Combat is an inseparable part of a Witcher's profession, so you will have many chances to perfect your fighting abilities in-game.
Drawing a weapon
- To draw a steel sword or additional weapon, use
. - To draw a silver sword, use
.
Casting signs
To cast signs, first the desired sign must be selected from the quick menu, which is activated with 
. Then use 
to cast.
Ranged weapons
These include bombs and daggers. In order to use them, they must be placed in the pockets (or quickslots) and then thrown using 
. To aim them, hold down until cross-hairs appear, then release it.
Movement
Movement in combat is not drastically different from regular movement. You can move Geralt using the 
, 
, 
, and 
keys. You rotate the camera using the mouse so as to have the best view of in-game events.
Rolling
Rolling is an important maneuver, as it helps to quickly avoid blows or increase or decrease the distance to an enemy. Rolling forward is done by pressing the 
. Pressing an appropriate movement key (, , , and ) twice will result in a roll in the selected direction.
Melee
Steel and Silver swords, typical weapons of the witchers, are available in-game. Steel swords are more effective when fighting sentient races, while silver ones are used against monsters. It may turn out that you'll have to use an improvised weapon - a pick or an axe - and in rare circumstances even your fists.
Fistfight
Fistfights are a timed-event type minigame in addition to dice poker and arm wrestling. Although some fistfights are quest related and cannot be avoided, they are not to be confused with actual combat.
Press the letters 
, 
, 
, and 
as they pop up in game during this fistfight. If you're fast enough, you can't lose.