That is merely your preference; the game is working as intended, and playable as intended, so there is no defect that needs to be patched. There is no game-breaking defect related to the potion system as implemented currently.

Geralt does not need to be clairvoyant. Only an ignoramus who charged into the forest without talking to the people he was told knew about the forest, and didn't even glance at the warning posters in Flotsam, would not know he would immediately be entering dangerous territory and take appropriate precautions. If Geralt were that stupid, he would not have survived his training at Kaer Morhen.

+1

Drinking potions in combat is retarded. I'm pretty happy with the witcher games doing it differently than other similar games.

They do give you hints as to what monsters you are going to face, they do mention under Swallow potions information text that "It's the potion that witcher's use when they DON'T know what they are facing", you can outrun difficult monsters in the game, hide somewhere and drink your potion which is way more believable than charging like Conan and insta-drink a healing potion when your life gets low. It's retarded.

It also fits the game world perfectly. It makes the player feel like a witcher, thinking and anticipating instead of just walking blindly in danger, drinking potions from a backpack {yeah right} while there are monsters/enemies 1-2m all around you trying to kill you.

Alchemy works fine. Potions work fine. It's way more believable for Geralt to actually LOSE some potions, drinking them and never using their effects. It's the min/max'ing way of thought that most other games promote that doesn't feel right with some gamers when they use a potion and never get to use its effects until it expires.

YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO DO THAT sometimes. Prepare even if you never actually get to use the potion effects. It's way more believable, way more realistic if you will and way more immersive than drinking potions while in deadly combat.


P.S. The Witcher 2 tries to do some things differently than other games and instead of appreciating that fact we just go out there and whine even more.
If there is anything that needs fixing in the game is the MUTAGENS mechanic and possibly the ENHANCEMENTS mechanics. Having them be a one-off effect means that almost all gamers will just ignore the low-level stuff and just wait until they get a better MUTAGEN and/or ENHANCEMENT. They should be interchangeable or at the very least upgradable with a better mutagen/enhancement of the same type.


P.S. 2
If CDPR gives in to those that whine about not being able to drink potions in combat, if I see Geralt in Witcher 3 drinking potions like there is no tomorrow in between sword strikes or even insta-drink like in the DIABLO games, I will personally curse each "Diablo-like potion drinking" fan out there to have their PC burn down in flames for destroying a unique game and making it run-of-the-mill.

I wouldn't be all that surprised if a major motivation for the sharp reduction in mutagen drops, and particularly greater mutagens, was designed to encourage people to use the non-greater ones -- because unless you're willing to farm and farm and farm and farm, or unless they've boosted the alchemist-accidentally-creating-mutagen bit, you're simply not going to see many greater mutagens at all. Your mutagen slot creation may well exceed the total number of greaters you see.

In my current playthrough, where IIRC I've reached around level 20 or so, I've seen precisely two greater mutagens and they were both Vitality. The only time I spent any extra time hunting for monsters just for non-quest-relevant drops or XP was looking for Endregas so I could craft a Jagged Blade, however, having missed that Anezka sold their teeth.

The people may tell you what's in the forest, they can't tell you exactly where and when beasts and monsters pop up, especially considering a lot of them appear and come after you dynamically. Since the potions effect is extremely short, you will either be wasting potion after potion until you finally face something, or only use potion just before you're attacked - which requires clairvoyance.

That'd be great... if there weren't this Alchemy tree.

If you cannot use potions mid-battle, the Alchemy tree becomes completely ffing pointless. To improve you ability to fight, and survive battles, you need stuff that can actually be used in battles, and if Alchemy can't be used to change the outcome of a battle you're in, the tree is useless.

I've played through Witcher 2 twice, and neither time have I upgraded even one circle in the Alchemy tree, and I can tell you: I never will. There simply is no gain in improving the Alchemy tree. Either you can drink potions in battle, and you can have a (useful) alchemy tree, you don't allow them to be drank in battles, don't have an alchemy tree. Have a different third tree, or expand the other two, three if you count training.

PS: Potions and bombs aren't in a backpack, they're in special rings and slots on a witcher's armor.

Baloney. Most potions last 10 minutes real time, which is quite long enough initially, and you use the Alchemy tree to improve on that. You do not need to know when you will be attacked. If you have an inkling of what enemies are around (not too hard when you get contracts to exterminate them, and merchants deal in books about them), you can prepare with potions beyond Swallow.

I think you want the game to play where Geralt can just barge into anywhere he wants unprepared, then fix that in a manner that is not a part of this game.. Other players may not want that and do not want the game turned into some generic "action RPG' in the way you suggest.

