Game of the year: Witcher 3

[chf]

Oh here's a question... Just purchased and downloaded Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine last night and have a couple of questions.

Do you play these before, during or after the main game?

Are these expansions stand alones or do they intertwine with the main story (Kind of like Baldur's Gate Expansions actually added into the original with extra areas to explore while playing the main game, etc...).

TIA.

They don't interfere with the main quest, they just add to your level cap, and give you some additional abilities/trees to open/explore. Much like the DLC's for Fallout.

 

[chf]

I am not a student of the books or the lore of the Witcher universe or anything, so maybe you can answer this... I wonder how faithful Witcher 2 and 3 were to the books, or if it just basically took the universe and ad libbed the story a bit to make your choices matter somewhat?

Wondering because if they went this route like you're saying to produce a Witcher 4 with a new Witcher character, would they have to build an all new story line from scratch? Or do they have more material to draw on? Wonder if they could re-invent the story from Witcher 2 and 3 except you play the story as Letho perhaps? Or maybe a story based around the other Witcher from Witcher 3 that ends up at the fortress with you (Don't remember his name)?

I haven't read all the books, and haven't read them in a while now, but he did a lot of world-building, and the games stayed pretty true to that. So the magic system, the combat system for Witchers are based on that canon. Seems to me that the game DID make Geralt more of a lone wolf than he was in the books. Which I guess makes sense, since the player IS Geralt.

I'd imagine it'd be very easy to keep the universe, and just pick a different moment in time where some decendent of Geralt or Ciri picks up the story. Sure Witchers are sterile or barren, but in a world with magic, all you need is some insanely hot wizard chick to cast a spell, and viola! Swimmers.

Or they could just be graduates from some school that Geralt/Ciri formed for Witchers.

If they wanted to be bold, they could go much forward in time and have a clockwork era, with guns/explosives as well as swords.

At any rate, it'd be a foolish business move for them to totally abandon the millions of Witcher fans by starting over from scratch.

Just guessing of course.

 

[Clayton]

Oh here's a question... Just purchased and downloaded Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine last night and have a couple of questions.

Do you play these before, during or after the main game?

Are these expansions stand alones or do they intertwine with the main story (Kind of like Baldur's Gate Expansions actually added into the original with extra areas to explore while playing the main game, etc...).

TIA.

Standalones. The hardest 3 combats are in the dlcs. In theory, both dlcs have pre endgame conversations but I'd wait until after you beat it.

 

[OutlawImmortal]

The questing in this game is the best I've ever seen. Initially there are some things that can turn some people off. The quests really lift this game up and make most of it's issues seem trivial and knitpicky. There are no "gather 3 herbs for me", or "dance for me for 10 seconds" type of quests. The voice acting for the most part is superb and the writing is masterful. Haven't come across a cringy line of dialogue yet.

I underestimated it originally. My horse spazzing out bothered me, the combat didn't seem all that difficult, the townsfolk spouting off the same 3 lines of dialogue every time you pass. I can't remember the last time a game actually made me laugh, or presented as many characters that can make you feel a wide array of emotions. Really great.

 

[The Crimson King]

Grabbed this the other day. Sounds like something I can get into

 

[Payton]

Grabbed this the other day. Sounds like something I can get into

Wish I was you and getting to "Experience it again for the first time..."