In anticipation of its release, we were invited to preview Blood and Wine, the upcoming expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Set for release between late May and early June, the expansion will serve to wrap up The Witcher series.
Unlike Hearts of Stone, Blood and Wine largely takes place in Toussaint, a whole new region for players to explore. Upon arriving, players will immediately notice just how vibrant and lively the region is, rich in colour and light. Now if I had to guess, Toussaint is most decidedly based on France and its wine regions. If the knights with their accents weren’t yet a giveaway, the vineyards that scatter Toussaint most certainly are.
Blood and Wine brings much in the way of new content and features, with the expansion reportedly containing over 30 hours worth of content: for example, over 90 new quests to undertake and dozens of new locations to explore.
One of the other major changes is the new option to dye pieces of Witcher gear. These can be purchased from a merchant, created or picked up as loot. It should be noted that dyes will only be obtainable while in Toussaint, though dyed gear should carry on into the main game.
One such feature is the vineyard that Geralt is given early on in the expansion. Serving as a base of operations while in the Toussaint region, it is similar to Assassin Creed II’s Monteriggioni, in that the player can speak with an architect and invest money to improve the appearance of the vineyard. But these upgrades are not purely cosmetic, as the player can invest in the option to also be able to repair and craft armour and weaponry. It seems rather fitting and timely for this property to be given to Geralt. With The Witcher saga now concluding, perhaps he will retire and make (and drink) wine for the rest of his days.
Along with a revamped user interface, the expansion also brings with it a number of other exclusive features like new mutations and combat abilities. For those that purchase Blood and Wine, it has been confirmed that features such as these will carry on into Hearts of Stone and the base game.
While this was only a taste of Blood and Wine, I certainly do look forward to its release in the coming weeks.