I am normally incredibly patient with games. I can handle a poorly developed/designed mechanic, I can tolerate technical hitches here and there, I can even stand water levels in games. But this fucking game is pushing me to the point of throwing my goddamn computer out the window and canceling my pre-order on the upcoming console release of The Witcher 2.

I got this game for my mac on steam yesterday in preparation for the sequel, and was having a great time with it. The story is intriguing, the characters are interesting, and the combat is engaging....until that first boss battle with The Beast.

I've read all the crap on other forums on foolproof strategies on beating this son of a bitch, so I guess I'm a fool because it isn't happening for me. He inflicts pain on me or w.e constantly. I can only chain attacks once or twice in a row before I get hit with Pain, and then I'm basically fucked. Abigail dies in about half a second, so she's useless, and that whole strategy of casting the force push sign and killing him in one hit is bullshit. Clearly that only happens for the Gods of The Witcher, and I am no deity.

All of that being said, my intent on this post is three-fold:

First, I would obviously appreciate opinions on how to beat this cheap-ass fight, but please don't say use the push and one hit him because, fuck you, that wont happen, and i'm not reloading a million times to get something that hasn't happened in damn near 100 tries.

Second, I was wondering what your guys' limits were in games. Are you a patient gamer, or are there certain triggers that set you off the deep end? As I said before, I'm normally totally cool with games, but I can't stand any form of "cheap" AI tactics in a game. Regardless of what people here will say, The Beast is cheap. If you disagree, you're wrong. He inflicts status effects at random that prevent you from doing ANYTHING, including running away, healing, etc, and he does so OFTEN. During one of these frozen periods, he took out over half my health, and, when I recovered, he immediately did it again and killed me...that isn't fair. I can't stand being at a disadvantage to an enemy in a game, for any reason other than a flaw in my skill. I'm wiling to admit if I'm bad or doing something wrong and learn to get better, but I hate it when developers resort to nonsense in order to create some artificial sense of challenge. Luck and challenge are not the same thing.

Third, for those of you that have played The Witcher (and potentially The Witcher 2), does this ind of thing come up often, or does is this just one of a few rare moments of nonsense in what is otherwise an excellent game? If this is a trend for the series, it clearly isn't something I want to go through, and I'd rather just stop here.

From what I remember, the key to winning is to keep the witch safe. Kill or stun the dogs that attack her. After that she'll heal you when fighting the beast.

Is that the wolf-like thing (the guy who turns into something)? Honestly, it's been a while, but I do remember an early fight that was way too tough. I think I ended up grinding a little bit (which was tough, since there aren't that many places to go), and pre-chugging a bunch of potions. Chugging some during combat, too. Then it still took a few tries. I don't think it comes up too often elsewhere in the game. There are definitely other tough spots, but they are more or less avoidable / manageable. It does suck that it's so early in the game. Getting perfect on the combat can go a long way.

I hate when cheap stuff like that happens in games. Then again, I love Demons/Dark Souls. Go figure. At least you know it's your fault in those games 90% of the time.

good luck

I just put the game on easy. That boss fight was a bitch.

@sloppyjoe: Yeah it's the stupid flaming-dog/wolf thing.

And I agree on the souls series completely. That game is predicated on the player knowing the enemies are all capable on strong, but beatable with solid/reproducible tactics. Obviously there are some pretty tough enemies in those games that may border on being cheap, but for a game with that level of difficulty, sustaining a level of fairness as often as well as they do is impressive.

@Bocam said:

I just put the game on easy. That boss fight was a bitch.

Did you start over to do this? I've been considering changing the difficulty for a few hours now, but was dismayed to find no such option in the menu.

I've played the Witcher 2, and while the game is hard, it actually gets easier as time goes on. I'd stick with it, if you can find some way to get around the trouble you're having.

As for my patience - it depends on what is causing the difficulty. One thing which I really can't stand are bad controls. Difficult games? Sure - Super Meat Boy, Dark souls, I play them because they generally have pretty good controls. But there were parts of Uncharted 3 (Pre-Aiming patch) which made me want to stop playing all uncharted games forever. As much as I like the Uncharted series, the aiming has always felt jerky and horrible and I swear the hit detection is way off sometimes.

I'll usually try something 4 to 6 times before I get annoyed. If it's a game I don't particularly care for - say, Far Cry 2, then I might stop playing it entirely. If it's a game I really like, I can try literally up to hundreds of times.

