Sirandar888: SPOILER ALERT

The Karyan encounter is suitably epic, very well modelled and quite beautiful to watch

BUT it needs a lot of work to be up to the quality level of the rest of the game.

Here is areas that need improvement and how to remedy them:

1) The first failure of the Kayron part of the game it it guaranteed that Gerault needs to die over 15 times to get past this part of the game. Every single death removes a significant part to the immersion of the game and after 15X there is none left.

2) The initial tentacle bashing/ trapping is quite clever but it is also quite buggy and overly scripted. First, the devs need to introduce 2 claity fixes, the first being an animation showing that the center 2 tentacles immediately break free after being tapped or the sorcereress needs to say "The middle tenatcles are too strong" What happens currently is the player dodges a few tenatcles, hears the sorceresses adivice, casts the trap and it failes becasue the 2 middle ones can't be trapped. Guaranteed 5 dealths dues to lack of clarity.

3) The scripting needs work and there are bugs. The toxic mucus often hits you when it really shouldn't and after I trap each tenatacle my active spell changes to ignii all by itself. After each tentacle I have to remember to switch back to trap. Another 3 or 4 guaranteed deaths

4) The QTE events are just barely tolerable. Another 3 or 4 guaranteed deaths

5) The rock throwing sequence is just plain silly and should be much better done or just omiited with the bridge falling causing death of the Kayran. The Karyan has an infinite supply of rocks. The rocks hit you when they couldn't possibly do so. Another 10-20 deaths trying to figure out what do.


When you add all this up this part of the game is more a puzzle to be solved than a battle, and is 1000x less effective as a game element becasue of this.

The Karyon could have been a highlight of the game, but bad game design and dragging out too long with non-immersive elements just ruins it.

Up to this point the combat required some getting used to but at no point did it really cross the line into tedium.

Right now I am up to the point where I can easily and consistantly beat the tentacle and QTE part of the Kayron BUT only becasue I know the patterns to use. That is a clear sign of bad game design right there. You need to know the pattern to proceed. Geralt is hiding behind some rubble as the Kayron hurls its infinate supply of bolders at him. Casting Shild and making a run for it sometimes gets him to the large fallen stone near the Kayron, but even then the Kayron defies physics and hit him bu hutling a boulder straight though the rubble.

I am not sure what Geralt should do now, and at this point I am deciding whether I even care. If this is how evey boss encounter is designed I then game over ...... not fun not done .... simple as that.

The Witcher 1 avoided the whole boss thing all togetjher much to its credit.

Kirth-Gersen: It is though and is mean to be trial and error, I died many times and got frustraded but that is how the game supposed to be, is not an error design.

Kirth-Gersen: As I said I died many times facing the kayran, as I did with Super Mario, Ninja Gaiden, Castlevania, Another World, Alone in the dark, etc. But I tried again and again and I finally did it.

I think we might be getting a little soft and some hardship now and then is not that bad.

Now bugs and glitches which kill you or just wont let you advance, well tnat is another story...

Sirandar888: SPOILER ALERT

The Karyan encounter is suitably epic, very well modelled and quite beautiful to watch

BUT it needs a lot of work to be up to the quality level of the rest of the game.

Here is areas that need improvement and how to remedy them:

1) The first failure of the Kayron part of the game it it guaranteed that Gerault needs to die over 15 times to get past this part of the game. Every single death removes a significant part to the immersion of the game and after 15X there is none left.

2) The initial tentacle bashing/ trapping is quite clever but it is also quite buggy and overly scripted. First, the devs need to introduce 2 claity fixes, the first being an animation showing that the center 2 tentacles immediately break free after being tapped or the sorcereress needs to say "The middle tenatcles are too strong" What happens currently is the player dodges a few tenatcles, hears the sorceresses adivice, casts the trap and it failes becasue the 2 middle ones can't be trapped. Guaranteed 5 dealths dues to lack of clarity.

3) The scripting needs work and there are bugs. The toxic mucus often hits you when it really shouldn't and after I trap each tenatacle my active spell changes to ignii all by itself. After each tentacle I have to remember to switch back to trap. Another 3 or 4 guaranteed deaths

4) The QTE events are just barely tolerable. Another 3 or 4 guaranteed deaths

5) The rock throwing sequence is just plain silly and should be much better done or just omiited with the bridge falling causing death of the Kayran. The Karyan has an infinite supply of rocks. The rocks hit you when they couldn't possibly do so. Another 10-20 deaths trying to figure out what do.


When you add all this up this part of the game is more a puzzle to be solved than a battle, and is 1000x less effective as a game element becasue of this.

The Karyon could have been a highlight of the game, but bad game design and dragging out too long with non-immersive elements just ruins it.

Up to this point the combat required some getting used to but at no point did it really cross the line into tedium.

Right now I am up to the point where I can easily and consistantly beat the tentacle and QTE part of the Kayron BUT only becasue I know the patterns to use. That is a clear sign of bad game design right there. You need to know the pattern to proceed. Geralt is hiding behind some rubble as the Kayron hurls its infinate supply of bolders at him. Casting Shild and making a run for it sometimes gets him to the large fallen stone near the Kayron, but even then the Kayron defies physics and hit him bu hutling a boulder straight though the rubble.

I am not sure what Geralt should do now, and at this point I am deciding whether I even care. If this is how evey boss encounter is designed I then game over ...... not fun not done .... simple as that.

The Witcher 1 avoided the whole boss thing all togetjher much to its credit.

ThulsaDooom: Stop sucking at games.

1 - I died once fighting the Kayran, not 15 times. It's not bad game design if you can't beat it.

2 - So, you didn't think it's a good idea to look up at all and plan which tentacle to attack, "Gee, I wonder if those giant glowing orbs might be a weak spot????"

3 - Takes less than a second to switch back to a sign. It's not the game's fault you didn't roll out of the way. Dodge man, it spits mucus at you. Mucus bad!

4 - Turn off the QTEs in the menu!

5 - The game NEVER telegraphed a giant bridge falling down and ultimately showing said bridge fall down right on top of the Kayran. What's the best way to defeat a beast much larger than you? FROM ABOVE.

"The Witcher 1 avoided the whole boss thing all togetjher much to its credit."

Yep, that's right. Exactly ZERO bosses in TW1, right. Okay, sure!

I tried to be nice in the past but ridiculous posts like this need to get called out with a healthy dose of vitriol. Posts like this are why games get dumbed down and nerfed. Think! I know this is a hard concept to understand alongside a video game but use your brain. Those goddamn diabolical geniuses at CDPR, expecting us to observe, notice and think during a boss battle. THE NERVE!!!!