Can I Play the Witcher 3 Without Prior Knowledge

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Can I just play Witcher 3 or am I missing a lot by not playing 1 or 2?

Thread starter piscian18
Start date Jul 9, 2016

Joined: Jul 26, 2005

Messages: 11,021

I just can't bring myself to play Witcher 1 I played like 5 minutes the combat was too painful to live. I've never played 2, is it super dated now or should I give it a shot before I run 3?

Joined: Apr 10, 2005

Messages: 14,877

Yeah - go for it. I did and have more hours into TW3 than any other game I own other than Oblivion. You might not get some of the lore but you'll still enjoy the game I am pretty sure. I played like 2 hours of TW1 and non of TW2. It's amazing if you like open-world fantasy rpg types.

Joined: Oct 26, 2014

Messages: 3,977

Graphically TW2 isn't dated, it still looks pretty good.

Combat wise, no idea, I haven't played enough of either TW2 or TW3. In fact, I think I prefer TW1's combat to TW2's, I actually hate doing combos (which is why I haven't tried playing DS series, the combat seem way too complicated and too dependent on reflexes).

I prefer brain based combat than hand based.

Joined: Dec 23, 2006

Messages: 362

Story wise you do miss out on a few things, but the game play in 3 is so much better than the 1st two.

I wouldn't hesitate to start with 3

Joined: Jun 8, 2004

Messages: 574

Joined: Mar 24, 2007

Messages: 4,997

You'll miss out on a bit if you don't play witcher 2. As for witcher 1, I only made it to chapter 3 in hat game... but afaict I don't see any mention of the happenings in TW3.

No realy big deal, either way imo.

Joined: Jul 25, 2008

Messages: 2,727

I've played all 3 numerous times, and read the books that have been translated to English.

Starting with 3 doesn't punish you for not playing the first two, it fills in most gaps. That said, playing W2 also will give W3 a lot more depth and the gameplay doesn't feel dated. It does have some weird difficulty spikes, but the rebalance mod mentioned above helps with that.

Joined: Dec 10, 2006

Messages: 2,825

there are some witcher 1 and 2 "movies" on youtube, about an hour long each and just a summary of everything that happened so if you watch those you should be good.

Joined: Apr 29, 2005

Messages: 18,457

You will miss some of the story leading up to 3 and some of the relationships between characters but I'm sure you can find the backstory you need on Youtube or other websites. It's a great game. Have fun!

Joined: Dec 1, 2007

Messages: 4,233

You don't have to but there are bits and pieces from TW1 that transfers over to TW2 which has some important decisions that transfers over to TW3.

Personally I would read the books first before jumping into TW3.

Joined: Jun 17, 2011

Messages: 2,635

yeah you can start w/ 3, don't worry about it.

Joined: Jun 21, 2011

Messages: 3,810

if you do decide to play w2, just power through the intro area. Its kinda shitty but once you're through there its a ton of fun.

Joined: Dec 8, 2009

Messages: 3,614

Honestly the books will give you more info the games ever will. Ciri, a major character in W3, is only in the books and nearly never mentioned in W1 & W2. Very odd considering how important she was.

They are good reads if you looking for something. This is the first book, The Last Wish. While it's more a collection of 5 short stories it does give you what happens between the main character and Yen.

https://www.amazon.com/Last-Wish-In...&qid=1468237098&sr=1-1&keywords=the+last+wish

Joined: Jun 6, 2014

Messages: 3,155

Yeah - go for it. You might not get some of the lore but you'll still enjoy the game I am pretty sure.

I never played a Witcher 3 game before and I didn't feel like I missed anything. Everything is explained in-game. They made the game very accessible to people who've never played a Witcher game before. So yes OP, go for it. I never have been much of a RPG, and after finished Witcher 3 I can safely say it's one of my favorite games of all time. The attention to detail, the stories... even the damn side quests felt original and different with new stories and interesting characters. The Bloody Baron side quest line was my favorite.

Joined: Mar 10, 2014

Messages: 1,728

First one is too dated for me at this point, but TW2 is incredible and worth the play through. In fact, playing it first makes TW3 that much more satisfying. If I had started with TW3, doubtful I could go back and play the others after the fact, despite them being great games.

Joined: Apr 10, 2005

Messages: 14,877

I never played a Witcher 3 game before and I didn't feel like I missed anything. Everything is explained in-game. They made the game very accessible to people who've never played a Witcher game before. So yes OP, go for it. I never have been much of a RPG, and after finished Witcher 3 I can safely say it's one of my favorite games of all time. The attention to detail, the stories... even the damn side quests felt original and different with new stories and interesting characters. The Bloody Baron side quest line was my favorite.

