As you travel the land, there are numerous opportunities to challenge opponents to fistfights. These brawls are bet upon by those with the coin to do so, and represent an opportunity to make a lot of coin yourself. Sometimes, the fistfights come to Geralt: belligerent or drunken thugs who are looking for a scrap. Geralt foregoes the use of his swords and Signs to pound some sense into them. Fistfighting plays out very similarly to standard armed combat.
You have fast attacks.
You have strong attacks.
You can dodge, roll, parry, and counterattack with the same timing and controls as you would have with a sword. If you’re choosing to go bare-knuckle out in the field, you can even use your Signs, bombs, crossbow, potions, or anything else you need to win.
However, if it’s an official fistfighting match as part of a regional tournament, Geralt cannot use any magic or weapons. In these brawls, he climbs into the ring shirtless, relying entirely on his strength and agility to pound his foes.