A good example of this is Mass Effect. It was the first BioWare game I had ever played and some parts of Eden Prime gave me a lot of trouble because I spent my first points very poorly (I didn't know at the time). I must have died to that Geth Destroyer on the walkway to the train about 15 times before I got lucky with the sniper rifle - which was not easy to aim considering that I hadn't put any points into it and I was playing on the 360. The Rest of Mass Effect was easy, except for that part - but it annoyed me greatly. However, I stuck with it because it was a good game. Another part of Mass Effect - the Boss Fight on Noveria, glitched out on me no less than 9 times. Midway through the fight, shepard would become utterly stuck on cover, immobile and invincible, and his limbs would start to stretch and stretch until he resembled a human stick-insect. I have no idea why that occurred so many times.

But I stuck with it, because I liked the game and the universe. I'll go through hell and back to experience a decent story with characters I like. I'll willingly put up with the most atrocious or boring gameplay if it means I get to spend more hours in a setting or game universe that I like.

There are rough parts of the Witcher 2 - really rough parts, mostly at the beginning. But stick with it. Look up videos of the boss fight on youtube and see how they defeat the boss.

@SpartyOn: I used a save editor.

@SpartyOn said:

@Bocam said:

I just put the game on easy. That boss fight was a bitch.

Did you start over to do this? I've been considering changing the difficulty for a few hours now, but was dismayed to find no such option in the menu.

that's how I did it as well. I had the same problem with that encounter.

just go to easy and then switch back afterwards. that fight is the only trouble of that sort the game is gonna give you. also, don't let this affect your view on The Witcher 2 which is so different!

set it to easy, push the dogs away from abigal and then slaughter those dudes! uh, uh, uh, uh! :)

@DeF said:

@SpartyOn said:

@Bocam said:

I just put the game on easy. That boss fight was a bitch.

Did you start over to do this? I've been considering changing the difficulty for a few hours now, but was dismayed to find no such option in the menu.

that's how I did it as well. I had the same problem with that encounter.

just go to easy and then switch back afterwards. that fight is the only trouble of that sort the game is gonna give you. also, don't let this affect your view on The Witcher 2 which is so different!

set it to easy, push the dogs away from abigal and then slaughter those dudes! uh, uh, uh, uh! :)

Did you switch the difficulty using a save editor as well?

If you find difficult battles very frustrating, you're probably right in cancelling your pre-order for the sequel.

I don't mind difficulty at all. What I do mind is being forced, over and over, to make the long trek toward said difficulty. As long as a game doesn't do that, I'm generally fine.

For both Witcher's 1 & 2: never underestimate how useful your alchemy is. I never thought that was my playstyle, (temporary buffs, etc), but they are actually really, REALLY useful and can turn an impossible battle completely around. Grease up the ol' silver blade with the poison that hurts spirits, make sure you've got some kind of fire immunity and...there was something else to that battle and I can't remember exactly what it was, but it should be pretty straightforward. This battle IS really hard for how early it is, but afterward you should be in the clear.

@Undeadpool said:

For both Witcher's 1 & 2: never underestimate how useful your alchemy is. I never thought that was my playstyle, (temporary buffs, etc), but they are actually really, REALLY useful and can turn an impossible battle completely around. Grease up the ol' silver blade with the poison that hurts spirits, make sure you've got some kind of fire immunity and...there was something else to that battle and I can't remember exactly what it was, but it should be pretty straightforward. This battle IS really hard for how early it is, but afterward you should be in the clear.

Exactly this. Use everything at your disposal, and keep moving around unless he's stunned. It doesn't matter if Abigail "dies" or not because she's automatically resurrected a few seconds after he knocks her out. It was a bit tough, but certainly not impossible if you use a bit of strategy with it.

Don't give up. The thing about this game is that it just keeps getting better and better with each chapter, and if the prologue (which is by far the worst) didn't put you off, you're really in for a quite a treat. And this is probably the only difficulty spike you'll notice in the whole game. The rest of it is fairly smooth sailing.

Drink a blizzard potion when the fight starts. It slows down time. Also ensure your blade is freshly greased up. (Maybe from Abigail. wink wink, nudge nudge). 
 
The game is amazing. Don't give up.

prepare for the fight with potions

This is the toughest fight in the game for some reason.

When you leave the cave to face the mob the game fast forwards the time to midnight(I think, it's dark) no matter what time it was while you were inside the cave. Load your save when you're still inside, meditate to 10pm-ish. Dope the shit out of Geralt with potions, oils and whatever(maybe save again just in case) and THEN leave the cave. The fight should be easier. Make sure that you're using the group stance. I don't remember if it's easier to attack the Beast or target barghests first. If I remember correctly it's better to stay away from the Beast and kill barghests. There's not that many of them and with a proper oil(specter) they go down quickly.

