I really recommend taking the time to experience the Witcher 3 story before the game starts to feel too dated. It's one of the best story-driven games ever made, and it's absolutely worth the 80-100 hours it takes to complete (especially with all the DLC, which, are whole new stories themselves). Plus, Gwent is a fun mini-game that adds a nice break from the main story.

It can be really helpful to look up a quick synopsis of the first two Witcher games to better understand the motivations of the characters in The Witcher 3. I played The Witcher 3 without any prior knowledge and figured it all out as I went, but after finishing, I went back to learn more because the story was so good and I wanted to fully understand the context.

Agreed. The only thing that can get dated with that game is the graphics. The story is absolutely amazing and the DLCs are just as good (although I prefer Blood and Wine over Hearts of Stone).

Gwent was very addicting once you understand it. I found myself fast traveling to every town trying to buy the cards and play every person I can. It was such a time waste from a storyline perspective, but just so much fun.

Great adds.

The graphics are dated, yes, and the combat will likely feel a bit clunky by today’s standards, however, it was groundbreaking when the game first released.

I thought Hearts of Stone was a brilliant concept, especially how I agree that Blood and Wine was the superior DLC, though. I actually took a break from playing for a couple of days when I felt the story was nearing its end—I didn’t want to part with Geralt’s world just yet.

I also read that certain Gwent cards could be missed if you waited too long or triggered specific events. To avoid this, I’d save my progress whenever I entered a new town or village. That way, if I made a wrong decision that locked out a card, I could reload and check with all the NPCs to see if they were holding any new ones before advancing the story.

Regarding the Gwent cards, that is very true. Your strategy of saving when entering a town is a smart one that I never considered.

What I love about the combat is that while you don't have as many move/spells, the utilization of the along with the oils and potions you can make and use enhance the strategy.

With Hearts of Stone, that was a cool addition. What I found that makes it different is:


Blood and Wine was amazing as it just took you to a completely different world unlike the depressing environments of the main game (outside Skellige). You really do feel as if you have been whisked away to some fantasy world.

If you're playing the Witcher 3 on PC, there are a ton of mods and texture packs available to improve the graphics. There's so much improvement that's been done to the Witcher since release. I mean, they've added ray tracing for crying out loud.

Here's a few: https://gamerant.com/witcher-3-best-graphics-mods/

Yet another game I will probably never finish.

Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous

70% off on Steam.

Witcher 3 especially now, is probably the greatest value of any game ever. You can pick up the complete gane with all dlc for like 20 bucks. That's insane.

It's definitely in my top 3 games of all time.

The addition of the quick fire type ability to cast signs, instead of having to switch to the sign then cast, has been probably the most tremendous gameplay changing aspect of that last series x update it got.

I agree 100%. It’s amazing how much that game still tops lists of greatest games of all time. Also $20 for what you get is ridiculous. That is easily a game that (including the DLCs) can take over 100 hours to beat. Due to the fact that there are branching outcomes based on your decisions you find yourself wanting to replay it just to make different decisions. Games like that stand up to the test of time well.

Lastly with the combat, I agree that the upgrade with the casting of signs is a nice touch. I do also like that they kept the signs simple. No need to root through a huge menu of spells to find the right one. Geralt has five signs that you can use and upgrade and that’s it. They add to the game, but don’t dominate it and each has a use.

The production level of the side quests in the game are what set it a tier above anything else.

Side quests are generally just filler for content, xp grinding, or currency. In Witcher 3, Geralt's occupation takes on stories of its own. A simple bounty board flyer to hunt and kill a monster becomes a bite sized story quest with actual stakes involved in many cases, depending on the decisions you make during the quest.

It's simply a phenomenally put together game, that has very little content that can be seen as dull, or padding the gameplay.

Personally, I hate Gwent though...

I have recently discovered the PS Portal that will probably help me finish some games.

Same here. My game time has gone up since I got a portal. I don't have to compete much for screen time.

big reveal about POE2 today on twitch

I cannot ****ing wait

I can't get into anything else anymore, this is the only game I still want to play. Early access is a $30 entry fee which I'm happy to pay and starts Dec 6. It looks amazing so far.

Man that was great. I didn't watch the Q&A yet, but the reveal made me go from on the fence, to fully excited.