I have just reinstalled to see what v2 has to offer and started the tutorial. All went well till I entered the Arena. When the second bout starts to use "Riposite" the sword never shows above my opponents head. I have tried just holding down "E" to block and also pressing "E" just before I get hit to block. I never see the "sword" sign above my opponents head to initiate "Riposite"

Am I doing something wrong in the tutorial?

Regards
MarkL

I was just logging in here to post similar! The first time I ran through the tutorial that part had me stumped for a LONG time. The first thing to note is that the sword icon does NOT appear above his head, it shows up on his chest. I'm not sure when it happens but you don't have to have the E key down.

I got through the whole tutorial once several days ago but I'm trying to go through it again now. This time I can't figure out the possess spell. I've got it selected. I cast it... and *something* hits me. It's not the mage and it's not the critter I'm trying to posses. Or maybe I am getting this thing possessed but I'm supposed to tell it to attack the mage somehow?

Honestly, this tutorial is really the pits. Some of the keys on the popup screen look like text placeholders, the instructions are terrible... it sure is pretty but it fails pretty hard as a tutorial.

(The Witcher 1's tutorial was quite good.)

Well, at least they're trying. It's an improvement on NOT having a tutorial.

Riposte:
The sequence is
- Make sure you're targeted on someone.
- Press and hold "E" before the enemy starts his attack. This is crucial. You must already be blocking before he starts his move.
- Wait for the sword to appear. As Zloth said, it's on the opponent's body, not above his head.
- While the sword is on-screen, press LMB. You should still be holding the "E" button down.
- Release the "E".

If it doesn't work, repeat as needed. Release the "E" between each attempt.

I've seen complaints on the main forum that the sword isn't appearing. It did for me, but that doesn't necessarily mean it does for everyone. If you're absolutely sure it isn't appearing, just hit LMB as he strikes. It may take anyway, which will at least let you move on in the tutorial.

Axii spell:
Target on someone, make sure you have the Axii spell selected, then press and hold Q (or whatever button you're using to cast spells). You'll see the weird lines. Release Q when you see a white flash on the guy you're hexing. It'll be fairly obvious when you know what to look for.

You can get hit while casting, in which case the hexing doesn't get completed. In the main game, you get a fuzzy screen for a few seconds when this happens - not sure if you do in the tutorial or not. So it sounds like the mage hits you while you're casting on the critter.

In both cases, just do whatever it takes to get through the tutorial. Be aware of the techniques, but don't worry too much about them. They're both in the "occasionally useful but not essential" category during the game itself.

That's what I did in the end and got through, after changing the way I used the "E" key.
I got through the Axii spell bit as well but I do not know how.

Thanks for both replies they were very helpful. In my first attempt at a play through (v1.2), I was just using cheats to get through which made it a bit hollow. So I thought I would start again with V2 and lean to use the spells etc. I find using spells and traps quiet hard. I saw a good interface mod on youtube that if I can find it I will give it a go. his mod seemed to make it a bit easier to organise and use items. Hard to tell just watching a video.

Even though I am finding this hard I am glad I picked it up from GoG. I really take my hat off to the people who can play these game easity, but then I suppose they would not get as long an experience either.

Regards

MarkL

If it makes you feel better, I was on my third playthrough before I worked out how to use EITHER of these techniques. It gets easier through time.

Practice on low-grade monsters where you have a save from just before the fight. The same goes for bombs and traps.

The best interface mods are Panel Tweaks and HUD Tweaks. Panel Tweaks definitely works for 2.0. HUD Tweaks may not yet, but the North Map Pointer definitely does, and is worth installing.