You'll probably have to try it two or three times before you succeed.

Don't worry about Abigail. She only gets knocked out and gets up after the fight.

Oh right! Act one boss is broken. Sorry duder, I forget what I did. Hope you can beat it, the game gets really good at act two.

I hate to say it dudes but I might be done with this game. I just replayed the hour before the boss fight because that is the only way I could go buy items for alchemy, and buy specter oil from Abigail, which is stupid. Then I used the oil because it was night, and it turns out EVERY SINGLE POTION/EFFECT YOU HAVE ACTIVE ONCE YOU ENTER THE FIGHT IS REMOVED...WHAT THE FUCK?! The game has never removed things like that before so now I have to play through AGAIN, and I just don't know if I have it in me. This portion of the game is so poorly designed and fundamentally broken that it is killing my motivation to move forward. I really like the game too but everything about this section is not just unenjoyable, but actively infuriating. .....ok venting made it better, so maybe one more shot....

I think you just need to take a break and come back to this game next week or something.

I think you just need to take a break and come back to this game next week or something.

Can't you just download a save past that boss? My friend said that was possible, but i don't know if he's lying.

^If I were you, I'd go on youtube and mimick whatever strategy a walkthrough player uses. I beat Witcher 1 on the hardest difficulty setting and it wasn't all that bad. Potions and oils really are your friend. Also, it'd be a mistake to completely pass out on Witcher 1 when you're actually playing through it. Just keep at it. This is just one of those weird moments that nobody finds hard but us as we're playing it.

@SpartyOn: Oh no dude...preordering from Gamestop?? I hope you're planning on playing this on PC, cancel your Gamestop preorder and get it at Target for $20.

Gamestop is all that is evil and wrong about the world.

Duders, I have done it. The dog is dead, and my sanity is saved. I can now go back to enjoying this game.

@MB Unfortunately my computer lies in the form if a 2008 MacBook pro, and it could not run The Witcher 2. The reviews for the 360 version have been very good though, it seems like they did a great job on it.

@SpartyOn said:

Duders, I have done it. The dog is dead, and my sanity is saved. I can now go back to enjoying this game.

@MB Unfortunately my computer lies in the form if a 2008 MacBook pro, and it could not run The Witcher 2. The reviews for the 360 version have been very good though, it seems like they did a great job on it.

Brava!

If I remember correctly ...

Tip 1A: There's a weapon coating that doubles damage against the dogs, since they're undead ( don't remember what it's called in game, but the description specifically mentions the dogs ). This coating lasts 12h in game, so you can apply it BEFORE you leave the cave to talk to the crazy mob.

Tip 1B: Make sure you're using the upgraded sword. It's possible to get two pieces of meteorite during that chapter, and having the added damage will help a lot. When this damage increase is combined with the blade coating? You'll hack through the little guys in one cycle of your group attack.

Tip 2: There's several other potions you can use that will make the fight easier, including one that increases your evasion. Check how long those last, and use them BEFORE you leave the cave.

Tip 3: Kill the small dogs with your Group Stance, and the boss with Fast or Strong. Using your Push sign will help a lot against everyone because it stuns them, or if you get it fully charged will knock them around a bit ( if you have the time to charge up the cast ... don't think you will ).

Tip 4: Pause the game ... Pause Pause Pause. One bad part about the game is there's often a bit of a delay between when you issue a command and when Geralt actually moves around. When you pause the game, issue the command, and then unpause he moves where you told him to immediately.

Tip 5: As others have said, keep the witch alive. She'll heal you during the fight, and with this combined with your own heal potion you can survive the fight. When she is alive and only the boss is left it is possible to roll around and stay out of the boss' melee range until the witch heals you back up a bit, or as you're waiting for swallow to heal you. But, if the witch is dead? evading only delays the inevitable.

Tip 6: Do all the side quests and level up as much as you can. If you tried to main-line this area of the game you'll get screwed over when you take on the boss. You need those extra hitpoints, potions and items you get from the side quests. Personally, I tooled around that area for a couple extra nights just to get some experience and potion ingredients along with another level. Make sure you turned in all of the bounties, cleaned out the dungeon and cave, explore everyone's basement, etc.

If you have for some reason set yourself up to do this fight without the witch ... I have no idea how you beat it. Maybe the mob helps you? I forget.

