[packatac10]

my first post here.  i'm in dire straights.

i am in chapter 5 now, and i've never experienced the problem i'm having now.  when i fight humans, my steel group stance gets totally ruined.  i can't tell if it's getting parried, but i swing once and nothing happens.  every 10 times or so my combo is allowed to complete, but at that point i've been beaten up badly.  i'm struggling to make it far at all, and it seems weird that i'm encountering this now.  i'm using the same blue meteorite sword that i've been using for a bit.

so, have i leveled up poorly?  my strength and dex are quite high, with all my sword stances in level 3.  is there something i'm missing?  i've even tried using the pot that makes my attacks tougher to dodge and parry, and it didn't help at all.

thanks for anything you guys can give me.

[ST_Ghost]

Later creatures tend to have higher armor/dodge/parry values so its more difficult to hit them. If you miss only one of the people with group style, the entire style is interrupted. Note group style generally has a lower chance of hitting than strong/fast styles already.

So to increase your chances of hitting you want to get the talents that increase attack% and add temporary runes to the blade which improve attack%. You will still miss once in a while, but you can just immediately click again (don't have to wait). You can alternatively just use strong/fast or igni to fix the "problem".

[Corylea]

Also, I've heard that your chance of hitting with a group style swing depends how easy it is to hit the creature you're aiming at.  So if you're facing three drowned dead and one drowner, you aim at the drowner; if you're facing a couple of low-level minions and their boss, you aim at a minion.

[packatac10]

i appreciate the input, and i welcome anyone else who has any ideas.

it just stinks because i'm already stuck in the level i'm in, so i'll have a hard time leveling up.  i'll do my best.

[Corylea]

Oils, whetstone, diamond dust -- don't forget to use 'em; they really do make a difference.

[HoKyung]

I've found this to be the case with the knights until you can leave Vizima and get into the swamp. I've found the way around it is to just ignore the fact there's a group of them and use strong style. Kill the guy in front, when he's dead, jump forward by double tapping the forward key to avoid any more hits from the others around, turn and repeat. You'll find that because they're really slow compared to you, they won't hit you much anyway (if you've trained your stats a bit) and you'll get by much better this way. It is a bit odd not to be able to use group style, but I guess the whole thing about the game is to use what's best for the situation at hand. And apparently in this case, group style isn't it.

[littleladyred]

I've just entered chapter 5 and am having the same problem. I love the group style and it looks like I can't use it anymore. I hate the strong style but looks like I need it.

[Flash]

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Note group style generally has a lower chance of hitting than strong/fast styles already.

group style has 1.4 x attack mod multiplier
strong style 1x .....
fast style 2 x .....

group style has higher chance to hit enemies then strong style.

[Planewalker]

I couldn't use Group Steel on Order soldiers in Act V (or end of Act IV, for that matter) either. Goes to show that Group Steel is useless on higher levels, unless your total attack is greater than their parry bonuses.

[littleladyred]

I've died about 10 times trying to get past the soldiers in the barricade. This is tough.

[lovely_psycho]

I reloaded an earlier save and was playing through some parts of Old Vizima last night, coincidentally :) I remember one night replaying this area, I just could not land a blow on those fellows with two swords (Commando Leaders, or something like that). No matter which style, I couldn't buy a successful hit! :D The next time I zoned into the area, though, everything was back to normal. Maybe Geralt was just having an off day when I got to him :)

The human fights are tough. You need to be really flexible in your approach and try something else if your tactic stops working. It may seem counter-intuitive to use an individual style when you're surrounded but sometimes it can be more of an advantage to thin the ranks by concentrating on one person... especially if some of the rest of the group are on fire and therefore distracted :evil:

No need to be polite - be cunning! Firing off Axii, even at a low level, when surrounded is one way to create some breathing space. I also like using Igni to knock 'em back, but there's also a chance you'll set some of your attackers on fire, which distracts them from attacking you for a whilst allowing you to finish off whoever is not on fire and thin the herd :)

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Also, I've heard that your chance of hitting with a group style swing depends how easy it is to hit the creature you're aiming at.  So if you're facing three drowned dead and one drowner, you aim at the drowner; if you're facing a couple of low-level minions and their boss, you aim at a minion.

