The Witcher 3 Blood and Wine Review

The Witcher 3 Blood and Wine Review

The world of The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt is a beautiful and gorgeous place but up until now we generally see it smothered under a blanket of despair. The Witcher 3 Blood and Wine expansion pack marks a welcome shift form that and it immediately shuttles us off to the Toussaint a colorful and sunny place far from the suffering in the north. With generous injection of some monster menace though it becomes memorable spot to send off Geralt to what may be his last adventure.

Most of this roughly 30 hour expansion’s strength comes from the way how it set itself apart form the rest of The Witcher 3, shuttling us far from corpse piles of Velen and the darkness of Skellige mere moments after accepting a relevant quest from the message board.

See Also: How to Romance in The Witcher 3 Blood and Wine

There is no war here in Toussaint, people are happier and the interactions are more playful. It’s a smart shift as it evades any guilt that Geralt should be busying himself with the bigger issue of the region. That freeze you up to enjoy the strong cast of characters. On top of a surprise character, I won’t spoil, there’s a plucky shoe shine boy who always try to make profits out of any conversation and a young roguish woman whose spite endanger the comparative happiness of the Toussaint for good.

But mainly I am taken with Duchess Anna Henrietta of the Toussaint. She materialize the complexities of the Toussaint itself, gracing herself in best clothing when at peace but fighting boldly, confidently and bravely when a need arises.

A little surprisingly for this story of sun and wine-swigging fun tough, this is chiefly a strange and fascinating tale about vampires. It is generally directed well, even if the leading antagonist is never strongly depicted as other characters/NPCs who surround him. He comes off as a cranky but powerful fool, and his one true and perfect moment of complexity disappears as quickly as he does himself when shifting out of physical form.

Boss Battles in Hearts of Stone are generally stress swiftness and attentive crucial thought, which again targets a welcome shift from a predictable brawls of the main game. One of my favorite battles was a battle in the tournament, where I have to face a huge rolling-rock monster that tried to smash me in rather small arena, thus demanding various carefully timed dodges.

See Also: The Witcher 3 Blood and Wine Trophies and Achievements

The color that The Witcher 3 Blood and Wine expansion pack brings to The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt is not just limited to the landscape. Sometimes it is literal as in a case of much needed dyes that Geralt can use on Witcher sets.

The Witcher 3 Blood and Wine DLC also introduces us to Geralt of Rivia, a landed vintner, after he receives the vineyard estate early on. This place is largely populated by peasants who do not know that Geralt is the Boss. It’s just a fluff place but it is also very important place to show off Geralt’s weapons and armor rather than stashing them in a chest and it is also a place for getting some bonuses in exchange for gold.

See Also: The Witcher 3 Blood and Wine Walkthrough

A bed, for example can grant Geralt vitality or renovated stable can give Roach some extra stamina. There is even a garden where you can grow herbs and an alchemy lab to break down some mutagens. The Witcher 3 Blood and Wine expansion pack also brings mutations which unlock new skill slots that can greatly change the flavor of The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt’s combat. It make combat flashy and fun in a way its never quite been before.

New armor, weapons and other goodies round off the Blood and Wine expansion. All this stuff might have babbled the early battles and story but Blood and Wine expansion is smartly aimed at providing new game players an edge as they engage in harder difficulties. As such you can not even jump into the Blood and Wine expansion pack content until around level 35.

The Witcher 3 Blood and Wine expansion ends the tale of Geralt in style, bringing with all this a story of vampires and bothersome friendship set in a beautiful and gorgeous new landscape that pull us out from the darkness. This expansion also features some new gameplay enhancements, such as mutations, ability to dye armor and vineyard for growing different herbs. Most importantly it’s a great way to say goodbye to Geralt of Rivia!