Support NeoGAF

[Stoze]

I finished the main game last year in August. Took me quite some time. So I had a break until last week, but then I bought the season pass. Playing Hearts of Stone now and finally get reminded why I love this game so much.

Hoping to finish it before Blood and Wine, but absolutely hyped.

Not a Fan of the Season pass concept, but what CD project did here, is brilliant.

Same here basically. Re-bought the game for PC and got the season pass, I just finished Hearts of Stone.Took me a long ass time to get back into the swing of things, especially combat, but I was hooked again halfway through. Now it's over and I wish I would've waited until next weekend to start it.

I will say part of me is disappointed that it looks like they went double down on the Witcher sets for the expansion. Adding a new tier and having set bonuses likely means other gear will be even more outranked than they were previously, that's my guess. At least we get dyes to mix up the look.

All the additions sound fantastic though. I'm hoping Touissant will feel like the breath of fresh air that Skellige was. 2 hours of new music certainly sounds like it could help do the trick, along with new assets/meshes.

 

[CloudWolf]

Master Mirror sounds like such a bad DC villain name.

I much prefer "The Man of Glass" or Gaunter O'Dimm.

That said I don't think

Spoiler

he's coming back after Geralt whooped his ass by outwitting him at his own game.

Spoiler

He could be back. Blood & Wine could be set before Hearts of Stone and defeating Gaunter O'Dimm doesn't mean he's gone. In the game it's said that if you beat him, he's only gone for a short amount of time. The only thing you accomplish by beating him is that he will probably leave you alone when he comes back.

That said, if he's in B&W it won't be much more than a cameo/background appearance.

 

[Moff]

I doubt O'Dimm will be in this. Simply because CDPR value diversity in their games.
That being said, I wouldn't mind it, because O'Dimm was one of the best written villains I ever saw in a videogame.

 

[The God]

Will this expansion have a new Sign?

 

[SugarDave]

one fun thing about a ng+ is that you can really sort of 'prepare' cool looking armor for the main story... i tried a ng+ and i never had to stop using my original game armor for quite a long time, so it was pretty cool do re-do cutscenes wearing the Bear school Ursine or Viper armour. I even switched armours based on 'context' (wore Bear in the colder No Man's Land; Cat or Viper in the city; that Skellige DLC armor in... Skellige ;p). Could be fun to wait and see all the new B&W armor and wear some of those for the all the early game cutscenes later.

Heh, I do this kind of thing too, even change his haircut/beard depending on where I am.

White Orchard - Viper
Velen - Griffin
North of the Pontar/Hearts of Stone - Wolf
Novigrad - Cat
Skelige - Ursine
Kaer Morhen - Wolf
Toussaint - Will get Manticore ASAP

 

[Exentryk]

Will this expansion have a new Sign?

No.

 

[Eric_S]

No.

And that makes me a sad panda.

Not going overboard with magic actually fits the theme of how magic works in the books iirc, and keeps cdpr from a great number of headaches in terms of balancing and UI changes. But screw it I'd love some grandmaster skills in combat, alchemy, traps and magic. Create a separate grandmaster skill "tree" for it if needed.

At least those mutations sounds nice, and sort of kind of fills that void, but ultimately not really.

 

[xenorevlis]

Just gotta say, I'm sad that my new game+ didn't carry over my Gwent cards

Still, in just a couple of short sessions I'm already through much of the Baron's questline and should be headed to Skellige (before Novigrad stuff this time) very soon.

Super excited for B&W

 

[Tenacious-D]

Spoiler

He could be back. Blood & Wine could be set before Hearts of Stone and defeating Gaunter O'Dimm doesn't mean he's gone. In the game it's said that if you beat him, he's only gone for a short amount of time. The only thing you accomplish by beating him is that he will probably leave you alone when he comes back.

That said, if he's in B&W it won't be much more than a cameo/background appearance.

Actually, there was a scene in the ending quest that a bunch of people missed, and those who did find it weren't sure what to make of it, until HoS released.

Spoiler

In the Witcheress Ciri ending, the dwarves from the Isle of Mist end up meeting him. So he's definitely alive. I wonder if this Golden Chalice is them trying to say something. His initials already spell GOD, even though he's obviously based off of a Polish version of the Faustian tale, I always thought that was them saying that GOD in their universe, is the devil. And now he has a Holy Grail...

