I pour myself into games. I know some people are able to play multiple games at once, like spending time in both singleplayer and multiplayer games. I applaud those that are able to do that. I, on the other hand, can only devote myself to one thing at a time, and I get a little carried away sometimes.
When I first started on The Witcher III again, my heart wasn’t completely in it. I remember setting it down a while back during the main quest, during the long stint in Velen… I hate Velen… My original intention when starting that playthrough was to take advantage of the New Game + and finish the DLC.
It only took me about three years to finally do that.
Heartless
No idea what to expect
Hearts of Stone was the first DLC to come out, and I heard good things. I had always meant to try it, but never got around to it. It takes place in an area of The Witcher III which I never fully explored before. I’m not sure if that’s because there wasn’t much there before, or if that area of the map just didn’t exist at all. Still, it’s cool that CD Projekt Red made such good use of the original map while still making the experience worthwhile.
I don’t want to go into great detail, but it’s safe to say that the plot made a few interesting twists and turns. Still, I found myself incredibly frustrated when I realized that I was consistently getting my ass handed to me. At one point during the story, I had to turn down the difficulty because a certain boss would heal itself to full every time I did too much damage, and there wasn’t anything I could do to mitigate that.
As far as DLC goes however, it easily takes a place in my heart as a favorite. It has stome truly fun and humorous segments, as well as heartfelt moments that cast Geralt as a truly human character. Additionally, you have some cool new gear and vendors to squeeze for every last piece of their gold. All in all, it was awesome to finally get around to it.
Finally In Toussaint
Say goodbye to those damned violins and swamps
Of course, the DLC that stole the show was Blood And Wine, which not only tacks on a ton of additional content, but also takes place in an entirely new area of the game, Toussaint. The Witcher III is already a gorgeous game, but the Blood And Wine expansion takes that visual splendor to a whole new level. Toussaint is breathtaking, and CD Projekt Red knew that. They’ve even gone so far as to change a couple of the cinematics, like when you free deserted settlements. Instead of just fast forwarding to the villagers taking over the settlement again, you get to watch an amazing sunset and sunrise in time lapse.
It’s the little things that count, right?
What’s lovely is that there’s so much to do outside of the main quest of the DLC. You can manage your own estate, delve into solving the problems of the locals, have your likeness captured by a painter, and even the usual witcher contracts.
Oh, and Gwent! I’d love to have an actual Gwent set someday.
So Much More
It’s pretty rare these days to come across DLC that makes a substantial change to the base experience. Even when a developer makes new content for their game, it can often prove to be disappointing in nature (like with Mass Effect 2‘s Project Firewalker addon). The Witcher III isn’t one of those games, and CD Projekt Red isn’t one of those developers.
That said, I’ve now completed The Witcher III and its DLC, so I’m going to be moving onto something else. What that thing is?
I have no clue!
What game had downloadable content that just stole your heart? Do you play DLC after you’ve beaten the game, or do you just move on? What’s your feeling about The Witcher III‘s DLC in particular?
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