The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Hearts of Stone

Disclaimer: I own the GOTY edition of the game, thus this may not include the "Verified owner" badge. The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone, the first expansion to the 2015 masterpiece, is a true expansion pack, and a fantastic one at that. Since the rise of the era of DLCs, expansion packs have virtually disappeared except within the context of MMORPGs. CDPR brings them back with The Witcher 3 and shows that there is absolutely zero reason that studios should avoid making them, even in the 2020s. While Blood and Wine is definitely a better execution of the concept of an expansion pack, Hearts of Stone adds a whole new main quest, lots of gameplay additions and adds further detail to the already richly-detailed world present in the base game. Hearts of Stone tells a tragic story that involves love, family, curses and ambition. Geralt gets wrapped up in the story and, just like the base game, you're given the unique opportunity to strongly influence the chain of events that occur. Your choices still have the same level of consequences that the base game created and this ensures that this expansion is just as satisfying to play as the base game is. However, where Hearts of Stone really shines is within its writing. CDPR are absolutely masterful writers, as evidenced by all of their games. This expansion is not any different. The writing here is extremely solid, sometimes eclipsing the immaculate writing present in the base game. Neither the "good guys" nor the "bad guys" are 100% what they seem and you're allowed to place Geralt's morality anywhere between those two extremes. By the end of the story, my preconceived thoughts about all of the characters were changed in some way. The story even got emotional at times, though your mileage may vary since the emotional parts were due to how relatable they were for me. Altogether, Hearts of Stone is absolutely worth a purchase at any price. If you even slightly liked The Witcher 3, you'll definitely enjoy this.

Pros; -25 hours of gameplay. -New characters.Shani,O'Dimm,Olgierd,Iris and a few more. -New romance. -More artifacts,weapons and runes. -Decisions matter. -likeable,fleshed out characters. -Bank heist,wedding party,ghost possession and wedding mini games. -You can play the expansion from the get go instead of having to fully beat the story like BaW demands you to do. Cons; -The expansion takes place in areas you had visited a thousand times before,instead of deepening into the witcher world. -The 'unique' enemies are;a giant frog(done countless times before),a man without face(the only original one),Harry Potter giant spiders and basically Satan(god knows how many times he's been in a game). -As for the artifacts/weapons/runes/objects;The only usefull ones are the ones offered by O'Dimm and Olgierd,a sword and three more(O'Dimm),the runes on the other hand,you have to grind for'em,pay a dude ten thousand + crowns only for him to be able craft them for you and once he does the prices vary from 500-to 2000. -It is filled with cinematics and it is more about the story than it is about gameplay. -The only 'unique' place you visit you can't go back to it.Dissapointing. Final thoughts; First off the store page lies,it is not 30 hours but twenty five,i know it because i have beaten both expansions in said time at the hardest difficulty(redoing some missions as well) unlocking every shite you can possibly get,second off;if you are more about gameplay than story i highly recommend you stay away from this expansion,it is more cinematic than anything,third off;i liked it a lot,some of you may others wont. It is overall ok,the rest is up to you,but if you were to choose i'll recomend you BaW,it offers a more-susbstantial content worth your money and time.Also a heads up for those who don't know,GoG hides the Google reviews when you visit the store page from the browser.Only the neagtive ones from some games,WTF are you doing GoG?This is not trust Anyway have fun

Hearts of Stone is exactly what a DLC should be: It keeps what was good about the base game & expands upon it in its own (relatively) self-contained package. The story & characters are phenomenal. HoS's tale is the pinnacle of the folk horror of the Witcher, with characters like the Caretaker and the antagonists pushing the bounds of what the player may have previously thought possible in this world. The primary antagonists - Olgierd Von Everec and Gaunter O'Dimm - are leagues more interesting than Eredin or the Wild Hunt. Olgierd is clearly a very flawed individual, but he is also well-spoken, principled, & charismatic. I understand his motivations and decisions, flawed as they may be, understand how he became what he is, and sympathize with his loss and regret. O'Dimm, on the other hand, is a terrifying, supernatural force of nature wearing the thin veil of an unassuming merchant of mirrors. He is dark & mysterious, evil in the truest sense of the word, & the unknown only leaves one in doubt as to what the limit of his power may be - if it even exists. If I had to make one critique, the new upgrade system is a bit borked from a balance perspective - by the time you can afford the good Runes, you don't have much game left to use them in.

Story 11/10 best story that you can get in DLC.

Breathtaking, superb written, atmospheric and beatiful. Story is bitter and sweet. You can find yourself meeting final credits with tears in your eyes.