About Blood and Wine (SPOILERS)

[dimbismp]

Here are my thoughts:
-If this is real,it's probably going to be a part of a set of at least 4-5 screenshots,so: YAYY
-If it's fake,then this whole situation with the fake leaks and screenshots reveal the truth:Fans haven't seen anything from BaW for months,and just crave for some information.In this case,CDPR should consider eeleasing some screenshots or a video or at least just an extensive interview,even if they didn't plan to.

 

[Manowar0264]

Gotta admit looks pretty good, even if it turns out fake.

 

[Toyen]

Yes, more info please!! At least one screenshot : ))))

 

[DA_WHITE_FROST]

Here are my thoughts:
-If this is real,it's probably going to be a part of a set of at least 4-5 screenshots,so: YAYY
-If it's fake,then this whole situation with the fake leaks and screenshots reveal the truth:Fans haven't seen anything from BaW for months,and just crave for some information.In this case,CDPR should consider eeleasing some screenshots or a video or at least just an extensive interview,even if they didn't plan to.

A lot of developers have been doing this for at least 2 years now. I don't get why everybody's so hush hush about any and everything nowadays. It's stupid and and makes the release lose steam. Like the hype for blood and wine is dying. People keep coming back week after week checking for info and it's pretty much nothing. Gets to the point where people don't even care anymore and will just check for it whenever it's released.

They could at least tell us if we will be able to go back to the old maps as well as the new one lol. Some info as small as that will hyp us up and hold us off for awhile. It's crazy that most of the info on upcoming things comes from hackers/modders and not the actual developers anymore. They could at least let the people who fill their pockets up with money know what's going on. They have a direct line to all of us to do so. If I was a developer I would drop small amounts of interesting info every other week right here on the forums. I would also tell you all what I can and cannot tell you about the project.

I WOULD MAKE THE LINK BETWEEN DEVELOPERS AND THE FANS GREAT AGAIN!!!

 

[-Hisoka]

A lot of developers have been doing this for at least 2 years now. I don't get why everybody's so hush hush about any and everything nowadays. It's stupid and and makes the release lose steam. Like the hype for blood and wine is dying. People keep coming back week after week checking for info and it's pretty much nothing. Gets to the point where people don't even care anymore and will just check for it whenever it's released.

They could at least tell us if we will be able to go back to the old maps as well as the new one lol. Some info as small as that will hyp us up and hold us off for awhile. It's crazy that most of the info on upcoming things comes from hackers/modders and not the actual developers anymore. They could at least let the people who fill their pockets up with money know what's going on. They have a direct line to all of us to do so. If I was a developer I would drop small amounts of interesting info every other week right here on the forums. I would also tell you all what I can and cannot tell you about the project.

I WOULD MAKE THE LINK BETWEEN DEVELOPERS AND THE FANS GREAT AGAIN!!!

i agree with you
they dont have to show us ingame footage or anything
just give us something to hold onto.
some tiny info about your plans to BaW

 

[althrian]

I swear I heard some one say that patience is a virtue - even in the area of video gaming.

 

[sv3672]

They could at least tell us if we will be able to go back to the old maps as well as the new one lol. Some info as small as that will hyp us up and hold us off for awhile.

This has been posted in a Hearts of Stone thread, but it refers to both expansions:

Both expansions will be integrated with the vanilla game. You may stop doing quests in HoS, go to find Ciri and then come back to HoS. In fact we wrote some additional dialogues to handle various orders of doing quests. Fast travel will work for all new places and old places. Also, all items obtained in the expansions may be used in main game.

I'm not sure about NG+ recomended level. I'll ask about it on Monday ant will let you know.

 

[Rawls]

Yeah there is already a bunch of official information out there and many inferences can be brought from it. You just have to look for it.

Spoiler

http://moviepilot.com/posts/3755318

Even as we edge closer to the one year anniversary of the critically acclaimed The Witcher 3 the massively open world fantasy game just keeps going from strength to strength.

From winning Game of the Year and Best Role-Playing Game at The Game Awards 2015 to being a finalist for Game of the Year and numerous Excellence In... categories at this year's SXSW Gaming Awards, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has got a momentum going that isn't gonna slow down any time soon, and there's still more to come...

Expansion Packs
The already massive game got its first expansion in the form of last year's 10-hour(ish) long Hearts of Stone, which was met with almost the same level of critical acclaim as the game itself. The second expansion, Blood and Wine, is expected to land sometime in the first part of 2016.

So what can we expect to see from Blood and Wine? There's not been a whole lot of news about it as of yet but recently we've received some whisperings from the developers CD Projekt Red, who claim that Blood and Wine will be even "more refined than" the main game itself!

