The biggest difference is the emotions that the game evokes. The most important difference between paths or Roche and Iorweth:

If you choose the path of Iorweth, you will still interact with Roche in the future, but if you follow the path of Roche, you will no longer see Iorweth.

Along the way of Roche, the final third act turns out to be more interesting than that of Iorweth, also there is more quests are available.

On the way of Iorweth, the second act lasts longer than that of Roche, and has more different quests and tasks available.

The third act also changes, but not as much as the second To complete the 100% of the game, you have to complete it at least twice – having made both choices.

The second act changes a lot depending on who you chose: almost all quests (both plot and side) differ, the locations where you will spend most of the game will differ (some locations will be available only if you have chosen either Roche, some will be available only along the path of Iorweth), some weapons, items and achievements will be unavailable depending on the path you choose.

During the quest “At the Crossroads” for Roche, everything is quite straigthforward, but when completing the quest for Iorweth, Geralt still has to make several choices.

Without spoilers, the situation is like this: It will upgrade your Quen for free, and it is also necessary to get one of the achievements.

Find “Summer Solstice” in the swamps to the southeast, not far from the bandits’ house.

At every opportunity, breaktwo training dummies with a sword, which are located at each exit from the city – they are respawning, and if you gradually break 10 dummies, you will receive a permanent bonus to the experience gained.

Just in case, check if you have the “Queen endrega’s pheromones” and “Warrior nekker blood” – do not sell them, we will need them for the quest in the third act.

Personally, I stockpiled the ingredients for crafting: iron ore, oil, wood, cloth, leather, etc.

Anything you have deposited can be picked up from the innkeepers/special chests in subsequent chapters.

Give away unnecessary but useful items to the innkeeper in the basement of tavern (do not sell, but give for storage).

You can even meditate next to the blacksmith and buy up all the silver that he has – if you collect 15-25 ore pieces in advance and do not waste it, then you will make your life easier in the following chapters

Buy silver ore from merchants, in the second chapter it is much more difficult to find silver and merchants goods hardly get reset.

Witcher 2 summer solstice