The Witcher: Monster Slayer is like Pokémon Go, but you might find a decapitated horse in the park
(Image credit: CD Project)
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The screenshots for The Witcher: Monster Slayer are cracking me up. It’s a mobile AR game like Pokémon Go, in which you search for creatures while viewing the world through your phone’s camera, except it’s based on The Witcher, so instead of a big-eyed Bulbasaur you might run into a gnarly-ass griffin on your roof, or find a mutilated horse in the park. Neat!
The news today is that The Witcher: Monster Slayer will be out this month, on July 21, for iOS and Android. It’s made by Polish developer Spokko, which Witcher RPG trilogy creator CD Projekt acquired in 2018. You won’t be meeting CD Projekt’s version of Geralt outside of a Starbucks, though, as Monster Slayer is set «long before the time of Geralt of Rivia,» the developer says. (Way back when Starbucks existed, I guess.)
There are human characters who speak to you, though. Spokko says that quests in Monster Slayer won’t be superficial, but rather «deep, story-driven adventures inspired by the Witcher series.» I’ll hold judgment on that until I’ve seen more than a guy who looks like he drank too much at a ren fair crying «save me Witcher» from a municipal park path.
Aside from that scene, the gameplay trailer from last year (embedded below) also shows glimpses of how we’ll track monsters with witcher senses, fight them (looks like a simple blocking and slashing timing game), investigate horse decapitations, and stock up on potions. The takeaway for me is that Monster Slayer isn’t intended as a visual toy: The novelty of running into a waterhag in the park is somewhat appealing, but there’s a game to play here, too. We’ll see if it’s any good later this month.
It’s a curious time for The Witcher and CD Projekt. The Witcher 3 is regarded as one of the best PC RPGs ever made, and in the six years since its release, its world has only become more popular. The first season of the Netflix Witcher show starring Henry Cavill was a hit, and generated a wave of new interest in the Andrzej Sapkowski books that the games and show are both based on. And yet, there’s no big new Witcher RPG in development that we know of. CD Projekt is also maintaining spin-off card game Gwent, but otherwise appears to be focused on rescuing the legacy of Cyberpunk 2077, an OK game that failed to be the triumph that The Witcher 3 was to so many.
On Friday, July 9, CD Projekt is collaborating with Netflix to put on WitcherCon, a pair of livestreams where we’re going to learn more about the second season of the show and other Witcher-related media. The Polish game maker has already said that it isn’t going to announce a new Witcher game there, though. If it’s working on one, it’s being very quiet about it, although the idea hasn’t been ruled out.
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As for The Witcher: Monster Slayer , it’ll be free-to-play when it releases on July 21. We’re not sure what’ll be for sale in the app, but Pokémon Go sells Pokeballs, essential items which are earned by playing, too, and various boosters that increase XP or attract Pokémon—it’ll probably be stuff like that.
If you’re up for leaving your PC to fight endriagas (giant scorpions) while roaming the Dank Wilderness (an empty lot somewhere), and have an Android phone, you can pre-register for the game on Google Play—which just means you’ll get a notification when it’s available. It’ll be on iOS, too. And someone will definitely get it running on PC with fake GPS coordinates, making everyone who’s legitimately walking around parking garages looking for strigas angry. We’ll take it for a spin in our own municipal park later this month.
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Tyler grew up in Silicon Valley during the rise of personal computers, playing games like Zork and Arkanoid on the early PCs his parents brought home. He was later captivated by Myst, SimCity, Civilization, Command & Conquer, Bushido Blade (yeah, he had Bleem!), and all the shooters they call «boomer shooters» now. In 2006, Tyler wrote his first professional review of a videogame: Super Dragon Ball Z for the PS2. He thought it was OK. In 2011, he joined PC Gamer, and today he’s focused on the site’s news coverage. His hobbies include amateur boxing and adding to his 1,200-plus hours in Rocket League.
The Witcher Pokémon Go-like game is out, but is it any good?
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I had a fight with a hag in a park yesterday afternoon and no one seemed to notice. I had a fight with a griffin the size of a bus stop too, coincidentally right next to a bus stop. Did the people on the bus care? No they didn’t. I fought ghouls and wyverns and there was even a horse’s head on the pavement for a while. Somewhat amusingly, none of this looked particularly out of place in Brighton.