Corylea again with the excellent advice that bears repeating/quoting for emphasis - if you have a tough bugger in there who parries endlessly, don't try aiming at him because he'll always interrupt your combo. Aim at someone else who doesn't parry your strokes as easily. Once you get your combo on, you can get your damage going, and that includes damaging that rude bugger that refused to let you get your groove on :D

Get used to quickly changing between fighting styles. I give it a maximum combo retry of two, meaning I'll try to get a style going no more than twice, and if it's parried both times, I switch to something else, and something else, and something else, and keep style hopping until I get the job done.

That 'something else' can also be a sign assist, especially if I'm starting to get surrounded. I'll fire off Igni or Aard to create a little breathing space and switch to an individual style to attack either the closest bugger, or the one with least life left in order to thin the herd. In these instances, I have the best luck with Fast, but your mileage may vary. Don't make the mistake of marrying a particular style. If one doesn't work, just move on to a different tactic. I love Group Style, but it definitely has it's own applications that are not always appropriate for all situations. Mind your surroundings :)

Also, keep mobile. Don't try to plant your feet and swing until everything's dead - be flexible in your attack approach, keep moving and try not to let yourself get surrounded. One tactic I use a lot in these human fights is if I see someone wind up to take a swing and think I might be in trouble, I double-tap backwards to roll out of reach. This interrupts their attack because they've missed, meaning they either have to scurry forward to get to you before lining up again, or they've simply missed, and you're back on your feet and charging towards them before they can reset their stance. Don't underestimate the power of little breathers like this :) Especially if it means you can get a combo going before they can reset and start parrying.

Use the Dike at the start of Chapter V as tactic practice, if need be, as there are lots of manageable-sized groups spawning and breathing space between them. And if things start to go bad, just duck back to the staircase near Zoltan so you can heal up, I haven't seen them follow me to that branch. I inadvertently got my strategies from doing this, as on my first run through the game, I didn't have much time to play for the next couple of days after I got to the Dike. Wanting to play, I'd just load up my save and run around the boardwalk - to play but never to save - sometimes being silly, but otherwise just playing for the sake of it. Good practice :)

The human fights can be tough, but they're also quite manageable if you can be flexible. Potions and oils are your very good friends here - Hanged Man's Venom is my favourite, although diamond dust, a whetstone, temporary runes, whatever you've got :) I use signs a lot, so I have a steady stack of Tawny Owls on hand (both Albedo and Nigredo bases, depending on my situation at the time and how much bollocks is in my system). Really look to secondaries when potion brewing too, if you can, I must admit sticking to Albedo and Rubedo bases mostly, although once I hit Chapter V Nigredo bases to start creeping in :)

[UlteriorModem]

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Also, keep mobile. Don't try to plant your feet and swing until everything's dead - be flexible in your attack approach, keep moving and try not to let yourself get surrounded.

If I understood the OP this appears to be the most appropriate thing.  :peace:

[littleladyred]

I very much agree with that. It helps you get back into the fight and it gives you some time to regain some vitality if you are fighting without a Swallow potion.

[mardana]

Quote

I've found this to be the case with the knights until you can leave Vizima and get into the swamp. I've found the way around it is to just ignore the fact there's a group of them and use strong style. Kill the guy in front, when he's dead, jump forward by double tapping the forward key to avoid any more hits from the others around, turn and repeat. You'll find that because they're really slow compared to you, they won't hit you much anyway (if you've trained your stats a bit) and you'll get by much better this way. It is a bit odd not to be able to use group style, but I guess the whole thing about the game is to use what's best for the situation at hand. And apparently in this case, group style isn't it.

Had the same problem and did same as HoKyung works well enough. It's only with the knight soldiers--most likely due to their high armor rating and the fact that so many of em (very skilled with a sword) are attacking at once and disrupting your attack sequence. The armored dogs can give the same issue when facing off Javed.