The Verdict
The Witcher 3 was an immaculate game from the start, and with their latest DLC, it just proves that CD Projekt RED truly cares for the minor details. The writing, characters and little easter eggs all over this massive world is the proof in the pudding.
Witcher 3’s first expansion, “Hearts of Stone” definitely packs a punch. Offering players up to 15 hours of story and gameplay. CD Projekt RED nailed their first true expansion for the Witcher 3, and with a price tag of only $10 it makes it awfully hard to pass up.
If you have yet to play “Hearts of Stone”, don’t waste time, go out and get it now. Both players who want more Witcher content and players who love a great story combined with intricate gameplay will absolutely love “Hearts of Stone."
The Positives
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Starting these expansions are always a tricky thing for players who have yet to complete the main game or yet reach the level requirement to access the content. Hearts of Stone is relatively end game content, but it can be accessed at any time by walking up to the specific notice board. Also for players who have yet to get too far into the game or for those who wish to just play the expansion can do so with no problem. From the start screen, the game will offer you to auto-generate a level 30 Geralt for you.
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There’s plenty of content in “Hearts of Stone”, I won’t go into detail about the missions or even the main plot, but rest assure it’s all fun. From missions that call for loads of action and fighting to the missions that take it slow and are heavy in dialogue. This is what the Witcher captures so perfectly in both the main game and its expansion; the game doesn’t always need to be action-filled to be fun, the story, writing and the complex characters are the game's best assets.
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Shani is from the original Witcher game, so hardcore fans of the series will be ecstatic see her make a return. For myself, I wasn’t sure who she was or what she was about, but in no time, I found out that she was by far one of the best characters in the entire Witcher universe. She’s smart, witty and kind; in my opinion, she’s the perfect match for Geralt.
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Olgierd von Everec, the main antagonist for Hearts of Stone, is also something to mention. Without spoiling too much, this character is one of the most sadistic, evilest characters we have met in Witcher 3. Despite the fact he’s a psycho, there seems to be more to him. This creates another complex character with their own motives, which makes the Witcher characters some of the best in gaming.
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Despite the fact we don’t receive new enemy types, CD Projekt RED did add some amazing boss battles to go through. Just starting the game, you will face one, these battles need to be played smart and careful if you wish to come out alive.
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RuneWrights are pretty interesting if you have enough coin to buy them. If you're familiar with the Witcher, you know that you will acquire runes and glyphs that you can meld into your weapons and armor for better stats. Runewrights take that and expand on it, through a very detailed backstory, the RuneWright master will allow you to upgrade your weapons and armor even further. This will call for Geralt to have perks that could have the Igni's basic attack strikes all opponents in a 360° radius or when an enemy affected by Axii dies, the effect transfers to the nearest target. There’s plenty of more perks to play around with if you have the correct runes that is.
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The overall experience from “Hearts of Stone” was a great one. Some of the missions in the expansion are even better than the main story quest line. Witcher has always been about the story since day one and that clearly shows here. From cutscenes to the dialogue, the whole story feels impactful. If this is what we can expect to see from CD Projekt RED’s next expansion, "Blood and Wine” which is rumored to be even longer, then we’re in for a good ride.
The Negatives
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Probably the biggest problem Hearts of Stone has been that it's in the same base world we have grown used to. With about 100+ hours into my main playthrough of the Witcher 3, I’ve happened to get far to use to the locations, scenery and people that occupy the world. Ideally, it would have been great to see CD Projekt RED create another stunning little open sandbox world than re-iterate in familiar places.
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The newest enemy type in the game are these big spiders, these aren’t part of the negative portion, but rather that these spiders were really the ONLY new enemy type we get. These spiders look like a basic enemy, but they are intelligent, move in patterns and plan to take you out smartly. It’s kind of a waste that the developers didn’t emphasize on this, more enemies could call for better fights which are always a huge plus.
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The RuneWrights are a whole new asset that is implemented in “Hearts of Stone”, but the asking price to actually start the Runewright, is just way overpriced. An asking price of 5,000 orens could have you running around scrounging money up to experience something that you might not even enjoy.
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One thing specifically that I was hoping CD Projekt RED to fix were the load times. This has to be the biggest problem that the Witcher faced since launch day. I was hoping for some sort of patch or quick fix to at least make it go quicker. The wait time is about 1 minute and 10 seconds, and when you're going up against a big boss, deaths could really start to test your patience.
When Witcher 3: Wild Hunt released earlier this year, many players already pegged it as a GOTY contender. From the beautiful, living open-world to the hundreds of deep side missions at your disposal, Witcher 3 seemed to fit the bill. Time and time again, Witcher 3 proves to stand tall against other big titles this year.
CD Project Red has set an example for other developers to follow, not only from the actual game itself but in their DLC department. Up until now, all previous additional content for the Witcher 3 has been free. Sure, most of it was cosmetic, but nonetheless free. So what is the Witcher’s first paid expansion even about?
To make a long story short, it’s many things. Geralt of Rivia’s story starts off as a normal monster contract. Before we know it, fans of the franchise will bump into a familiar face, Shani. From there on out, players will orchestrate a heist, attend a wedding and chill out with a ghost.
Hearts of Stone is one heck of a ride, from action packed scenes to slower paced missions that will have you deciding if you want to bid on a pair of glasses or not. What I’m trying to say is that my whole time spent with the expansion, there was never a dull moment.
But the Hearts of Stone’ expansion does have both strengths and weaknesses. Do the positives outweigh the negatives or vice versa? Let us find out…