Edit:

Just saw you beat it.

Nevermind.

I can't recall if I played on easy or normal but yea that boss killed me a few times. I found that using fire magic and kiting him around worked. It delayed the fight long enough for the witch (forgot her name) to do her thing and the dot from the fire killed the Beast. ALthough I put most of my points into magic cause fire is OP in The Witcher.

@SpartyOn said:

GameStop will sell my copy that day if I don't pick it up (they sold my preorder of dark souls to a guy without a preorder who was just in front of me in line, and then informed me it was their last copy), so I would like to get past this part to help me decide if I want to go through with that purchase or not.

Is that legal? I mean you pre-ordered the game, meaing you have a copy set aside for you. What the fuck is up with this company. DId they give you your $5 back? That is fucking bullshit, I'd have thrown a shit fit if they told me that. That is fucked up shit.

@avidwriter said:

I can't recall if I played on easy or normal but yea that boss killed me a few times. I found that using fire magic and kiting him around worked. It delayed the fight long enough for the witch (forgot her name) to do her thing and the dot from the fire killed the Beast. ALthough I put most of my points into magic cause fire is OP in The Witcher.

@SpartyOn said:

GameStop will sell my copy that day if I don't pick it up (they sold my preorder of dark souls to a guy without a preorder who was just in front of me in line, and then informed me it was their last copy), so I would like to get past this part to help me decide if I want to go through with that purchase or not.

Is that legal? I mean you pre-ordered the game, meaing you have a copy set aside for you. What the fuck is up with this company. DId they give you your $5 back? That is fucking bullshit, I'd have thrown a shit fit if they told me that. That is fucked up shit.

Yeah I was pretty upset about it. It was a midnight release and I didn't want to wait forever in line so I got food and waited for the line to wind down, until it was me and two other guys in line. They sold the last copy to the guy in front of me without a preorder, as I said, then refunded the money I put on the game, because I had the damn thing paid off.

What pissed me off the most, is that I had the collector's edition or special edition or w/e, which was a limited run thing, pre-ordered, and I had to settle for a regular copy from Best Buy the next day. I was shocked they actually did that. On the one hand it's cool they sold a guy the game without forcing a pre-order, but you'd think they would have realized they had pre-orders left, and not enough copies to cover it.

@avidwriter said:

Is that legal? I mean you pre-ordered the game, meaing you have a copy set aside for you. What the fuck is up with this company. DId they give you your $5 back? That is fucking bullshit, I'd have thrown a shit fit if they told me that. That is fucked up shit.

What's even more messed up is that type of behavior is pretty normal for Gamestop...and that this particular customer went back and preordered MORE games from Gamestop even after they did that to him.

I really don't understand why anyone would do business with Gamestop ever, unless they were looking for an exclusive such as Xenoblade Chronicles.

@MB: I went back because my campus is huge and I have to park my car about a million miles away, and Gamestop is within walking distance since it is almost right on campus. They can basically do what they want I suppose because the students almost have no choice.

@avidwriter said:

Is that legal? I mean you pre-ordered the game, meaing you have a copy set aside for you. What the fuck is up with this company. DId they give you your $5 back? That is fucking bullshit, I'd have thrown a shit fit if they told me that. That is fucked up shit.

What's even more messed up is that type of behavior is pretty normal for Gamestop...and that this particular customer went back and preordered MORE games from Gamestop even after they did that to him.

I really don't understand why anyone would do business with Gamestop ever, unless they were looking for an exclusive such as Xenoblade Chronicles.

@SpartyOn: What about Amazon as an option? They have release-date delivery for preordered games for only $0.99.

@The_Laughing_Man said:

@MB said:

@avidwriter said:

Is that legal? I mean you pre-ordered the game, meaing you have a copy set aside for you. What the fuck is up with this company. DId they give you your $5 back? That is fucking bullshit, I'd have thrown a shit fit if they told me that. That is fucked up shit.

What's even more messed up is that type of behavior is pretty normal for Gamestop...and that this particular customer went back and preordered MORE games from Gamestop even after they did that to him.

I really don't understand why anyone would do business with Gamestop ever, unless they were looking for an exclusive such as Xenoblade Chronicles.

Never had this happen to me. Its not every gamestop that is shitty.

I did before...twice...so have Jeff, Ryan, and even Carrie Gouskous. They've all talked about it before, this is a common practice with Gamestop. That is a prime reason why none of the aforementioned people shop there anymore, including myself.

Check out mods, or do you know how to edit files to adjust damage, health, etc.?

