Save often . Really , really often . You can ' t drink potions or apply oils during combat , so if you run into a tunnel and find yourself against a horde of nekkers , you ' ll be happy that you can reload to the entrance . You ' ll have a stash from chapter 1 onward , anything that isn ' t junk or weapons should go in there , as you ' ll need various bits pieces for crafting down the line . Loot everything , guards won ' t give a toss . Near the end of Chapter 1 , there ' s a point where you either help s Roche or s Iorveth . Make a separate save there and keep it , because you ' ll want to go back to it . Choosing one of those locks off the other and gives you an entirely different Chapter 2 part of Chapter 3 . That ' s a good 3040 % of the game you wouldn ' t see otherwise . In combat , you only ever want to be fighting one person at a time , as you ' ll get killed from behind in one or two hits . Roll around , keep people away from you . Unlocking the Riposte skill in the sword tree is very useful , especially in a section of Chapter 2 . While Quen is massively useful , your stamina won ' t regenerate while it ' s active so plan around that . Finally , trap it with Yrden !