I’m playing the brand new Witcher mobile game, The Witcher — Monster Slayer. It’s the game that’s a bit like Pokémon Go and uses real-world map data to populate your local area with monsters for you to fight. You are a witcher after all (I’m actually a trained witcher but that’s another story entirely).
It’s not bad. A lot of effort has clearly gone in. Characters are voiced and there are illustrated cut-scenes. There are a few dialogue choices, there’s limited character creation and customisation through skill trees. There’s crafting and equipment to upgrade. The hallmarks of a witcher RPG are here. And seeing the monsters of that universe standing right in front of you, using the game’s augmented reality mode, is endlessly cool. You get a real sense of their size.
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It’s not the most comfortable way to fight them, though, because you have to hold your phone up towards where they would be stood in real-life, and sometimes they’re so big they obscure their own health bar, which signals when they’re about to attack — something you have to pay close attention to in order to parry perfectly and negate their damage. You also look a bit stupid holding your phone up when people walk by.
In non-AR mode, you see the monsters in a Witcher world, and are able to fight with the phone in a more natural tilted-down position, and — anecdotally — the game seems to run smoother. But it’s not as fun.
Combat is quite involved. You swipe to hit, either quickly to perform a fast attack (which you can upgrade via the skill tree) or with a bit of a pause for a strong attack (which you can also upgrade). Some enemies are weak to one type, some enemies another. And the more you hit, the more you build a critical gauge, until it triggers an icon which passes across the screen and that you need to press at the right moment to perform a powerful critical hit.
I risked my life to take these screenshots!
You can also throw bombs and cast Signs (which you can upgrade too). Bombs only require pressing a bomb icon, but Signs require pressing a Sign icon and then tracing the shape of the Sign on the screen. The Igni fire spell I have requires a V shape, for instance. And these are powerful abilities you will want to use a lot, because enemies in the game are tough. Without them, you will struggle to win.
Don’t do what I do and walk 20 minutes across town stalking a griffin for my main quest — a cool idea for a feature, I must admit — only to get there and not be able to kill it. I figured that as my first real quest it would be easily attainable, but after several tries, and much hot afternoon sun later, I gave up.
Maybe it was because I had used all my useful oils and bombs and potions beforehand. These you use before a battle to give you an upper-hand (potions and oils are used automatically when the battle begins). Maybe I needed to level up more. (I tried to find more enemies to fight but they were scattered inefficiently around. I should have made better use of the initial pack of enemies that surrounded my starting area: my flat.) Maybe I shouldn’t have been trying to take screenshots at the same time as fighting (I’m an idiot. ) Maybe I should get a better phone (I am actually quite surprised it runs at all on a Pixel 1).
There are some nice nods to Witcher investigations when appraising the horse’s head, and when following tracks. Nice touches.
As it is, I’m a bit stuck. I’ve hit an impasse. Devoid of many nearby creatures to fight, and devoid of potions and oils and bombs to use, there isn’t much I can do. I can craft, but only one potion or oil at a time, which takes real-world time — anywhere between 10 minutes and an hour. I tried adding a friend in the hope they’d be able to help me with the griffin, but all they can do is send me packs of herbs now and then. Do I really need to grind so soon?
Or do I need to spend? I am reminded about the store almost every battle, which I don’t like, but then it is a free-to-play game so what did I expect? I do earn money in the game I can spend there, but it’s never, of course, enough.
It all leaves me in two-minds about The Witcher — Monster Slayer. For me, it got slow quickly. I’m also not sure where the social aspect of the game comes in. I don’t see things like Pokémon Gyms or reasons for people to gather in places and meet. I did see a strange tree planted on the map at one point, which apparently attracts creatures, but I had to be level 10 (I am level three) to interact with it. And no one else was there. Possibly I’ll dabble with it a bit more, then, but I’m not sure.
Wild Hunt» — FAQusha.RU [Wiki]
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Step 1: Follow Keira Metz to the ruins
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Step 2: Find Keira with Witcher Sense
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Step 3: Explore the ruins by following the swallow symbol
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Step 5: Defeat the Guardian Golem
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Step 6: Continue looking around the ruins, following the swallow symbol
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Step 7: Follow the warriors of the Wild Hunt
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Step 8: Defeat Nithral’s Wild Hunt Warrior
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Step 9: Find information about Ciri
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Step 10: Use the Eye of Nehalena to Dispel the Illusion
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Step 2: Find Keira with witcher’s flair
We pass through the portal and find ourselves in a cave with drowners. Keira Metz will not have much better luck, she will be thrown out at the rat holes in the back of the elven ruins. To reunite with the sorceress, we examine the chest against the wall behind us, kill drowners, dive under water, swim through the flooded cave, halfway down at the bottom we find a chest with things, a blueprint and a recipe. We emerge on the opposite side. We leave through the cave into a huge hall where the portal was opened. We clean the ruins from monsters — drowners and a water woman. On the side of the balcony from which the witcher jumped into the portal, we find another chest with ingredients, a dark steel plate and a dark iron ingot, a drawing and a decoction recipe. We enter any of the two side corridors: in the long corridor we kill several nebulators, the short one runs just like that.
