Replaying The Witcher 2 in Dark Mode

 Usually, I hate difficulty achievements, especially with role playing games. However, The Witcher 2 adds a few extra incentives for those who want to brave Dark Mode. Each chapter in this brutal difficulty setting has a set of armor exclusive to Dark Mode, and while these three armor sets are certainly the most powerful in the entire game, they are a bitch to get.

 So far, Dark Mode really sucks. Im trying to get a bunch of achievements on my 2nd playthrough, so Im focusing on alchemy instead of swordsmanship, and that means, I die a lot. Nekkers kill in two hits, humans seem to be the easiest lot to kill, but if there are three at once, you better stick and move. I tried killing the Flotsam troll, (another achievement), and he killed me in a single punch. Every fight is potential death, which can get frustrating sometimes, but the constant state of awareness it forces upon you is kinda fun. Im confident that things will get easier as I progress, (with each new perk comes new options and methods of dispatching foes), but the very first chapter is a steep climb.

The first armor set is The Blasphemor's set, and it is crazy difficult to craft. It requires thousands of orens, a shit-ton of diagrams, and an unreasonable amount of studded leather. What this means, is that in the very first chapter, with no accumulated wealth, no rich-quick exploits, you have to resort to Nekker farming. Nekkers in dark mode will kill you super fast, (especially the warriors), so farming them becomes a slow-paced frequently saving ordeal, but the reward is worth it.

So far, I've clocked 8 hours into this Dark Mode playthrough, and I still don't have the cash for the first set of exclusive armor. Im dedicated though, so if you haven't already, find me on Xbox live and you can share my joy with me when I finally conquer this amazing game's amazingly hard dark mode. 

gamertag: SuperboyLives

(2,000 hits? Really?)