How do you tackle open-worlds?

[Johnway]

Except getting to that high a level requires a ton of time and a tedious grind. I opted for taking my chances with enemies well above my level. Sometimes it's easier than expected, sometimes it takes a while and you lose your allies and weapons, but it's definitely not as time consuming and tedious as the leveling up grind.

That said, I know I'll likely have to take the end game more seriously and prepare for it better.

honestly i didn't find the grind that heavy. i seem to get like +2 skill points per level and if you do side content you get +1 and every unique piece of loot, side mission, artifact will net you big exp. hell do some of the raids and you easily can be walking away with upgrade points in one go.

i was selective as to which skills i picked, namely raven/bear skills. Anything bow based i generally ignored . Stuff like the slowmo dodge, stomp, adrenaline bars, increased damage with adrenaline bars filled, recover health when hitting enemies, reduce height or passively filling adrenaline whilst in combat were my main options.

i think i really should have try some challenges when i was under powered but i was fine leaving them alone and coming back later namely because i bounce all over the map going north or south and on the way i just stop by and finishing them off.

it also helps that i have the complete edition so DLC/expansion packs mean extra opportunities for levelling.

 

[Frag Maniac]

honestly i didn't find the grind that heavy. i seem to get like +2 skill points per level and if you do side content you get +1 and every unique piece of loot, side mission, artifact will net you big exp. hell do some of the raids and you easily can be walking away with upgrade points in one go.

i was selective as to which skills i picked, namely raven/wolf skills. Anything bow based . Stuff like the slowmo dodge, stomp, adrenaline bars, increased damage with adrenaline bars filled, recover health when hitting enemies, reduce height or passively filling adrenaline whilst in combat were my main options.

i think i really should have try some challenges when i was under powered but i was fine leaving them alone and coming back later namely because i bounce all over the map going north or south and on the way i just stop by and finishing them off.

it also helps that i have the complete edition so DLC/expansion packs mean extra opportunities for levelling.

Oh I know what it takes to level up, and have done a ton of raids. Last I left off playing it I was level 166 to Cordelia's 340 when I fought her. I've also done some Zealots. I'm probably nowhere near as far into the game as you. RPGs typically aren't my first choice though. Maybe I'm just not as gung hung to spend time on them these days like when I was younger. Anymore it takes a toll on my eyes looking for things.

 

[ZedClampet]

If you play games with these, do you just run through and unlock the areas to come back to? Do you 100% an area right away before moving on? Do you only do certain things in each area first then the rest later?

Me, personally, if the world is big enough, i 100 percent an area first (or as much as i can) and move on, i dont like leaving an area unfinished because i feel i wont come back. This also depends on the game, if the open world is too bland with little ways of traveling fast or im not totally invested in the game itself, then ill just push through the game but im most def. in the 100% an area in terms of how much i would actually do it.

I try to complete an area before I move on. Of course, this is complicated emotionally when people give me quests to a different area that are "urgent". I have to keep reminding myself that the person will still be surrounded by hungry wolves whenever I get there.

 

[Colif]

I try to complete an area before I move on. Of course, this is complicated emotionally when people give me quests to a different area that are "urgent". I have to keep reminding myself that the person will still be surrounded by hungry wolves whenever I get there.

There are possibly games out there that are smart enough to tell how long you took to rescue that person and they might be just a body when you arrive. It wouldn't be that hard to do. To make you pick between quests... Sacred 2 had quests that would fail if you did other quests... that was fun working out the proper order. That may have been a bug but it sure made you think about quests you wanted to do. Not sure I ever actually finished one of them.

Clearance depends how often I am going through an area. Diablo until 4 I would clear every region... same with other Arpg, as you rarely backtrack unless you grinding. It was essential most of the time for being right level for next area. Diablo 2 used to be clear an area... restart game, clear it again... rinse repeat.

 

[Johnway]

Oh I know what it takes to level up, and have done a ton of raids. Last I left off playing it I was level 166 to Cordelia's 340 when I fought her. I've also done some Zealots. I'm probably nowhere near as far into the game as you. RPGs typically aren't my first choice though. Maybe I'm just not as gung hung to spend time on them these days like when I was younger. Anymore it takes a toll on my eyes looking for things.

