As an epic fantasy RPG it's awesome. Production values second to none, cool and deep story, everything i'd normally want from a game like it. Now all CD Projekt have to do is fire whoever motherfucker is responsible for the combat design and balance, and everything in the world is perfect.

Learn to play better.
Sorry to be so harsh, but really, once you learn how the flow of combat works and think about tactics it's not hard.
Swinging a 2h sword takes time and inertia. What feels unresponsive to you now is just a mater of finding your timing.
Mastering the system is very rewarding.

Not sure I understand your problem with blocking. Would you like blocking to be unlimited so you never get hit?
If you don't like to lock on don't use it. You don't have to be locked on to hit a guy, just switch your targes on the fly. I honestly have not used lock on feature once during the entire game. It's an option not a requirement.
Letho is not hard once you understand how to fight him. Go read a thread that has already been made regarding this fight. I offered very easy tips to beat him.
What comes out when you hit a button is not random at all. You use light or heavy attacks. As you perform more swings Geralt gains inertia and starts to swing faster and faster. Start with light attacks follow up with heavy.

Hope this addresses all of your issues with combat.

Lethos? you mean the fight where you just need to get him to half health, which you can do by spamming bombs and the TK push+heavy sword strikes? ok then...

I feel your pain with the Letho fight dude, but if you actually slow down and learn his patterns it Isn't hard, the only thing about the combat system I dislike is hitting something while their back is turned and they block or nothing happens..besides that it is one of the best I have ever played.

Hope this addresses all of your issues with combat.

@Tennmuerti said:

Hope this addresses all of your issues with combat.

It doesn't, since the game is has terrible pacing in regards to difficulty. Why is the game starting out super hard and then just being more and more easy? I'm about five hours in and I can already start to mash down most nekkers and shit, where as a few hours before they we're completely unkillable unless I rolled around like an idiot. Sure, you gain power, but it's not very rewarding when everything starts out super hard and becomes more and more easy.

I think it's the best combat system of any RPG I've ever played, to be honest. They could have made it a little bit faster by making it possible to do things while running, but it's already great the way it is. And when you start fighting in the 2nd chapter with your new abilites it's wayyyy easier.. almost too easy on normal. 

I wouldn't change anything about the combat system, apart from the amount you need to roll around. The actual sword play feels great.

I feel your pain regarding that fight.
However I beat him on hard, however.

It took me 15 tries.

However, the combat is quite easy now in chapter 2, especially after you get lots of talents in swordplay.

Play Ninja Gaiden or any other modern character action game systems which The Witcher 2 obviously has aspirations towards. By comparison, TW2 is unresponsive, clunky and poor. There's no reason to be apologetic, because it is clearly, obviously flawed to anyone who has ever played a melee action game.

I play it like demon souls...and it's very manageable.

Really the beginning is brutal, but once Geralt gets leveled up he really becomes Batman in combat. Before I had kite them and pick my fights, now I just casually walk in like some sort of God. It does however have some issues with how it's presented. It gives the illusion of real time combat but dice rolls are still governing everything and I do wish Geralt's animations were smoother.

Without a doubt in mind before the next major expansion comes out they will have a combat patch, because really it's the little things that bug me and everyone else. Overall though I really like the combat and I can see what they wanted to do.

Also are we really going to compare this to Ninja Gaiden? A dedicated action game? I was on GameFAQs and people were furious because it wasn't Assassin's Creed....because that combat system is flawless....

You can jailbreak that game pretty easy. Since I don't want to ruin the fun for everyone I will put the way to make even hard difficulty a joke in spoiler tags. Seriously don't read this if you want any challenge... at all.

You can jailbreak that game pretty easy. Since I don't want to ruin the fun for everyone I will put the way to make even hard difficulty a joke in spoiler tags. Seriously don't read this if you want any challenge... at all.

SPOILER WARNING: Click here to reveal hidden content.

