I first played the demo for this game way back when it first came out for PS3. I didn’t get very far at the time because the controller keybinds were awful (all of them). Now that it’s finally been released for PC, and has almost-fully customizable keybinds, I picked it back up.
At the moment I’m at the Wrym Hunt part of the main quest with most sidequests completed (working on the last Bandit one and holding off on Search Party), and somewhere around 34th level. So far it reminds me of Witcher 3 (the open world, the RPG elements, the primary/secondary weapons) crossed with a bit of Assassin’s Creed (the running/jumping/climbing on rooftops/ledges, that ‘find the medallions’ DLC content).
The class variety is nice, and being able to switch around nearly at-will and share certain abilities between them reminds me of Final Fantasy Tactics. It’s unfortunate though that Pawns don’t have access to all 9 of them. I’ve mostly been playing as Strider/Warrior so far (to get certain Augments, while leveling as Assassin). The idea was to end up with Assassin, but I’ve been kind of annoyed by that class’ seeming lack of Magical Damage options and so may go with a dagger-focused Mystic Archer instead.
Mage/Sorcerer honestly doesn’t seem like much fun to play so my pawn has been filling that role. Warrior, which I’ve sort of been ‘forced’ to play, also doesn’t feel very fun: The attacks are slow and it has a very one-trick-pony vibe to it. Fighter, Strider, and Assassin are pretty fun though; a mix of blitzing small creatures and climbing around on big creatures to stab them in the face (the pommel smash while climbing is the real deal-killer for Warrior) while using the bow against flyers or as a preemptive attack. Mystic Archer and Ranger are presumably similar, though heavier on the archery, while I have no idea what Mystic Warrior is like at all.
Difficulty hasn’t been much of an issue. I wouldn’t say it’s all that different from Witcher 3‘s system, but the limited fast-travel options are a bit of a pain. Being able to zip back and forth between the main hub, Bitterblack, and the starting town is nice… but that still leaves huge swathes of territory to the north and west full of annoyances to repeatedly plow through. Once I’ve cleared an area I don’t really like being forced to re-clear it. I hear that’s not an issue in NG+ since you can buy new portable and re-usable Port Crystals, but I’m obviously not in NG+ right now and have only found two in the game world (in that cave with the old Arisen on the hillside and in Everfall).
It’s definitely been fun up to this point, but I have the nagging sensation that it’s going to start feeling repetitious very shortly. Some brief notes:
- Don’t sell anything other than Sour Beast-Steaks (let regular steaks sit in your inventory for a day or two).
- Save everything else in the Inn’s storage because you never know when a quest or weapon/armor upgrade will need something.
- The best way to quickly gain Class ranks is to kill low-experience (100 or less) creatures. Goblins and passive wildlife are both nice and plentiful.
- You can go to Bitterblack Isle to change your class as soon as you get your main Pawn.
- The first 100 levels provide the highest stat gains on level-up.
- Check around for sidequests before advancing the main quest, as some of them are time-sensitive.
- Avoid the optional Escort quests until you’ve both found the location they mention and have a portable Port Crystal to place there ahead of time.
- Related to the above: There are actually multiple Healing Spring locations.
