I don't recall ever really being tricked by videogames into doing something I felt bad about. So I'm either really good at reading people, or I just have a really good understanding of narratives and where the writers want to go with them. The only decisions I have made that I am dissatisfied with are from The Witcher 2. And I'm not spoiler tagging this, the game came out two years ago, and it's been on sale multiple times for like 10$ at most. If you haven't gotten it yet, you likely aren't going to.
A part of me really wants to save Saskia at the end. She has ideals that are pretty much unseen anywhere else in the game, and she wants to make a truly free medieval state. But I feel like my main motivation with the game was the love story between Geralt and Triss. He can't even remember Yennifer, and tracking down the kingslayer was kind of what I did to simply get out of prison. It was never really anything personal for me.
And I understand that Triss gets saved anyways, but I feel like organically it's the option I have to pick for his narrative if Geralt truly loves her. Also I always pick anyone I put into danger, over the lives of others. Like in Alpha Protocol I choose Madison over dozens of innocent people, because I was the one who put her in danger by involving her.
Saskia put herself into danger by pissing off the nobles. She put herself into danger against Henselt's army. She put herself into danger by letting Phillipa 'advise' her. Geralt puts Triss into danger by bringing her with him on a quest to clear his name and fulfill a promise to Roche. She never would have been kidnapped except that she was helping Geralt.
DoPo said:
The thing is, you, as a player, are never actually told you're slowly taking over her will.
Uh... you're told pretty clearly by Knox(and through conversations with various vampires) as I remember it. And even if you aren't outright told, the vampire blood is a powerful narcotic metaphor is used very very heavily.