Witcher 3's first expansion release date announced, teaser trailer released
New characters and monsters, as well as "unique romance" are promised for Hearts of Stone, coming October 13.
CD Projekt Red has announced that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's first paid expansion, Hearts of Stone, will arrive on October 13. The Polish developer also shared the first teaser trailer for the expansion, which sets up the story. We won't spoil it for you, but you can check out the video below.
Hearts of Stone, which CD Projekt Red said earlier in September was "almost ready," will add about 10 hours of gameplay. More specifically, the content sees players venturing into an area called "No Man's Land" and another location called Oxenfurt. Here, players will take on a quest from the "mysterious Man of Glass."
"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," reads a line from the Hearts of Stone description. "This expansion to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt' packs over 10 hours of new adventures, introducing new characters, powerful monsters, unique romance, and a brand new storyline shaped by your choices."
The description continues: "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."
In addition, Hearts of Stone introduces a new "Runewords" system that claims to "significantly" affect gameplay. "Each Runeword will impact different aspects of in-game mechanics, allowing players to experiment with various strategies and tactics," CD Projekt Red said.
What's more, CD Projekt Red is releasing a limited boxed version of Hearts of Stone at "selected" retailers around the world. This comes with a digital code for Hearts of Stone, as well as two physical Gwent decks, and a manual explaining the game's rules.
Quests in Hearts of Stone have been designed for level 30+ characters. These missions, however, can be played by anyone, whether or not you've finished the main storyline.
Images posted on The Witcher website also reveal that Shani, the red-haired lady from the original Witcher, will make an appearance in Hearts of Stone, as was rumored. In addition, there is a giant frog monster and more.
Looking beyond Hearts of Stone, CD Projekt Red will release The Witcher 3's second paid expansion, Blood and Wine, before April 2016. The expansions will be sold together through the $25 Witcher 3 Expansion Pass, though individual pricing has not been announced.
In other recent news about The Witcher 3, the celebrated open-world RPG has now sold more than 6 million copies.