Couple hours into it, but basically I don't like it at all.. It's just way too difficult for me.. I've died literally probably 50 times already and I'm only playing on the normal difficulty! After I die a few times in a row it just makes me want to turn the system off instead of keep playing, or I'll go switch to a different video game. I can't play it for a long time at once because it just gets frustrating

Everything else about it made me think I would like it but I'm obviously just not very good at it, at all.. The dodging and stuff is so useless, same with the blocking, I'm just getting destroyed from every angle it seems like and its just making it not very fun at all. Also there seems to be a hardcore lack of direction in this game and the maps are totally useless.. For example I will pick up a quest off the board or something and there are no map markers or anything and my only clue is "Learn more about the xxxxx..." What am I supposed to do, search every house for a clue or something?

Cool game in theory but I'm obviously just not really able to get into it

I'll probably lower the difficult to Easy and then play it until Diablo 3 comes out, but other than that, it's just not for me I guess

Disappointing but that's the way it goes I guess. Complete waste of $40 in my opinion (Bought the XBOX 360 version previously played)

Its a RPG game so take your time dont rush it,go exploring,play it on easy if you need to.

It looks and plays real good on a grunty pc!!!!

I got a game guide with my pc game and use that sometimes,if you dont have one just do a google search for one and use that for when you need help.

The Witcher 2 can be very hard at first, until you get a hang of the combat. Dodging and blocking are actually very useful, but they don't work quite the way I expected at first. I'd recommend sticking with it a little longer before you give up, you might find yourself enjoying it much more when you get farther in. But if not, that's OK... it's not for everyone.

The combat can take some getting used to, but you do get used to it. I don't know your typical play style, but combat takes a little bit of timing and awareness of your surrounding area. Quen is very useful early on if you just need that extra bit of security so you don't die.

The most difficult area for me during the beginning was the tutorial section where you face the group in the courtyard to the monastery.

Play the tutorial more than a few times, this helped me a lot.
You'll come to like.
Cheers.

As for combat frustration, remember that you can dial down the difficulty at any time, and then change it back to a higher setting - this means you can do that without loosing any of your current progress.

Some basic combat tips: Geralt is a mutand, designed to be fast and strong, but he's not one of the X-Men. If he gets stuck in a corner, surronded or backstabbed, he'll go down very quickly. So keep moving! When fighting more than one enemy use the Alt key to mark one target and try to lure him away and use a combination of fast and heavy swings to eliminate him. As soon as the others come - roll away. In the beginning block only as a last resource, as it will just reduce the damage taken.

It is very important that you keep all this in mind while advancing the character. While it may seem like fun to invest all points into the magick or alchemy tree, you should concentrate on buffing your swordsmanship in your first playthrough. Witchers are not mages nor alchemists, those skills are just for support - they live by the sword. And advance wisely - if you have problems with a specific thing (getting surrounded and backstabbed, or not being able to roll too far, or blocking very often) try to find a skill that corresponds to that problem (backstab reduction, dodge distance buff, blocking damage reduction are all there).

And while I said other skills are support skills, they are vital at higher diffculties even if you become decent at swordfights. Always be ready to cast signs - Quen for protection, Aard against heavy enemies, or just for the pushback, Yrden to pin down large foes, or reduce the crowd that's currently chasing you and taking on other goons. The other signs should be upgraded before they are really useful, but they have potential even at the start. If you know you'll be in a fight, drink a potion - that includes everytime you go into the forest as long as you feel that opponents there are tough. Again, choose potions accordingly to the assistance you require. Have traps and grenades ready, but remember that they take a few seconds, so your opponent has to be far (keep moving!) or you want to retreat to a mined location. And remember to keep upgrading your gear - there's no point in hoarding money, you'll only ever need it for gear, so keep Geralt poor and deadly.

The maps might be confusing at first, so do as you'd in real life - stick to the main paths at first and when the area becomes familiar, and goons seem weaker, explore. But always watch your step for traps, enemies, and places of power (whenyou hear your medallion ring press the medallion button to find and use the buff, they are in useful places very often).

As for quests, the monster hunting quests work as this: First you have to gather information on a monster, and then you'll find out a way to eliminate it. This can be done either through direct experience, or by the way of literature. Fighting and killing enough monsters will allow you to gather resources and sell them, but is more dangerous. Books on the other hand will cost you money, so think of it as reducing your reward by the amount of money the book cost. Also, the more you know about a monster (there are 3 levels of knowledge for each) the more damage you deal to it.

I personally prefer this way of doing things to "bring me five jars of bear fat and you'll get a reward for fixing our bear problem!"

