The Witcher 3's First Expansion, Previewing Hearts of Stone
CD Projekt Red’s open world magnum opus is getting its first expansion pack on October 13th, 2015.
Just the facts:
- The announced release date is October 13th, 2015, across all platforms
- DLC will cost $9.99 without discounts and if bought independently from the Expansion Pass.
- You do not need to have completed the main storyline of The Wild Hunt, but the new quests, monsters, etc. are all geared for characters at or above level 30.
- Select retailers around the US will be selling a physical copy of the DLC containing two physical Gwent Decks (Monster and Scoia’tael), and those that bought a digital Expansion Pass can go here to order themselves the cards too.
The Preview
The Witcher 3 is my game of the year, so far, for 2015, and in all likelihood the only game that realistically has a chance to knock it out of the top spot is Halo 5. There are many reasons why TW3 is so special: the gameplay is superb, the story is engaging, and CD Projekt Red has succeeded in crafting a game that creates a truly immersive experience. Broad superlatives aside, it doesn’t hurt that the game also received 16 free pieces of DLC, when many other developers would have gleefully charged extra for vanity customization options and small quest add-ons.
However, not all of the Witcher’s’ DLC is free, and the first big expansion Hearts of Stone is coming out on October 13th, across all platforms for $9.99 or as part of the $24.99 Expansion Pass. According to the developers the first expansion will feature roughly 10 hours of new content, which includes a brand new story line for Geralt centered around a mysterious character known as the Man of Glass. Now anyone who has at least played the prologue of The Witcher 3 and watched the expansions trailer should recognize that the strange Gaunter O’Dim from the White Orchard prologue stage is the Man of Glass, but other than his appearance as a main character in Hearts of Stone we know very little about him and his motivations.
What I can say is that while it is too early to determine whether he is a true villain, and in Witcher games it can be difficult to tell, the brand he gave Geralt in the trailer looked particularly painful, and it will obviously be a core component of the Hearts of Stone story line.
Of course, there are also the other standard trappings of a video game expansion, complete with new Witcher contracts, a new “unique” romance opportunity, new equipment, and at least one ‘new’ character that players of the Witcher 1 should recognize, Shani. In the Witcher 1 Shani is a field medic who plays a role in several quests and is a potential romance interest of Geralt’s during the game up until they part in between the Witcher 1 and the Witcher 2. While her role in the expansion is unclear, I would guess that she will serve as a major component of the new quest line, in particular the newly expanded Oxenfurt areas.
Interestingly, Hearts of Stone will also introduce a new Runewords game mechanic that appears to blend in with, and expand, the Witcher’s character specialization systems. Based on what information has been released this new mechanic is likely designed to give players more control over their builds and unique playstyles, so you can be even more of a melee bruiser or ballistic bomb thrower. Personally I’m very excited to see how this whole thing ends up working, as trying out different strategies and builds for monster slaying is one of my favorite components of this game.
Another thing you should know about the expansion is that the new content is geared for level 30 or higher characters, but you do not have to have beaten the mainline with Ciri in order to access it. The Oxenfurt area is also going to be expanded on within the game world, and if you are a fan of collectibles individuals that wait for a physical copy of the DLC may also get two physical Gwent card decks (depending on retailer availability).
So that’s it for our preview of The Witcher 3's first big expansion, thanks for reading, and make sure to come back when we post our impressions of the DLC post release!!!
