The Witcher 2 (was split from - Poll: Choose My Own Adventure)

[Rath Darkblade]

Aaaand ... ack. I tried modding Witcher 2, but the mods I got didn't seem to make any difference.

Also, I ran into a new group of enemies (pecherga, I think they're called? They look like fast-moving scorpions). Those things are nightmarish. One of them isn't too bad, but I ran into a group of four of them and they kept knocking me down. Naturally, I died.

Any idea what to do about them? Those things are the bane of my Witcher's existence right now.

Also, I just figured out why this game reminds me of Morrowind: the map! The map is not very helpful, to put it mildly. For instance, I have to find someone on the map, and when I get there, the person is nowhere to be seen. I look and look, but nada.

Very irritating, that is. Skyrim had its faults, but the map wasn't one of them -- in fact, the Skyrim map was pretty clear.

Any idea what I can do?

[DeadPoolX]

Aaaand ... ack. I tried modding Witcher 2, but the mods I got didn't seem to make any difference.

Are you sure you put those mods in the correct place? Mods can sometimes be very tricky to use properly.

There's also the possibility that whatever mod or mods you downloaded were for a previous version and haven't been updated to match the current version of The Witcher 2.

To find out if you installed the mods correctly or they're out-of-date, you'll need to read all the relevant information, instructions, and so forth on the mod's page. NexusMods is usually pretty detailed, so this shouldn't be a problem.

Also, I ran into a new group of enemies (pecherga, I think they're called? They look like fast-moving scorpions). Those things are nightmarish. One of them isn't too bad, but I ran into a group of four of them and they kept knocking me down. Naturally, I died.

Any idea what to do about them? Those things are the bane of my Witcher's existence right now.

You need to use magic and alchemy together when fighting. I know Easy mode said you didn't, but the term "easy" is subjective.

It's a good idea to chug specific potions before (and during) battle, and it's important to use spells. You can push enemies away, set them on fire, etc.

No, I don't remember which exact potions and which exact spells, nor do I recall where you acquire the components or learn the spells themselves. You'll need to look at a guide or walkthrough for that.

[Rath Darkblade]

I read all the instructions etc. on the mod's page, so I'm pretty sure I put the mods in the right place, but I'll have a look. No, I didn't think about the Witcher version.

Unfortunately, I can't remember what the names of those mods are ... ack. Can I check, somehow? I had to install them manually, rather than use the Nexus Mod Manager, so it might be tricky to find them again.
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As for fighting ... sigh. I think I need to go through the tutorial again. I've got a good grasp on how to move, swing the sword, use potions or oils, and use the amulet. But I can't remember how to lob bombs or use magic. Any ideas?

[DeadPoolX]

I read all the instructions etc. on the mod's page, so I'm pretty sure I put the mods in the right place, but I'll have a look. No, I didn't think about the Witcher version.

Yeah, modders aren't always the best about keeping their mods updated. To be fair, they're working for free, so you can't really expect a whole lot of service.

Unfortunately, I can't remember what the names of those mods are ... ack. Can I check, somehow? I had to install them manually, rather than use the Nexus Mod Manager, so it might be tricky to find them again.

Do you still have the downloaded ZIP files? There should be a text file (or something similar) in the ZIP itself that tells you what the mod is.

You could also take a look at your browser's download history. Unless you clear that every time you close your browser, that should give you at least some idea of what you downloaded (assuming the ZIP files themselves are named anything remotely useful).

If that doesn't help, then you could try telling me what the mods were supposed to do. Make sure you're VERY specific as there are 447 mods on NexusMods for The Witcher 2. I'm not going to go through each one (and even if I felt like doing that, it wouldn't help if I have no idea what I'm looking for in the first place).

As for fighting ... sigh. I think I need to go through the tutorial again. I've got a good grasp on how to move, swing the sword, use potions or oils, and use the amulet. But I can't remember how to lob bombs or use magic. Any ideas?

Assuming The Witcher 2 doesn't let you view the controls or change them (I don't remember either way, but both viewing the controls and rebinding keys is considered a standard feature in almost every PC game out there), you need to remember that Google is your friend.

[Rath Darkblade]

I read all the instructions etc. on the mod's page, so I'm pretty sure I put the mods in the right place, but I'll have a look. No, I didn't think about the Witcher version.

Yeah, modders aren't always the best about keeping their mods updated. To be fair, they're working for free, so you can't really expect a whole lot of service.

Fair enough. *nods* I understand modders work for free, so I'm not expecting the level of service that I might from (say) Microsoft or LucasArts, or any big company. It'd be ridiculous if I did.

Unfortunately, I can't remember what the names of those mods are ... ack. Can I check, somehow? I had to install them manually, rather than use the Nexus Mod Manager, so it might be tricky to find them again.

Do you still have the downloaded ZIP files? There should be a text file (or something similar) in the ZIP itself that tells you what the mod is.

