Hi all, just looking for some advice!

I own all 3 games -- the first two on PC, the last on console (from an awesome sale). The console one is just sitting there, calling to me, and I was holding off in the hopes I could play the series in proper order.

Problem is, my PC's graphics card sucks, and after seeing how much $$ I'd have to spend for a card that could even hit the minimum requirements, I'm worried the day I get to experience the first two games is too far to wait.

So I just wanted an opinion: for those who've played the series, how badly am I missing out stepping fresh into 3? Should I at least watch a playthrough of the previous entries first? For those who started with 3 for one reason or another, do you get the feeling when you play like you're missing out? How's the experience been?

Thank you to any who feel like lending their opinion, I appreciate any advice you choose to give!


(And GOG Team, please forgive me for the similar topic on TW2 board, as I'm eager to get into this amazing series and just wanted a wider net to catch advice. Please feel free to delete one if I've violated the terms of the site!)

You get the option to answer key questions about prior events (TW1 & 2) in the game, so you won't miss out on content. What you *will* miss out on is the experience (*not* XP) of the previous two games, and the insights those bring. Don't fret too much though, because the game is designed to be stand-alone. It would be a shame to miss the first two, but it's not absolutely necessary for the enjoyment of the third.

Don't worry about it, you can jump into 3 quite easily, but to understand the story properly you have to give it quite a
bit of attention. A bit of Witcher 2 experience would've been nice, because it helps with understanding the war,
shows you characters like dandelion and zoltan, and also shows the bond between Geralt and Triss.

I second what the previous posters said, but aside from that a gfx card able to run w3 does not cost that much. I used to play it on an 7870oc at mid/high settings at around 40fps and those can be purchased at around 100$.

But maybe you plan to fully upgrade your pc later on and you want to buy a stronger gfx card (I can understand that :D ) and everything else, which of course would be a little more expensive.

Thank you to all 3 of you for your advice! I was afraid that was going to be the answer; I started watching a playthrough of the first Witcher and all I could think was "I should be PLAYING this, not watching it!". Right from the start this series seems special.

@Azulath, wow really that cheap? I searched for the graphics cards listed on the Witcher 2 page's "minimum requirements" and they were all over $100 at LEAST. If I could find something around $100, I think that would be within my budget to grab. I'll look around some more!

I wish the first two witchers were re-released on the red-engine but then again I don't want to give ideas since these guys already working too hard as is.

@ChesHatter: I think you have to look on e-bay or somewhere similar

Thanks again to all for your advice. Mercifully, I found out how to bypass what was blocking me from playing TW1 -- currently playing it now (albeit on low settings) and loving it!! I doubt TW2 will fare as well, being far more graphically taxing than the first, but I am grateful I will at the very least have more knowledge of the characters, setting, and lore of the series before stepping into the final installment -- even if I remain unversed in the central conflict presented in the second entry.

I played The Witcher 2 on high settings and 40-60 fps with 1680x1050 resolution on a HD 7850. It should be pretty cheap nowadays, but a 7870 like Azulath suggested will of course be better. What console are you using by the way? The Xbox 360-version of The Witcher 2 is confirmed to soon be backwards compatible and playable on Xbox One.

Welp! I spoke too soon :(

Yes, I got The Witcher to run, and was able to complete the beginning up until just after the Witchers split up to different areas for their investigation (which is pretty much right after the "tutorial" level), but it freezes on the loading screen for the next location, every time. So until I figure out how to get past that... sigh :(

Still, thank you everyone again for your help and advice in this topic!

Try turning off Auto Save until you get through that bit.

I read all the books, played the second title... and I still renjoyed this:
http://www.amazon.com/The-World-Witcher-Projekt-Red/dp/1616554827

Basically it's a lot of artwork and development concepts from the three game titles, mixed with the lore from the book series, presented in really high quality glossy print, and written in such a way that key people from the story tell you about the world, religion, factions, monsters...

It gives a very complete background on the universe without the need to read the original books or play the other two titles. Just be careful, at the end it goes to the ending of W3... so stop reading once you recognize the game setting ;)

Thanks for the idea, I will try that. Here's hoping it works, as I really want to keep playing!