Windows SPOILERS -- Witcher 2 - am I a moron?

[jhng]

I have finally got round to playing Witcher 2 and was quite enjoying it although the difficult seems to fluctuate a lot and the prologue was very heavy on the cutscenes. However, I have now got to the Kayran fight and am totally stuck.

I have dialled the difficulty down to easy, switched off 'difficult QTEs' and cheated by looking it up on UHS to understand the necessary strategy. Even then I just can't do it -- and what is frustrating is that part of it seems to be really bad design. For example:

-The game keeps on taking away control of the camera so that I can't keep track of what is going on
-When running about, I keep on getting stuck on ankle-high obstacles
-the annoying woman keeps saying 'use the Yrden' but when I do the only way to get the tentacle to stick is to stand by the b***** Yrden and let it hit me
-then when I am hacking of the tentacle (cue yet another loss of camera control) other tentacles and/or weird electric attacks hit me


Am I alone in finding this fight stupid, frustrating, badly designed and, above all, really really contrived?

I will give it another couple of goes, following which it will be a 'rage uninstall' (the only other game to meet that fate was GTA: San Andreas where I got fed up with constantly having to repeat long boring driving bits everytime I failed a mission)

[Fizzban]

Yes the camera swinging around during that fight can be very frustrating, you are not alone in that.

My first play through was on normal and it took me more tries than I care to mention. But it really is easy. I know that sounds weird, but I played it again recently on Hard and did the fight flawlessly, first attempt. Lord knows I'd had some practise though lol.

Use quen, encase you get swatted. Run off to the side a bit and fairly close to it and put down a yrden, it will then raise its tentacles up, wait half a second and dodge, before it actually attacks. This snares it every time. Do your best to remember what way to run encase the camera goes mental, then run from it. Avoid the centre if possible while it trashes about. Then run in quick and repeat.

Basically its attacks are predictable, other than when it thrashes wildly about, but even that is fairly easy to avoid by making sure you are off to the side and about as far back as you can get.

[Draksis]

Originally Posted by jhng

-The game keeps on taking away control of the camera so that I can't keep track of what is going on
-When running about, I keep on getting stuck on ankle-high obstacles
-the annoying woman keeps saying 'use the Yrden' but when I do the only way to get the tentacle to stick is to stand by the b***** Yrden and let it hit me
-then when I am hacking of the tentacle (cue yet another loss of camera control) other tentacles and/or weird electric attacks hit me

1.) Yes, the camera sucks.
2.) You running too far out. mid range from the beast is where you need to be.
3.)As the tenticle lifts up, there is a pause, time it right to roll out the way as soon as that happens
4.)Too close the the monster, there is a lump midway on the tenticle, hit that 5 - 6 times

[jhng]

Thanks, guys. I'll give it another go.

[Draksis]

Something else that just came to mind: If you still stuck, check youtube - I'm sure there's a video showning how. Personally did that for 2 other places in the game (not difficult parts, just me being thick )

[Da_Rude_Baboon]

This is how I took it out.

1 - Dodge the first attack
2 - Lay a yrden under the left of middle tentacle (about half way along it) when its raised and roll when the kayran strikes.
3 - Cut the lumpy bit off the tentacle, wait for the camera to stop being a dick than run away from the kayran.
4 - You should now have a nice gap from the missing tentacle to stand in.
5 - Dodge the next attack then go for the far left tentacle, repeat instruction 2&3
6 - Again use the gap you have made to dodge its attacks then go for the right of center tentacle.
7 - Once you've done that it will trigger the QTE event. Run to the far left, up the fallen pillar and jump on the buggers head.
8 - Profit.

[Redbeaver]

how i did it:

1. if a tentacle goes up, that means its gonna slam on u. just roll to the side.
2. when it goes up, put Yrden (the slo-mo magic) then roll.
3. tentacle hits the Yrden, stuck, u hack the GLOWING ORANGE BLISTER on the tentacle. u'll chop it off.
4. go around for the other tentacles, same thing. yrden, roll, hack n cut.
5. then comes the QTE. u'll be ON the tentacle, swing, flying, and land back. when u land back, there will be rubbles everywhere. hide behind the middle pillar. regen.
6. there's the big pillar on the left, run up, up to its head, then its another QTE.


u probably wont get it in first try, coz of buggy camera or twitch QTE timing, but try it a couple time n u'll be ok

good luck, witcher!

[MiNiMaL_FuSS]

I found this fight really easy....do as Da_Rude_Baboon says, but just use your shield spell constantly, it'll clock one hit from the tentacles.

[jhng]

Thanks guys -- I got it in the end. The key was staying at the right distance from the monster. Weirdly, having been really difficult it suddenly became a lot easier after a large glass of single malt.

[b0ng0]

I still have nightmares about that boss fight...

YRDEN! TRAP IT WITH THE YRDEN! YRDEN! TRAP IT WITH THE YRDEN! YRDEN! TRAP IT WITH THE YRDEN! YRDEN! TRAP IT WITH THE YRDEN!