
:Comment: I reached Level 39 on my "pretty complete" first run, but with some grinding it should be quite possible to reach a mid-forties level. (AEon)
Tips:
* An obvious tip to start off: Play and complete as many quests and side-quests as possible.
* Play the mini-games, see the The Mini-games? Q&A.
* Go out of your way to "clean up" all enemies. In some areas the monsters will respawn again and again. E.g. in Chapter I the drowners near the river (at night), the ghouls in crypts, and the barghest on the Outskirt paths at night.
* Read up on Maximizing Experience Points, with in-depth, chapter-by-chapter guide on how to get all the XP out of .
== How to Run faster? ==
The normal running speed of the Geralt is, compared to the walking speed, already quite brisk for a RPG. But should you want to run even faster, draw the silver sword (-key by default), and switch to either group (-key) or fast (-key) style to then run slightly more quickly.
Note: In peaceful areas (Location Safe top-right in HUD) it is not possible to draw your swords.
== How to See in the dark? ==
Geralt does some spelunking in caves, crypts, and sewers were the visibility in the dark can almost drop to zero. So he needs a means to see in the dark:
* The traditional way to light caves is the use of a Torch. This has some disadvantages though, when trying to use a sword (i.e. attack) or pick up something the torch is sheathed.
* A much better method to see in the dark is to use the Cat potion. It works really well, and is the way to go in almost all cases. This does raise Geralt's Toxicity level though.
* It turns out that the Quen Sign (yellow) actually is a good light source, if Geralt is missing a potion or a torch, and conveniently the shield does not turn off when looting. (Pigrum)
* Finally for infrared vision Geralt can consume the De Vries' Extract. Alas, it does not really help much in the game, since there are no invisible monsters. It can be fun, for a short time, to run around looking at the world in false colors. The potion has almost no tactical advantage though. And you will not discover anything "invisible" or "hidden" either.
== Harvest / Loot more Quickly? ==
By default when harvesting plants, searching remains, or looting chests the Inventory will be opened. Especially if the potential loot is known, e.g. for plants, this method is very tiring and slow.
:Solution: Simply hold the -key while on something you want to search. Icons of the items added to your Inventory will float up from the object.
:This novelty, introduced in the Enhanced Edition, is not only convenient for plants but also for monsters. When looking into chests, the old method should be preferred though, letting you look over what you are about to pick up.
== Interacting with Objects? ==
Aside from NPCs, you can interact (open, use) with Barrels, Chests, Wardrobes, Dressers, Plants, and the Remains of slain enemies. Be sure to check all of these, when they have a blue interaction text hovering above them, since most of them yield loot:
* All sorts of valuables, weapons, food, potions, plants, and junk that can either be used or sold.
* Orens coins.
* Meteorite ore and runes.
* Scrolls, books increasing Geralt's knowledge.
* Ingredients for alchemy.
== First-time Dialogue Options? ==
Usually dialogues with NPCs will let you re-ask questions, letting you listing to stories or valuable information a second time.
Note: In such dialogue trees, the dialogues you have already followed are greyed out, helping you remember old information and notice new dialogue options!
But in several cases your first interaction with a new NPC, can yield unique one-time-only dialogues. You can also insult NPCs in dialogues, thus barring your game from future useful dialogue trees! At times leaving the area (e.g. via door, leading to a level load) can reset this block, letting you talk to the NPC again, but not always.
Tip: Always quicksave before you talk to a new NPC. Should the dialogue not go well, simply quickload again. This lets you experiment with the dialogue options.
== Is there a Crime System? ==
Differing from other RPGs, in , the looting of objects (see the Interacting with Objects? Q&A) is not considered a crime. The NPCs completely ignore this.
Violent repercussions usually occur through either dialogues or by some "automatic" area trigger, spawning foes. But you can accidentally attack "innocents", while fighting monsters (very rare, e.g. Village Militia fighting barghest in the Outskirts).
Warning: Killing mercenaries guarding the Inn in the Outskirts or city guards in the Temple Quarter will put the Headhunter on your trail, he is very difficult to defeat.