It may be a fit subject for a mod for such players. It is not a fit subject for a patch. There are at least four devastatingly effective talents on the Alchemy tree. You can greatly increase potion duration, potion strength, and the effectiveness of bombs and oils. You can turn potions with side effects that make them seem useless into Superman elixirs.

The fact that you are unaccustomed to using them does not make them in any way useless.

I'd have to disagree here. I'm playing my first playthrough on Hard and putting points on the Alchemy tree with a single point on the Swordsman skill that lowers the damage Geralt receives from backstabs.

I'm creating a large number of bombs and traps with crafting. If I know what I'm facing I try to take advantage of it weakness. If I don't know what I'll be facing I use a Swallow potion with Rook.

If a monster appears that I believe that I cannot kill with Swallow+Rook only, I throw them a Zerrikanian Sun bomb or a Samum bomb, they get stunned and I hide behind a tree if I 'm in Flotsam for example. They lose my tracks, I meditate, drink the appropriate potions and then go in and DEVASTATE them all. As you can see I'm enjoying the game immensely, I play like a true witcher and not like Rambo and I'm using only Alchemy tree skills on Hard difficulty.

I feel that your assumptions are based on theory only and that you have never bothered to try and play the game differently than Batman: Arkham Asylum which is just a "press the right mouse button at the right time" style of game. The Witcher 2 can be played in many different ways, it's just Alchemy is more about preparing and overcoming obstacles easier afterwards than going in blindly and trying to survive with Swordsman skills.

That's what an RPG should do. Allow players to play different styles. A prepared Witcher with Alchemy skills, traps and bombs fares WAY better than a witcher based on Swordsman skills. It's just the preparation part that is required.

For me the whole learn your enemy and exploit its weaknesses process is greatly enhancing the enjoyment that I get out of the game. And for my second playthrough I'm going to play with the Magic tree. I won't be bothering with Swordsman. I never play Warrior in any RPG as I think that the gameplay is too simple and mindless.

They seriousl need to allow UPGRADING mutagens if not 100% freely, then at least those of the same type with better ones.

Great posts, Bowmangr, agree completely with all of them.

Personally I think the potion mechanic is somewhat harmed by extremely short potion durations in vanilla, but that's not something that week 1 mods(!) wouldn't solve. And that's why I could play my first playthrough as an alchemist - let me tell ya, bombs and traps with twice the damage, stronger oils and potions with almost completely negated side effects and 50% stronger bonuses...well, it's worth it:).

Two things to keep in mind:

1. My original suggestion was NOT to enable potion drinking during combat - and I'm pretty sure the devs won't change such an integral part of the game. What I suggested where longer potion durations plus quicker, easier potion-drinking to make alchemy less bothersome and more useful. I think especially the "re-drink potion shortcut" I suggested would make alchemy way more convenient and fun.

2. As I explained before, this whole "it's so realistic and suits the world/character" argument makes little sense. Try drinking potion with some enemies right next to you in The Witcher 1, and after watching Geralt get killed, tell me how that isn't realistic. Drink a potion in the middle of combat while protecting yourself with Quen and tell me how that doesn't suit the world/character/background.
There is only one thing that's totally wrong and un-realistic, and that is instantly applying oils or whetstones to your swords in The Witcher 2 - a feature I don't see any realism-fans complain about.

The potion duration is not short. It's 10 minutes real time, some multiple of that in game time. It's only short in comparison to the very long-duration potions in TW1. It can be improved by spending talents in the alchemy tree.

Like most folk I have now played it to death. A fanatstic game! Superb. It leaves me wanting more!

No more patches are necessary. A big expansion pack would please me and countless thousands no end!

The menu to load a game shouldn't take years to appear and show the list of savegames.

Uninstalling should remove all files and savegames.

Uh, no. It should only remove savegames if you tell it to and in default it should keep it. Like Witcher 2 could use final saves from Witcher 1, I'm sure Witcher 3 will use savegames from Witcher 2. As such, I have no mood to accidentally delete savegames I want to keep for W3.

If durations were long, there would be even less reason to spend points in the alchemy tree. That's not necessarily a good thing.

I don't know if this has been mentioned already, but I'd REALLY like the ability to be able to add/remove mutagens and armor and weapon enhancements from items. Currently the system is a "put them on, it's on FOREVER" means that I end up constantly hoarding my best mutagens and enhancements until I get the best possible skill or armor to use them in.

If this feels too much like immersion-breaking, then perhaps consider a compromise of being able to replace your existing mutagen/component with a new component, but the old mutagen/component is lost. This at least allows players to freely use cheaper, low-grade mutagens/components so they can get some use out of their slots in the early game.

Why should the game encourage that manner and degree of character optimization?

Was it not made clear enough that these are by design one-time enhancements to your character and equipment?

Maybe this is a fit subject for a mod. It has no business in a patch.