Play main game first or bonus content?

[Zero121]

I'm curious, should I play the Witcher's main game first or the bonus adventures I got from the Enhanced Edition?

[Mikhai_l]

Main game ofc.

The bonus content is just ... bonus content.
Have fun playing ;)

[EllEzDee]

Isn't the bonus content just crap made by fans? Of course, it's supposedly the cream of the crop, but without voice acting, just blegh.

[Zero121]

Well, I tried one of them out and I keep getting rocked doing the price of neutrality on hard mode. I beat it but it was tough.

Is there some kind of secret to not sucking at this game? I do alright on normal, but I go to hard and I get destroyed left and right, it seems totally random too. One fight I'll kill a centipede in like 10 seconds without too much damage taken. The next time I fight one I'm getting massacred for no real reason.

[Mikhai_l]

use heaps of potions. Swallow (Regaining health) , tawny oil(faster endurance gain), White Raffard's Decoction (instant health), bindweed (to fight against acid based enemies. On hard you really have to get your hands on all the potions to help you survive. I barely couldn't do most boss fight without it. Alchemy helps you on hard.

[stillwater78]

I absolutely loved the game, but didn't even try the bonus content. I guess I felt satiated and satisfied enough with the main game that I just left it at that.

Yeah, definitely make use of alchemy as much as you can (I found it really fun, too), and also make good use of whatever spells you have. And you have to keep moving. You can rarely just stay in one spot and keep swinging your sword - you need to keep dancing around your enemies.

[Mikhai_l]

Keep distance, lol..

I remember playing on hard and was on my way to the swamps. Bumped into the old man who needed an escort back to his house. When you find out about his hunger for things, you either make a decision to sympathize with or kill him for his deeds. When you pick the last option, you will be fighting gramps outside with 4 or 5 Echinops. I died so much at this point at the beginning, that I decided to make a run for it. (To vizima ofc) I just leveled up a bit more, bought some books to read about creatures, and eventually strong enough to get my ♥♥♥ back to the swamp and kill all the Echinops, this time without dying. edit: (Yes, the plants where still around, lol)

That's a great thing about this game.

[browncg2]

Keep distance, lol..

I remember playing on hard and was on my way to the swamps. Bumped into the old man who needed an escort back to his house. When you find out about his hunger for things, you either make a decision to sympathize with or kill him for his deeds. When you pick the last option, you will be fighting gramps outside with 4 or 5 Echinops. I died so much at this point at the beginning, that I decided to make a run for it. (To vizima ofc) I just leveled up a bit more, bought some books to read about creatures, and eventually strong enough to get my ♥♥♥ back to the swamp and kill all the Echinops, this time without dying. edit: (Yes, the plants where still around, lol)

That's a great thing about this game.

If you invested points into the igni spell, with ranged and incineration, you can kill most echinops with one blast. You just have to wait for the incineration to accumulate damage. I did this same part in hard mode using this tactic and took no damage... basically killed all of the Echinops at range. If I had done melee I would have died after about 5 seconds with all of them attacking.

[WardDragon]

I'm curious, should I play the Witcher's main game first or the bonus adventures I got from the Enhanced Edition?

The bonus missions aren't connected to the main game at all aside from having some of the same characters. You could do it in either order and it shouldn't spoil the main game's story if you wanted to do the bonus missions first. However you might enjoy the bonus missions more if you're already good at the game and familiar with the characters from the main story :)

Well, I tried one of them out and I keep getting rocked doing the price of neutrality on hard mode. I beat it but it was tough.

Yeah, I had trouble with that one too and it didn't really seem to be worth the effort.

The other one was fun though (basically running around doing errands for Dandelion :P).

[browncg2]

Play the main game first... for the following reasons:

1) Some of the extra missions are more difficult, to be challenging for people who have finished the game.

2) Some of the extra missions (the Wedding one for example) re-introduce characters from the main game with specific references to completing the game... which will be confusing.
You will also have no idea who you are talking to, since you have never been introduced to the NPC's.

3) At least one of the extra missions require you to invest a certain number of skill points at the beginning of gameplay. The changes are permanent and if you haven't played the main game, then you may not know which skills are important.

4) You will also have no idea about crafting potions, greases, bombs. Which are all taken for granted.

[Mikhai_l]

If you invested points into the igni spell, with ranged and incineration, you can kill most echinops with one blast. You just have to wait for the incineration to accumulate damage. I did this same part in hard mode using this tactic and took no damage... basically killed all of the Echinops at range. If I had done melee I would have died after about 5 seconds with all of them attacking.

Hah, exactly. I was thinking all the echinops would have much hitpoints, but there was only one strong echi, and 3/4 weaker ones. I did put most points into Igni and Aard, and those really helped me alot.

[Mikhai_l]

If you invested points into the igni spell, with ranged and incineration, you can kill most echinops with one blast. You just have to wait for the incineration to accumulate damage. I did this same part in hard mode using this tactic and took no damage... basically killed all of the Echinops at range. If I had done melee I would have died after about 5 seconds with all of them attacking.

Hah, exactly. I was thinking all the echinops would have much hitpoints, but there was only one strong echi, and 3/4 weaker ones. I did put most points into Igni and Aard, and those really helped me a lot.