How Hard Is The Witcher 3? Here Is What We Think

We’ve recently covered all the difficulties in Witcher 3 and come to the conclusion that the game can be played by newcomers to the franchise and veterans alike. Like all action role-playing games, Witcher puts great emphasis on combat, and most of your gameplay will involve it. And while we did discuss the pros and cons of each difficulty, we haven’t really answered objectively whether Witcher 3 is a hard game. Due to that, we’ve put together this guide to answer all your questions. Let’s see how hard Witcher 3 really is.

Is Witcher 3 hard for a beginner?

Witcher 3 is absolutely not too difficult for a beginner. This is because one of the difficulties you can choose is “Just the Story.” This essentially means that you will be vastly overpowered when compared to enemies. They will deal you less damage, and you will get more experience while doing quests which will allow you to level up quickly.

Suppose you decide to play on Blood & Broken Bones difficulty or Death March difficulty. In that case, this is another story, as these two difficulties are not recommended to players with no prior experience with similar games.

Should you be playing Witcher 3 on the highest difficulty?

This depends on several factors. Are you familiar with mechanics, monsters, boss encounters, alchemy, signs, and skills? Are you familiar with similar games, dodging, and how to level up character correctly? If the answer to these questions was, for the most part, “yes,” then you might try your luck on the highest difficulty. Most players decide to give it a try after they have completed the game on the lower difficulty at least once, but If you feel confident in your skills, there’s nothing stopping you.

What do you need to keep in mind while playing Witcher 3 on the highest difficulty?

Blood & Broken Bones and Death March difficulty are not for the faint of heart. Those difficulties are going to test your reflexes, knowledge of controls, and your willingness to prepare for each encounter. Let’s take a look at what you need to keep in mind before you brave those two difficulties.

You will be weaker when compared to enemies

One of the things you need to keep in mind is the fact that Blood and Broken Bones and Death March will make you significantly weaker. The monsters will have more health, and they will be able to deal more damage.

Even the weakest of enemies, if the pack is large enough, will be able to take you down if you don’t enter the fight wisely. You will need to time your combat, and some encounters, as you will learn soon, are best avoided if possible.

You will need to utilize bestiary

Every aggressive mob or boss in Witcher 3 has weaknesses and certain alchemical compounds that work best to take it down. Reading through the bestiary will greatly help as you will be able to prepare certain concoctions, oils, potions, and bombs to aid you in combat. For example, engaging Fire Elemental with Igni sign can be devastating and goes against all logic as this fire-based sign will only empower them.

Fire Elementals are extremely vulnerable to frost-based attacks. In such cases, Northern Wind bombs are best used as they have the ability to freeze them in place. Such an approach is logical, but not all weaknesses will be logical. Fire Elemental can be engaged with Dimeritium Bombs as well, as they block some of the elemental’s magic-based attacks.

You will have to pay more attention to alchemy

Most players have the tendency to hoard various alchemical substances as well as ingredients, but most players also never use those. Oils, potions, and concoctions are going to be of great use to you as you will find yourself often lacking that “extra push” to take down the most difficult of enemies.

Oils on your blade slightly increase damage, but that damage can certainly add up and close the gap that you need to take down the boss. Potions can get you out of a difficult situation by giving you the buff you need or that extra health that you need. Keep in mind that meditation will not restore your vitality on Blood and Broken Bones and Death March difficulties, so you will need to find alternative ways to close this gap.

Pay attention to upgrades and use your skills points wisely

On the lowest difficulties, you might find yourself upgrading your gear based on gree indicators that show you how much added strength or vitality they add. This will not be enough for the highest difficulties. Sometimes you will need to think in advance and trade certain attribute increases with some secondary effects that the gear provides. Perfect upgrades for you will not be as obvious as simply looking at the green numbers and item levels.

The same goes for leveling up your character. Not all skill trees and empowered signs are valuable enough to consider. Messing up your character early in the game by investing your skill point wrong may result in your character being too weak to deal with enemies in the late game.

DLCs greatly increase the difficulty of the game

Since both Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine were meant to be end-game content, to expect to just slide through those quests, the DLCs will provide much more difficult and unique encounters, and you will need to adjust your gear, skills, and study the newly introduced creatures accordingly.

Even though Witcher 3, on default, is not a difficult game, it can be if you pick the highest difficulties and if you’re not overly familiar with how things work in the game. Playing on the easiest difficulty, you will be able to survive most encounters by simply spamming the buttons, but if you decide to play on a higher difficulty, consider adjusting your tactics and start investing in the late-game by choosing skills wisely and crafting alchemical substances that will be of great importance.

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