Spoiler

Geralt: You stole my boat.
Dwarf Doc: Borrowed. We knew it was yours, still is. You don't think we'd do that to a mate like you - plough you soapless while you slept off a bender?
Dwarf Sleepy: Zzzzzz… mheh… hm? Oh, that's good. Heheheh zzzzz…
Geralt: So, gonna give me my boat back?
Dwarf Doc: Why in the gods' names would you need a boat in this brush?
Geralt: Fair enough, forget I said anything.

Dwarf Doc: Oh, thank ye for that, witcher. Told the lads back then you're a good fella, and we shouldn'ta took your boat.
Geralt: Heard you've gone into investments, asset management…
Dwarf Grumpy: Aye, aye - investments in moveable assets. Well, these days you just never know when--
Geralt: That extra gold chalice could come in handy, I get it.
Geralt: What'd you do with it?
Dwarf Doc: Uh, we don't have it. Found a buyer. Mr. Mirrory, was it? Funny name, paid good coin, though.
Dwarf Grumpy: We'd share it with you, we would, but you look like one who'd just frown on any proceeds from theft.
Dwarf Sneezy: Aye, you got that righteous frown on you. Definitely.

 

[sam777]

Has there been any word on a complete edition that contains all the dlc?

 

[Tenacious-D]

Has there been any word on a complete edition that contains all the dlc?

Pretty sure it will be out at the end of the year.

They obviously wouldn't announce it now, because they want people to buy B&W. Saying that in five months there'll be a cheaper version, would be quite silly from a PR perspective.

 

[raphier]

Wow, the exact same place I stopped.

Everybody hyped the hell out of that quest and I just wasn't that impressed, kinda took the wind out of the sails after that.

It's not really that good quest, but it will introduce you to the consequences of your actions, which impressed many people. Just keep going, it gets better.

 

[RedSwirl]

And seemingly just in time, the official English translation of Swallow Tower is out.

Edit: And I just realized, according to the synopsis Swallow Tower is about Geralt's previous time in Touissant. It's safe to say they timed it like this.

 

[fierrotlepou]

I doubt O'Dimm will be in this. Simply because CDPR value diversity in their games.
That being said, I wouldn't mind it, because O'Dimm was one of the best written villains I ever saw in a videogame.

Is he a villain though? He quite likes Gerald. He's not doing anything wrong per se.

 

[FoxnHurley]

Is he a villain though? He quite likes Gerald. He's not doing anything wrong per se.

He only befriended Geralt so (spoilers for HoS plot)

Spoiler

he could take Olgierd Von Everec's soul because Geralt was the only one capable of fulfilling his three wishes by proxy.

Once those three wishes were fulfilled, Gaunter O'Dimm would have Olgierd meet him "on the moon" as agreed to collect his due. Olgierd thought he outwitted Gaunter O'Dimm with that agreement, but Gaunter was able to twist it metaphorically. When Geralt inquires who Gaunter O'Dimm really is in the tavern, he advises him to stop inquiring or else the consequence will be insurmountable. Not exactly friendly banter between friends...lol

He's is very much a villain in the way of coaxing desperate people to sign over their souls for wishes that always come with a consequence of some sort.

Gaunter O'Dimm was much more interesting than the Wild Hunt. You can't avoid him by hiding

 

[Sai]

He was called

Spoiler

the personification of evil

, or something along those lines. If that ain't a villain, I don't know what is.

 

[MadYarpen]

And seemingly just in time, the official English translation of Swallow Tower is out.

Edit: And I just realized, according to the synopsis Swallow Tower is about Geralt's previous time in Touissant. It's safe to say they timed it like this.

Make sure you read the book first. I have written it several times already, but toussaint part is absolutely perfect. I envy everyone who can read it for the first time.

 

[endlessflood]

Is he a villain though? He quite likes Gerald. He's not doing anything wrong per se.

Well

Spoiler

he does kill (in a fairly horrific way) somebody in an inn for interrupting him, and what he does to the guy in Oxenfurt Academy is about as evil as it gets...

.

 

[bobawesome]

Well

Spoiler

he does kill (in a fairly horrific way) somebody in an inn for interrupting him, and what he does to the guy in Oxenfurt Academy is about as evil as it gets...

