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“ Evasion is now a strategy, rather than simply a means of survival.

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Combat in The Witcher 3 is, as expected, considerably improved over The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, which shed the original game’s rhythmic slicing and dicing in favor of more action-oriented engagements. It worked, but The Witcher 2 was hard, meaning players had to rely heavily on dodge-rolling before mashing the attack buttons. In The Witcher 3, evasion is equally important during challenging combat encounters. The way in which you let loose on some poor soldier, drowner, or griffon, though, requires the sort of care, patience, and precision usually reserved for Dark Souls or Bloodborne.Wild Hunt is certainly faster than From Software’s action games, and easier, but the comparable attention to every movement requires more skill-based brawling than either previous Witcher entry. I didn’t give enough credit to enemy weaknesses early on, and it burned me later. Lathering Geralt’s blades with various oils allows him to inflict additional damage depending on the kind of creature he’s chopping up. In The Witcher 2, I rarely used these, because I felt confident enough in my ability to get behind a monster and end it. Alchemical solutions were useful, but didn’t seem important. In Wild Hunt, it’s almost essential when facing off against stronger foes, especially on the highest “Dark” difficulty. When leveling up and cashing in my ability points, I’d often tailor my upgrades to match my mutagen -- a huge character mod that amplifies bonuses when paired with the appropriate skill-tree upgrade.Balancing Stamina is particularly important. Depleting the opposition’s Stamina is usually as useful as cutting down their vitality. Geralt can perform grisly executions (typically dismembering or disemboweling the opponent) on exhausted enemies. In group battles, letting groups drain their own Stamina and striking when the moment is right makes difficult situations much more manageable. Evasion is now a strategy, rather than simply a means of survival.Geralt is similarly violent in mounted combat. When atop his horse and approaching an enemy, Geralt winds up as The Witcher 3 enters slow motion, giving you the opportunity to lop off a head or an arm with a well-timed strike. It’s a stylish brutality, which is really what makes The Witcher such a rewarding action game.That style is something that changes as Geralt grows into a higher-level fighter. His standard strikes evolve into beautiful, balletic pirouettes. The core movement of a low-level Geralt and a maxed-out witcher is dramatically different, and that visual representation has a great, accomplished feeling to it. Combos that look better tend to feel better, and it comes as you become better.Utility items like homemade bombs play into combat brilliantly as well. Limited devices like this can scorch, freeze, or disorient groups, allowing Geralt to gain an initiation or mid-fight advantage. Spending earned Ability Points on Alchemy upgrades instead of, say, critical chance or increased damage, can benefit players who want to wreck enemies with tools like the grenade. My favorite mod sees one explosive burst into even more pieces of explosive shrapnel. But this comes at the cost of base damage, or magic upgrades that could also lead to excellent combos in combat.The Witcher 2 was a fun action game when it came to combat, but it was simple compared to the complexity of Wild Hunt. I’m constantly thinking about how upgrades and items can benefit the sort of fighting style I adopt. I played passive and careful because aggression usually led to a quick death, so I compensated elsewhere. Others may build up damage and eviscerate enemies quickly. In the end, it comes down to skill -- if you can outthink and outplay your opponent, you can build however you want.

Mitch Dyer is an Editor at IGN. He hosts IGN Arena , a podcast about MOBAs. Talk to Mitch about Dota 2, movies, books, and other stuff on Twitter at @MitchyD and subscribe to MitchyD on Twitch