Some of you (including my stalwart editor Brad Chacos) undoubtedly haven’t finished with The Witcher 3 yet, content to forever wander the lonesome isles of Skellige and the dirty streets of Novigrad. But you’d better finish up soon—or at least hit Level 30.
Today, CD Projekt announced that the first Witcher 3 expansion, Hearts of Stone, will release on October 13. And it sounds…pretty crazy. Here’s how the press release pitches it:
“Step once again into the shoes of Geralt of Rivia, a professional monster slayer, now hired to defeat a ruthless bandit captain, Olgierd von Everec, a man who possesses the power of immortality. The expansion lets you choose your own path through an experience that includes recruiting a crew of break-in artists, spending a night partying with a ghost and outsmarting the most bizarre creatures Geralt has ever faced.”
Partying with a ghost. I’m in.
Keep in mind that this is the “shorter” of the two Witcher 3 expansions, capping out around 10 hours. A longer (twenty hour) expansion called Blood and Wine is scheduled for release early next year. The only way to buy the expansions is still the $25 expansion pass, which bundles both together. However, CD Projekt did announce this morning you can buy a special $20 box copy of Hearts of Stone that comes with two physical Gwent decks. And if you already bought the expansion pass, you can get Gwent separately.
Luckily with the delayed PC release of Assassin’s Creed, the push-back of Rainbow Six, and et cetera, October is looking like it’ll be pretty quiet. You should have plenty of time to dive back into one of the absolute best games this year.