We go to the alarmed voice of the sorceress. Having reached the room with rat holes, we destroy the nests with the Sign of Igni or bombs. Rescuing Keira Metz from rodents. nine0003
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Step 3: Explore the ruins by following the swallow symbol
Continue exploring the elven ruins together. We pass along the corridor, near the wall we find the morpho-projection of an elf with a message for Ciri. We enter the second large hall with an ancient elven pier. We are looking for images of swallows on the walls with the help of a witcher’s instinct, which indicate the right path. We set gas clouds on fire with the Sign of Igni, we try to undermine them together with ghosts, who will zealously protect their possessions from strangers. All the time we adhere to the left wall of the hall, walking along the perimeter. We reach a flooded tunnel with a symbol of a white octopus on the wall. We dive under the water, inspect the chest at the bottom, pick up craft materials, drawing and recipe.
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We emerge in a small cave, go ashore, run to a dead end and inspect the chest. As soon as the materials for creating weapons, the recipe and the blueprint are removed from it, ghosts will appear behind the witcher. We get rid of them, collect ghostly, emerald and amethyst dust, mutagens from ghosts, essences of ghosts, smoky crystals, and return back to the hall. We again go along the left wall, turn into a long «sleeve», at a dead end we find another chest with ingredients, a drawing and a recipe. We turn around, we turn back. As a result, bypassing the hall «clockwise», we stumble upon a broken wooden boat lying in clouds of gas. We raise our eyes to the ceiling, on the wall in the left side tunnel we find the image of a swallow. nine0003
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Step 4: Search the hideout with your witcher’s senses and find the symbols
After noticing the symbol from the elf’s clue, Keira Metz will confirm the correct path.
We run through the tunnel, grab the ledges, climb a tier higher. We reach the room with the second morpho-projection and a round well. The elf will give a second clue. After reviewing the message of the elf, we jump into the well, on the wall we find the image of a horse associated with Kelpi. If you activate the dog and kayran symbols while inspecting the hall, traps will be triggered. We pick up a random item from the chest at the bottom, swim through the flooded tunnel. We get out to the shore, climb the stairs with the included witcher’s flair. We carefully examine the walls. On the way, we activate the images of horses; the latter will open a secret door in the hall with a well. We return to Keira Metz. nine0003
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Step 5: Defeat the guardian golem
We pass into the next room, in a dead end we find a painted arch on the wall. We turn on the witcher’s flair, to the left of the arch we find the sign of the swallow.
Examine it and activate it with the [E] key. We pass into the appeared portal, which will transfer to the hall with a stone golem. The guard at the sight of strangers will come to life. We dodge the blows of the monster, in response we attack alternately with strong and weak tricks. After the victory, we examine the remains of the killed enemy, pick up rare ingredients for making things: [Golem Heart] and [Monster Essence], which will be useful for decoctions and potions in the future. nine0003
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Step 6: Continue looking around the ruins, following the swallow symbol
Grab the ledge and climb up to the platform. To the right of the arch, at the entrance to the next corridor, we inspect the chest, pick up the runes, materials, blueprint and recipe. We pass along the corridor to a dead end, behind the fiery bowl we find another chest, we take everything of value along with the drawing and the recipe. We enter the next room and fall into a trap: the door behind the witcher will close, and a gargoyle will appear from the darkness.
We keep our distance from the enemy, we move away from acid attacks and carry out a series of powerful blows with a silver sword. Among the remains of the gargoyle we find [gargoyle heart] and [gargoyle dust]. On the dilapidated stairs, we inspect the chest, pick up craft materials, relic composite bolts and workshop bolts with a wide tip. We leave the room, go back a little to a dead end with a painted arch. We examine the wall, find and activate the image of a swallow. We pass through the portal and find ourselves in a room with frozen golems. nine0003
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Step 7: Follow the Wild Hunt warriors
Climb the stairs to the upper level, exit into a huge hall where the Wild Hunt warriors will try to stop their pursuers with cold streams. Keira Metz will cast a defensive spell that will keep the frost away. We go after the sorceress, we do not go beyond the protective dome, we kill the hounds of the Wild Hunt. We close in turn all the ice portals.
