Prologue

Now you all know that a Prologue is a place where the author gets to sort of set up the story by showing you some things that came first and later, so as to build the anticipation and excitement. But in this case it is also where the tutorial for the game takes place - and if you are not a fan of the series or familiar with its unique ways, this can only be a good thing for you.

BEFORE you start out though, you need to be aware of a few crucial points. The first is that this open world game utilizes a mission and quest based scheme. That means that you CAN reach the point where the final main mission pops up and NOT have completed all of the side-missions and quests.

Now that being so, we want to warn you right here, right now -- DO NOT flag the mission called The Beast of White Orchard until you are ready to leave the area because THAT is what happens. And if you DO leave any quests you left hanging? Yeah, you fail them.

Another thing you need to know - it is possible to do these quests in a different order - so what we are going to do here is structure the guide so that the quests are basically listed as independent entities. That way you can dip in and out of them, as required, for your game play, without having to do exactly what WE do, when WE did it. Fair enough?

Well now that THAT is sorted, shall we begin? I believe we shall!

Hello!

After you set the screen size and brightness you get treated to a very long CS that sets up the story, which sadly is an old one: blame the people who actually did help for the solution that you feel falls on every man's shoulders. Sigh.

After the CS completes you are prompted to begin a new game - at which point you need to make a very important decision: what difficulty level will you be playing the game on? You can choose from the following:

Just the Story! (Easy) - A Smoooth Ride Through the World.

Story and Sword! (Normal) - Happy to be Challenged.

Blood and Broken Bones! (Hard) - A Seasoned, Demanding Gamer.

Death March! (Extreme) - Truly Insane and Loving It!

There you have it - decide which you are going to choose - but bear in mind that the decision you make here DOES have an impact on some of the Achievements in the game - specifically there are two added Achievements for completing the game on the two higher difficulties.

No matter which you choose you will be asked if you want the game to show the Tutorials. If you are new to the game series - and especially if it has been a while since you have played - you should say yes to this and leave the tutorials active.

The next question you are asked is whether you want to Simulate the Witcher 2 Save Scheme. As that will be more familiar to returning players there is no reason not ot.

After answering these two questions we are treated to another CS in which a battle rages - and in which we meet Geralt for the first time.

As we watch, Geralt uses his skills to track the events and the path of the young girl - who is herself a formidable mage. Just who is this girl??

We then arrive at the camp and get a flashback or dream - for Geralt. He is back at the Witcher Keep, and in the bath. Are you prepared to see the skin in this? Be prepared! This game series has NEVER been shy about raw heroes both male and female.

While all you get to see at this point is some very shapely hiney and some man-boobs you may find it interesting to learn that this content drive TVs Conan O'Brien pretty much nuts! n fact his take-away from this was that the game was really a sex-fest that you had to play through a bunch of dumb fighting and action to reach! Sheesh!

Welcome to the Tutorial

This is the point when the Tutorial finally kicks in - and the game explains that the tutorial introduces the core elements of play, as well as the Glossary - which you may find important later.

Look, you do not have to immerse yourself in this game, its story, or its lore to have fun, but if you DO, you may find that the entertainment value skyrockets as a result. Just saying - there is really no good reason not to.

Your first task is to Use your Witcher Senses to find the key to the bedroom door. You do that by holding down the LT (and you can jump using 'B').

When you use the Sense you first see that the carafe on the table is highlighted - walk over to it and hit 'A' (the Action Button) to examine it, and learn that you are running out of juice.

You use the Sense again and spot the key on an open book on a table at the far wall. Taking the key means you will be able to unlock the door.

Don't head for the door just yet tho - continue to use the Sense and you can see other objects that you can interact with - the candles, some lilac and gooseberries that your gal uses in the bath, and the fire in the middle of the room.

You can also have a conversation with your gal Yennefer - and you get the chance to have your first proper character dialogue event. If you played the previous games and considering all the grief you went through to reunite with her you will WANT to have this experience. Besides, who knows when you will get to do it again?

Examine the clothes on the bed for an amusing exchange, and then the jewelry case on the far shelf. Before heading out the door go outside on the balcony for a moment to have a look around.

The point to all of this was to drive home the lesson that even when there are main objects you need to examine the world is full of other stuff - and often examining it can result in a rewarding experience. Just saying.