Line #25 Awesome/TheWitcher2AssassinsOfKings


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/witcher_2_awesome.jpg]]
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3	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwCXw8m0PHI The opening cinematic of Witcher 2's Enhanced Edition]] that shows Letho of Gulet assassinating Demavend, king of Aedirn. Letho uses a magical bomb to freeze nearly everyone on the deck of Demavend's ship, evades blows and incoming arrows with his cat-like agility and [[HumanShield hides behind a dying swordsman]] to protect himself from a mage's [[LudicrousGibs psychokinetic blast]]; cutting through the remains of Demavend's retinue in seconds, he decapitates the king and leaves without a trace.
4	** An honorable mention has to go to the archer that the cinematic starts with - a normal human, he nonetheless comes the closest to actually harming Letho.
5	* Foltest´s epic RousingSpeech [[https://youtu.be/yL8xlRVJOUs?t=24m32s at the start of the game]]:
6	-->'''Foltest:''' Where the hell are we headed?!
7	-->'''Nobles:''' To battle!
8	-->'''Foltest:''' What ''the fuck'' do we want?!
9	-->'''Nobles:''' Victory!
10	-->'''Foltest:''' This I ''like!''
11	** Just before, as he and the Nilfgaardian ambassador are talking, a ballista bolt flies near them. The Nilfgaardian runs for cover while Foltest barely moves, taking his time to explain the functionnment and advantages of the Countess' ballistes, before outlining their major flaw: due to the heavy recoil, they ''can't'' hit twice at the same place.
12	** And following that, Foltest and Geralt team up on firing the king's own ballista - with the witcher serving as a spotter to take down a treacherous count Etcheverry, who made the unwise decision to stay on the castle walls.
13	* How Geralt resolves the situation with Aryan La Valette. When the latter's forces provide a bloody bottleneck for Foltest's knights, Geralt can reach his position and either kill Aryan in a duel, kill Aryan and all of his men... Or [[BrutalHonesty tell Aryan that he is being an idiot and his last stand will be completely pointless and achieve nothing]]. That ''works'', causing Aryan and his men to surrender without a fight.
14	* When the dragon shows up to interrupt the siege of La Valette Castle and nearly incinerates Foltest, Geralt takes the monster on and impales his silver sword in the creature's jaw, saving the Temerian king yet again.
15	* In the siege's aftermath, Geralt has an option to stop the massacre of helpless civilians - first he threatens the marauding soldiers with Foltest's wrath, and then duels the commander of a unit that was about to burn the innocent folk down in their own homes. The cherry on top is [[KeepTheReward refusing the reward]].
16	* If Aryan La Valette survives, Geralt encounters him when escaping the castle dungeons and helps him to reach an oil storage. While Geralt escapes through the secret passage Aryan points out, the noble himself stays behind to set the castle on fire in a last act of defiance against Temerian tyranny. The resulting fire is remembered by locals for years to come.
17	** The best part? [[spoiler: Aryan ''survives'' that, and Geralt meets him again in Loc Muinne.]]
18	* The prep and boss battle with the Old Man of the River, the Kayran. A gargantuan, magically mutated Aeschna. That Geralt can impale on a special harpoon trap, slice off its tentacles with his silver sword, ''ride'' one of them around the clearing until it brings the ruined bridge down on top of it. Before stuffing a ClockPunk device filled with Grapeshot bombs down its gullet and blowing it up from the inside out. CrazyPrepared at its finest.
19	* Geralt and Letho's Aard BeamOWar. Which the former loses, but then, Geralt had just repeatedly notched and disarmed the Kingslayer of his bastard sword.
20	* The fact that Iorveth has defeated the commanders and units of ''every'' Northern special forces regiment and collected their emblems. Vernon Roche is the last on his list. And even when ambushed by the Blue Stripes and Loredo's goons at Cáelmewedd, if Geralt gives him his sword, he only loses the three commandos that die in the cutscene, driving the rest of humans away with catastrophic losses. That's what a warrior the elf really is, for all the claims that he shoots people from behind trees.
21	** Also, the way the infamous elven bandit roars [[BattleCry "VRIHEDD!"]] The name of his nearly extinct unit, of which only he and Isengrim Faoiltiarna were [[NoOneCouldSurviveThat the only surviving officers]] after [[ThePurge being executed by the North]] at the Ravine of the Hydra.
22	* Iorveth and Geralt's [[RefugeInAudacity plan]] to save the non-human convicts at the end of Chapter I by [[TrojanPrisoner faking the Elven leader's capture]]!
