Difficulty Level — The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings eGuide (Steam)

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition on Xbox 360 offers four difficulty levels: Easy, Normal, Hard, and Dark. The PC version of the game contains an unusual additional difficulty level, Insane (see note). This walkthrough was written on Normal difficulty, but it can also be used on Easy and Hard difficulties. Simply keep in mind that enemy placement and behavior may differ slightly on Easy and Hard. Also, all quick-time event (QTE) sequences are removed on Easy difficulty. Players who wish to play on Dark difficulty are advised to read the “Dark Mode” section. Note that Dark difficulty is not intended for a player who is going through the game for the first time.

Enemy strategies provided in the walkthrough are general, as factors like difficulty level and character build can have a profound effect on which strategies work best in a given game. Especially on lower difficulties, every enemy encounter can be handled in a variety of ways. Even on Hard difficulty, combinations of items and skills may work very well for you that wouldn’t work well for the average player or for other Geralt builds. Consult the “How to Build a Witcher” section for more information about developing Geralt.

For PC Players

Players of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition on PC get access to an additional difficulty level, Insane. Insane difficulty is very similar to Dark difficulty, especially in terms of how strong enemies are. Unlike Dark difficulty, there are no special items you can obtain to increase Geralt’s stats to the same degree. In addition, while playing on Insane mode, permadeath is enabled. If Geralt dies, your save is automatically erased and you will be forced to start the game over from the very beginning. Many of the same techniques that work for completing Dark difficulty are equally useful on Insane difficulty.

In addition to Insane difficulty, PC players also have the option of importing saved data from The Witcher when beginning a game of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition. Importing saved data does not significantly change the game’s mechanics. You should still be able to follow the guide’s descriptions of quest outcomes and pursue roughly the same plot lines. Some dialogue in cutscenes and conversations will be different to reflect your choices in the prior game. If you sided with the Order in The Witcher, there are a handful of other effects your imported save data has during Chapter 3.