New Setting
So Blood and Wine introduces a new setting, separate from the realms of Novigrad, Velen and the Skellige Isles. This new map area is called Toussaint and "rivals the size of those found in the base game", according to GameSpot.

According to CD Projekt Red marketing lead Michal Platkow-Gilewski, we can expect to see new quests, new monsters, new weapons to slay said monsters with, and lots of new places to visit and explore when Blood and Wine releases. Excellent.

20 Hour Gameplay
Unlike the first expansion Hearts of Stone, which offered players around 10 hours of brand new gameplay, Blood and Wine is expected to double that number; running to around 20 hours.

It's still pretty small potatoes when you compare it to the main game of course, which can run you anywhere between 25 - 200 hours just for the main quest (or more if you like taking the road less travelled).

After all one of the biggest selling points of The Witcher 3 was the incredible scope of the open-world and the density of things to see and do contained within, and Blood and Wine just gives us even more to enjoy.

The Story
CD Projekt Red are staying pretty quiet in terms of the story so far, though they did give an official statement to Gamespot:

"[Blood and Wine will] take Geralt to a land untainted by war, where an atmosphere of carefree indulgence and knightly ritual masks an ancient, bloody secret."

​

That actually sounds really very interesting, especially in contrast to the war torn lands we played through in the main game. We got a little more information on this front from a Eurogamer.it interview with CD Projekt RED (translated via onlysp.com) where we learned that, not only is the story completely separate from The Wild Hunt, it's also more "complex". Which, honestly given what we've seen already, is a high bar set to beat.

Blood and Wine will also feature a "charismatic" new antagonist to face Geralt, as well as new weaponry, equipment, enemies and NPCs. It will also bring back some characters we encountered before in the main game (well, the ones we didn't kill anyway).

https://translate.google.com/transl...e-un-capolavoro-intervista&edit-text=&act=url

With Blood and Wine we will try to close, at least for a while 'time, with the Witcher universe. It will be the last adventure of Geralt as the main character. But beyond that there is still nothing written in stone. Blood and Wine will be our conclusion of Geralt's story, then it's time to focus with all the energy of Cyberpunk 2077.

Blood and Wine is an independent history, not particularly closely related with the main plot of the Wild Hunt. Thanks to the experience and feedback received since the game is on sale, we believe that we managed to achieve something even better than the main game.

For example, we believe that they failed in the Wild Hunt to create a charismatic enemy with which to beat us and then we worked to make unique and memorable opponent of this expansion. We also created a rather complex story that we believe players will appreciate. We are quite satisfied with the work done, but we know that we can do even better.

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/witcher-3-blood-and-wine-expansion-more-refined-th/1100-6433865/

Recently, a CD Projekt Red developer said The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's upcoming Blood and Wine expansion was, in some ways, "better than the main game." Now, the Polish studio has provided some additional context and clarification around that comment. CD Projekt Red marketing lead Michal Platkow-Gilewski tells GameSpot that Blood and Wine is not necessarily "better" than the main game, but it should feel "more refined."



"Blood and Wine is the sum of all the experiences we gained when creating Wild Hunt, so it's definitely more refined than Wild Hunt in many regards, but that doesn't mean it's better per se," he said. Platkow-Gilewski went on to say players can look forward to all manner of new monsters, quests, and places of interest in Blood and Wine. He also notes that Blood and Wine's new realm, Toussaint, rivals the size of those found in the base game. But he wouldn't get drawn into a debate about what's "better."

"I wouldn't point fingers at what's better separately, as each addition to Wild Hunt (including over 10 updates we've released so far) enriches the overall experience you get from The Witcher as a game in general," he said. "The base game with the expansions is simply better than without them."

CD Projekt Red previously said The Witcher 3's two expansions, combined, amount to "almost the size of The Witcher 2." Blood and Wine is expected to offer around 20 hours of gameplay, which is double what October's Hearts of Stone had for players.The expansion was first slated to arrive in Q1 2016 (January-March), but has now shifted to the first half of 2016 (January-June). A specific release date has not been announced.

Blood and Wine's first images (above) were released in December, showcasing the colorful all-new region of Toussaint. CD Projekt Red isn't yet talking specifics, saying only that the expansion will "take Geralt to a land untainted by war, where an atmosphere of carefree indulgence and knightly ritual masks an ancient, bloody secret." It will also include new gear and enemies, as well as characters who are "both new and dearly missed."

The Witcher 3 took home its first major Game of the Year award in December at The Game Awards. The RPG has also been nominated for that honor at the upcoming Game Developers Choice and D.I.C.E. awards. In addition, it's up for a Writers Guild of America award. The latest major update for The Witcher 3 was released this past week, fixing a number of bugs and improving the "general game performance." As of August 2015, The Witcher 3 had sold 6 million copies.