Edit: i think after getting burnt in the early stages i played more cautiously till i was ready. in the siege of paris, the enemies are apparently in the red and the bosses are 20/30 levels above yours. But its irrelevant as i have all the tools to succeed. For the untold story scenario where you have limited stamina/etc its very much a different story.

Luckily, i'm one of those people who would spend the time to grind if the need was required, but there has to be a good spot and good exp. In Vahalla's case i can mercifully make progress doing it. Even if its a side step or 2 from the main path. JRPGS where things get painful where its a slogging match and skill isn't key to victory.

Looking at the stats i've clocked like something like 110 or more hours and i started playing this back in Feb, so we're nearly moving into late spring/summer before i finish...

 

[Frindis]

Usually I like to put on my backpack and walk to a large point of interest. Then I'll go deeper and deeper into the landscape until I either die from something nasty or an invincible border stops me. Preferably I'll loot hoard to the point of me not being able to move and then I will spend minutes of micromanaging my items to find out what to throw out or I am just that stubborn to spend an hour of slowly walking back to base or finding a safe spot for me hiding the stuff and coming back. Usually I don't like to hide stuff since some games don't save if you put stuff in crates.

I also like when you can put markings on the map, small little texts so that you can come back later to hoard. I try to find most stuff on the map, but I'm not that found of to many UI markers, so I tend to turn those off. In Metro Exodus I turned UI completely off while playing on the hardest difficulty. It was hands down one of the top exploration experiences I have had in a game.

 

[Frag Maniac]

Usually I like to put on my backpack and walk to a large point of interest. Then I'll go deeper and deeper into the landscape until I either die from something nasty or an invincible border stops me. Preferably I'll loot hoard to the point of me not being able to move and then I will spend minutes of micromanaging my items to find out what to throw out or I am just that stubborn to spend an hour of slowly walking back to base or finding a safe spot for me hiding the stuff and coming back. Usually I don't like to hide stuff since some games don't save if you put stuff in crates.

I also like when you can put markings on the map, small little texts so that you can come back later to hoard. I try to find most stuff on the map, but I'm not that found of to many UI markers, so I tend to turn those off. In Metro Exodus I turned UI completely off while playing on the hardest difficulty. It was hands down one of the top exploration experiences I have had in a game.

I wasted a few attempts trying to get the "Weird Ball" artifact in STALKER 2 with a fairly heavy load. I could get the artifact, I was just too heavy and slow to get out without being pulled back toward the anomaly and killed. So I loaded an earlier save, went to the shore of the shallow lake nearest the anomaly, and dumped most of my inventory on the ground.

It literally felt like I was skinny dipping by comparison, I could move very quickly and wasn't drained of stamina before getting to the next cover spot. It was all for naught though, as wouldn't you know it, the ball had a side effect where it's size and weight would swell when absorbing damage for you. THAT is what prompted me to look for a suit I could carry more with.

The annoying thing was, for a fair bit of time I didn't even know the ball had this side effect, as there was no mention of it in it's description. Every time I took fire from a patrol spawning in I would become so encumbered I could not move. I actually put a question thread on Steam asking if it was a bug, and they asked if I was carrying the Weird Ball, mentioning it's side effect.

 

[Zloth]

I typically go from area to area, but I definitely don't try to 100% the one I'm in.

I took a look at the Witcher 3 map, and it was pretty clear to me that I wasn't meant to do all of it. I was playing in the level-scaling mode, so I knew I could come back later if I wanted to do any quests, so I didn't feel like I had to do everything or miss out forever once I moved on to the next area. (Witcher 1 actually burned me in that respect, but the developers learned their lesson.) So, I did a bunch of side quests until I wanted to go on to Skelliga (sp?). I stayed there until I wanted the story to move on.

The freedom is what I really love in these games. If I feel like doing small, side quests, then I can. If I want to do more of the main game, then I can. If I feel like going completely off script and try to climb some mountain just because it's there, I can do that, too.