The Witcher 3, anyone try an alchemy build before?

Been a few months since I've played around in the world of the Witcher 3 and I was thinking of giving it another go, and I never really dabbled much in alchemy.

It seems like a not-so-popular skill tree, but at the same time the people that do go into it all-out really seem to enjoy it!

I've found some guides, they rave about alchemy of course, all about keeping that toxicity up.

Was wondering if anyone has any opinions, experience, or advice before I got started.

I think it's an interesting idea, although I was never willing to invest the points into it. I barely even used potions when I first played the game, but I later found them to be pretty useful.

Never touched my alchemy

I was more of sign guy TBH

The fighting tree is so overpowered that I've never even felt the need to read the alchemy skills, let alone unlock them.

Yeah my first playthrough was signs, it was a lot of fun, felt it had a lot of utility too (in conversations, with boss weaknesses, etc). Still had to be good at combat as well, couldn't use just signs.

I used a potion of respec on my high-level save (he's level 47) and played around for a few hours with it, it's fun but not very interesting tbh. You are too dependent on "ammunition" more or less, potions and bombs, it does not really feel very organic imo. To me, potions and bombs were more tools to supplement the Witcher during a fight, not something to win it entirely *shrug*

Is it? I might rethink my build, then, and do that. I've yet to do a fighting-build character, and combat is for the most part pretty damn fun in The Witcher 3, certainly more so than most RPGs in this vein (Skyrim, Gothic, etc).

Wondering if I should give Death March difficulty a go, or at least a higher difficulty lol.

By the end I had three greater red mutagens linked to 9 red skills, which gave me 120% attack bonus which stacks with the various bonuses from the red skills, plus a perk which revives you automatically when you die, all from the red tree. Playing on normal you'll cut down the end game bosses with one hand. I say play on hard or do the alchemy build for some challenge.

it's just funny, everything I Read is like "___________ is OP" lol. Whatever, don't care, it's a singleplayer game and I'm a badass Witcher. Also I suck at games.

Alchemy+Combat is a lot of fun.... it takes a while to get to that level though. It's also OP as hell. All about those decoctions - once you can stack 3 or 4 you'll be unstoppable.

It's also the lore-friendly witcher build so that's cool as well.

Do people play the game on normal?

I don't play the hardest difficulty on games like devil may cry or the evil within, however this game is actually pretty easy and you can cheap it pretty easily once you get healing potions.

Lore wise, a witcher is good at all 3.

The reason I played on normal was to avoid faffing about with toxicity and food to heal outside of combat.

I barely even use potions and everything in the game moves at such a glacial pace I just go down the action route...which is still pretty slow lol but I could not imagine alchemy.

kinda the same route I took.

Geralt didn't use many signs in the books. According to the wiki "...The witchers adapted the spell, making use of the fact that it does not require knowledge of a magical formula — concentration and the hand gesture are enough. That's why they call it a Sign."

Witchers definitely use signs, but maybe a witcher build would be use all three trees but only pump points into combat and alchemy.

Yeah I started a New Game Plus at the second highest difficulty (Hell March is the highest, it seems a bit daunting to me...no healing during meditation? WTF?) and was surprised about toxicity, but as an alchemy build that actually helps me out. A LOT! I think I might actually reroll with a Hell March guy since each potion heals me for 25%, and I have an armor that heals me for 5% after each kill.

That only lasts you till you get a swallow potion and then you can just heal and then medititate to regenerate your potions with alcohol.

Witchers did, they use it cuz it was quick to use and easy, it's complimentary skills.

@MarcRecon: I think thats the problem with TW3 and why I can't label it among some of my fave RPGs, it just takes so so so long for anything to happen. I still can't get over the various quests which make up the search for Dandelion. They take up a solid 4 or so hours, give or take, and you barely go anywhere. I feel like TW3 is a long game for the sake of being long.

@mrbojangles25: I agree, and I just thought that the skills weren't worth my time