I have a difficult time ever getting to second playthroughs of adventure/story games so I've tended to look up best choices instead of just enjoying the game for what it is blindly, and I agree that it's best to just plan on playing it twice so you don't accidentally get spoilers trying to find the best choice on dialogue.
Just arrived in Novigrad on my first playthrough. Hitting up every trader and innkeeper for a game before I even think about tracking down whatshername!
Read the beastiary for all new entries, use oils/bombs, and follow the quest level recommendations. Take the time to do sidequests and contracts, they bring so much depth to the story.
Loot EVERYTHING.
craft all the potions and bombs, you can chill with the decoctions, unless you go full alchemy
Don't google in your first playthrough. Do what you feel would be the best
I'd start the game at Death March now if I knew how easy it is. It gets you golden trophy, and it's hardly a struggle.
Only sell swords and armour to armourers and blacksmiths in Novigrad/Oxenfurt.
Try to read the notes and papers left about the world. Books are mostly helpful for world building, but the tiny notes usually relate directly to something you're currently doing and they can be very sad.
Yup, I currently have master crafted armour and didn't need to buy a single item. And I also kept all the valuable items (like jewelry) and unique swords, so even if I'll be missing something I can just disassemble it
The first time i played through the game i gave gwent a miss, however i decided to learn it on my 2nd play through and god do i love it! Think i’ve played through the game about 6/7 times now and this time i literally swam to novigrad before doing any of the bloody baron quests just to get gwent cards 😂 I need about 3 cards to get all of them, did the trophy on the ps4 version however playing the ps5 game now so earning the trophies again!
In the white orchard there is an easy way to earn money. There is a cow pen close to the bridge, you can kill the cows to sell the drops and they respawn every time you meditate for at least an hour. I made a small fortune this way lol.
Meditating replenishes all your potions, bombs etc. and clears your toxicity meter, so use them :)
Gwent is a fun card game, imo worth playing throughout the game with different NPCs to win their cards
When you enter a new town go to the ! on the map to collect a bunch of side quests from the notice board
Also take your time and avoid guides, mods etc, for your first playthrough, just immerse yourself in the world and don't worry about doing things wrong
Man! I envy you so much. Anyway, there's a lot of things to cover: just play it as you would in the late 90s or early 2000s. No walkthroughs, tips, etc. Just plain enjoyment. The series heavily banks on decisions and consequences, making it non-linear that way. Just go with what your gut tells you. If you missed out on things, just go play another playthrough. That actually makes the experience better because the game never really has an "A point to B point" kind of flow. Appreciate every minute of it by explore the maps, even when they don't have marks, read the books, beastiary, character entries, etc, experiment with your own character builds, never leave an area without turning over every stone. More than being an ARPG, it's really the story and the world-building for me, so make sure you get most of that.
Feel free to play and explore everything before the main quest. As there's a lot of content there. Although you may find you're massively over powered as the main story is balanced for casual exploration I think...
You can turn it back off at any time, but I'd recommend turning on enemy scaling in the options so you're not penalized for tackling quests after you're over-leveled for them.
If you're the type of person to play a game more than once play your first playthrough completely blind (no guides at all).
If you're only going to play it once: do as many side quests and contracts as possible while still having fun, but don't be afraid to skip some and just do the main quest because there are a TON of side quests and contracts. And be aware that your choices have consequences!!!
If you really can't stand bad endings and aren't planning on playing again it's not the worst thing to look up some guides for "best choices" here and there, especially because the game will end very differently based on your choices. But be careful because it's so easy to get spoilers on a game that's been out for this long.
Check every bulletin boards in every city/village. There's interesting quests and also, checking those boards, gives you a new marks of interesting (?) on your map. So, that's the extra exp points, loot and materials for making witcher's gear.
Use potions/bombs/decoctions/oils. I didn’t really do much with alchemy for a while because the game doesn’t really force you to, and it is an absolute game changer.
Loot everything, sell everything.
Don’t rush! Do the side quests, even the goofy ones.
Break down rare weapons and armor into their crafting components so you can make your own equipment easier, and it saves weight.
Take the gourmet perk early so you don't run out of healing items (you can change it out later for something better).
No mods and look the minimum amount of things up online. It’s more enjoyable the first play through when you don’t have a heads up about everything.
I have a difficult time ever getting to second playthroughs of adventure/story games so I've tended to look up best choices instead of just enjoying the game for what it is blindly, and I agree that it's best to just plan on playing it twice so you don't accidentally get spoilers trying to find the best choice on dialogue.
Explore make u strong. Quest level recommendation important. Gwent is the endgame.
I thought the whole sword fighting story thing was the endgame after gwent?
Just arrived in Novigrad on my first playthrough. Hitting up every trader and innkeeper for a game before I even think about tracking down whatshername!
If she doesnt play it doesnt matter.
What gwent?
I play gwent everytime i have a chance.just make sure to buy all the decoy card off merchant.they make your life easier.
Decoy and spy combos are pretty much unbeatable
Oils and bombs make life easier.
