First time I played through The Witcher 2 I quickly became confused, overwhelmed, and frustrated. So I set it on easy, which made combat a bit dull. Now I am playing through it again on medium and enjoying it far more now that I know what I am doing.

The Witcher 1 was good the first time, bearable the second and I donno if I'd ever want to play through it a third. After beating The Witcher 2 I was anxious to play through it again, this time for real.

This all isn't to say The Witcher 2 was bad the first time. Rather, playing through the second time I am now comfortable enough with the game to see the combat for how good it truly is. A huge step up with The Witcher 1.

My advice for newbies who want to learn how to fight properly?
Dodge dodge dodge, don't block! Dodging is free while blocking requires as much vigor as a sign, so just try to put it out of your mind. Blocking is not useless, but should be considered an advanced and generally unneeded skill.
Remember you don't just have your sword. You are a combination between a battlemage and The Highlander, not a knight or even barbarian. That is as awesome as it sounds if you do it right. An unarmored, vicious son of a bitch who will throw a bomb in your face if you avoid getting magickally mindjacked and cut in half.

I actually kind of understand now why people don't like witchers. Very different from The Witcher 1, where you were a tank made out of sword.

I'm sorry to be the one to tell you that, but this is a shitty advice. Ever tried riposte? Makes dodging redundant.

Even without Riposte (which I dislike), blocking is still very useful.

blocking is usefull against few enemies. If there are 3+ then they eat your vigor too fast and leave too little time for counterattack

i found witcher 1 better,although i am still on the 1st chapter of witcher 2 and working my way through all the side quests.
i found witcher 1 better the more i played it and i think i will find the same with witcher 2

I found the prologue ridiculously difficult my first time on medium while I was getting used to the game. My second playthrough on hard is even easier now that I know what Im doing.

Second playthrough is absolutely a lot more fun, and with a second major path, it's like another game.

I specifically said blocking is not useless. That was my advice to newbies, not people who knew how to fight and want to do so with the most efficiency.

For a newbie feeling lost, learning to dodge first is important. After that they can branch out however they feel comfortable doing so if they want. If you took to the game like a fish to water or have been playing it a while, that advice is not for you. Blocking is very misleading to newbies and isn't necessary, it eats up vigor so you need to know what you are doing.

Yes, I know technique XYZ is super efficient and you are so awesome and there is no excuse to not play at peak efficiency right now like you can with your good gaming skills. Get out.