Become Alchemist. You can literally spam bombs faster than you can hit with your sword and fully upgraded you are never low on herbs or bombs. Tough enemy? Just throw 20 bombs on him before he reaches you. Eight tough enemies? Just throw 20 bombs before they reach you. Boss? Just keep hold of 20 reusable spring traps and plaster the ground with them. Then throw 20 bombs while kiting. With a certain armor and skills you can triple your bomb damage (the game treats 150 % damage as a damage-multiplier of 3 on several occasions. Math anyone?).

Saying that this is the best RPG fighting system ever is slightly over-the-top.

Took me awhile to pick up combat, too, and even now that I'm not having trouble with the fights, I still feel like I'm exploiting the system or something. I'm spending way too much time running circles around guys while I recharge. I suspect that once I gain a few more levels (I'm only like level 4 or so), I'll be able to deal with enemies more effectively... right?

Honestly, use more skill. I think the combat is awesome and thank god it's not another hack 'n slash fest!
Also, I never use the lock-on system, so I really don't understand your problem... it's not like you have to use it.

Groups have to be bombed or kited. All game. At least on hard. But combat evolves when you get access to more bombs and adrenaline skills.

I do about 15 damage.  I've been hit for 70...

Targeting system leaves something to be desired if you are near a lot of enemies.  Hacking away at one dude, and then SWITCH TARGET FOR NO REASON, and AGAIN, and AGAIN.  I still have the guy I was original attacking in the center of my screen.

Dying is like that fucking screen from Mass Effect with the slow spin.  JUST LET ME LOAD MY FUCKING SAVE.

Took me awhile to pick up combat, too, and even now that I'm not having trouble with the fights, I still feel like I'm exploiting the system or something. I'm spending way too much time running circles around guys while I recharge. I suspect that once I gain a few more levels (I'm only like level 4 or so), I'll be able to deal with enemies more effectively... right?

@Ertard

@Tennmuerti: Sure, but it should be done with a bit more handholding and also a better tutorial if you ask me. The system is pretty great, but it still starts out way too hard.

@Mooqi

Groups have to be bombed or kited. All game. At least on hard. But combat evolves when you get access to more bombs and adrenaline skills.

Dying is like that fucking screen from Mass Effect with the slow spin.  JUST LET ME LOAD MY FUCKING SAVE.

Took me awhile to pick up combat, too, and even now that I'm not having trouble with the fights, I still feel like I'm exploiting the system or something. I'm spending way too much time running circles around guys while I recharge. I suspect that once I gain a few more levels (I'm only like level 4 or so), I'll be able to deal with enemies more effectively... right?

Combat gets a lot easier as you progress but you still die pretty quickly. It wasn't until the teens that I felt confident with the system. 

   

Sounds like from the complaints and the crew talking on the bombcast that it's nothing wrong with the combat. It's you. Literally, use more skill. Or learn how to.
... or READ the MANUAL........

Play Ninja Gaiden or any other modern character action game systems which The Witcher 2 obviously has aspirations towards. By comparison, TW2 is unresponsive, clunky and poor. There's no reason to be apologetic, because it is clearly, obviously flawed to anyone who has ever played a melee action game.

Blocking should ALWAYS be unlimited, because it's a PASSIVE action. Combat systems get around blocks with block breaking attacks or flanking. There is no good reason why blocking wouldn't, for instance, just stop light attacks outright and send you into a stagger from a heavy attack. Blocking should be as consistent as any other attack move. Instead, you're sat constantly eyeing the top left corner to check your vigor *mid combat*. It's crazy. Real time combat needs to be much, much simpler than this.

My one argument is that if you're exposing players to punishing melee combat, you better make damn sure the systems are intuitive and responsive. TW2 fails outright in this regard, and I honestly don't feel the need to master a system so mired in gamey idiosyncrasies. 