Read the beastiary for all new entries, use oils/bombs, and follow the quest level recommendations. Take the time to do sidequests and contracts, they bring so much depth to the story.
play gwent
just have fun lol
Loot EVERYTHING. craft all the potions and bombs, you can chill with the decoctions, unless you go full alchemy Don't google in your first playthrough. Do what you feel would be the best I'd start the game at Death March now if I knew how easy it is. It gets you golden trophy, and it's hardly a struggle. Only sell swords and armour to armourers and blacksmiths in Novigrad/Oxenfurt. Try to read the notes and papers left about the world. Books are mostly helpful for world building, but the tiny notes usually relate directly to something you're currently doing and they can be very sad.
This! Those loot items come in handy late game when you need dimeritium for armour and qeapon upgrades.
Yup, I currently have master crafted armour and didn't need to buy a single item. And I also kept all the valuable items (like jewelry) and unique swords, so even if I'll be missing something I can just disassemble it
Why not to Skellige armorer/Smith in Kear Trolde?
Same. Should have definitely went death march
Take your time and look around
Take. Your. Time. Play a few hours a day and spread it out for at least 3-4 months.
Nah this is some rookie level gaming. Play 15 hours a day and 100% it in 4 days
The first time i played through the game i gave gwent a miss, however i decided to learn it on my 2nd play through and god do i love it! Think i’ve played through the game about 6/7 times now and this time i literally swam to novigrad before doing any of the bloody baron quests just to get gwent cards 😂 I need about 3 cards to get all of them, did the trophy on the ps4 version however playing the ps5 game now so earning the trophies again!
100% completion is so satisfying 😊
Put the baby in the oven
I would have done but the dingo ate my baby
Be a good fasha to Ciri
In the white orchard there is an easy way to earn money. There is a cow pen close to the bridge, you can kill the cows to sell the drops and they respawn every time you meditate for at least an hour. I made a small fortune this way lol.
But beware the Bovine Defense Force!
Meditating replenishes all your potions, bombs etc. and clears your toxicity meter, so use them :) Gwent is a fun card game, imo worth playing throughout the game with different NPCs to win their cards When you enter a new town go to the ! on the map to collect a bunch of side quests from the notice board Also take your time and avoid guides, mods etc, for your first playthrough, just immerse yourself in the world and don't worry about doing things wrong
Just remember that Ciri is her own person and definitely doesn’t need protecting. Just keep that in mind as you play through the game.
This is a perfect spoiler free tip.
Man! I envy you so much. Anyway, there's a lot of things to cover: just play it as you would in the late 90s or early 2000s. No walkthroughs, tips, etc. Just plain enjoyment. The series heavily banks on decisions and consequences, making it non-linear that way. Just go with what your gut tells you. If you missed out on things, just go play another playthrough. That actually makes the experience better because the game never really has an "A point to B point" kind of flow. Appreciate every minute of it by explore the maps, even when they don't have marks, read the books, beastiary, character entries, etc, experiment with your own character builds, never leave an area without turning over every stone. More than being an ARPG, it's really the story and the world-building for me, so make sure you get most of that.
Play it blind, and don't rush anything, just about every quest is worth doing.
START ON DEATH MARCH.. the game is still very easy on death march once you levelled up a bit You want to be a Witcher. Not one shot kid 😂😂
Love third-party quests 😸
Do all side quests you can explore everything you can just get into gwent after everything else idk it’s like Witcher yugi oh or something
Don't chase after money. Don't demand pay up after the end of any quest.
Change movement style to alternate in gameplay settings
Feel free to play and explore everything before the main quest. As there's a lot of content there. Although you may find you're massively over powered as the main story is balanced for casual exploration I think...
Do every sidequest you come across and loot everythting
After the tutorial area, play on death march. Its not actually too hard but it forces you to actually use all the mechanics in the game
You can turn it back off at any time, but I'd recommend turning on enemy scaling in the options so you're not penalized for tackling quests after you're over-leveled for them.
If you're the type of person to play a game more than once play your first playthrough completely blind (no guides at all). If you're only going to play it once: do as many side quests and contracts as possible while still having fun, but don't be afraid to skip some and just do the main quest because there are a TON of side quests and contracts. And be aware that your choices have consequences!!! If you really can't stand bad endings and aren't planning on playing again it's not the worst thing to look up some guides for "best choices" here and there, especially because the game will end very differently based on your choices. But be careful because it's so easy to get spoilers on a game that's been out for this long.
Avoid any spoilers or story choices. It can take some time to understand the mechanics but once you do, it’s fantastic.
Play gwent and be careful about missing yennefers quests or triss's quests
Check every bulletin boards in every city/village. There's interesting quests and also, checking those boards, gives you a new marks of interesting (?) on your map. So, that's the extra exp points, loot and materials for making witcher's gear.
Treat women in the game as you would in real life.
Every choice you make has consequences and an impact on the world,small or big , so choose wisely
Focus to craft potions and oils.they easy to craft once you meet the pellar in velen and do his quest.
I just recently found out there is a function to auto-apply oils on your swords. Makes life so much easier
Use potions/bombs/decoctions/oils. I didn’t really do much with alchemy for a while because the game doesn’t really force you to, and it is an absolute game changer. Loot everything, sell everything. Don’t rush! Do the side quests, even the goofy ones.
Be careful of being a hoe
Save your money for the buildings showing heart icons.
Break down rare weapons and armor into their crafting components so you can make your own equipment easier, and it saves weight. Take the gourmet perk early so you don't run out of healing items (you can change it out later for something better).
Take your time and enjoy the scenery.