WARNING: Please add spoiler tags to every story moments in the expansion so we don't get people riled from being spoiled.
Hearts of Stone is a standalone story that puts you again into the shoes of Geralt of Rivia - professional monster slayer, hired by Gaunter O'Dim known also as the Man of Glass (Whom Geralt meets at White Orchard while the Witcher was trying to find Yennefer) to take on a ruthless bandit captain called Olgierd von Everic, a man said to possess the power of immortality.
- New quests for level 30+ Geralt (NG)/level 60+ Geralt (NG+)
- New cast of characters
- New monsters and bosses
- New gear
- Expanded areas of the world map (Top Right corner of Novigrad/Velen for instance)
- New gameplay feature: Runeswords (Which enhances the combat mechanics. For example, you can have Igni explode burning enemies when they die or have Axii transfer to the next enemy when the previous Axii'd enemy is dead)
- Return of fan-beloved character from Witcher 1: Shani. And yes, you can romance her
- And most importantly, more Gwent cards
There are two ways to buy the expansion: Digital and Retail
Digital:
PC:
PS4:
Xbox One:
The digital version can be bought for $8.49 for a discounted pre-order (Though the price will be at its original price after it release) in PSN (At least on the US region GoG, and Steam, though there's nothing on Xbox One's store as of yet. The digital version is free in case you bought the expansion pass for $24.99
Store links:
GoG/Steam/PSN
Retail:
PC:
PS4:
It contains:
- A download code for the expansion
- Collector's Box
- Manual
- Two physical Gwent decks (Monsters and Scoia'tel)
- Gwent Guide
- Gwent Tokens
The retail edition can bought for £19.99 at GAME UK. For US players, they can buy the retail edition for 19.99$ at Gamestop.
There are some confusions in regards to the expansion, so I'll answer as much as I'm able. I can't stress how important it is to read these questions as it may clear some of the confusion in regards to Hearts of Stone
Q: Do I need to have the base game in order to play the expansion?
A: Yes, you need the base game in order to play Hearts of Stone.
Q:What's the recommended level to play Hearts of Stone?
A: Level 30+ for NG and Level 60+ for NG+
Q: Wait, I have to be at level 60 to be able to play the expansion on my NG+ playthrough?
A: Yes. Since everything in the game (Including monsters levels, quests, weapons and armor) are increased by 30 levels, it is logical to assume that the recommended level for NG+ should be level 60.
Q: How do I start the expansion?
A: A quest named ''Evil's Soft First Touches'' will show on the quest log telling you to take a look at the notice board outside the Seven Cats Inn. There's also a picture from reddit showing you how to start as well: http://i.imgur.com/hlZmRJf.jpg
Q: When can I play the expansion?
A: At anytime during the main quest or after it provided you are at its recommended level.
Does my Shani romance have any effect with my relationship to Yennefer/Triss?
A: No.
Q: Does my Shani decision in Witcher 1 have any dialog effect?
A: Sadly, no.
Q: Am I entitled to get the Gwent Decks if I purchased the Expansion Pass?
A: Yes. Use redeemgwent and present a proof image of your expansion pass's purchase, then you'll get a code in a few codes that'll let you buy the Gwent Decks (Monsters and Scoia'tel) for 9.99$ (Along with the shipping costs, I should add)
Q: What's the download size of the expansion?
A: Download size: PC: GOG/Steam - 2.3 GB, Origin - ~4GB. PS4 - 2-4GB (depending on your SKU), XBOX ONE ~5GB
Q: When does the expansion unlock?
A : UNLOCK TIME: CEST - 13 OCT at 1AM /// BST - 13 OCT at 00AM /// PDT - 12 OCT at 4PM /// EDT - 12 OCT at 7PM
Q: Is it possible to pre-load the expansion?
A: No.
Q: I've heard that you are automatically level up to 30 once you install the expansion. Is it true?
A: False. In case you don't have an existing save of Geralt at level 30 (NG)/level 60 (NG+), you can create a level 32 Geralt (And spend your own skill points) with only the base's game side-quests and the expansions quests enabled (Main story's quests are disabled)
Screenshots:
The Reviews:
Welcome to the official thread of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Hearts of Stone, first expansion to CDPR's open-world action RPG.
