Hi!

I'm now level 4 with Geralt, playing on the second easiest difficulty ("Sword and board" I think) and I'm having some problems with battle, namely just barely surviving battles. On my way to the first boss, but I don't think it will work out. However, I don't want to play story mode.

I play on PC, and I've learned how to dodge and roll, but in the middle of combat, I cant seem to find the keys and things happen so fast.
Does anyone have any good key bindings for dodge and roll? WASD and alt/space seems hard to find quickly and it's easy to mess with the keys up during combat --> you die. Any better ideas?
Also, is there a way to pause the game during combat to think about strategy?

Unfortunately practice is probably the only real solution to mastering the combat system, but you WILL get better fast just through playing the game. In general remember that Geralt - although a huge badass - can easily get damaged. Before combat you should always cast the "Quen" sign. On Story and Sword difficulty it can absorb several hits - especially against weaker enemies.

I actually didn't learn the combat system properly before I started playing on the hardest difficulty because that forced me to get better and not just "click away", but you don't need to play on that difficulty to learn the system. Just remember to play defensively and not just charge into combat. Use oils, potions and bombs in difficult fights - it really makes a huge difference later on in the game. And again: Use your signs actively and think about the enemies you are fighting.

For example my strategy when facing a camp full of human enemies:

Cast "Quen" and monitor which opponents have swords, bows, shields etc. Start by killing the archers as they are fragile and will die easily. Then target the regular swordsmen (with one handed swords and no shields). Finally attack the warriors with shield or polearms. Cast Aard before each attack to prevent them from just blocking your attacks and try to isolate each of those enemies as they take quite a few hits. Keep Quen up at all times and recast it if you take some hits.

You can pause by bringing up the utility menu. Not a good solution but it will slow down the game speed.

As for combat, try to learn the pattern of the enemy without focusing on surviving or killing it. Just dodge/roll around and look at the enemy, not Geralt. If your goal is not survive or kill, it will feel less like a personal failure and more like an interesting experiment, very good solution if your enemy has many patterns to keep track of.

When you are done, make sure to take potions that work to your advantage. Swallows is usually always useful.

I highly recommend to learn to how to dodge than roll. It's harder to use but it doesn't stop Stamina regeneration which is great if you want to use Signs a great deal.

About abilities: make sure to get Active Quen (Tier 2). When enemies hit you, holding down your Quen hotkey creates an active shield that gives you health. It's somewhat OP when you learn to use it well and fully upgraded but it's great to gain some health if you are low on supplies.

Thanks for all the tips!
Well I've been fighting the golem now and got him to 1/2 health once, but I still have the problem with finding the keys during combat.
Guess practice is the only way to do it (with a keyboard at least)... :)