== Fleeing from Foes in Combat? ==
Usually you should be able to outrun your foes when combat is initiated, thus letting you leave the area of combat, should the fight not go well. Or if you cannot leave the area, at least you can keep out of reach by running in circles.
Note: The foes only follow you for a certain distance and then give up.
In a few cases, this running away tactic will not work:
* You loose in a fistfight if you try to run away, i.e. leave the arena.
* In other situations there may not be anywhere to run to. When cornered on a bridge or in castle halls, you can jump over foes by double-tapping the appropriate direction key when your sword is drawn.
:Tip: When e.g. Swallow cannot regenerate your health quickly enough, running away will give you an extra moments breather. Does not work well against foes that shoot projectiles, though. The Sign Quen (shield) is also a good choice when you are low on health trying to run away and/or trying to regenerate.
:Also note that you cannot enter buildings or leave areas (load screen) when in combat mode.
== Combat Tips? ==
After playing the game for a while it becomes quite clear how useful the Signs are, here a few tips:
* When exploring Crypts with many dangerous monsters, avoid moving around after killing the current flock of foes. This avoids triggering the next batch of monsters, giving you time to recover and quicksave. (Game widow)
* During combat the game cannot be saved, so be sure to use a combat pause to save the game, just in case.
* If everything fails, remember you can usually outrun your foes. Also do not underestimate the use of geometry (a column, or sarcophagus), letting you keep the monster on the other side.
* Start investing Talents in the first two Signs you learn in the game, since they are very powerful against foes:
:* Aard (blue) lets you stun monsters and humans, letting you strike them down with one single blow with the sword, the Coups de grâce. Especially useful against tenacious Fleders or Alghouls.
:* Igni (red) lets you torch everything around you. This is pretty much the only remote combat "weapon" available to the witcher (if you ignore traps and bombs). Keep flaming your oppnent, run in circles until the Endurance has regenerated (drink Tawny Owl), then torch again, repeat. This lets you beat the toughest opponents.
:* Quen (yellow) lets you create a temporary shield around Geralt. As soon as you use another Sign or attack the shield will fail. Use the Sign when fighting in cramped surroundings, where it is difficult to avoid opponents by simply running in circles. Once the shield is up you can drink potions or wait for Vitality and Endurance to regenerate. Very useful!
* Switch to Group style when fighting more than one foe using the silver sword for monsters and the steel sword for humans. Especially against several Drowners this is very effective.
* With a strong sign-centred character build, creating traps via Yrden (purple) can be quite effective. To avoid taking damage while you power-up the trap (press and hold ), cast the Quen (yellow) shield beforehand. This works because the shield does not deactivate until after the enemies take damage, giving ample time to cast it. (Pigrum)
* If you have invested many talents in Yrden, place a trap (normal ) at a corner a foe needs to navigate. E.g. when fighting the huge spider, Koshchey, place it near the central colum, the spider needs to move around to get at you. The beast will run into the spikes, but be pushed back, this repeats. You can then stand safely on the other side of the trap. This even works really well with Azar Javed: Place a trap near the small "bridge" that leads out of the pit towards the stairs, then walk up the stars and wait for Azar to walk into the trap. He will get spiked again and again.
* Most boss fights cannot be won by directly attacking with Signs or the swords. There is usually a clever game mechanic that lets you kill them in another manner. So pay close attention to your surroundings, and make use of them.
== Backtracking and Meditation? ==
A well prepared fighter, is a fighter that survives the next battle!
It is always a good idea to completely regenerate before you enter a new area, e.g. a cave or tavern etc. Thus backtracking to the next campfire will improve your chances of surviving the next fight.
Since Geralt automatically heals (Vitality), regenerates Endurance, and also reduces Toxicity over time, you simply need to stand around and wait. It is more efficient to visit a campfire and meditate for an hour or so, though. This completely revitalises the PC.
Note: You can also sleep at an inn or some hut with a "bed".
Especially during combat, you may want to consume various goods to up your Vitality or Endurance values. Potions are most potent in this respect, so ensure you always have some at hand, especially Swallow and Tawny Owl.