@The_Laughing_Man said:

@MB said:

@avidwriter said:

Is that legal? I mean you pre-ordered the game, meaing you have a copy set aside for you. What the fuck is up with this company. DId they give you your $5 back? That is fucking bullshit, I'd have thrown a shit fit if they told me that. That is fucked up shit.

What's even more messed up is that type of behavior is pretty normal for Gamestop...and that this particular customer went back and preordered MORE games from Gamestop even after they did that to him.

I really don't understand why anyone would do business with Gamestop ever, unless they were looking for an exclusive such as Xenoblade Chronicles.

Never had this happen to me. Its not every gamestop that is shitty.

I did before...twice...so have Jeff, Ryan, and even Carrie Gouskous. They've all talked about it before, this is a common practice with Gamestop. That is a prime reason why none of the aforementioned people shop there anymore, including myself.

I gave up on that game about 5 minutes after the first boss fight (or whatever you call that big fight during the opening sequence). It is THE MOST boring thing that I have ever done in an action game. And that includes planet scanning.

To me, if the developers include something boring based on the core mechanics within the first 20 minutes that isn't pure tutorial, they are either terrible or are making a game that is not for me. The beginning is where you throw out something to catch the player's attention and let them know "this is the sort of thing that you can expect for the next XX hours. if that does not appeal to you, get off the ride here." There are exceptions of course, but I'm pretty confident that The Witcher wasn't going to be one of them.

Having played about as much of The Witcher, then just giving up and waiting for The Witcher 2 to come out, I can say that The Wticher 2 is a much better game. The combat feels great, especially when played with a controller. It doesn't feel quite as punishing as The Witcher.

@nintendoeats: I quit The Witcher for more than a year because I had the exact same experience, but eventually I played it again and it's a really great game that's front-loaded with a couple of crappy parts.

@rebgav:This is from 6 month old memories, so it may not be exact:

They build up this wizard guy as being a pretty nasty part of the force that is attacking the stronghold. You finally catch up to him, and he puts a big shield around the two of you so that your friends can't join the battle. And you couldn't use any magic for whatever reason nonsense. Unfortunately he doesn't attack frequently enough to do any meaningful damage to you, so you basically stand there using one of the attacks for around 2 minutes. I think that once or twice he summoned allies, but if he did they were hella trivial.

Ok, that is a pretty fuzzy recollection (I guarantee you that some of those details are wrong), but the thing that I remember clearly is this: I spent around 2 minutes using one attack on a target that was supposed to be very powerful, but who really couldn't do anything meaningful to me. Some yelling was conducted in the direction of my monitor.

@SpartyOn: Just put it on easy, I remember that fight being a joke on that mode

@The_Laughing_Man said:

@MB said:

@avidwriter said:

Is that legal? I mean you pre-ordered the game, meaing you have a copy set aside for you. What the fuck is up with this company. DId they give you your $5 back? That is fucking bullshit, I'd have thrown a shit fit if they told me that. That is fucked up shit.

What's even more messed up is that type of behavior is pretty normal for Gamestop...and that this particular customer went back and preordered MORE games from Gamestop even after they did that to him.

I really don't understand why anyone would do business with Gamestop ever, unless they were looking for an exclusive such as Xenoblade Chronicles.

Never had this happen to me. Its not every gamestop that is shitty.

I did before...twice...so have Jeff, Ryan, and even Carrie Gouskous. They've all talked about it before, this is a common practice with Gamestop. That is a prime reason why none of the aforementioned people shop there anymore, including myself.

@SpartyOn: I don't think it's going to be possible to beat this game before Tuesday, I've been playing for 20 hours and I'm only on act III.

My limits on games? I have none, I'll sit there til the problem's taken care of if I have nothing better to do.

Except for the later parts of Ilo Milo... that game's better than me.

@RubberFactory said:

@SpartyOn: I don't think it's going to be possible to beat this game before Tuesday, I've been playing for 20 hours and I'm only on act III.

Yeah I figured that would probably be the case. I don't intend on beating it by then, I just want to get far enough to decide if it's a series I want to stick with. If it is, I'll pick the sequel up and sit on it until I finish the first....however difficult that wait may be.

@SpartyOn said:

@RubberFactory said:

@SpartyOn: I don't think it's going to be possible to beat this game before Tuesday, I've been playing for 20 hours and I'm only on act III.

Yeah I figured that would probably be the case. I don't intend on beating it by then, I just want to get far enough to decide if it's a series I want to stick with. If it is, I'll pick the sequel up and sit on it until I finish the first....however difficult that wait may be.

