[SPOILERS] What's your opinion on Hearts of Stone?

[Butcher_of_Cidaris]

I really like plot of that story, tragic and deep. Bringing some familiar characters from previous game was a very enjoyable. Bosses were really challenging and tough but i wish you didn't "ambush" us with them in a middle of a deep quest phase.. there is no more horrible doom to be stuck with an extreme hard boss without a proper chance to return to it after a few levels. New Viper armor set is one of my favorite but its familiar look with another one set from a beginning of the game was not a satisfied. I give my overall 8/10 to this DLC!

Cant wait for your new DLC announcement! eace:

 

[Welmosca]

HoS is fantastic,way more than I expected...lemme say straight away HoS is the best DLC ever made,what CDPR did with HoS is just as amazing as what they did with the main game itself,pretty good writing...the wedding quest which was so damn awesome,the heist,the auction,the story of Olgierd,Shani,O'Dimm as the villain,side-quests,the characters overall,the village of Brunwich,the Ofieri merchants,the ability to add sockets to any piece of armor,the new horse equipment(man I love that saddle),the Viper School gear having the same look of the 1st armor...that was simply the best thing CDPR could ever done.

I'm eager to see how they'll manage to make BaW better than HoS cuz I have the feeling that it'll be better.Can't wait for Toussaint.

---------- Updated at 05:52 PM ----------

After you finished that quest in the Academy, Shani tells you to come see her before she leaves. I looked in the Journal, and there wasn't any information about that, so I went and dealt with O'Dimm first, but then when I went back to Oxenfurt, Shani was gone. Is there any unique dialogue if you go straight back there after you deal with the professor, or is it just the same lines about how she and Geralt can't work. EDIT: Read through this thread, Shani is gone in my game. Maybe that's a bug. And from what I gathered, there's no other dialogue about the end of the quest.

I agree with you about the academy,it was very nice to explore there but it was just a tiny bit of it,they should open it in its entirety for us to explore.
About the Shani thing...as a psycho to see everything the game has to offer,I never want to lose anything in the game so I went there after talking with the professor and no there ain't a conversation with her or anything of the sort...just the same lines about how they can't work,so I went there after defeating O'Dimm too and she was gone.
Although fantastic HoS has its mistakes just like the main game did,not really mistakes but things CDPR could've made different for the better...for example not making a diagram of the Viper Silver Sword available,I'm glad I tried to explore the world of O'Dimm or else I would've missed the sword and its pretty easy to miss.And this Shani thing...they shouldn't had even included that line of her telling Geralt to go see her before she leaves,it leaves an empty space since you can't do this.In the main game there were a lot of lil things like these...lil things but things that CDPR could've made different and better.

 

[msanx]

I ended up enjoying the expansion more than the main game itself. If I had to choose my 2015 game of the year, I would pick this expansion lol, but seriously it was an incredible joy to play through the ten or so hours that was packed with an amazing storyline that in my opinion hit the right balance of humour and bittersweet moments.
I loved the characters that returned (Shani in particular and O’Dimm) and the new characters (Olgierd and Vladimir), and it was nice to see Shani again, and the more I saw her in the expansion the more I wished she was in the main game and had more scenes and interactions, but personally for me the whole storyline with Olgierd and Iris and the painted house fantasy was amazing, I sort of got a Silent Hill vibe from that quest (just looking at the caretaker for example), and wow it was sad about what happened to Iris and to see how Olgierds life backfired due to making regretful choices, probably my favourite quest, storyline and imo topped the story involving the bloody baron.

As others have pointed out, I would have liked to explore the academy a bit more but that is really to me just a small complaint/what if that doesn’t detract from an epic amount of content. The wedding quest was fun including some of the references such as the one about naturalist and David Attenborough, and Vladimir in Geralt’s body was amusing being able to hear Geralts voice saying all that, and then to go a darker tone with Iris and the two demons was imo a nice shift and very bittersweet to save Olgierd at the end and see him realise how broken/tormented he was about Iris, Vladimir and his past.

The bosses were great and challenging and being honest, coming into this expansion I was really just expecting a few quests here and there, with a monster contract or two and a storyline that was good but not that great – instead what I got was something that made me lose sleep just thinking about it and the choices, so I can’t thank CDPR enough for what they do, I mean this is one of the few games (possibly the only) where some of the fictional characters I see feel real enough to the point where I generally care what happens to them, and to think there is still another expansion coming that is twice as long as this, and I hope that the next expansion matches (or better) the story and the characters In this dlc and gives all Witcher fans more amazing content.

