The Witcher series has always been popular, but thanks to the hugely successful The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, it has reached new heights. Not only has the game had a huge impact on gaming, but it also led to Netflix making a Witcher TV Show. The second season is currently stuck in production thanks to Covid and Cyberpunk 2077's constant delays will no doubt extend the wait for a fourth Witcher game. As a result, many are still playing The Witcher 3.
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It's an absolutely huge game that's teeming with content. There are secret quests, several DLC expansion packs, and a new game plus for those who just can't get enough. There's so much content that even now, more than five years after the game's release, there are still things that many players haven't discovered. This is great for long-time fans of the series, but for new players, it can all be a bit overwhelming. As a result, most players make some pretty big mistakes when they first start playing the game.
Updated on August 10, 2021 by Tom Bowen: There are certain games that hold a player's hand every step of the way, ensuring a smooth and steady journey from start to finish. The Witcher 3 is not one of these games. Though it does do a pretty decent job of easing players into the action, once they leave White Orchard at the beginning of the game, they're largely left to fend for themselves. This definitely helps to create a sense of adventure, while also ensuring that the dangers lurking throughout the game's world maintain their menacing and malicious appearance. It can, however, lead to some pretty senseless mistakes as well, with many new players stumbling into these perilous pitfalls over the years since the game was released.
12 Buying Expensive Items
The Witcher 3 has considerably more merchants than either of its predecessors meaning there's a huge catalog of items on offer. While there is a handful that are useful, the vast majority are a big waste of money. Unfortunately, that's not entirely obvious right away.
Most of the things that a player needs to complete the game can either be looted or obtained through questing. When it comes to spending money, the best tactic is to save up until there's something that's really needed. Either that, or blow it all on Gwent cards.
11 Stepping Down From Ledges
Fall damage is pretty standard these days, but The Witcher 3 takes it to the absolute extreme. Given Geralt's immense strength, one would expect a short drop to be no problem for him. Apparently though, his legs are made of glass. The amount of fall damage that he takes is insanely high – even from a short drop.
It's actually possible to mitigate most of this damage by rolling straight after landing, but the game could perhaps do a better job of explaining this. Even for those who know about it, mastering the timing can take quite a bit of practice.
10 Selling or Dismantling The Starter Armor
The Witcher 3 features plenty of armor and weapons and so it won't be long until players have found stuff that's better than Geralt's starting gear. At this point, some players will be tempted to sell or dismantle it. They won't shed any tears over the weapon as it's fairly weak, but will sorely regret losing the armor.
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The Kaer Morhen armor is fairly standard, but it's still a viable choice for a good chunk of the game. Furthermore, for those wishing to obtain Geralt's iconic Warrior's leather jacket, holding onto the starter armor is a must. The only way to obtain the Warrior's leather jacket is through crafting and, of course, the Kaer Morhen armor is one of its key components.
9 Progressing The Main Story Too Quickly
The Witcher 3 is full of events and side quests, many of which are missable. In total, there are more than 50 quests that the player can be locked out of just by progressing the story. For some players, this won't be an issue, but for the completionists out there it can be an absolute nightmare.
Sometimes it will be obvious when progression is going to cause issues, but there are plenty of occasions where, at first, the player won't know about it until a quest is suddenly flagged as failed. The Gangs of Novigrad is one that's particularly easy to mess up and will likely catch a lot of first-time players out. To avoid this pitfall, it's always best to complete quests as soon as they unlock or to use a guide.
8 Taking On Quests Too Early
While completionists will certainly want to pace themselves in order to ensure that they don't miss out on any of the game's side quests, they'll also want to avoid diving into some of them too early on. Each one has a recommended level and, though it can be tempting to ignore them in the pursuit of eternal glory, these recommendations are there for a reason.
The same is true of the game's DLC content, which can quickly overwhelm new players if they head into it unprepared. Of the two expansions, Hearts of Stone is by far the easier, with most players able to tackle it once their level reaches the low thirties in a regular playthrough. Before taking on Blood and Wine, they'll probably want to make it into the mid-thirties, although both of these ranges should be doubled if playing on new game plus mode.