Wait, so did you beat the Beast then? How'd you end up getting thru the fight? I need closure on this anecdote!

@stryker1121 said:

@SpartyOn said:

@RubberFactory said:

@SpartyOn: I don't think it's going to be possible to beat this game before Tuesday, I've been playing for 20 hours and I'm only on act III.

Yeah I figured that would probably be the case. I don't intend on beating it by then, I just want to get far enough to decide if it's a series I want to stick with. If it is, I'll pick the sequel up and sit on it until I finish the first....however difficult that wait may be.

Wait, so did you beat the Beast then? How'd you end up getting thru the fight? I need closure on this anecdote!

haha, allow me to grant you that closure, and in dramatic and exaggerated fashion no less:

A chill began to fill the air as the sun's last rays shone through my modest dorm room. Students were beginning their weekend tradition of raucous drinking and party-going, creating an atmosphere filled with the energetic bliss of the youthful. There I sat comfortably in an office chair with my feet propped on the nearby ottoman, creating a platform upon which my laptop could rest. The soft glow of a television illuminated the scene, spouting the colorful voices of basketball commentators and fans alike. The excitement of this competition was lost upon me though, as my focus was singular: I was to undertake a quest no normal man would subject himself to; I was to defeat The Beast.

My mind was sharp, my body loose...I was ready. I had done all I could to prepare for my battle with the vile creature. I assumed control of The Witcher known as Geralt of Rivia, and, through him, crafted potions to restore vitality and endurance, oils capable of damaging The Beast, and concoctions that would slow time itself. I moved Geralt towards the witch, Abigail, and plowed her as only a Witcher could...a fitting send-off for the White Wolf.

Finally the moment was here. The horrifying creature made his presence known, as it slowly lurched towards the Witcher, his spectral flames spread, forming the arena where the fate of my future (with this series) would be decided. Surely Geralt must have wondered if this barren circle of burning Earth would be the site of his greatest triumph, or his final failure. The thought did not last long however, as the Beast pounced..the battle, had begun.

The Witcher was not phased thanks to the lifetime of battle that had formed in him a warrior immune to fear or doubt. As fast as The Beast did strike, so did Geralt move his arms forward to cast the sign of Aard. An unrelenting force emanated from his outstretched hands, crashing headlong into The vile Beast and sending it backwards in agony. Geralt saw his opening, and with speed great enough to draw envy of the wind, he launched himself towards the stunned creature, and plunged his blade deep into the black pit where a heart may have once resided. As quickly as it had begun, it had ended. The Beast, finally, had been slayed.

From what I hear, The Witcher and The Witcher 2 are completely different games, with 2 being much more improved on the whole formula to the point of being a completely different game than the original.

@SpartyOn said:

@DeF said:

@SpartyOn said:

@Bocam said:

I just put the game on easy. That boss fight was a bitch.

Did you start over to do this? I've been considering changing the difficulty for a few hours now, but was dismayed to find no such option in the menu.

that's how I did it as well. I had the same problem with that encounter.

just go to easy and then switch back afterwards. that fight is the only trouble of that sort the game is gonna give you. also, don't let this affect your view on The Witcher 2 which is so different!

set it to easy, push the dogs away from abigal and then slaughter those dudes! uh, uh, uh, uh! :)

Did you switch the difficulty using a save editor as well?

No. Wait, is that not possible? I think I'm lying in that case, sorry. Must've confused that with another game where something like this happened, I honestly thought I did it that way. Reading a bit more in this thread, I think I may have just looked up someone doing it on youtube with the right combination of alchemy stuff applied to my blade etc.

The facts are: I had the same problem but after looking it up on the net in some form, I managed to get through the fight okay and had a blast with the game the rest of the time :D (although you spend a little too much time running around in Vizima ...^^)

Don't worry. Later in the game you'll fight a golem that takes virtually no damage from your attacks until you activate, in a specific order, 3 stone pillars. If you don't activate them, he kills you. If you activate them in the wrong manner, you get instantly killed by lightning. That's were I quit, if memory serves me well.

@FirePrince said:

Don't worry. Later in the game you'll fight a golem that takes virtually no damage from your attacks until you activate, in a specific order, 3 stone pillars. If you don't activate them, he kills you. If you activate them in the wrong manner, you get instantly killed by lightning. That's were I quit, if memory serves me well.

but you have the instructions for it, so it's just a matter of execution. that fight wasn't very hard at all.