The Witcher 2 - Full Combat Rebalance Mod Release Update

Two days ago I informed you about a combat rebalance mod that was being developed by CD Projekt RED’s gameplay designer Andrzej Kwiatkowski. Well I'm happy to report that the mod is planned for a June 20th release.

Kwiatkowski himself revealed the release date on CD Projekt RED’s forum, and stated that the mod will be 2GB in size instead of 8 GB. The changlog is masssive so check out the forum link for more info.

GENERAL CHANGES

-Up to 80% increase in responsivness per Geralt’s animations.
-Up to 50% increase in repsonsivness per NPCs animations.
-Added strafing while being locked on an enemy and walking.
-Geralt can block while moving ( NEW ANIMATIONS ). Static Guard Stance is no longer required to parry enemy attacks.
-Geralt automatically parries enemy sword attacks and deflects incoming arrows.
-Geralt and his attackers are no longer bouncing off parry. It allows to continue attack sequence.
-Monster attacks still cannot be parried with a sword.
-While using Guard Stance Geralt channels an active Quen shield.
-Above listed changes to defence mechanics decreased importance of rolling in combat.

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

-Decreased the number of skills to ensure quality over quantity.
-Geralt now starts with core witcher skills already learned. No need to go through Training tree before unlocking other branches.
-Removed many passives from skill tree to replace them with more active abilities. Remaining passives are changed to make them more attractive.
-All skills now have one level ( previously 2 ).
-Aard and Igni Signs have been changed from projectile to cone area of effect.
-Riposte doesn’t require Guard Stance to activate, only attacking in a timed window.
-Changed riposte animations ( NEW ANIMATIONS, DUH ) to prevent Geralt from sliding on enemies.
-Experience points are given only for progressing through quests, not for killing enemies. This encourages role-playing without worrying about missing experience.
-Geralt no longer buys witcher specific recipies from random merchants. He recalls lost memories as a part of character development.