23	** Geralt nutting one of the morons in the face, stealing his sword and cleaving him open while Iorveth shoulder lifts-barges a guy over the gunwale and into the Pontar with his hands tied. Then he breaks the rope cuffs and retrieves the borrowed sword Geralt throws him, which lands point first in an unfortunate mook's chest right behind him for the Scoia'tael guerrilla to rip free!
24	* Roche's BigDamnHeroes moment in Henselt's camp - [[TrueCompanions in Iorveth's path]]. As the Nilfgaardians are about to execute Geralt, Roche and Ves come to his rescue and they slaughter the Black Ones together.
25	** The moment before the attempted execution counts, too.
26	-->'''Vanhemar:''' ''(examines the Witcher's meteorite sword)'' [[EvilGloating This is a good place. Are you ready, Geralt of Rivia?]]
27	-->'''Geralt:''' Plough yourself, Nilfgaardian.
28	* The end of Chapter II on the Iorveth path is this as a whole at the Battle of Vergen. Boiling oil gets poured on the Kaedweni soldiers and set alight, Geralt and company put up a spirited defense on the walls, a pair of trolls potentially join in on the action, and Saskia reveals [[ThisWasHisTrueForm her true form]] to Geralt while saving his life. And just when things are about to get hairy, Iorveth arrives in a glorious BigDamnHeroes moment, and Saskia gives a DareToBeBadass RousingSpeech to her demoralized assembled troops, raising their spirits again. In the end, a small ragtag rebel army consisting of untrained peasants, a handful of knights, some men at arms, dwarven civilians, trolls and Scoia'tael archers manage to beat the army of the most powerful northern kingdom, which has them outnumbered five to one. Henselt's humiliation and concessions afterwards, as well as Dethmold's execution, are the cherry on top.
29	* The end of Chapter II on the Roche path is this as well. Geralt lifts Sabrina Glevissig's magical malediction upon Henselt, ''then'' saves the Kaedweni monarch again from the Viper witchers: Serrit and Auckes. And manages to kill one of the brothers in the skirmish, cutting off Auckes' leg above the knee then splitting his head open with an overhead chop, ''while he's flying up in a reverse clothes-line''. After Sile's betrayal, Roche and Geralt fight their way through ''all'' of Henselt's rear-guard and can even hold the king's life in their hands despite his victory at Vergen.
30	-->'''Henselt:''' You've won the battle, but lost the war. The city's in my hands.
31	-->'''Vernon:''' ''(bars the door behind him)'' ... And you're in ''mine''.
32	* In the Two vs One witcher duel in Henselt's camp, one has to mention the mirroring of the Geralt vs Egan fight at the end of the first game. With the White Wolf saving Henselt's life by deflecting Serrit's thrown dagger while he draws his sword in one smooth motion. Followed by [[PunchedAcrossTheRoom Aard heel-palm blasting the assassin clean out of the tent]] before indulging in an intimidatory SlowWalk and a near BloodKnight GrinOfAudacity as he faces down the two fellow mutants.
33	* At the end of both paths, if Geralt chooses to save Triss from Nilfgaard's compound. He storms the place all on his own, planning to trade hostages by capturing the (until recently) unflappable Shilard Fitz-Oesterlen. Unfortunately, Renuald aep Matsen, the Emperor's military presence at the summit, [[ShootTheHostage decides to just shoot the ambassador instead]], and when Geralt is left alone, faced down by the very elite of the Imperial army, he gives us [[PreAssKickingOneLiner this one, very, blood-chilling condemnation.]]
34	-->'''Geralt:''' Now I'll have to kill you ''all''.
35	** Followed by another set of [[BadassBoast badass boasts]] that Geralt delivers to Renauld after you've defeated three waves of the Impera Brigade's finest; soldiers chosen to guard the life of the Emperor himself.
36	-->'''Renauld aep Matsen:''' [[WorthyOpponent Congratulations]], witcher. They were my ''best men''.
37	-->'''Geralt of Rivia:''' You should have picked them more carefully. Or trained them better.
38	-->'''Renauld:''' Or perhaps they were ready for ''any'' foe but you?
39	-->'''Geralt:''' Free Triss, or join them.
40	** Alternatively, storming the Kaedweni camp alongside Roche. Or not storming it, and realising that Roche did almost as well ''without'' your help as he would have ''with.''
41	** Roche's instance of [[ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks throwing your two-handed Zweihander always works!]]
