Let's face it: the vast game world of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt could be almost dispersive, especially at the first few bars of your adventure. As soon as you've finished the tutorial within the reassuring walls of Kaer Morhen, you'll be immediately catapulted to Bianco Frutteto, the first stop on Geralt di Rivia's journey.
According to what is now written, it is good to be perfectly aware of what to do, what not to do and, above all, what usefulness the various items in your inventory will have.
Do you feel lost in the vast world of The Witcher 3? All you have to do is consult our guide to the first steps in the game, with a special focus on the best starting items that can make the difference between life and death, including weapons, armour, skills to unlock, Gwent's card decks and more.
The Witcher 3: How best to get started
It's good to clarify one point immediately: at the beginning of your adventure as the Strigo, you won't be totally helpless. You'll still be able to count on basic equipment that will guarantee you won't die at the first slice that vibrates against you; however, proceeding with the main quest, you'll immediately realize the inadequacy of your inventory for the next stages.
Precisely for this reason, the essential elements to progress are basically five: weapons, armor, skills, potions and money. Below, we list all the best items available in the early stages of the game, which we're sure will make your life easier.
Snake School Equipment
Needless to say, in order to hunt monsters and survive the many dangers you will encounter on your way, you need weapons worthy of the name. Well, the two swords of the School of the Snake are the best you can get your hands on, especially in the first stages of the game. Follow the instructions in our armor set guide for all instructions on how to get the swords in question.
Armor of the Wolf
If inflicting damage is of fundamental importance, it will be even more important not to suffer it The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt . For that very reason, you'd do well to look for designs for the Wolf's Armor, one of the best sets available in the early stages of the game. Follow the instructions in our armor guide to find out where to look.
Skills to equip
As you level up, you will unlock skill points, with which you can acquire various skills in the respective skill tree. You will find four different skill trees of four different sign effectiveness (paying particular attention to Axii and Quen, which will allow you, respectively, to persuade your enemies in certain dialogues and recover life points for the attacks suffered by the shield you evoke).
Potions and alchemical ointments
As in previous chapters of the saga, alchemy will play a major role in The Witcher 3. Although in the first few hours of the game will be few potions that you can make, our advice is always to buy as many recipes as possible, so you can count on the largest number of alchemical discoveries, useful to enhance life force, vigor, adrenaline points, and other aspects of our favorite Witcher.
Before you set off, always make sure you have a good supply of potions with you, with particular attention to Swallow, Thunder and Cat, so that you are ready for any eventuality. For a complete overview of the subject, consult our guide to alchemy.
How to get money fast
As in any self-respecting role-playing game, having your saddlebag full of cash will always come in damn handy. A guard to bribe, a recipe to buy, a material to buy, a sword or a new armour to forge: the money will make it easy to get to what is now described.
But how do you get money quickly in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ? The answers to this question are basically five: to devote yourself to side quests, monster hunts, treasure hunts, selling what we no longer need and, finally, to Gwent games.
Side quests and monster hunts
One of the reasons why The Witcher 3 has been recognized as one of the most beautiful and fascinating RPGs of its generation is precisely the enormous amount of missions that we will have to face. Just on the basis of what now written, always stop to talk with the various NPCs you'll meet and consult the notice boards of the various cities you'll go to.
Solving side quests and killing contract monsters from Witcher will not only be a viable alternative to the main plot of the game, but will be the ideal way to replenish your finances.
A dispassionate tip: accept and finish the contracts when you're right at the level suggested by the screenshot. The reason is soon said: dealing with a level 15 contract when you're already at level 25 will make the fight easier, but will also decrease the amount of experience you get from killing the monster.
Treasures and excess items
During your adventures, don't forget to thoroughly explore the game map, especially near question markers. Each of them, in fact, could indicate the location of a hidden treasure, which will consist of weapons, armor, objects in the most general sense of the word, or money.
Also, after collecting a number of treasures, it is highly likely that your inventory will start to be overfilled, often making you slower in your movements. In this case, never forget to sell everything you don't need, whether it's an old weapon or a set of armor you don't use anymore: you'll lighten your load and, above all, you can put aside a small amount of money.
Cards for Gwent
Between one adventure and another, don't miss a good game of Gwent. The reason is soon said: in the opening bars of the game you will have little money at your disposal, and one of the ways to replenish your finances will be to win games in this fun and entertaining mini game.
As you will soon learn, you will have the opportunity to choose between different decks, customizable with different cards, which can be obtained by defeating various opponents scattered around the game world. Our advice, after having measured yourself with the tutorial at the inn of Bianco Frutteto, is to prefer, at least at the beginning, the deck of the Northern Kingdoms, which will always guarantee you the first round of the game, and is the easiest to use.
Never forget to challenge all the characters you meet, in order to get the rarest cards suitable for your deck.
