The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Hearts of Stone, got its first teaser trailer today, promising intrigue, severed heads, and a deal with mysterious man.
CD Projekt Red‘s Wild Hunt is widely considered to be one of the best games of the year. A passing mention of it behind closed doors at The Game Fanatics results in more than one writer extolling its virtues, and saying you haven’t played it gets a response so vivid you can feel the shade being thrown at you. As such, any news about the game’s first expansion, Hearts of Stone, would become of great interest. Such news has come, in the form a short trailer revealing the release date of October 13.
And not much else. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Hearts of Stone teaser is 48 seconds long, and consists of two major scenes: Geralt of Rivia being dragged through the muck by mysterious, and presumably bad, men, and Geralt being approached by a different mysterious man who claims to be able to help him escape from his prison cell – at the price of a strange mark on the side of his head. The man, keen eyed players may recall, appeared in Wild Hunt very briefly in a tavern with some important information, and is known as the Man of Glass.
Not much information to go by for Hearts of Stone. Thankfully, the press release added some more context.
Promising “over 10 hours of new adventures“, Hearts of Stone introduces new characters, monsters, romances, and a story driven by player choice as Geralt takes down immortal bandit captain Olgierd von Everec. The expansion also introduces a new system of Runewords that “will significantly effect gameplay,” and involves recruiting team members for a break-in and partying with a ghost.
Also revealed is Hearts of Stone‘s limited edition, costing $20 instead of $10, which contains a download of the DLC along with two physical decks of cards for playing Gwent, a card game from The Witcher‘s world. A special way for owners of the expansion pass to obtain the decks of cards has been created.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Hearts of Stone will be available on Xbox One, PS4, and PC October 13.
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[toggle title=”Press Release: The Witcher 3 ‘Hearts of Stone’ expansion launches October 13″]CD Projekt RED, creators of The Witcher series of games, announce the release date of Hearts of Stone, the first expansion to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Step again into the shoes of Geralt of Rivia, a professional monster slayer, this time 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 way through an adventure 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. Launching October 13th, 2015, Hearts of Stone packs over 10 hours of new adventures and introduces new characters, powerful monsters, unique romance, and a brand new storyline shaped by gamer choices. The expansion also introduces a brand new system of Runewords that significantly affects gameplay. Each Runeword will impact a different aspect of in-game mechanics and will allow the players to experiment with various strategies and tactics. Along with the digital release, gamers will also be able to purchase a special, limited boxed edition of Hearts of Stone (SRP $19.99/19.99€) available at selected retailers worldwide. The box contains a digital download code for the expansion, two masterfully crafted physical decks of Gwent, the card game set in the world of The Witcher, and a detailed manual explaining the rules. With two unique sets of cards, Monsters and Scoia’tael, ready to go, players can now engage in tactical combat on a grand scale outside of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt! The studio launched a special initiative for owners of the digital Expansion Pass that will enable them to purchase the cards separately. All information about the initiative can be found at redeemgwent.com For details regarding pre-orders, please visit buy.thewitcher.com[/toggle]
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