You could also take a look at your browser's download history. Unless you clear that every time you close your browser, that should give you at least some idea of what you downloaded (assuming the ZIP files themselves are named anything remotely useful).

If that doesn't help, then you could try telling me what the mods were supposed to do. Make sure you're VERY specific as there are 447 mods on NexusMods for The Witcher 2. I'm not going to go through each one (and even if I felt like doing that, it wouldn't help if I have no idea what I'm looking for in the first place).

Sigh. Unfortunately, I don't have the zip files or the download history. I didn't think I'd need them again, you see. *shrug* Sorry.

On the other hand, I tried looking up the mods on NexusMods (twice), just to see if I could recognise something -- and I think I know now which ones I donwloaded:

Better Shop Sale Prices
3 Talents per Level
God mode
Import All Weapons to Assassins of Kings (Updated)
Black Market - Mysterious Merchant Mod

(...what can I say? I'm broke, and the game is very tough as it is). As far as I know, all I have to do is unzip them and put them in the \CookedPC directory under the Witcher 2 directory.

I tried looking up the Witcher version too (i.e. the one that I have), but all I could find was "The Witcher 2, Enhanced Edition". *shrug* I know that doesn't say much. Sorry.

Finally: please, please rest easy! I would never ask you to go through each Witcher 2 mod individually. That's far too much to ask of anyone, I understand that. I'm already very grateful for the help you've given me. Thank you!

[DeadPoolX]

Here's what I was able to figure out about these mods...

Better Shop Prices and 3 Talents Per Level both use "base_scripts.dzip" which means means they end up overwriting each other. This is clearly indicated on the pages for each mod, especially Better Shop Prices.

When two or more mods overwrite "base_scripts.dzip", you're left with only two options:
1. Choose the mod you want the most and get rid of the other one.
2. Download a toolset called Gibbed RED Tools, which will allow you to unpack and then repack the files together. The mod page for Better Shop Prices explains this in more detail if you click the description tag and scroll down to the bottom of the page.

Personally, I'd take option #1, but it's your choice. From the posts on both mods' pages, it looks like Better Shop Prices works, but people aren't having much luck with 3 Talents Per Level.

Godmode uses "geralt_basic.xml" and goes under the "abilities" folder inside CookedPC. This shouldn't interfere with "base_scripts.dzip," but any other mod that writes to "geralt_basic.xml" will overwrite this particular mod. The good news is that this is an XML file and that makes it easy to edit with Notepad (don't open it in your browser) so you could copy and paste the relevant information from one "geralt_basic.xml" to another "geralt_basic.xml" and combine it into a single "geralt_basic.xml" file.

Looking at Godmode's mod page, it appears that this mod's functionality is iffy at best, with the most recent post (from August 2020) stating, "Not working in every quest or occasion. Still, seems kind of okay." So it doesn't seem like it'll break anything, but it may not be entirely reliable either.

I'd ignore Import All Weapons to Assassins of Kings. It's designed to give you weapons from the first Witcher game. It's totally unecessary, especially since the weapons in The Witcher 2 are better overall. In addition, the more mods you use, the greater the chance you'll break the game or corrupt a save game.

The Black Market - Mysterious Merchant Mod edits "def_shops.xml" which is under the "items" folder inside CookedPC. Like the other files, so long as you don't have mods that overwite the "def_shops.xml" file this should work. However, given that this mod was last updated in 2011, it's entirely possible that any patch released since then may have made this mod unstable or entirely broken. People were reportedly having problems with this mod back in 2015, and it's unlikely it works any better five years later.

[Rath Darkblade]

Thanks, DPX. I took the "Better Shop Prices" and "Godmode" mods and got rid of everything else. They both worked like a charm.

Thank you very much for your help.

Of course, it would've been nice if "Witcher 2" (unpatched) hadn't been such a tough game. Not only were stores giving me a pittance (somewhere like 5% of an item's worth) when I tried to sell it, but the monsters were vastly overpowered, too. I think I was pitted against two of those scorpion things at level 5 or so. At that level, those things are seriously tough.

Never mind. Thanks again!

[Rath Darkblade]

Soooooo ...... Witcher 2. As this is my first Witcher game, I thought I'd offer some thoughts.

I'm about half-way through chapter 2 now, and I'm just wondering what's the matter with this game, because chapter 1 was very depressing and chapter 2 looks very much the same.

By depressing, I mean dirty and racist. The village outside Flotsam was full of mud, dirty pigs running around, dirty kids. Flotsam itself wasn't much either -- mud everywhere, and everyone was anti-elf, anti-dwarf and anti-Witcher. It made me wonder, why the *heck* am I even here? The only slightly bright spot was when Triss and the Witcher found that underground cavern thing.

Anyway, finally got out of there after everything burned down and on to the next challenge - a military camp belonging to some king or other. But again, there's mud everywhere, and everyone is anti-elf and anti-Witcher.