Hearts of Stone is a standalone story that puts you again into the shoes of Geralt of Rivia - professional monster slayer, hired by Gaunter O'Dim known also as the Man of Glass (Whom Geralt meets at White Orchard while the Witcher was trying to find Yennefer) to take on a ruthless bandit captain called Olgierd von Everic, a man said to possess the power of immortality.
- 10 hours or more of new content for 9.99$
- New quests for level 30+ Geralt (NG)/level 60+ Geralt (NG+)
- New cast of characters
- New monsters and bosses
- New gear
- Expanded areas of the world map (Top Right corner of Novigrad/Velen for instance)
- New gameplay feature: Runeswords (Which enhances the combat mechanics. For example, you can have Igni explode burning enemies when they die or have Axii transfer to the next enemy when the previous Axii'd enemy is dead)
- Return of fan-beloved character from Witcher 1: Shani. And yes, you can romance her
- And most importantly, more Gwent cards
There are two ways to buy the expansion: Digital and Retail
Digital:
PC:
PS4:
Xbox One:
The digital version can be bought for $8.49 for a discounted pre-order (Though the price will be at its original price after it release) in PSN (At least on the US region GoG, and Steam, though there's nothing on Xbox One's store as of yet. The digital version is free in case you bought the expansion pass for $24.99
Store links:
GoG/Steam/PSN
Retail:
PC:
PS4:
It contains:
- A download code for the expansion
- Collector's Box
- Manual
- Two physical Gwent decks (Monsters and Scoia'tel)
- Gwent Guide
- Gwent Tokens
The retail edition can bought for £19.99 at GAME UK. For US players, they can buy the retail edition for 19.99$ at Gamestop.
There are some confusions in regards to the expansion, so I'll answer as much as I'm able. I can't stress how important it is to read these questions as it may clear some of the confusion in regards to Hearts of Stone
Q: Do I need to have the base game in order to play the expansion?
A: Yes, you need the base game in order to play Hearts of Stone.
Q:What's the recommended level to play Hearts of Stone?
A: Level 30+ for NG and Level 60+ for NG+
Q: Wait, I have to be at level 60 to be able to play the expansion on my NG+ playthrough?
A: Yes. Since everything in the game (Including monsters levels, quests, weapons and armor) are increased by 30 levels, it is logical to assume that the recommended level for NG+ should be level 60.
Q: How do I start the expansion?
A: A quest named ''Evil's Soft First Touches'' will show on the quest log telling you to take a look at the notice board outside the Seven Cats Inn. There's also a picture from reddit showing you how to start as well: http://i.imgur.com/hlZmRJf.jpg
Q: When can I play the expansion?
A: At anytime during the main quest or after it provided you are at its recommended level.
Does my Shani romance have any effect with my relationship to Yennefer/Triss?
A: No.
Q: Does my Shani decision in Witcher 1 have any dialog effect?
A: Sadly, no.
Q: Am I entitled to get the Gwent Decks if I purchased the Expansion Pass?
A: Yes. Use redeemgwent and present a proof image of your expansion pass's purchase, then you'll get a code in a few codes that'll let you buy the Gwent Decks (Monsters and Scoia'tel) for 9.99$ (Along with the shipping costs, I should add)
Q: What's the download size of the expansion?
A: Download size: PC: GOG/Steam - 2.3 GB, Origin - ~4GB. PS4 - 2-4GB (depending on your SKU), XBOX ONE ~5GB
Q: When does the expansion unlock?
A : UNLOCK TIME: CEST - 13 OCT at 1AM /// BST - 13 OCT at 00AM /// PDT - 12 OCT at 4PM /// EDT - 12 OCT at 7PM
Q: Is it possible to pre-load the expansion?
A: No.
Q: I've heard that you are automatically level up to 30 once you install the expansion. Is it true?
A: False. In case you don't have an existing save of Geralt at level 30 (NG)/level 60 (NG+), you can create a level 32 Geralt (And spend your own skill points) with only the base's game side-quests and the expansions quests enabled (Main story's quests are disabled)
Screenshots:
The Reviews:
