Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Apr 7, 2023 9:05:37 GMT
I think the overlap re Olivier is because you can both purchase cards from him (as a merchant) and win one from him (as an innkeeper). I could be wrong, though - I've put a *lot* of time into this game over the past three weeks, and no doubt I've forgotten some of the finer details!
I believe I've missed my chance to buy duplicates as the guide describes, as I've revisited several vendors while chasing down cards, and their inventories haven't refreshed. Maybe that's something you can only do the first time you buy cards from them?
In any event, I'm fairly sure I've no choice but to win the remaining 25-30 cards by playing random strangers, having got to this point in the way I have.
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Post by darkling on Apr 7, 2023 9:27:23 GMT
On buying duplicate cards... if I remember correctly, only innkeepers have carried duplicate cards, so if you happen to be near an inn it'll be worth checking with the innkeeper.
I don't think I've come across a merchant, herbalist, etc. who's carried duplicates, so that should save you some time.
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Apr 9, 2023 14:34:22 GMT
I finally snagged every Gwent card in the base game. Phew!
Now I'm at Kaer Morhen, and even though I broke things off with Yennefer in no uncertain terms during The Last Wish, Geralt's still mooning over her. It's "Yen" this, "Yen" that, "Yen" the bloody other. Even after she teleports him into the middle of a nearby lake for daring to talk back, he keeps making puppy dog eyes at her.
Then she gives him directions on how to use the Potestaquisitor - saying something like, "Grip it tight, waggle it around, and the louder it screams, the closer you are" - and Geralt practically responds with, "Ooh, Matron!".
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Post by darkling on Apr 9, 2023 16:10:21 GMT
We'll played sir on the Gwent cards. I'm really hoping I manage to get them all. I can't see how I could have missed any, but this game does have bugs.
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Apr 9, 2023 19:47:20 GMT
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Apr 10, 2023 20:57:40 GMT
I honestly don't think I've ever played a messier AAA game than this - half a dozen quest-breaking bugs, one hard crash, one instance of falling through the map and respawning outside the boundary of the game world, not to mention sundry visual and audio glitches. For all the (deserved) shit people give Bethesda, I don't recall Skyrim or Fallout 4 being nearly as bad.
If I wasn't so entranced by the good stuff, the above would've made me consider abandoning ship by now; however, I'm still pressing onwards as the main campaign (presumably) nears its conclusion.
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Post by drhickman1983 on Apr 10, 2023 21:47:58 GMT
What platform is that on? The PC version is mostly pretty good, except for absolutely crippling RTX memory leaks. But can't recall any particular bugs or crashes.
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Apr 10, 2023 22:49:39 GMT
PS5.
Today alone, I've had to reload checkpoints twice: once when an arachas bugged out (no pun intended) in front of a ladder I needed to climb, preventing me from being able to interact with said ladder; and again when I jumped over a small rock and Geralt got stuck in midair, moving his legs vigorously as though he was trying to pedal an invisible unicycle.
I get that stuff like this is almost inevitable in a game of such breadth - even one that's eight years old - but it definitely mars the experience.
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aubergine
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Post by aubergine on Apr 11, 2023 0:18:47 GMT
I’ve always had a pretty clean run with it on ps4/pro/5.
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Apr 11, 2023 8:28:55 GMT
aubergineOut of interest, have you tried the native PS5 version?
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Post by drhickman1983 on Apr 11, 2023 8:37:39 GMT
Ulythium Sorry to hear it's been that janky 
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aubergine
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Post by aubergine on Apr 11, 2023 13:29:53 GMT
aubergine Out of interest, have you tried the native PS5 version? Yeah, played quite a lot of it since they did the update, though off a fresh save I think. |
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Apr 12, 2023 9:01:25 GMT
Late-game spoilers: did you side with Dijkstra or Roche during Reason of State? |
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aubergine
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Post by aubergine on Apr 12, 2023 11:23:30 GMT
Roche. Easy choice.
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Apr 12, 2023 11:25:51 GMT
But then Nilfgaard/Emhyr (the invading force/leader) wins the war, right? Not to mention that Dijkstra will die in the process. |
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aubergine
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Post by aubergine on Apr 12, 2023 12:00:14 GMT
The game is full of compromised choices.
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Apr 12, 2023 12:39:47 GMT
Aye, 'tis true... but that's why I don't find them easy  (Actually, I've found the others to be pretty straightforward thus far, and have simply followed my gut instinct in each case; this one, however, is proving to be more troublesome.) As I understand it, I have three choices here: (1) Ignore the quest. Upsides: Roche, Ves, and Dijkstra all live to fight another day, while Emhyr's invasion fails. Downsides: Radovid is a genocidal psychopath who will persecute mages and non-humans until the day he dies. (2) Side with Roche. Upsides: he, Ves, and Thaler survive. Downsides: Nilfgaard wins the war. (3) Side with Dijkstra. Upsides: Nilfgaard is defeated, and Dijkstra survives. Downsides: Ves, Thaler, and Roche all die. At present, I'm leaning towards option (1). |
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Post by drhickman1983 on Apr 12, 2023 12:42:39 GMT
Option 1 is your preferred?
Jeez.
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Apr 12, 2023 12:45:35 GMT
Only as the least of three evils - I don't want Roche or Dijkstra to die, and I don't want Emhyr to win |
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Apr 12, 2023 12:47:36 GMT
For me, this is the only instance in the main campaign [to date] in which the writing has been anything less than stellar; in fact, I'd say that Dijkstra's behaviour is so out of character as to be outright bad. |
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Post by drhickman1983 on Apr 12, 2023 12:50:34 GMT
I'd rather Emhyr wins than have Radovid being an utterly horrific king.
Unsure what people know about the possible endings, so potential end game spoiler next. if Emhyr wins and other conditions are met, he'll basically abdicate and Ciri will choose to take the mantle of Empress. If that makes it a bit more palatable |
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Apr 12, 2023 12:58:37 GMT
That's a fair point, Hicks. It's just that allowing the invading forces to win doesn't sit right with me. Is Emhyr going to be content with Temeria, or is he going to conquer all of the Northern Kingdoms? If the latter, how many others will die in the other realms once Temeria has fallen, and what kind of ruler will The Purple Candle Breakdancing on the Tombs of His Enemies (or whatever) be? |
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Apr 12, 2023 13:03:22 GMT
Those are rhetorical questions, by the way! I know almost nothing about the lore of the Witcher universe, but I'm certainly not expecting you (or anyone else) to educate me.
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aubergine
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Post by aubergine on Apr 12, 2023 14:48:44 GMT
As ever, just go with your heart and eat the consequences.
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Apr 12, 2023 20:22:03 GMT
Many thanks for the tips, fellas - food for thought, as always.
I'm in Skellige now, wrapping up a few loose ends before setting a trap for the Wild Hunt. Maybe I'll retain that famous witcher political neutrality and stay out of the assassination attempt, or maybe not; time, and time alone, will tell.
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Lukus
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Post by Lukus on Apr 12, 2023 20:35:18 GMT
Kill them. All.
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Apr 24, 2023 22:50:19 GMT
The Dettlaff fight at the end of Blood and Wine may be the shittiest, most poorly-designed boss encounter I've ever experienced.
So it's a three-phase fight with no checkpoints between phases.
Phase 1: Dettlaff in his standard form. He hits hard, but there's no reason to take any damage here, as he's about as threatening as a newborn puppy - just press Square twice, then Circle [or Xbox controller/keyboard and mouse equivalents], and repeat until you hit an unskippable cutscene.
Phase 2: Dettlaff in his vampiric state. Everything about this stage sucks fetid donkey cock - many of his attacks will one-shot you even at 75% health with Quen active. You're constantly fighting both the shitty auto lock-on and the camera while he flies about the place, so it's like battling Nameless King while loaded up on sizzurp. Dodge-roll into one of the traps he randomly lays out? Tough luck, motherfucker! Say hello to a loading screen before you have to start over from square one. And because even healing in this game is a turgid, sluggish mess - gulp down some food, then wait 20 minutes for ickle Geralt's tummy to digest it - even if you somehow manage to take damage *without* dying immediately, you'll have no choice but to turn the fight into a bad Benny Hill skit as you roll about the arena, waiting for your health bar to fill up to the point whereby you dare go back on the offensive.
Phase 3: Dettlaff drags you into some weird state in which you have to destroy three heart-type things to finish the bastard off. The threat comes from a miniature clone of the vampire himself, that teleports about the tiny room and ruins your shit every time you take more than two swings at the hearts; you can't lock onto the clone, and even killing it will only give you a few seconds' worth of respite in which to attack the hearts without getting violently assaulted, because another one will spawn in soon thereafter.
TL;DR Aaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Post by drhickman1983 on Apr 29, 2023 7:42:03 GMT
I didn't have much problem as I didn't actually fight him. Of all the outcomes to that story none felt particularly good, which I suppose is very on brand, but I found it very hard to sympathise with they princess |
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Post by bichii2 on Apr 29, 2023 8:08:25 GMT
I was so happy with my original w3 ending. I googled the others after and yeah the one I accidentally got was pretty much what I wanted.
I've tried to play it again a few times but always bin it as it's just so big. Both dlcs were impeccable as well but I preferred the 1st one of the two. Yeah blood and wine had the new location but I loved the story in hearts of stone.
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Apr 29, 2023 9:50:31 GMT
I was so happy with my original w3 ending. I googled the others after and yeah the one I accidentally got was pretty much what I wanted.
Which ending did you get?
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(Actually, I've found the others to be pretty straightforward thus far, and have simply followed my gut instinct in each case; this one, however, is proving to be more troublesome.)
