The game abandons the timed combo-based battle system of its predecessor, following a simpler action combat style, including light and strong attacks, blocking, parrying, and dodging. Time of the day as well as the weather can influence the effectiveness of Geralt's combat techniques. Additional tactics are possible with thrown weapons (daggers and bombs) or by placing traps in strategic locations. Geralt fights alone using steel and silver swords with the aid of his magical Signs. Quests can be solved in different ways, and ethical decisions made will effect which one of the sixteen different endings the player receives. As one of the few remaining witchers, Geralt's skills are sought by many, and he will face more than atypical foes, each with its own attack methods, strengths and weaknesses. There are monsters that stalk through the sewers and streets, forests and hills, caves and crypts. Politics are complex, and decisions made by those in power can cause kingdoms to fall at any moment.
The fantasy world of the game is dark, and so are its evils - murder, kidnapping, torture, racism, rape, corruption and prostitution. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is a single-person role-playing game in which the player takes control of Geralt the Witcher in third-person view. Teaming up with a high-ranking official of Temeria, Geralt conducts his own investigation and is shocked to discover that the mysterious killer is, in all probability, a witcher just like himself. Somehow he must convince his jailers of his innocence and be allowed to hunt down the real Kingslayer. One month later, he is locked in the dungeons pending execution for a crime he didn't commit. Geralt of Rivia saved King Foltest from an unknown assassin at the end of the first game.