Whenever you encounter / find a Place of Power perform the Ritual of Magic to boost sign power by 100%. Also take advantage of the sign boosts provided by the Circle of Elements.
== Revisited areas yield new Items? ==
During the game you will revisit areas, the second time under slightly different circumstances.
Examples:
* The Crypt in the outskirts opens up after you killed the monsters in the first chambers (and have talked to Mikul). The soldiers wanting to loot the crypt open up the previously blocked passages to the rest of the crypt.
* Between Chapter II and III, the Temple Quarter is still accessible from the Trade Quarter, you can thus re-loot the Temple Quarter. The same is true for the Dike and Swamp.
Tip: Be sure to very carefully re-investigate the revisited areas. Quite often you will find valuable "hidden" items or monsters carrying them.
== Safe Item Storage Location? ==
Normally anything you drop on the floor, will be removed by the game after you leave the area (load screen). And the chests and other loot containers cannot be used to store your items either!
There seems to exist one safe heaven for items in the game, in Chapter III visit the Elven ruins in the Sewers. One could call these elegant premises Geralt's home away from home, a teleporter for fast transport is available, so is a fireplace for meditation. You even live in the exquisite company of an ever-respawning Alp.
Floor Storage: What makes the Elven ruins so special is the fact that anything you drop on the floor in the two main rooms (teleport, campfire), will not be removed by the game. So you can drop excess items here.
Note: Once you enter Chapter IV anything you dropped here will obviously be gone, because you will never be able to return to these ruins after Chapter III.
Looting Tip: When playing the Order path, after the bank robbery, quite a few Scoia'tael will be lying dead on the floor in the connecting corridors to the Elven ruins. You can pick up their weapons, while still in the bank, use the main entrance and sell to the trade quarter armourer. The weapons in the ruins can be extracted by the sewers. None of the stuff in the bank despawns during the quest. Some weapons actually respawn (order hammer). None of the weapons in the ruins despawn ever. Although you can grind money just as fast (if not faster) by winning at boxing matches in the New Narakort Inn.
See the Storage opportunities Q&A.
== Cannot collect / identify plants? ==
By default Geralt cannot collect plants, he requires the Herbalism skill to identify and harvest plants, plus has to read books on herbs. Whenever a plant is unidentifiable (Unknown herb), this is a hint that you should invest into more books related to plants, e.g. from some Antiquaries.
== Heal / reduce Toxicity? ==
To reduce Geralt's Toxicity, drink the White Honey potion, rest for several hours meditating, or perform the Purification Ritual in a Place of Power.
== Drunk? How to get Sober again? ==
After a drinking contest Geralt will barely be able to stand on his two feet, plus his vision is massively blurred. To get sober again either drink the Wives' Tears potion, or rest for several hours meditating.
see Intoxication
== Looking for Spoilers? ==
If you are looking for various tips and help on how to get the most out of the game then look into the spoilers page, The Witcher spoiler checklist, and Gameplay Quick Guide.
== View-mode Tips? ==
For players used to First Person Shooters the Over the Shoulder (OTS; -key) view should be the most natural mode. And works very well when exploring the game for Object Names (especially if you turn them on/off via a key). Or when trying to locate from where a monster is attacking.
But there are a few cases were the isometric view modes are very useful as well (-key and -key):
* When walking in the Swamp cemetery with high vegetation, orientation can be quite difficult, sometimes claustrophobic, in OTS, use isometric view instead.
* To a lesser degree this is also the case in the Fields.
* When e.g. traveling the Outskirts, Geralt will have to do quite a bit of running about. Switch to isometric view and simply click on the ground where you need to go, then lean back and watch Geralt automatically navigate around obstacles with a few clicks. Very relaxing.
== Aard, Physics and Loot? ==
When spelunking in e.g. crypts, but basically anywhere you engage in combat with potential loot in the vicinity (mostly in barrels), be very careful when using the Aard (blue) Sign. The physics in the game do not effect much, but when attacking foes you can actually also destroy barrels containing loot, this destroys the loot as well!
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