Agreed. A few items like Geralt's relationship with Triss and Yenn... I was clueless but those had been explained in books and previous games but for the most part you can just pick this up without missing a beat.

Joined: Mar 18, 2016

Messages: 8

I'm about 35 hours into 3 since picking it up last month and wholeheartedly recommend it. I barely scratched the surface of 1 or 2 before being distracted away but 3 is very different and far more engaging in my opinion. I always wanted to love this series being an RPG fanatic but it took the third to finally grab me. I think combat in particular has finally smoothed out so as not to distract away from the rest of the game. It's a beautiful world and the story is quite well written.

Just read the wiki and watch a few catch-up videos on 1/2 beforehand and you should be fine.

Joined: Jul 30, 2004

Messages: 20,106

Skip the first one. It's a bit clumsy even if it is a well-told story. I'm sure there are videos that will walk you through the high points.
#2 is worth playing though. In fact, with the graphics cranked it still looks pretty great even today. Depending on your rig, you might even be able to turn on Ubersampling. When the game first hit that was a system killer.
You don't truly have to play either to enjoy #3, though. In fact, it's so damned huge, you're looking at a multi-month game if you do all there is to do.

Joined: Aug 26, 2002

Messages: 3,363

I would just start with 3. I never played the first 2 games and knew nothing about the Witcher series when a work colleague talked me into picking up Witcher 3. All I did was read a story recap of the first 2 games before I started. It's one of the best games I've played and I even started reading through the books. Waiting to do another play through until after I'm finished.

Joined: Mar 19, 2003

Messages: 6,926

Play them in order. Great games.
But yes, you can play 3 without playing the other 2.

Joined: Jun 9, 2003

Messages: 6,212

I would highly advise you to play them all, if you can possibly do so. The trilogy is one of the next on my backlog and I am to understand that each game can offer new content if you save is imported into the next one (a la Mass Effect, though perhaps a bit more subtle). Thus to get the most out of all three games, playing them in sequence and on the same platform is worthwhile.

Oh, when it comes to the earlier titles, I highly suggest you use mods and upgrades to modernize the experience a little, and be sure always be using the latest patch. For instance, for TW1, use the "Rise of the White Wolf" mod for a LOT of graphical upgrades, quests being added back in, and a few other tweaks (adding the Scabbard Mod is a good idea as well). You can optionally use the Full Combat Rebalance mod, but it may make the game much harder. TW2 doesn't have any "must have" mods the same as the original does with Rise of the White Wolf, but still its worth looking over the Nexus Mods site. For all The Witcher games, there is a nice modding community.

While you can play 3 without the other 2, I think you'll get the most out of them if you can play all three.

Joined: Jan 1, 2008

Messages: 19,058

I would highly advise you to play them all, if you can possibly do so. The trilogy is one of the next on my backlog and I am to understand that each game can offer new content if you save is imported into the next one (a la Mass Effect, though perhaps a bit more subtle). Thus to get the most out of all three games, playing them in sequence and on the same platform is worthwhile.
Oh, when it comes to the earlier titles, I highly suggest you use mods and upgrades to modernize the experience a little, and be sure always be using the latest patch. For instance, for TW1, use the "Rise of the White Wolf" mod for a LOT of graphical upgrades, quests being added back in, and a few other tweaks (adding the Scabbard Mod is a good idea as well). You can optionally use the Full Combat Rebalance mod, but it may make the game much harder. TW2 doesn't have any "must have" mods the same as the original does with Rise of the White Wolf, but still its worth looking over the Nexus Mods site. For all The Witcher games, there is a nice modding community.

While you can play 3 without the other 2, I think you'll get the most out of them if you can play all three.

Wait a second... You haven't played them all however you think the OP needs to?

I say jump right into 3 unless you have hundreds of hours to burn on the games. Just 3 alone is an easy 100 hours (200 if you want to do all the side quests), that's a huge time investment and it has much better mechanics than the first two.