Those are just a few of the articles about it. I don't really need to know much more than what we have seen, read and heard so far. I want to experience the game on my own at some point without knowing too much of what to expect. Just be patient and you will know all that you want to know.

 

[CrimsonianKing]

I'm really excited about BaW but there's ONE THING on consoles (Mods have already fixed this on PC) that could ruin it all for me;

the sensitivity going from slow walk to running/jogging is just wrong. It could really use some polishing,

For example on AC Syndicate, the left stick is used only for really slow walk to slow walk the further you move it up.

What I suggest is:

left stick = slow walk to fast walk only. Fix sensitivity.
Hold X to jog/run slow.
Double click and hold X to sprint

 

[randyrhoads]

A screenshot every other week wouldn't hurt.

 

[Valvatti87]

A lot of developers have been doing this for at least 2 years now. I don't get why everybody's so hush hush about any and everything nowadays. It's stupid and and makes the release lose steam. Like the hype for blood and wine is dying. People keep coming back week after week checking for info and it's pretty much nothing. Gets to the point where people don't even care anymore and will just check for it whenever it's released.

They could at least tell us if we will be able to go back to the old maps as well as the new one lol. Some info as small as that will hyp us up and hold us off for awhile. It's crazy that most of the info on upcoming things comes from hackers/modders and not the actual developers anymore. They could at least let the people who fill their pockets up with money know what's going on. They have a direct line to all of us to do so. If I was a developer I would drop small amounts of interesting info every other week right here on the forums. I would also tell you all what I can and cannot tell you about the project.

I WOULD MAKE THE LINK BETWEEN DEVELOPERS AND THE FANS GREAT AGAIN!!!

Well they might be havin just a quiet week in the office. Winter vacations and all. I think they have been informing us enough. All they show now is just away from the experience. I dont even want to hear anything before month to release.. lol yeah right

And people might stop visiting forums for a while, but once they announce even something. Maybe release date for trailer we will all be back here right away drooling And they know it

 

[rock4one]

It's weird, the base game, you choose Yenn or Triss or be alone, but in Hearts of Stone they are nowhere to be found? I hope in Blood and Wine they are in there, I mean as players we chose which character we wanted Gerald to be with...

 

[Zyvik]

It's weird, the base game, you choose Yenn or Triss or be alone, but in Hearts of Stone they are nowhere to be found? I hope in Blood and Wine they are in there, I mean as players we chose which character we wanted Gerald to be with...

They can't possibly appear in it, since the expansion takes place during the story, not before or after.

 

[Garrison72]

It's weird, the base game, you choose Yenn or Triss or be alone, but in Hearts of Stone they are nowhere to be found? I hope in Blood and Wine they are in there, I mean as players we chose which character we wanted Gerald to be with...

At this point it's best to move on rather than fix the rat's nest TW3 created.

 

[Riven-Twain]

Although, Keira Metz would rather appreciate it if they did. . .

 

[Fallout_Wanderer]

would this have any tie in with the quest "a land from far far away". The quest starts in Skellage and basically your tracking down a woman and a child and the quest then leads to Velen. Reading the captains log that you find in Skellege, it mentions that they are basically runaways or in some type of exile. When you find the woman you give the journal and you get a stone medallion as a payment. You can't actually do anything with that medallion but it was a strange quest. What got me thinking is you mentioned the word "Beauclair". If you read the captains log (which is the journal/book you give to the woman) that it basically tells you that their destination is Beauclair

isnt that on the outskirts of Toussant the "dutchy" area within Nilfgaard?

No, I was not referring to that quest but thank you for bringing it to my attention! It would seem I'm not alone in missing out on that one going by the few replies in this thread. I was referring to a certain cave that is relatively close to Beauclair that involves a very important elf, saying more would be going into spoiler territory for those who haven't read the books yet. I was merely suggesting that this location has a very strong chance of making it into the game considering its proximity to Beauclair and may even play a part in how we get there to start the expansion. Just some good ole speculation.

Beauclair is the capitol of Touissant, a Nilfgaardian vassal.

 

[StormKorp]

I see there was a "fake" screenshot that since was fake and unharmful was quickly removed. I'm throwing this comment like this....if some kind soul did a copy of that pic. Please could you provide me a link (by pm) to it or a way to see the pic in private.

Much appreciated.

 

[Toyen]

I wanna see a "fake" screenshot as well! : )

 

[Troldierman]

I wanna see a "fake" screenshot as well! : )

Spoiler

Browse through Reddit Witcher 3 discussions.

 

[Toyen]

That was the first place I looked but couldn't find it.