I've noticed the game guide suggests heavy use of Yrden and Aard signs, as well as dodge and parry moves. Except for the one (?) fight where Yrden is apparently required, I never use those signs in combat; and while dodge is helpful, parry seems detrimental to my health. I seldom bother with anything alchemical either. Just hack, slash, rinse and repeat. But then, I've only played on "easy" so far.

After jumping from level 20 to level 24 in one fell swoop last night (weird), I did put 4 points into signs to get Quen III and one point of Venting. Pretty OP, but it's easy mode anyway.

Just wondering what tactics others employ -- particularly on "normal" and above. Do you find parry useful? Riposte? Do you use signs often, or alchemy?

Playing on Hard and Dark I find both signs and alchemy/crafts irreplaceable. Then again I'm not the best player when it comes to combat, I'm sure there are hardcore gamers out there who'll fuinish Dark Mode using a halberd only, no armor ;-)

Yrden is the sign I find myself using most often besides Quen, especially after upgrades. One of the main things in TW2 combat is not to get surrounded, so tangling up multiple enemies and dealing with them one by one is pretty neat. If you have the spare few seconds, setting up traps and leading them into them will at least soften them up a bit. When dealing with meaner enemies and bosses, Yrden will hold them still while you can catch breath or even use their distraction to hit them (backstab if you can!)

Aard and Igni are easily replaced by bombs, but they take less to cast and don't hit you, so they are good in a tight spot. I've found Axii the least useful since it's nice to use if the enemies are further away due to casitng time and I usualy prefer to use that advantage to mine the path of pursuit.

As for Alchemy, that one depends heavily on what your main tactics are and how much you're willing to invest in the alchemy tree. Potions provide a hefty boost to reinforce whatever strategy you choose and the duration and potency rises significantly with talent investment. Oils and poisons are very useful as well.

When it comes to actual sword swinging, there have been some major changes in 2.0 how parry works. Previously you'd block all the damage but loose 1 point of Vigour which I liked a bit more, now the game forces you to dodge and run arround more. Which is much more dynamic and maybe a bit more realistic (for a supernimble magick using mutant that is) but feels a bit hectic for me. Still the same rules apply for the rest - be sure to target your enemies, taking out the weaker ones as soon as possible, don't ever give them a chance to backstab, use the terrain, and keep moving.

Quick attacks are great to get close to a foe, even if he's a "heavy" you can add those strong attacks after Geralt jumps close to them. Strong attacks are great for finishing off enemies that have lost their balance due to a miss, a parry or sign or alchemy usage.

Be sure to upgrade your equipment and quicksave a lot. I'm sure you'll do fine in te harder gamemodes.

The key thing to remember in combat is "don't get surrounded". Be prepared to give ground and dodge away in order to keep your enemies in front of you. Usually, one of the crowd will be a fool and rush in first. When he does, make him pay for it.

Some monsters have leaping attacks. With these, you do not want to give them distance in front of you. If you cannot get behind them to backstab them, I like to get in their face and keep hitting them with Aard and strong attacks. If you get blocked, roll away to the side, not backward.

Your best crowd-control signs early in the game are Aard, Yrden, and Axii. Aard and Yrden will incapacitate one opponent so you can beat him up or concentrate on the others. You can get area-effect Aard early in the game, and it is devastating.

Axii is at its best when you are facing two or three dangerous opponents; it will neutralize two and give you a respite, or let you concentrate on the third. It will also give you a respite or an uncontested first blow against a single opponent.

If you have time to prepare the battlefield, lay traps. You can get a lot of Snares in Act I. They do a lot of damage, slow enemies down, and are even effective against wraiths. Then pick them up and reuse them.

My take on combat evolves with the more experience I get in Arena mode. Here are some of my observations.

-Identify and prioritize enemies as soon as possible. Got one shield-bearing knight and two halberd warriors bearing down on you? Yyrden or Axxii the knight, and then deal with the unarmored foes next.

-circle swarming enemies, like Nekkers or Endraga. Pick off the stragglers that leave the safety of the group.

-an oblique attack is an automatic multiple hit with one press of the button. ( with light attack)

-Vitality is currency in this game, especially after 2.0. Learn how to 'spend' it.

-if you play without Quen, gear and alchemy are of utmost importance. Pay attention to effects caused as well as stats altered whenever buying gear, and make damn sure it compliments your build. Many RPG's just ask you to compare and pick the item with the higher stat number. Not the case in TW2.

-I have yet to determine if the number of hits in a combo can be extended in an meaningful way, or if its based on a dice roll.