All posts by Q Games

I played a sign-heavy build in all 3 games. In the first game, I made heavy use of Aard, Quen and Axii. Aard is the only sign you get at the start so I naturally used it quite a bit, and it's very useful for knocking down enemies for the instant kill. I started using Quen more after I got the upgrade for the healing effect which made it much more useful, and Axii for turning enemies on each other was mostly fun, but also useful in situations where they had high numbers. I found Yrden absolutely useless in the first game and didn't upgrade it; in just about any case I could use Yrden there was always a better alternative.

In the second game, signs are just overpowered in my opinion. The very long range fireball effect of Igni allowed me to kill enemies at a distance and with investment in the magic tree and the right gear to boost vigor, I could spam Igni and turn Geralt into a living fireball machine gun. Axii was probably my second most favoured sign but Yrden actually became useful; it was very situational, but in the situations where it came in handy I could not have won without it. For example, (SPOILER) the first fight against Letho at the end of the first Act would not have been possible with my sign build otherwise as his frequent Quen use basically nullified the effects of my other signs, but stunning him with Yrden and then using my sword was a lifesaver.

Unexpectedly, Yrden became one of my most used signs in the third game. I abused the Magic Trap alternate form by just placing it on the ground and running around it until the enemy died; it basically dealt with every contract monster since you tend to fight them one-on-one and the magic trap attack staggers them for enough time that you can place a second if the first isn't enough. Igni is a lot less overpowered but I actually like it this way because I think it made fights a little too easy in 2 if you have a magic build; I still used Igni extensively in fights where I actually used my sword because it was helpful to lay down that extra bit of damage and keep enemies distracted by setting them on fire. Axii was slower to cast in 3, which also made it more fair, but I still used it quite a lot.

I think I used Axii the most over the course of all 3 games. Part of the reason is because it just suits my playstyle as I enjoy causing confusion among enemies using illusion/mind control type magic in other games as well. It is genuinely very useful for my almost exclusively sign-focused build too because my combat ability isn't quite as good as the game expects it to be at many points, so it's helpful to have an extra ally or two on your side. It's not as good as Igni in 2 or Yrden in 3, but through all 3 games it's the one sign I kept using consistently regardless of the title.

I suspect there isn't a single, all-encompassing reason. The minor characters who got glossary entries probably received them because a writer felt like it after they came up with some interesting backstory or details for that character. Each one of them likely has a different reason for having/not having an entry.

Short version: Witchers treat dragons the same way they treat humans, elves, dwarves, etc.

As stated above, witchers generally avoid killing members of sentient species. Even though most dragon types can't speak, the non-golden ones are still known to be sentient and highly intelligent, so they're not really monsters and would more accurately be classed as a non-humanoid race. Like other sentient races, witchers generally don't hunt them, but if they are a danger to the witcher or other people, witchers wouldn't be against killing them either, just like how witchers do kill people in self-defense or when otherwise justified.

In addition, witcher schools like the School of the Cat and the remnants of the Viper School who don't have issue taking contracts on people and have essentially turned hired assassin also probably won't have a problem with killing dragons, since they seem to have abandoned the tradition of not hunting sentient races. In the case of the witcher George who is known for having killed a dragon but is from the Griffin school (which is not otherwise known to have stooped to assassination); his story as depicted in the Witcher 3 heavily suggests the former case where that particular dragon was being a serious threat to innocent people, so George took the contract.

Visenna is definitely a full sorceress in addition to a druid. Sorceresses are supposed to be infertile, but as said above exceptions do occur. In the novels (I believe in Time of Contempt during a conversation between Geralt and Vilgefortz) it's speculated that Visenna likely believed she was unable to have a child and Geralt was very much unexpectedly conceived. That's probably why Visenna gave him to Vesemir to train as a witcher, because she didn't plan to have a child and had no idea what to do with one at the time.

Most of the people I know who have played Witcher games either prefer Witcher 3 or have only ever played the third game. Witcher 3 is not a choice in this poll because I'm curious which out of the first 2 games people prefer more (I'm pretty sure Witcher 3 would win if it was a choice out of all 3 games).

Feel free to drop a comment elaborating on your choice further!

The top two answers would be my primarily choices. The major Northern Kingdoms are in way too much turmoil during this period.

I never kill him because I don't think Geralt would. In Season of Storms, Geralt meets another Cat witcher called Brehen who also massacred a town in the past. Brehen not only challenges Geralt to a duel but threatens the life of a priestess to try and force him to fight, but Geralt still talks him down and lets him walk away because he's one of the few fellow witchers still out there.

The order I personally used and most often see suggested is:

The Last Wish (Short Story Collection)

Sword of Destiny (Short Story Collection)

Season of Storms (Side Novel)

Blood of Elves

Time of Contempt

Baptism of Fire

The Tower of the Swallow

The Lady of the Lake

Sword of Destiny was published a year before The Last Wish, but I heavily suggest reading The Last Wish first because many of the stories in Sword of Destiny build on things that happened in The Last Wish, and it also contains a short story that leads directly into the events of Blood of Elves.

Some people suggest reading Season of Storms last because it's the latest published book or skipping it entirely if you're just looking to read the main story, as it's a side story that isn't needed to understand the central plot of the books. It actually takes place before the first story in The Last Wish; the short stories are usually a much better place to start and get to know the world and characters, but since you've already played the games, you could start with Season of Storms, though I still recommend saving it for after the short stories.

I think Mellitele may have the most overall followers, as it's stated in both the books and games to be a very universal religion, However, the followers of the Eternal Fire seem to be much more zealous, not to mention they have militant arms like the Order of the Flaming Rose (at least in the games). It's also very prevalent in Novigrad, which is a huge economic centre in the north.

At the moment, during the time most of the Witcher stories are set (i.e. in Geralt's lifetime) the Church of the Eternal Fire is likely to be the strongest, but the Church of Mellitele will probably outlast the Eternal Fire due to its universal nature. Mellitele is unlikely to ever be the most powerful religion at any one time (they're not the type to have soldiers and their priestesses heal for free), but it's a religion that's going to exist in some form as long as there are people. If the Eternal Fire ever falls out of favour, the Church of Mellitele will still be around.