Joined: Jun 9, 2003

Messages: 6,212

Heh, well I started playing the first one awhile ago but something interrupted me. When any game or series in in my backlog and I come up close to playing it, I look into what I should do to maximize my experience: What are the latest updates? Do I have all the expansions/DLC/other content and when/what order to play it? What mods are advisable? How is the online community? Is it the kind of game that needs walkthrough/guide/collectables and where I can find the most informative and meanwhile avoid spoilers as I play Etc. It is from this process I come to my conclusion and make the suggestion that its possible to play 3 alone, but best to play all three titles (especially learning of each later title importing the save of the previous) and that there are mods available suitable for the first time player for earlier titles in the series to enhance the experience.

Joined: Apr 22, 2011

Messages: 1,727

Oh, when it comes to the earlier titles, I highly suggest you use mods and upgrades to modernize the experience a little, and be sure always be using the latest patch. For instance, for TW1, use the "Rise of the White Wolf" mod for a LOT of graphical upgrades, quests being added back in, and a few other tweaks (adding the Scabbard Mod is a good idea as well). You can optionally use the Full Combat Rebalance mod, but it may make the game much harder. TW2 doesn't have any "must have" mods the same as the original does with Rise of the White Wolf, but still its worth looking over the Nexus Mods site. For all The Witcher games, there is a nice modding community.
While you can play 3 without the other 2, I think you'll get the most out of them if you can play all three.

Is there any fix for the control scheme? I tried playing #1 once but the controls sucked quite badly.

I would at least play Witcher 2 anyway. That game and graphics still hold up. Real fun. Took me a while to get into the combat but its worth it

Joined: Jun 9, 2003

Messages: 6,212

Is there any fix for the control scheme? I tried playing #1 once but the controls sucked quite badly.

It all depends what you mean. If you mean the "clicking" style of combat, alas that is pretty much baked into the game design. However, there are some things that can make it more bearable. First, there is the "Full Combat Rebalance" mod, which changes how combat and to some degree controls work. It won't make it like TW2 or TW3, but give it a look. In addition, if you prefer/would feel better using a controller, there are several mods that, all though a bit of a kludge, can make it happen. Ultimately, it is without a doubt the weakest element of The Witcher, but the other elements of the title make up for it - especially when modded. Right now NexusMods is down for maintenance so I'll provide some links later if anyone is interested.
.

Joined: Jan 1, 2008

Messages: 19,058

Is there any fix for the control scheme? I tried playing #1 once but the controls sucked quite badly.

#1 is clunky at a design and a game engine level. It can't be fixed

#1 for me was mostly about banging as many chicks as possible to get their portrait cards (or whatever they were called).

Joined: Jan 17, 2005

Messages: 3,929

You won't be sorry for playing 2. The graphics hold up real well. Lots of dwarves and elves. I love that shit.

What you need to know about 1 is that Geralt has amnesia. He died doing battle with the Wild Hunt and was somehow resurrected. He is searching for Yennifer by fucking everything he sees especially Triss.
1 has a lot more finding flowers and making potions that you have to find a campfire to make while you meditate. 2 mitigates that somewhat and in 3 you can pop a squat pretty much anywhere and Geralt will automagically create potions for you if you have the ingredients.
If you liked Neverwinter Nights style gaming, play 1. Otherwise, start with 2.

That's all I can say in my current state which is a result of drinking Wodka. Which is a brand of Polish Vodka.

Joined: Oct 26, 2014

Messages: 3,977

#1 is clunky at a design and a game engine level. It can't be fixed
#1 for me was mostly about banging as many chicks as possible to get their portrait cards (or whatever they were called).

Wiki has them labeled as "sex cards"

I am still in the process of replaying 1 because of the way that the headhunting quests worked, ESPECIALLY in the first act, I missed out on Moonblade (the most powerful Silver sword, I can't remember its exact name), so I am replaying the game.

I prefer TW1's combat to TW2, so I am not being masochist. I leave that to playing TW2 on the hardest diff setting on the first (and hopefully, the only) playthrough.

Last edited: Jul 19, 2016

Joined: Jun 5, 2008

Messages: 2,015

The combat in 1 was a garbage rhythm game for people who like Dance Dance Revolution. It was so bad that even though I bought 2 on sale, I didn't want to install it. Somebody on [H] pointed out that the combat was changed and I played 8 hours and it was fun. The redhead chick was amusing. I stopped to do something in real life and didn't go back but it's still there, waiting to be played. I never played 3 and as good as 2 is so far, I can't see me playing 3.

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Can I Play the Witcher 3 Without Prior Knowledge

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Can I Play the Witcher 3 Without Prior Knowledge

Can I just play Witcher 3 or am I missing a lot by not playing 1 or 2?

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