The game has a rewarding story even though the learning curve is harsh at the start. It used to get easier by endgame, but I don't know how much they re-balanced it in EE. Anyway it's worth it and remember - it's not a shame to change the diff setting. If you're not enjoying the game and getting frustrated, that's what it's there for. When it gets too easy, dial it back up. Play the tutorial and arena for more pure combat practice.

You'll get a hang of it, I promise! Have fun!

You can mark quests to show on the map btw (in the journal). Those that don't have a marker displayed usually don't have the proper conditions met(so at that time you can't complete it like "Assassin of Kings" quest)

Also be patient with combat, if you can only get in one hit then don't try to do a combo because you'll get your ass kicked. It might prolong the fights, but you'll survive.

Did you try changing it to easy? On easy its really not hard, enemies basically don 't even block...

Normal does take some getting used to, you need to be careful in combat and prepare beforehand for tougher battles (drink potions etc...)

I had trouble with normal at first, but have no problems with it now.

I, for one, like the challenging combat. In TW1, Geralt was a demigod who could take on a brigade of whatever the hell was trying to kill him at any given moment. It was almost as ridiculous as Assassin's Creed. I know witchers are supposed to be superior to the ordinary human, but it just wasn't believable that he could regularly take on eight soldiers and win.

There are a few things that can make combat a bit easier. First of all, bombs. Level up the ability that increases bomb and trap damage (alchemy tree). Acquire the diagrams for Grapeshot, Dragon's Dream and Dacing Star. Individual enemies aren't particularly dangerous, so if they bunch up, set them on fire (a Dragon's Dream immediately followed by a Dancing Star) or cut them down with a barrage of Grapeshot. Don't bother using accurate aim; the automatic aim works well enough unless the enemies are miles away.

Also, use the sword and armour upgrades. You'll be changing weapons quite often in the beginning, but that's what you have money for - there's nothing to save up for as far as I can work out. Buy/craft runes and use them; having a sack full of unused runes in the end of the game is a waste. The same goes for mutagens. Trust me, there isn't a better one waiting just around the corner, so just take the +2 to armour.

And yes, the minimap is useless.

This would have been a perfectly sensible and rational post on Witcher 2 release day.

However its almost a year on. You have a tutorial, introduction has been smoothed over and you can always drop to easy.

Agreed with Apathy1989 :)

Besides, the combat has been tweaked and rebalanced quite a bit in the enhanced edition, and I assure you it is responsive and very enjoyable, if you actually take the time to master it.
People have been spoiled by games like Assassins Creed, where all the nice enemies wait in line until you instantly kill them with a single button push.

I remember that in The Witcher 1 people were always complaining that "The Beast" at the end of the first chapter was almost impossible to defeat.
True is was a hard creature to conquer IF you did not have your preparations in order.
Yet it had some weaknesses that you could find information on beforehand.

Witcher 2 is also about preparation and a deeper knowledge of your enemy.
Know thy enemy and know thy self !
That is what the combat in this game is all about.

This game is an RPG, and the role you play is that of a Witcher.
You have to become a witcher, think like one.
Acquire knowledge in alchemy, invest in your sword skills, understand the basic elements of the magical powers you have to your disposal.
Also experiment with traps, and all the bombs.
Try to find your timing with the combo's.
There are many possibilities and it's all up to you.

If you invest in it, it really is going to pay you off.
Once you learned how to work all the elements and layers, it will become poetry in motion !

Canadian right?
Used to those BioWare "I Win Awesome Buttons"?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV97ozaD4vs

Difficult? I played it right at the release. I agree it was difficult back then. But I liked the difficulty and managed to beat the game just fine. I recently started playing it again (enhanced edition and all). Now it's way easier on normal.

True, it was way more difficult back then, also because the controls were a little nervous, and it had some bugs, I remember finding it frustrating that Geralt sometimes was all over the place except for the place that I meant him to go.

I think the combat is way better now, and I for one am glad they nerfed the Quen sign and rebalanced the game.
It also pays off to import your savegame now, since the items that carry over have a bit more oomph in the beginning stages of the game. (And justly so, since you had to play through the entire first witcher to earn these artifacts.)

Are you just trying to make a connection between Canada and Bioware? Because this could easily come off as you making fun of the OP for being Canadian, which would be in pretty poor taste.

Some people don't like games that are very difficult. Mocking them won't help... we need to explain why such games are so rewarding and encourage them to keep trying. The Witcher 2 can be very hard when you first start playing and are still learning the controls, but it gets easier and a lot more fun once you learn the way combat works. It would be a shame for the OP to give up before he or she reaches that point, and being met with derision on these forums for daring to complain about the difficulty in the beginning is only going to ensure that.

Fortunately, a lot of the posters here are genuinely trying to be helpful, and I hope they will be the ones to guide the discussion.