After doing the dirty work, Keira Metz will become ill, we pick up the girl and answer her with flirting flirting. Taking a breath, we go up the stairs to the blocked passage, melt the ice and go down two flights. Opposite the fiery bowl, we break the flimsy wall with the Aard Sign, set fire to the gas cloud in the corridor with the Igni Sign and run to the next room. From the altar we take armor, ingredients, a drawing and a recipe for a decoction. We kill the appeared nebula, from the body of the monster we take away the [mutagen from the nebula], [monster’s eye] and [the nebula’s tooth]. We return to Keira Metz. nine0003
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Step 8: Defeat Nithral’s Wild Hunt
Go down the stairs, jump off the ledge to the ground and enter a large hall with an elite Wild Hunt fighter. Nitral will not waste time on empty talk and will get down to business. We attack the enemy at those moments when Keira Metz’s lightning hits him, then he will not block Geralt’s series of blows with his ax.
When Nithral reaches 2/3 health, he will take cover in a protective dome in the central gazebo and open ice portals to summon Wild Hunt hounds. Get rid of all enemies as soon as possible. The faster this is done, the less health Nitral will have time to restore. When he has 1/3 of his health left, everything will repeat again. In the end, from the body of the enemy we pick up [sword of the warrior of the Wild Hunt], [Potion from Tir Na Lia], [crafting materials] and [blueprint]. nine0003
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Step 9: Find information about Ciri
After a tense battle, we climb the stairs to the mysterious elf’s laboratory. We are watching the third video message, in which he will warn Ciri to stay away from the witches from the Crooked-Ear Marsh and advise to go to the place where they last met. Keira Metz, having heard about the witches, will tell Geralt everything she knows about them and give the book [Mistress of the Forest].
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assignment
Lady of the Forest
After finishing the conversation, we continue to inspect the laboratory in search of a way out. On the table to the right of the moonshine vats we find a flask with a potion, which was given to the elf by Keira Metz. On the table by the stairs we find and read the note [After the White Cold]. At the flaming basket in front of the bookcase we examine the burnt notes. From the chest opposite we take out the book [Legend of the Bear], after reading which a note about berserkers will appear in the bestiary, and the collection of recipes will be replenished with another decoction from the monster. From the chest near the tombstone with the image of a swallow we take various ingredients, a drawing and a recipe for a decoction. We approach the arch on the left, we examine the wall with a witcher’s flair. In fact, the wall will be an illusion. The sorceress will also feel the presence of magic and give Geralt the [Eye of Nehalena] (a device that can be used to dispel illusions).
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Step 10: Use the Eye of Nehalena to dispel the illusion
Go back to the archway and hit the [E] key against the wall. The artificial barrier will disappear, and behind the wall there will be a secret passage. We leave Keira Metz alone for a while. We return to the hall where there was a battle with Nitral. In the far part of the hall, to the left of the balcony, from which Geralt jumps before the battle with the warrior of the Wild Hunt, we find a chest with good and a flimsy arch, knock out the masonry with Aard. Behind it will be an illusion in the form of a stone block, we remove it with the Eye of Nehalena. We enter the secret passage, dive into the flooded corridor. We find several chests under water, take everything useful, including blueprints and recipes. We swim to the second steps, emerge at a dead end, exit the water and get into a room with a fog. We kill the monster. Take [Relic Sword], [Silver Ore] and [Dark Iron Ingot] from the chest.
We return to Keira Metz. nine0003
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Step 11: Leave the ruins with Keira Metz
After finishing the inspection of the laboratory, we leave through the secret passage. At the end of the corridor, Keira Metz will feel a stream of fresh air, but he will offer to go not to the exit, but to help her find the Magic Lamp, which the mysterious elf was supposed to give at the meeting.
- If refuses to search for the Magic Lamp , Keira Metz will get it herself from the ruins of the elven ruins and bring it to her hut near the Undergrowth, where the next time she meets Geralt, she will still offer the witcher to complete a personal task. nine0006
- If agrees to find Magic Lamp , the search will be successful. Keira Metz will take the thing with her, and before parting, she will invite the witcher to visit her in her hut near the Undergrowth, where the sorceress will give out a personal task.