Also yeah I also believe Gaunter O’Dimm was a better villain than any in the main game, probably because he appears to be so powerful that he could just wreak havoc at any moment even if he doesn’t, there is always that feeling that you just don’t want to mess with him or annoy him.

 

[deboramoreno]

@deboramoreno

Shame you missed the sword, funnily enough it was the first path I took. That aside it's good for a completionist and don't get me wrong, the sword is strong but the other Witcher school swords are effectively very similiar, you are not missing out.

Good to know!

 

[josemacl]

Just ended Hearts of Stone yesterday, and maybe is the best story I've payed for many many years. Congratulations for this expansion, hope Blood and Wine is almost as good as HoS.

 

[themartist]

Just completed it and saved Olgierd. Amazing Story and characters! I hope O Dimm and Olgierd come back in the next expansion even for a bit

 

[Wasbunny]

Just finished Hearts of Stone after I think well over 50 hours and from soup to nuts it was amazing.

I totally agree with others that every element of the expansion; the writing, character development, story arc, graphics, gameplay etc all seem one notch above the main game and seemed more polished. It showed that The Witcher 3 while being possibly the best RPG made can still expand and grow and get better. Simply amazing.

The 3D modeler in me was absolutely stunned by the artistry put into Iris. The dark glittering veil and ornate black dress. her heartbroken eyes...all rendered perfectly. Every scene with her in the Painted World was a breathtaking work of art.

Speaking of the Painted World, I might be making connections where there are none but I kept getting this Dark Souls vibe from the expansion. Specifically The Painted World (an area in Dark Souls 1) and the black cat demon instantly reminded me of Shalquoir (Dark Souls 2). The boss fights had a slightly more Dark Souls boss fight feel too.

Overall you knocked it out of the park again CDPR. I can't imagine what the next expansion is going to be like...and holy mackerel Cyberpunk...

 

[Tupexi]

I liked HoS even more than the vanilla game and considering it is, arguably, one of the best games ever made this is pretty high praise.

Blood and Wine -> Shut up CDPR and take my money... Actually you already have my money. As you were.

 

[MrBroche]

Probably the best DLC I've ever played. The main storyline was so expertly written and paced, with Olgierd and O'Dimm being among the best characters in the ENTIRE game. It was great seeing Shani/The Order again as well and the bosses were a huge improvement. 9.5/10, if only because the side content was mostly forgettable.

 

[Titanflash]

Finished yesterday HoS in Death March for the 2nd time. By miles the best DLC ever. Gaunter O Dimm is one of the best antagonist I have ever seen. The climax for me are the

Spoiler

revelations from the Oxenfurt Professor

. In my opinion that shouldn't be an optional quest. I can only imagine how many decided to skip it and favored

Spoiler

Gaunter during the last decision

due to lack of awareness of it's true nature. The

Spoiler

professor journal

has also a creepy story.

Also, when I returned to the

Spoiler

village where the cannibal couple ate the hafling (Without a Trace quest)

, the same is infested by Ghouls. When you approach the corpses, Geralt says something like " Eaten by Ghouls..poetic justice"...just amazing! The attention to the details like this one continues to impress. It encourages exploration from areas you have already cleared. My money is reserved for Blood and Wine! Day 1 purchase!

 

[DarthasBinar]

I loved HoS for number of reasons, but I think that this pinnacle reason was that atmosphere and vibe is almost identical to act 4 in W1.

 

[NelnoTheAmoeba]

The wedding quest has ruined any enjoyment I had with this expansion for a number of reasons:

- First, Geralt has to agree to be possessed. This makes exactly zero sense and is about the last thing any thinking human would allow. Within the game it's treated as completely inconsequential. "Oh, you're going to have complete control of my body? NOT A PROBLEM!" Apparently I'm missing something... some absolute guarantee that the ghost won't refuse to surrender control in the end.
- I'm playing an open-world RPG and I had to play Gwent. I have less than zero desire to play a card game and I finished TW3 without playing Gwent a single time, but at the wedding feast I'm forced to play it. I can respect that other people like to play Gwent. More power to them. But if I had been required to play it in order to finish TW3 I probably never would have finished. It makes no sense to me that I can finish the main game while opting out of all Gwent, but HoS requires me to play the dwarves to progress the quest. I have no desire to waste my time learning it, nor any cards of merit, so I'm destined to lose 5% of my cash.
- I'm playing an open-world RPG and I'm stuck at a wedding feast, possessed by an imbecile. Just the expression on Geralt's face is annoying.

