The guards at the begining of the game give you clues: one says he saw Geralt cut down 20 men in the blink of an eye; the other says Geralt's sword moved so fast he (the guard) couldn't see it. Speed and agility are life to Geralt.

* Don't tank. Even with a maxxed Quen. Stick and move, stick and move.

* Do not get mobbed. Do. Not.

* Try to flank and/or get behind your foes. They take more damage from behind, just as Geralt does.

* Many players think kiting is cheesy, but it works great in this game. Gerald does have a ranged attack: daggers are very effective. And there's no shame in running away until your vigor and vitality recharge.

* When you have to stand and fight, hack until you're blocked for the first time. Block your opponent's next blow, or blows--watch for combos--and then counterstrike until blocked again. Rinse and repeat.

* Use potions. A good combo is Golden Oriole, Swallow, and Rook--Wolf is a good substitute for Rook, but some creatures are immune to various crit types. Tawny Owl is a good sub for Golden Oriole.

* Always enhance your blade with oils--you can apply those in real time; you don't have to meditate as you do with potions. Use whetstones too.

* Use sword runes. I use Fire, Ysigith, and Earth. If I have only one rune slot, I use Fire.

* Use signs in combos. Throw Quen to protect yourself, then Yrden. Draw the enemy into the trap. Never forget a well-timed Aard will interrupt an attack and may even stun your foe--that's instakill time.
Axii is a great way to gain an ally, and while he's fighting his friends, you can move off and take a break if you want to. Be careful with Axii--if you throw it while too many foes are close, you can get smacked while you're casting it.

* Use the environment to your advantage. If you can put a column or tree between yourself and your foes to take a better position or a break, do so.

So those are the techniques I use in this game. There are others; do some Web research and you'll find lots of helpful hints, tips, and techniques.

Use quen first for protecting and then axii and one row attack it will cause a finisher.

Bombs can make taking on mobs a lot easier. Roll is your best friend.