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Magic lamp, Invitation from Keira Metz, Lady of the Forest
The Witcher 3 all endings and conditions for obtaining them
The main storyline of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has three endings, which are conditionally called bad, good and best. They determine how the story of Geralt and Ciri ends. In addition, other consequences depend on the decisions made by the player during the journey — additional endings. nine0003
Many spoilers for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Bad ending:
- «Landscape after the battle» — offer to drink instead of playing snowballs;
- «Landscape after the battle» — take money from Emhyr for finding Ciri;
- «Final preparations» — go with Ciri to the council of the Lodge of sorceresses;
- «Preparing for battle» — to calm down and not let the laboratory be destroyed;
- «Prepare for Battle» — Refuse to visit Skjall’s grave.
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At least three of these conditions must be met.
Such decisions show that Geralt does not know Ciri well. He offers to relieve stress with a drink and treats her search as a simple order. In addition, he does not believe in her independence in a conversation with sorceresses and does not take into account the feelings about the deceased comrade. As a result, Ciri does not have the strength to return after the battle with the White Frost.
Empress Cirilla:
- «Landscape after the battle» — offer to play snowballs instead of drinking; nine0006
- «Landscape after the battle» — refuse Emhyr’s money for finding Ciri;
- «Final preparations» — allow Ciri to go to the council of the Lodge of sorceresses on her own;
- «Preparing for battle» — allow you to destroy the laboratory;
- «Preparing for battle» — allow you to visit Skjall’s grave.
At least three of these conditions must be met.
In addition, during the quest «Landscape after the battle» you need to go with Ciri to Emhyr in Vizima, as well as complete the chain of tasks about the assassination attempt on Radovid and take the side of Roche (quests: «An Eye for an Eye», «A Deadly Plot», «Enemy of the People» and «Cases of State Importance»).
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Such behavior will show that Geralt knows Ciri well, and also trusts her and cares about her feelings. In addition, he does not try to isolate her from Emhyr and her heritage. This will allow the girl not only to return home after the battle with the White Frost, but also to take the throne of the Nilfgaardian empire, which Geralt indirectly helped win the war.
Witcher Ciri:
- «Landscape after the battle» — offer to play snowballs instead of drinking;
- «Landscape after the battle» — refuse Emhyr’s money for finding Ciri; nine0006
- «Last preparations» — allow Ciri to go to the council of the Lodge of sorceresses on her own;
- «Preparing for battle» — allow you to destroy the laboratory;
- «Preparing for battle» — allow you to visit Skjall’s grave.
At least three of these conditions must be met.
In addition, during the quest «Landscape after the battle» you should not go with Ciri to meet Emhyr.
Such behavior will show that Geralt knows Ciri well, and also trusts her and cares about her feelings. Such support will allow the girl to find the strength to return home after the battle with the White Frost. However, Geralt is not set to communicate with Emhyr, so Ciri chooses the path of a witcher and becomes a monster hunter instead of ruling the empire. nine0003
Additional endings:
- Fate of the North (Main Quest «Matters of National Importance»):
- support Cerys an Craite — Skellige will prosper peacefully, but will begin to forget about traditions;
- support Hjalmar an Krayt — Skellige will regularly attack neighboring states and live in war;
- ignore — Svanrig Bran will seize power to establish an absolute monarchy, which will lead to civil strife. nine0006
- send the sorceress to Kaer Morhen — she will help in the battle and get along with Lambert;
- let go to Radovid — she will be executed.
- kill the spirit on the orders of the witches — the Baron’s wife will survive, but go crazy, they will leave together;
- keep the spirit alive — the Baron’s wife will die, and he will hang himself.
- kill — Doppler Dudu will take the place of the criminal;
- do not kill — other criminals will kill him;
- perform «Now or Never» — sorcerers will be saved, but the authorities will begin to recoup on nonhumans;
- Do not perform «Now or Never» — sorcerers will be executed.
- Yennefer — complete the quest «Last Wish» and declare that the feelings are real, they will live quietly and happily in seclusion;
- Triss — complete «Now or never» and confess their love, they will move to Kovir, where the sorceress will become the king’s adviser;
- Buttercup — do not try to start a relationship, or try to meet Yennefer and Triss at the same time, in the second case, the sorceresses will punish Geralt, and in both cases he will stay with Dandelion.
