Hello PlayStation! My name is Matthew Steinke, and I’m so excited to bring you this very special look at our upcoming Blood and Wine expansion, which launches today.
When we set out to design an entirely new region of The Witcher’s vast living world, we wanted to take you on an fantastic journey far beyond the war-ravaged villages of No Man’s Land and stormy beachfronts of the Skellige islands. Taken directly from the pages of The Witcher fantasy novels, we welcome you to the Nilfgaardian realm of Toussaint; the enchanting and mysterious Land of Wine. Heavily inspired by the beauty and pageantry of the French/Italian countryside, Beauclair, the region’s capital, blends rolling hills, winding roads, charming villas and intriguing characters to create a colorful and vibrant landscape unlike anything you’ve seen in Hearts of Stone.
This change in contrast, from our traditional Slavic mythos of The Wild Hunt to a world of fairytales gone wrong, opened a world of possibilities enabling us to craft a completely fresh adventure full of dark deeds, unexpected twists, romance and deceit. Pouring all of that passion and creativity into over 30 hours of open-world exploration, we’ve packed the world with ancient elven ruins, surreal monsters and legendary places of power, where every point of interest takes you further down the rabbit hole and one step closer to unraveling the horrifying secret behind a strange beast terrorizing the kingdom. With all trails leading to dead ends, only The Witcher can solve the mystery and survive the evil lurking in the night. Along the way, you can team up with powerful allies, demonstrate your true fighting skill in the Grand Tourney and upgrade your combat abilities with 12 new skill-augmenting Mutations.
To help prepare Geralt for his final quest, we’ve also added alchemical recipes, crafting schematics, and a new grandmaster level of Witcher armor featuring new looks and improved statistics for each of the existing witcher schools. For the intrepid explorers who enjoy delving even deeper into the world of The Witcher, 13 custom armor dyes can be applied individually to color every piece of the set. For all of the completionists out there, there’s also a set of rare dyes and alchemical dye recipes that can only be acquired by overcoming the most remote and challenging areas of the Toussaint region. Looking back over all of the new features, I’d say this one is my favorite. Unlike an ancestral sword that deals more damage or a piece of relic armor that provides greater resistance to injury, with no impact on player statistics, this feature is all about experimentation, having fun and realizing the story you wish to tell. A decision made based on all of the community feedback we’ve received over the last year, this new game mechanic is a special thanks from all of us here at CD Projekt Red to you, the best fans in the world!
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