Up until the wedding I was enjoying the addon, but this quest is just absolutely terrible in my opinion. I've tried 3 times now to come back and finish it and each time I find I just don't care enough to bother completing it.

 

[Pug.]

The wedding quest has ruined any enjoyment I had with this expansion for a number of reasons.

That's a shame. I thought the wedding was one of the most enjoyable quest-lines of the entire game. To each their own I suppose.

- First, Geralt has to agree to be possessed. This makes exactly zero sense and is about the last thing any thinking human would allow. Within the game it's treated as completely inconsequential. "Oh, you're going to have complete control of my body? NOT A PROBLEM!" Apparently I'm missing something... some absolute guarantee that the ghost won't refuse to surrender control in the end.

Geralt really didn't have much of a choice at that point. He pledged to help Gaunter O'Dimm in exchange for assistance in escaping his Ofieri captors. In order to do this, Geralt had to fulfill three of Olgierd's wishes, and that included giving his brother "the time of his life." As far as Vlodimir was concerned, there wouldn't be any joy in just playing the voyeur and trailing Geralt throughout the wedding, so Geralt acquiesced and allowed him to possess his body. It was either that, or throw in the towel and face Gaunter's wrath.

- I'm playing an open-world RPG and I had to play Gwent. I have less than zero desire to play a card game and I finished TW3 without playing Gwent a single time, but at the wedding feast I'm forced to play it. I can respect that other people like to play Gwent. More power to them. But if I had been required to play it in order to finish TW3 I probably never would have finished. It makes no sense to me that I can finish the main game while opting out of all Gwent, but HoS requires me to play the dwarves to progress the quest. I have no desire to waste my time learning it, nor any cards of merit, so I'm destined to lose 5% of my cash.

How can you tell if do or do not enjoy Gwent when, by your own admission, you never even played the game? Also, Geralt is never required to play Gwent. I can see how you might have misinterpreted the instructions that way, but Geralt only has to partake in a few of the festivities, not all of them. Even if you were forced to play it, which you're not, I don't really see how a 2 minute round of Gwent can ruin a 10+ hour expansion for a person.

- I'm playing an open-world RPG and I'm stuck at a wedding feast, possessed by an imbecile. Just the expression on Geralt's face is annoying.

How is "being stuck at a wedding feast" antithetical to the open-world design of the Witcher? There are many places in the base game where you have to complete specific tasks in a cordoned off area before you can progress. The Isle of Mists, for instance, comes to mind.

Up until the wedding I was enjoying the addon, but this quest is just absolutely terrible in my opinion. I've tried 3 times now to come back and finish it and each time I find I just don't care enough to bother completing it.

No offense, but if you can't get through the wedding feast, which requires absolutely no skill and takes about 10 minutes to complete, there is no way that you would have the patience for the final boss in Hearts of Stone, especially if you're playing on Death March.

 

[BayonetHipshot]

The entire DLC was epic. Master Mirror was awesome, Shani was lovely, Vlodimir was funny, Olgierd was a pitiable jerk, the wedding was fun and it was overall an enjoyable experience.

If I have one complaint, it is that Geralt is not allowed the option to be with Shani at the end of the game. I personally like her a lot more than Yennefer and Triss.

 

[octavian123]

Not sure if I have mentioned this before but I think the story is better than in the base game.

 

[miladed]

I loved HoS. Better character development, specially for the villain, Master Mirror compared to Eredin. Better boss fights too, Care Taker, Iris's worst fear, both very challenging, even more so that the main game's boss fights.

I loved Gaunter O'Dimm. Creepy as hell, which he probably comes from.

 

[ee1]

HoS is awesome!

 

[BoboTheMighty]

Quick question for CDPR...any inspiration here from Devil's Advocate

Can't help thinking of him, when watching movie the other day.

 

[DinkzOfRivia]

Spoiler

Gaunter is creepy as hell and a master manipulator. But Olgierd sacrificed his brother for some powers, and Iris has been tormented because of him.
Can't really decide who's the lesser evil. Had to do it for the reward. LOL

I took the saddle. I'll do another NG+ after the release of B&W, then side with Olgierd next time for the swords.

All in all, HoS is awesome! This is one of the times where witcher senses can make false judgment.

 

[Valvatti87]

Quick question. Am i right assuming if i choose to take reward from o'dimm,it will carry over if i choose to start new round new game+?