So, I'm 23hrs in & up til now I found the combat ok. Quite like W2 really. However, I find it ok coz normally I can kite around as much as suits or even quit the fight if it's proving too much. This all changed with the 'Wandering in the Dark' quest. In the catacombs area, I keep getting shut in rooms with big bad bosses. I don't like this as a game trait. Luckily they gave us save game! When I am in a room with a boss,I don't think the dodging is as good as W2. I dodged loads against Letho in a fixed area, but in W3 I keep getting stuck on stuff, rolling, when I need to jump over it ! Plus I'm finding my controls aren't working sometimes, crossbow/bombs and even my strong attack! When you're up against a tough boss, the last thing you need is poor control. Anyone else found this?

Hmmm, yes seems that sticking to objects is a pain in the butt, also I cant seem to adjust the gamma, it does nothing and I see no logo at all even when gamma is full lol

Haven't really had problems with the combat controls. But I dislike the target system. You should be able to easier get in or out of the combat stance when you want.

If you get stuck on stuff while dodging, you should simply not dodge into things, that's not the game's fault. . Spacial awareness you know.

Why can't we break auto combat lock? Not target lock!

It's clunky and makes fleeing a situation very frustrating. Can't tell you how many times I have died due to it.

Thanx llmaynell, but I think you missed my point. To be more specific, in a room with stalagmites at about knee height, instead of jumping them (which out of combat I could easily do) all I could do was roll at them, thus effectively blocking a possible escape route. There were several outcrops of these stalagmites which effectively become walls in combat mode yet they look easily jumped to the eye, and didn't block the boulders the Boss was throwing! :) If I get your meaning, I think you can, by spacebar WASD rolling away. Unless, of course, you're stuck in a small room with a Gargoyle!:)

This! THIS ALL DAY LONG.... i cant strong attack unless i hold shift and SPAM mouse0 to force it to trigger.... :(

So i found a work around, disable the attack modifer (left shift) and manual choose a Strong Attack key/button and it works 100% of the time just need to get used to the starting animation timing and its back to how it should be.

54hrs deathmarch play time and just figured that evidently TW3 has some aiming issues (worse than TW2) and input lag. Back to the time when I first got into this game, it was a disaster, especially when I was doing a quest escorting Bloody Baron and botchling. I spent a whole afternoon and tried about 40 times in order to defeat those wraiths lol.

The combat feels better then darksouls tbh love it to bits
though i am using a wii u procontroller so maybe button triggers make it quicker to do stuff idk

I just did that on Death March. Four tries. Just needed to utelize Yrden and Axii in addition to Specter Oil, Thunderbolt, and Swallow. How did you get stuck for 40 times? What were you trying as strategies? Came from playing The Witcher 1 on Hard and 2 on Dark then Insane so I do already have lots of practice with this game's lore in relation to combat but dayum man, 40 tries? You probably should evaluate how you're combat is going if that part (which was certainly frustrating and hard, yes) tripped you up that long.

Happy to share strategies if you want them. Wandering in the Dark mission was my, "Welcome to Death March" quest too. No room to dodge and I ran out of food early because I thought I had the combat down pat. Make sure you are using your solo target to lock on. It helps with collision issues and keep your sword in perpetual parry. You should only not be blocking during the milliseconds you're attacking or dodging. Crossbow is best for luring out individual mobs from a pack, not for mid encounter damage. But really, locking on to a boss goes a very long way. Control response seems to be crisper when you do so.

You can use a Wii U Pro controller on a PC?
Awesome!


On topic:
I also had a few WTF moments in combat. I've only played 1h 42m so far according to GOG Galaxy, but I'm playing on the highest difficulty level, so I spent a lot of time in combat.

Sometimes I get hit (and die) despite having dodged the attack, and sometimes (though very rarely) Geralt just won't cast his sign, despite having full Stamina. Most of the times it's just the dodging that's an issue.
And from time to time Geralt will leap towards a far away enemy while attacking instead of slaying the one that's right in front of him, dying in the process.

The combat system itself is pretty neat, though. I like it a lot.

You should try The Witcher 2. The combat on Dark Mode and Insane is very challenging yet allows for more strategy and a little less frantic action.

Thx @Godsbane777. I've finished this game on deathmarch difficulty already. Yep that was what literally happened when I first time play TW3 lol, too haste to push the storyline. Before I TW3, I beat TW2 over 20 times on insane difficulty so yes I'll manage ;)

A gamer after meh own heart <3