The similarities don't end there, oh deary me no. Both chapters start with a battle where you are protected by magic, and both chapters feature simple-minded idiots that I somehow have to care about. My question is, why should I care about them? They're morons -- and I include the King in that.

Please tell me that eventually this thing will get a bit brighter. At the moment, it's looking very filthy and hopeless.

[DeadPoolX]

It's a dirty medieval-like world where people hate or distrust anyone unlike themselves. In other words, it's very similar to real life (both in the past and present) in that respect.

The world of The Witcher is NOT a happy, bright, and friendly one. While both Geralt and the game's atmosphere does lighten up a little in Witcher 3 (mostly due Yennifer and Ciri, who are essentially his wife and daughter), it's still never going to be a cheery place.

Why should you care about the people there? For the most part, you shouldn't. You're a Witcher and Witchers operate like mercenaries. You're doing what you do for money or some other gain, not to be a nice guy (although that doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't do nice things when possible).

You need to get out of the classic RPG mindset where you're there to save the world. This isn't something worn, tired, and cliched, like the Dragon Age series, which is basically D&D in slightly different clothing.

That said, the third game is better in every way, but it's best if you play the second game before it. Technically, that's not necessary since The Witcher 3 lets you make choices at the start of the game that relate to The Witcher 2, so there's no "default" world if you didn't import a character. This is great for people who want to make a different decision but don't feel like replaying an entire game just to do it.

[Rath Darkblade]

All right. Geralt simply strikes me as completely uncaring about anything except the law, doing the right thing, and earning a few coins (orens). Have I got it right?

I'm also confused about dwarves here. Most people I meet are humans, and humans hate elves (and vice-versa). Fair enough. But how do humans see dwarves? All I've seen of that in Flotsam is some guy who comes by, harrases the dwarf blacksmith about "joining a guild", and tries to blackmail him. That's not much to go on, especially as I can't grab the guy and tell him to back off. (Put it simply, I hate bullies). Of course, when things start to go bad in Flotsam, everyone who's not a human has got it really bad, but I (as Geralt) try to save everyone I can from being beaten. Never mind human or elf or dwarf, it's the right thing to do.

Finally, are there any elves out there who aren't Scoi'atel? Are all Scoi'atel anti-human (or terrorists, depending on your POV)? Who are the Scoi'atel, and why are they so angry? I'm confused.

Thanks!

[DeadPoolX]

All right. Geralt simply strikes me as completely uncaring about anything except the law, doing the right thing, and earning a few coins (orens). Have I got it right?

As a Witcher, Geralt is a mercenary of sorts. His feelings on people and the situation dictate which jobs he takes or who he helps. You said it yourself, he cares about the law and "doing the right thing" so what else is there for him to care about as a Witcher, professionally-speaking?

He's not uncaring, he's being professional. Big difference.

Finally, are there any elves out there who aren't Scoi'atel? Are all Scoi'atel anti-human (or terrorists, depending on your POV)? Who are the Scoi'atel, and why are they so angry? I'm confused.

I don't remember, probably because I didn't really care. Obviously, you do, which means instead of waiting around for me to inform you about details of a game I played years ago, you could already have your answer if you checked out the wiki for this game and all the other resources online. The Witcher series is popular, so finding information and answering your questions wouldn't be difficult.

[DeadPoolX]

For the record, I wasn't being snippy with my last comment. I really didn't care about the Elves or Dwarves (at least nothing like you do) and I really couldn't help you, so the best course of action is to look at the game's Wiki.

[Rath Darkblade]

That's OK, I don't mind. Thanks, DPX!

I'm finding this game a little difficult, especially because of the map. The map doesn't make it clear where to go, sometimes.

I'm up to the assassin's dream sequence in chapter 2, but it's annoying how specific I have to be. I keep getting kicked out of the dream. Bah.

[Rath Darkblade]

Aaaaaaaaaaaand ... done. So, basically, the Witcher 2 was just one long wind-up to get me to buy Witcher 3, with some boobs thrown in for good measure.

The whole game was very depressing. I don't think I'll play it again, but it was fun while it lasted.

[DeadPoolX]

The third Witcher game is, by far, the best. I especially like the humorous family dynamic between Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri, and the snappy banter between Geralt and Yennefer themselves.

One word of warning: In Witcher 3, don't start massacring cows. People did this for a while to gain money (probably by creating stuff to sell or just selling parts from the cows), but CDProjekt Red got wind of this and patched it by released a virtually unkillable cow monster that appears if you're regularly killing cows. Kill a few cows every so often and you're fine, but go on a rampage, and watch out!

From what I understand, the cow monster is also a nod to the Secret Cow Level in Diablo II. Originally, there were rumors about a cow level you could get to in the original Diablo, but it didn't exist. The rumors stayed, however, so by the time of the second game, Blizzard actually made a cow level and it was incredibly difficult and there was very little gain to doing it, other than enjoying the absurdity of it all.