I love the game to death, but don't apologize for its shitty combat. If you think it's a great system, you really do have to play the games it tries to ape to see how far off target it is. 

I found the combat to be almost perfectly executed, but apparently saying so makes me an "apologist". Haha.  
 
Blocking being dependent on vigor (ie. your energy) makes complete logical sense. Saying that blocking should be regarded as a "passive action" is an oxymoron, and just plain silly. Bearing the brunt of a strike on your sword would require considerable action on your part, and would be an energy draining act to perform. Limiting the ability to block via vigor points therefore makes perfect sense, does it not? It fits with the design of the game that centres around a somewhat realistic momentum and positional combat system.  
 
Apparently, CDP are at fault for designing a unique combat system, and expecting the player to figure it out (or at the very least, read the manual). "You're telling me I have to learn how to play this game?! Didn't they get the memo where I told them to specifically make it like Ninja Gaiden?? I don't have time for The Witcher 2's gamey idiosyncrasies, and I stubbornly refuse to master them! (ps: I'm only saying this because I'm brutal at the game and need an outlet for my frustration.)". Those "gamey idiosyncrasies" are called game mechanics, and it's a good thing that they're not like every other game out there. It's a good thing that they require effort on behalf of the player. 
 
Jesus Christ. Like I said, I really like the combat in this game, but you don't actually need to be a genius to figure it out. I actually find it hard to comprehend where people are finding difficulty in the system. Yes, it's unforgiving at the start, and I'll not make excuses for them not introducing the mechanics properly - but the mechanics themselves are not flawed. You just have to use your brain a little, and realise that there's more to combat than simply clicking on enemies 'til they die.

I think the combat system is very well done. Everyone who complains about it doesn't get how it works or ist just too bad at games.

The combat isn't difficult, it's just stupid. Running around in circles and constantly rolling around like a retard doesn't make your character look like a monster slaying badass, it just makes him look like a underpowered buffoon. It's pretty much the same case as Demon's Souls where the developers figured that stupid and annoying combat = a hard game. It doesn't, it just makes playing the game incredibly annoying and frustrating. Of course most people are going to reply that, "LULZ NOOB YOU NEEDS PATIENCE." I don't play video games to exercise my patience, I play them to have a good time. Maybe taking the long way home (through buttfuck alley no less) is some people's idea of a good time? I don't know.

@valrog: I agree with the combat feeling inconsistent. I constantly run into issues where clicking my mouse button to strike will just make Geralt jerk forward towards the enemy instead of swing his sword. Or after a roll I would press Q to activate a sign and he doesn't do it until I press the key a couple more times.

I would say that there are certain rules in the combat regarding distance and timing that's not really apparent, but I would probably just be making up an excuse for the inconsistency.

I loved the combat in this game. Very challenging, yet once you learn it - it is engaging and fun. I played through the game twice already. The second time I didn't need to use Quen (the shield spell) at all and Yrden (the trap spell) only for the one fight where it is required.

The key, I found, was to switch targets frequently. Almost like Batman: Arkham Asylum will less tells. Only use strong attack when you feel you can get away with it (the enemy is staggering back or threw their weapon wide, etc). In the case of a single opponent, try to time your roll just before they swing their weapon. If you get behind them, you do 200% damage. Even some of the more troubling single opponents that I've seen complaints about are quite frankly a cake-walk if you can get behind them.

Combat is what I actually enjoyed most about this game. But I can understand why others would find it frustrating. It seems like the quickness with which you're able to perform an action depends on what you're currently doing, a hidden mechanic of momentum. Some actions naturally go together and are effortless, others conflict with each other and the action you're trying to perform is delayed.

This is a mechanic very dependent on experienced intuition and it means that new players who don't have a good understanding of how the combat flows and can only button mash, get screwed. And the curve of mastering the combat isn't gradual at all, intermediate level of mastery is a lot closer to inexperienced than to skilled. You can really only enjoy the combat if you've completely mastered it.