I’m in cage, stripped of all my armour and weapons. A man appears, seemingly from thin air and asks me “Do I remember him?”
I think for a moment - and I ACTUALLY DO!!

He was the very first person I spoke to in the tavern at the start of the main game, all those hundreds of hours ago! - And suddenly you realise the depth of the development and planning from CDPR - as a huge RPG fan, I’m obviously as all-in as it’s possible to be as the new adventure begins!!

As famous monster hunter Geralt of Rivia, you are reluctantly coerced by the mysterious Man of Mirrors to kill a former Nobleman, turned ruthless bandit captain, who has seemingly acquired the power of immortality. - But I don’t need to tell anyone familiar with the franchise this only scratches the surface of what is actually going on.

This is a strong story and narrative focused expansion and one of the best RPG experiences I’ve ever had in any game. If you’re looking for new mechanics and huge new areas to explore I’d recommend Blood & Wine instead.

I had high expectations for this expansion, as there is already so much I love about the main game and it’s fair to say that it actually surpasses the original in some areas.

There are very few new mechanics. So don’t expect any big overhauls or play style changes.

What’s new? Hearts of Stone expands on the base games areas adding new interiors to cities and expanding the map north east of Novigrad, adding new treasures to hunt and monsters to kill.

Rune forging is introduced early on. Granting you the choice of new bonus effects to your weapons and armours as well as a much needed gold sink - at this point in my game I had in excess of 70,000 coins and nothing interesting and useful to spend them on. Rune forging allows you to enhance weapons and armour with some pretty convenient and at times over powered abilities. Always welcome!

All of your gear and game decisions are carried over from the main game. We have new weapons and armour sets for each of the weight classes, dropped by some familiar friends from the earlier instalments, as well as some new gear for your faithful Roach.

The stars of this expansion are the Characters without doubt and like a great film I don’t want to spoil what happens or how the story unfolds. The voice acting is excellent.

I strongly recommend playing Hearts of Stone after the main game has been completed. However the plot and dialogue will change should you choose to play it alongside the main story - a nice touch!

A high point not just for the Witcher series but for the RPG genre as a whole!

I’m in cage, stripped of all my armour and weapons. A man appears, seemingly from thin air and asks me “Do I remember him?” I think for a moment - and I ACTUALLY DO!! He was the very first person I spoke to in the tavern at the start of the main game, all those hundreds of hours ago! - And suddenly you realise the depth of the development and planning from CDPR - as a huge RPG fan, I’m obviously as all-in as it’s possible to be as the new adventure begins!! As famous monster hunter Geralt of Rivia, you are reluctantly coerced by the mysterious Man of Mirrors to kill a former Nobleman, turned ruthless bandit captain, who has seemingly acquired the power of immortality. - But I don’t need to tell anyone familiar with the franchise this only scratches the surface of what is actually going on. This is a strong story and narrative focused expansion and one of the best RPG experiences I’ve ever had in any game. If you’re looking for new mechanics and huge new areas to explore I’d recommend Blood & Wine instead. I had high expectations for this expansion, as there is already so much I love about the main game and it’s fair to say that it actually surpasses the original in some areas. There are very few new mechanics. So don’t expect any big overhauls or play style changes. What’s new? Hearts of Stone expands on the base games areas adding new interiors to cities and expanding the map north east of Novigrad, adding new treasures to hunt and monsters to kill. Rune forging is introduced early on. Granting you the choice of new bonus effects to your weapons and armours as well as a much needed gold sink - at this point in my game I had in excess of 70,000 coins and nothing interesting and useful to spend them on. Rune forging allows you to enhance weapons and armour with some pretty convenient and at times over powered abilities. Always welcome! All of your gear and game decisions are carried over from the main game. We have new weapons and armour sets for each of the weight classes, dropped by some familiar friends from the earlier instalments, as well as some new gear for your faithful Roach. The stars of this expansion are the Characters without doubt and like a great film I don’t want to spoil what happens or how the story unfolds. The voice acting is excellent. I strongly recommend playing Hearts of Stone after the main game has been completed. However the plot and dialogue will change should you choose to play it alongside the main story - a nice touch! A high point not just for the Witcher series but for the RPG genre as a whole!