7 Upgrading Or Crafting The Wrong Equipment
The urge to upgrade weapons and armor is understandable, but The Witcher 3 rewards those who are able to exercise restraint. Certain components can be incredibly hard to come by and others can require a considerable amount of grinding to obtain. As such, using them sparingly is always wise.
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Generally speaking, players should save their resources for crafting a set of Witcher armor. Other equipment may provide short-term benefits, but, ultimately, wasting resources early on in the game will cause a lot of problems later on. For those who don't mind grinding though, this might not be such a big deal.
6 Making The Wrong Choices
There are plenty of situations during the game where the player needs to make a choice. Although it might not be immediately obvious, many of these decisions can have catastrophic consequences. The wrong choice can lead to a character dying or a certain questline becoming completely inaccessible.
Some will argue that the potential consequences are what makes these decisions so fun, but those wanting to get the full Witcher 3 experience may want to consider using a guide to flag some of the game's most important decisions.
5 Farming The Cows In White Orchard
While on the subject of poor choices, CD Projekt Red and has a habit of punishing players who attempt to game the system. In The Witcher 2, those who pirated the game were forced to watch Geralt making out with a creepy old lady named Marietta Loredo each time they instigated a romance scene. In the game's sequel, the developers instead found a way to punish those attempting to earn a quick buck early on.
Tempting though it may be to target the cows in White Orchard at the beginning of the game, killing them multiple times will lead to a monstrous Gwent-inspired opponent being unleashed. The high-level Chort not only looks terrifying, but can also destroy low-level players in the blink of an eye. It's perhaps more of an easter egg than anything else, but serves as a stark warning to players who think that it's okay to break the rules nonetheless.
4 Not Saving Enough
Those not wishing to spoil potential plot points by using a guide should be sure to save the game regularly. That way, one bad decision needn't ruin an entire playthrough. Thankfully, the days of being a slave to the save point are long gone. It's not possible to save in combat, but, other than that, manual saves are pretty much fair game.
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Another mistake that a lot of players make is only having one manual save file. In most other titles this would be more than sufficient, but not so in The Witcher 3. The consequences of a bad decision can often take a while to manifest and there are certain points where quests and areas can no longer be accessed. Having a few different save files can help to alleviate these problems.
3 Trying To Play Both Sides
There are various love interests throughout the game that Geralt can romance, but the main two are Triss and Yennefer. For all of the game's difficult choices, this one might just be the toughest. Many first-time players may feel the urge to romance them both in equal measures, but doing so is a huge mistake. Failing to make a clear choice between Triss and Yennefer will lead to Geralt losing them both.
Just to rub salt in the wound, the game will tease players into thinking they've succeeded in successfully romancing both. After helping them out in Novigrad, they enter Geralt's room at the inn and begin to seduce him. Sadly though, it's all a game and they end up leaving him tied naked to the bed. From here on out, they'll both reject any romantic advances that Geralt makes.
2 Skipping Gwent
Gwent is an incredibly in-depth card game that has become hugely popular with fans of the Witcher series. So much so, in fact, that CD Projekt developed a stand-alone version of the game for both console and PC. Despite its huge appeal though, it's possible to complete The Witcher 3 without ever properly experiencing it. Doing so would be a huge mistake though.
There are some story-related quests that the player can unlock by playing Gwent as well as a number of trophies/achievements for those who are into that kind of thing. Although there aren't any traditional rewards on offer, many would argue that the enjoyment that the game provides is reward enough.
1 Not Buying All Three Decoy Cards
For those who do wish to master the art of Gwent, there are certain cards that can make things considerably easier. One of those cards is the Decoy Card, which can be used to combat a wide variety of strategies. Unfortunately, most new players miss out on picking them up.
There are is a merchant in White Tavern who will sell a copy of the card for the bargain price of 20 crowns. Her name is Elsa, and she is the Innkeeperess of the White Orchard Tavern. Not only is buying this card as early as possible highly recommended, but revisiting twice more and picking up two additional copies can also be incredibly helpful.
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