The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is rightfully regarded as one of the greatest video games of all time. Its style of bold and personal storytelling blends perfectly with its fully realized open world and exceptional voice acting to deliver a timeless masterpiece.
As every gamer knows though, no game is ever complete without some DLC. In Wild Hunt's case, developers CD Projekt Red decided to add two cherries on top of its magnum opus instead of just one. Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine have both been remembered as some of the best DLC to have ever been released, with some fans even claiming that they both outshine the base game for various reasons. These fans also use said reasons to justify why each expansion is better than the other, which is an argument that could realistically go on forever.
10 Blood And Wine: The Land Of Toussaint Is Absolutely Stunning
The second and last of the two expansions, Blood and Wine, brought much more content to the game than the first one. The most noteworthy addition is that of the duchy of Toussaint, a new region for players to explore as Geralt. Toussaint is a land seemingly pulled straight from a fairytale. The sky is almost always a beautiful blue here and the countryside is as green as can be, besides the snow-capped mountains which surround it.
The capital city of Beauclair boasts a beautiful royal palace and many charming streets to travel on. There are even various towns, ruins, and vineyards scattered throughout the rest of the land that hide many mysteries and objectives to become engrossed in. It's no wonder why many players prefer this region to the dreary swamps of Velen.
9 Hearts Of Stone: The Story Is Flawless
The main story of The Witcher 3 is undoubtedly amazing, but many fans agree that it does have its weak points. A good number of fans say that the game truly shines within the many side quests throughout the world. However, anyone who's played Hearts of Stone knows that this is the game's narrative high point.
The story centers around Geralt unknowingly stumbling into a conflict between two fascinating characters, who players come to either absolutely love or hate by the end of the story. The emotion and intrigue evoked within the events of this story are as genuine as can be and always leaves fans wanting more, no matter how many times they've played it.
8 Blood And Wine: The Tale Is A Timeless Piece Of Storytelling
While all the praise usually goes to Hearts of Stone, Blood and Wine is no pushover when it comes to its main story. In fact, it too has a fabulous narrative that could be appreciated as much as the timeless fairytales of old.
Geralt's quest to hunt down the mysterious Beast of Beauclair amidst the beautiful land of Toussaint features all the royal drama, passion, and betrayal anyone could ask for. With the game's RPG mechanics at play as well, the story's many different outcomes will have players regularly coming back for more.
7 Hearts Of Stone: Gaunter O'Dimm Steals The Show
The best villains are often those who remain shrouded in an air of mystery. Luckily for those who've played Hearts of Stone, it seems that CDPR knew this at the time of the DLC's creation. Very little is known about Gaunter O'Dimm, the primary antagonist of this expansion. Geralt specifically asks him what he is at one point, but the villain refuses to answer.
What is known, however, is that he is extremely powerful, can control time, and that he likes to make pacts with people, which end with him taking their souls. His presence is enormous and all-encompassing during the events of the story, further adding to that air of mystery. Hopefully, CDPR expands on this captivating character in the future.
6 Blood And Wine: Mutations Are A Great Addition To The Game
The capabilities of the combat system in The Witcher 3 are near limitless, especially with the addition of mutations. This new system was introduced in Blood and Wine through the side quest, "Turn and Face the Strange". Once completed, players are able to equip one of twelve new upgrades, all of which are extremely powerful.
For example, "Magic Sensibilities" allows signs to deal critical hits and "Second Life" fully renews Geralt's health if he's lost all of it. This system adds tremendous value to the replay potential of this game.
5 Hearts Of Stone: Olgierd Is As Captivating As Anyone
As the player begins the story of the first expansion, it may seem as though Olgierd von Everec is the antagonist. His apathy and cold anger make this seem very likely. After some time though, it's revealed that he is not in his right state of mind and that he was not always like this. Gaunter O'Dimm, the being he made a pact with, granted Olgierd's wishes but also essentially turned his heart to stone.
He lost his ability to truly feel for people. His ultimate fate is up to the player, but no matter the outcome, there is no questioning the fact that experiencing Olgierd's journey is truly captivating.
4 Blood And Wine: Every Player Experiences A Moving Sense Of Finality
Blood and Wine marks the end of Geralt's journey, in terms of CDPR's take on The Witcher universe. There's no denying the emotion that comes with this, given how great of a character he's been for so many years.
This expansion, in its main story, its side missions, and everything in between, captures this sentiment perfectly. More importantly, the entire experience is genuinely fulfilling in a beautiful way.
3 Hearts Of Stone: The Boss Fights Are Amazing
An important part of any action-based video game is the quality of the boss fights. The base game and Blood and Wine are both full of some truly great boss fights.
However, Hearts of Stone takes the cake when it comes to this topic. Every boss brings new challenges and experiences to the table. The player's evasiveness is tested by the likes of the Toad Prince and Olgierd, while they must master new mechanics and attacks during The Caretaker boss fight. These battles are true exercises in precision, especially in terms of their development by CDPR.
2 Blood And Wine: Fighting Dettlaff Tops Off The Masterpiece
One of the biggest contributing factors to the sense of finality of Blood and Wine is its final boss fight. Dettlaff is not only a challenging opponent to test the player's skills, but the story behind this is truly special. Throughout the story Geralt had done his best to try and work with his old friend, Regis, to help Dettlaff, who was being blackmailed into committing the brutal murders.
However, his efforts are all for naught, as the higher vampire's bestial instincts take control and cause him to lash out at everyone else. The ending of the fight adds even more emotion into the mix, with Regis having to kill his old friend, knowing that Dettlaff's desire for vengeance would never be sated. All of these aspects work together perfectly to cement this as one of the most iconic video game boss fights in history.
1 Hearts Of Stone: Vlodimir Shows Geralt The Brighter Side Of Life
During the events of Hearts of Stone, Geralt is tasked by Olgierd to show his brother, Vlodimir, the time of his life. Unfortunately for the Witcher, Vlodimir is dead, so this won't be a simple task. Fortunately for fans, however, this makes for a truly memorable experience. While Geralt was supposed to help Vlodimir enjoy life just one more time, it was actually the ghost that gave the players great joy by possessing Geralt.
The perpetually stern and stoic Witcher is instead shown dancing, laughing, and loudly proclaiming anything and everything that comes to mind. As much as people all around the world love Geralt as he is, seeing him behave in an extremely animated fashion is a wonderful way to build on his already legendary story.