42	** Just the sheer bromantic teamwork that Geralt and Vernon employ is nothing short of sheer awesome. As they assault the camp, Geralt tricks two guards towards the iron grating with the Axii sign and brains one against the bars with a tug, while Vernon pulls his close, steals his keys, unlocks the door before kicking it open into him, followed by [[CutscenePowerTotheMax Geralt deflecting an crossbow bolt away from the Blue Stripes Commander at a full-tilt run once the second pair of sentries spot them]]; Roche then employs the aforementioned overhead double-handed throw of his Zweihander, impaling the second arbalist on the higher floor of the ruins. Geralt launches Vernon up to that level with a seamless boost and he in turn hip throws the reloading Kaedweni over the edge to slam at Geralt's feet and allow the witcher an easy kill of skewering him to the floor.
43	** Throughout the rest of the slaughter, Vernon will take out the other snipers and use their crossbows to cover you!
44	*** Roche catching up with Dethmold, the murdering slime who had his Blue Stripes Boys hanged.
45	-->'''Vernon:''' ''(punches the sorcerer in the face)''
46	-->'''Dethmold:''' ''(grabs knife off desk)''
47	-->'''Geralt:''' ''(slams fist into the crook of his elbow)''
48	-->'''Dethmold:''' ''(wailing)'' You've broken my arm!! You've ''broken my arm''! Do you know its ''worth'', you son of a ''bitch''?!
49	-->'''Vernon:''' Now it's worth ''shit'', like the rest of you! ''(pins the loathsome adviser down and draws his special forces dirk)''
50	-->'''Dethmold:''' ''(terrified)'' What do you want? I'll give you anything.
51	-->'''Vernon:''' You can't give back what you took from me... Cutting your balls off and slitting your throat will have to do. ''[[ShockingMoments (does just that, but stuffs his severed testicles into his mouth before administering the coup de grace)]]'' You reap what you sow.
52	* Geralt's showdown with a young dragon on the roof of a burning castle tower. In the lore, even being ''near'' an angry dragon is tantamount to ''suicide''. After a lengthy duel on the ground the Witcher latches onto the fire wyrm's neck with his steel sword and just manages to hold on throughout some aerial acrobatics, he then digs his trophy hook under Saesenthesis's [[EyeScream eyelid]] for leverage - and pulls her into an uncontrollable spiraling loop; crashing her chest first into a [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice jagged tree.]]
53	* The final confrontation with Letho during the epilogue, should you choose to fight him. When the player first faces him in Chapter I, Letho is the strongest enemy faced in the game. An unprepared player could be killed within seconds. But during the epilogue, it seems that the VillainForgotToLevelGrind, bringing Geralt to at least Letho's level of power, if not much higher. Winning this fight is very satisfying when you consider Letho is the one who put Geralt in this mess in the first place. And believes himself the superior warrior, playing on your fear of failure. Though perhaps, he's just trying to convince you to spare him - as he knows that Geralt's memories have all returned [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter and considering that Geralt defeated the Slyzard that almost killed him...]]
54	* [[EnsembleDarkhorse Vernon Roche]] is regularly awesome.
55	** Have a party with the Blue Stripes in Chapter I, and we get this unforgettable moment...
56	-->'''Vernon:''' You've got shitty glass-ware in Flotsam! Not fit for a hero, but I've an idea! ''(slugs peasant in the gut)'' Drink the [[BerserkButton whore-son's]] beer ''from the floor!''
57	** Losing the fistfight with him in Chapter II is almost worth it. If - you know, Vernon was stronger than a Striga!
58	-->'''Sheridan:''' The Commander's one tough nut! He beat the crap out of [[PlayerCharacter the Witcher]]! He [[MemeticBadass can beat the crap out of anyone]]!
59	** Hell, even the casual dialogue between him and Geralt in Chapter II, reveals a fantastic off-screen moment of awesome.
60	-->'''Geralt:''' You need to be careful. Dethmold can't learn that you're holding a Kaedweni spy.
61	-->'''Vernon:''' He won't. Don't you worry.
62	-->'''Geralt:''' Dethmold has an excellent net of his own spies...
63	-->'''Vernon:''' That spy we caught at Loredo's, Arnold? He's prancing around in the next world!
64	** Hilarious but undeniably bad-ass.
65	-->'''Vernon:''' There's the bridge, let's go! ''(rope-bridge collapses)'' Fuck! ''(leaping / falling three-hit combo)''
66	** One of Vernon's first lines in the game is ''ridiculously'' badass when you look at it in hindsight. When Geralt says: "I thought you died." He's speaking of when the Blue Stripes Commander was ''hit with a jet of dragon-flame before the bridge he was lying stunned on collapsed under the brown dragon's weight as it attempted to kill Foltest and Geralt''. Roche's mild and collected response? [[BadassBoast "I'm not so easy to kill."]]

Context Awesome / TheWitcher2AssassinsOfKings