.

The first example was the first thing that came to mind. Jesus. I've never made a face like that while playing a game before.

 

[Turin Turambar]

Is he a villain though? He quite likes Gerald. He's not doing anything wrong per se.

Is the

Spoiler

literal devil

a villain? I don't know.

Ok, not exactly, but still funny if you think about it.

 

[fierrotlepou]

Well

Spoiler

he does kill (in a fairly horrific way) somebody in an inn for interrupting him, and what he does to the guy in Oxenfurt Academy is about as evil as it gets...

.

Hmm, true, I kinda forgot about that. I agree, he's a villain.

 

[Dec]

Make sure you read the book first. I have written it several times already, but toussaint part is absolutely perfect. I envy everyone who can read it for the first time.

Book spoilers throughout.

That part is probably the only time in all of the books that they are anything like the games.

Spoiler

As in, he stays there for a while doing jobs and making a ton of money. He normally has something important to do and unlike in video games, it would be stupid for him to hang out in every village he passes to solve all of their problems.

It's part of why I actually want to play this game now to catch up if only for Blood and Wine. Seems like a fun time without all the political and war time stuff and I want to see

Spoiler

Regis

in a game.

 

[endlessflood]

Hmm, true, I kinda forgot about that. I agree, he's a villain.

He's an interesting character. His charm and charisma are important facets

 

[Grisby]

Any word on the install size for consoles? Need to clean my ps4 fridge.

 

[SugarDave]

Any word on the install size for consoles? Need to clean my ps4 fridge.

I heard it's between 10-15GB depending on platform, so just make sure you have 15GB available.

 

[Exentryk]

Be nice to get some new runes/glyphs in Blood & Wine. We got some in Hearts of Stone, so hopefully we'll some more in BaW.

 

[CHC]

More good news courtesy of this German preview:

Enemy level scaling option!

Apparently there will be a toggle to enable level upscaling for enemies, so the complaint of outleveling side quests will be nullified. It won't be boring like Oblivion though because enemies higher than your level remain that way.

Sounds pretty cool, it'll be fun to have somewhat of a gameplay challenge while you polish off some old side quests.

EDIT: fixed the link, the old one was.... not correct haha

 

[Exentryk]

Don't think I'll use it for Blood & Wine, but the scaling might be useful when testing things.

 

[CHC]

Don't think I'll use it for Blood & Wine, but the scaling might be useful when testing things.

I'll definitely use it for a new game or new game plus. It'll be great to go town to town doing all the sidequests in sequence, without fear of becoming boringly overpowered.

 

[jediyoshi]

More good news courtesy of this German preview:

Enemy level scaling option!

Apparently there will be a toggle to enable level upscaling for enemies, so the complaint of outleveling side quests will be nullified. It won't be boring like Oblivion though because enemies higher than your level remain that way.

Sounds pretty cool, it'll be fun to have somewhat of a gameplay challenge while you polish off some old side quests.

Good! No way I can make reasonable progress on my NG+ by then and I feel pretty topped out with my original playthrough having finished everything else.

 

[KyanMehwulfe]

Enemy level scaling option!

Oh, that's great. Quite a lot of nice touches so far. Excited for June.

 

[Ooccoo]

Oh, that's great. Quite a lot of nice touches so far. Excited for June.

Releases May 31st

 

[Dahbomb]

More good news courtesy of this German preview:

Enemy level scaling option!

Apparently there will be a toggle to enable level upscaling for enemies, so the complaint of outleveling side quests will be nullified. It won't be boring like Oblivion though because enemies higher than your level remain that way.

Sounds pretty cool, it'll be fun to have somewhat of a gameplay challenge while you polish off some old side quests.

What the hell is up with that link... LMAO!

 

[KyanMehwulfe]

Releases May 31st

i just meant all of june cuz it's witcher month for me ;p

 

[CHC]

What the hell is up with that link... LMAO!

haha oh shit wrong video, let me change it....

 

[RedSwirl]

More good news courtesy of this German preview:

Enemy level scaling option!

Apparently there will be a toggle to enable level upscaling for enemies, so the complaint of outleveling side quests will be nullified. It won't be boring like Oblivion though because enemies higher than your level remain that way.

