Oils are like potions and decoctions, but they're for coating your blade.Decoctions are like potions, but stronger and more toxic.But they'll also raise your toxicity (see the HUD diagram above!), and if you breach 90% toxicity you'll overdose and start to take health damage. Potions are crafted from monster parts and herbs (for the most part), and when imbibed they will give you some sort of significant benefit for a short time.What I mean is you need to make use of all the other mechanics in The Witcher 3 that directly affect your chances of survival: potions, oils, and bombs. Trouble is, you're still getting your ass handed to you. Okay: so you know when to dodge, roll, and counterattack. And smaller swarmer enemies like Nekkers and Drowners can be parried without issue.īut the guideline is: counter human attacks and dodge monster attacks. There are exceptions for example, spearmen and heavy axe-wielding soldiers can stun you with their attacks if you block them, so you should use dodges instead in this instance. In general, you should use counterattacks against humans, and dodges/rolls against monsters. This costs you more in energy and recovery time than dodging, but it's your best bet for avoiding big charge attacks and the like, and it's the fastest way to put distance between yourself and the enemy. Roll: tap Space (by default) to roll in the direction you're moving.This is your bread-and-butter damage avoidance technique, and it's your best defence against heavy attacks. Dodge: tap Alt (by default) and you will dodge in the direction you're moving.
Again, if you attempt to use this against a heavy attack you'll be stunned, but otherwise it allows you to quickly recover ready for a counter attack, while knocking your opponent off-balance and opening them up for your attack. Counterattack: this is when you perfectly time your parry by right-clicking just as the attack lands.This will reduce or completely negate damage from most light attacks, but against heavy attacks you will be stunned if you attempt to parry.
Parry: hold right-click (by default) to block with your sword.Now let's get into the combat itself, and what better place to start than the methods of avoiding damage? Let's go over them one by one: The lesson? Make sure not only that you have the right mutagens and talents equipped, but also that you position them correctly to get the very best synergies out of them.
So a red mutagen that provides a base +5% to attack power will be upgrade to 10%/15%/20% with 1/2/3 red talents placed next to it.
One of the most painful combat sins I see newer Witcher 3 players commit is the sin of not taking good care of your weapons. Just spend as much time as you need studying the helpful diagram above, and once we're ready, let's just move on. Okay, first off: I want you to raise your hand if you don't know what every single element of the combat HUD in The Witcher 3 means.ĭon't worry, it took me a while to figure out and internalise all these different elements too.
I've tried to boil down our Witcher 3 combat tips into a handful of understandable and practical elements, so by the end you'll hopefully have a much fuller knowledge of how to defeat almost any foe you come across in your travels across the Continent. It allows you to dive right in, swinging and blocking with instinct and abandon, but forces you to transition later on into a mindset of deliberation and grace - or suffer the consequences. The Witcher 3 has an impressively versatile combat system. Watch on YouTube The Witcher 3 combat tips