Sounds pretty cool, it'll be fun to have somewhat of a gameplay challenge while you polish off some old side quests.

EDIT: fixed the link, the old one was.... not correct haha

So how many of these tweaks will go back into the main game?

 

[gocubs]

Ready for Blood and Wine after finally finishing up the main story over the weekend. I'm mostly happy with the ending I got.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

Ready for Blood and Wine after finally finishing up the main story over the weekend. I'm mostly happy with the ending I got.

there's still Hearts of Stone too if you haven't played it.

 

[gocubs]

there's still Hearts of Stone too if you haven't played it.

Yeah I still have not started Heats of Stone.

 

[Staf]

Yeah I still have not started Heats of Stone.

It's one of the best DLC i've ever played.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

Skip Gwent!? Why in the world would you want to do that?

Because Gwent is fucking boring I did all the main quests, side quests and contracts in the main game except the Gwent quests, because fuck them. So boring.

Anyway, finished Witcher 3 a few days ago and it's an amazing game. Will buy HoS and B&W after I've finished Uncharted 4 and Doom.

 

[Vigilant Walrus]

Because Gwent is fucking boring I did all the main quests, side quests and contracts in the main game except the Gwent quests, because fuck them. So boring.

Anyway, finished Witcher 3 a few days ago and it's an amazing game. Will buy HoS and B&W after I've finished Uncharted 4 and Doom.

Gwent is fucking amazing. The problem is that it takes a bit to get into but its soooo addictive. You just need a few decent cards and then you're making it rain like a dick slinging MTG world champ. I dislike card based games, but Gwent is fantastic. You're really missing out. It requires a bit of patience, but only a little bit in the beginning. Once its off to the races, the savagery you bestow on those assholes as you take their cards and ruin their lives. The sensation is unspeakable.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

Gwent is fucking amazing. The problem is that it takes a bit to get into but its soooo addictive. You just need a few decent cards and then you're making it rain like a dick slinging MTG world champ. I dislike card based games, but Gwent is fantastic. You're really missing out. It requires a bit of patience, but only a little bit in the beginning. Once its off to the races, the savagery you bestow on those assholes as you take their cards and ruin their lives. The sensation is unspeakable.

The only card-based game in any video game I've found enjoyable was the one in Final Fantasy IX. I just don't have the patience for card games in video game form, besides Microsoft Solitaire

 

[diamount]

Started my NG+ playthrough. Hope to be done by the release of Blood and Wine but not going to rush it. I've also turned off POI's on the map. I will go to if its on the way, as I'm not ever going to use fast travel, but I'm not going the completion route.

 

[m4st4]

Is it okay to re-install Witcher 3 (playing on PS4) and just go through HoS and B&W instead of a whole new game (150+ hours of game time)? Already finished the game last year (60 hours spent).

I'm affraid it's going to become a slog even before I hit HoS and I want to replay it while it's all new and fresh.

 

[Mifec]

Is it okay to re-install Witcher 3 (playing on PS4) and just go through HoS and B&W instead of a whole new game (150+ hours of game time)? Already finished the game last year (60 hours spent).

I'm affraid it's going to become a slog even before I hit HoS and I want to replay it while it's all new and fresh.

There is an option to create a char just for HoS and just for B&W.

 

[Soriku]

There is an option to create a char just for HoS and just for B&W.

Also you might still have your save file if all you did was uninstall the game.

 

[FoxnHurley]

Gwent is fucking amazing. The problem is that it takes a bit to get into but its soooo addictive. You just need a few decent cards and then you're making it rain like a dick slinging MTG world champ. I dislike card based games, but Gwent is fantastic. You're really missing out. It requires a bit of patience, but only a little bit in the beginning. Once its off to the races, the savagery you bestow on those assholes as you take their cards and ruin their lives. The sensation is unspeakable.

Wholeheartedly agree..lol. Once you get spies, cards with scorch abilities, commander's horns, medics, and hero cards, you can wreck your opponents deck.

Nothing more satisfying than using a dummy card to snatch a spy card your opponent just used on you, throw it back their face only to draw a scorch card that burns four of their cards that have the same strength...lol.

 

[SugarDave]

Any chance of a full trailer today? Or was that "region" trailer it?

 

[Brutal Deluxe]

Anyone know when the patch is due?