Witcher 3 expansion question

[ColinJ89]

It wouldn't, because the expansions are set during the main game, and you will not reach that level.
Uhm...I was thinking...maybe they should raise the level of the main quest in Skellige. At level 40 at least, because you will gather more XP from expansions.

They should do that, but the reason has nothing to do with expansions.

Recommended level of most of the Novigrad stuff is peaking at 14 or 15, recommended level to even go to Skellige is 17, then quest level drops to 13 immediately after arrival. Yay for no XP.

 

[BoboTheMighty]

I'm really, really, REALLY hoping they will go to integrate and expand in the main campaign, but their last words on the topic seemed to imply that these were both supposed to be isolated adventures.

As I already said countless times at this point, my hope is for something like Night of the Raven for Gothic: new areas, new content, new questlines, but also some considerable tuning and re-balance to the previously existing main campaign.

I second this...NotR, after Lord of Destruction is my favorite expansion and it's precisely because it made an original game better, rather than just adding +content that's fully apart from the game.
I'm hoping for more equipment with new item properties and different item sets, while rebalancing loot in the game. More AI improvements to existing game monsters, while adding new ones. More additional skills, preferably active ones (like whirl), while rebalancing the current ones( look at Combat Enhanced mod).
Please guys, do this right.

 

[Treehawk]

In that this game utilizes a great storytelling foundation to take the player through it, it would seem awkward to "jump into the past" and experience a new location and chapter after the fact - unless it was done using some form of a "flashback" as the set up. Anything else (other than a flashback situation) that sends us back in time seems like it would be a disconnection of what has up to now, been a seamless experience in a free roaming storyline.

Personally, I would love to have the expansions come out with both variances - one of them being a closed story flashback (having no effect on or allowing a return to the open world), while the other expands on the story beyond the point where we were left when we completed it and introduces some changes to the world we once explored. These would entail new creatures that have occupied the lairs of former beasts we slew, new gear and new quests/contracts to bring a level of evolution to the world we left. Even if they randomized some of the creatures, that would provide the degree of apparent change needed to convey a sense of time having passed.

Of course the second one has some design obstacles, such as administering to all the possible endings a player may have arrived at; but it appears that many of them could be more or less ignored (or simply implied by conversation) or could be done with some alterations of what we see populating old areas and the local guards, etc. The possible endings" could impact the expansion's setting and be what determines how we begin the expansion (and setting up the accompanying adventure hook), as well as affecting specific aspects of the forthcoming story itself (NPC's, encountering old friends, etc.) as we see how our previous results play out.

I believe that these guys have the skill to pull this off, but until we hear more we will have to simply wait. They have done a fantastic job so far, and I am sure that it is in their plans to impress and entertain us once again. Whatever they do, I will be eager to jump into it and spend any time I can experiencing the Witcher's world and its host of colorful and engaging characters.

 

[Randomdrowner2015]

Proper integration of the story DLCs is paramount IMHO.

Spoliers follow so do not read further if you do not want to read such things, but it is linked to the importance of story integration.

Spoiler

Would love to have them work as post main campaign dlc with additions to the game that fixes issues "empty Kear Morhen" and "post-Radovid North/north" if Radovid has been killed (Redanians and witch hunters no longer present and are instead replaced by Nilfgaard soldiers).

 

[PillarBiter]

My take on it is that the oxenfurt DLC will be around lvl 30 and the other area will be 35. Why? Well join me on the speculation train to crazy town.

The achievement for lv 35 is called 'munchkin'. Which means to me that at some point, because of NG+ there will be an added achievement in expansions of reaching level 70 (max lvl apparently) which would be called 'white wolf' or something like that. In order te be able to reach lvl 70 without grinding forever, the quest level may be no more than 5 below you. Which means that the expansion quest level would need to be 35, and in NG+ lvl 65. Now, it would be very weird for suddenly level 35 enemies to pop up in oxenfurt, because oxenfurt is actually a part of the main game, and my belief is that the oxenfurt story will actually be integratable in the story (saskia and iorveth?). Which is why I believe that to be 30/60. The other expansion however features a whole new area, meaning they can raise the enemy level to whatever they want! And to reach that 70 achievement, they would need it to be 65 in NG+ (which most players would be after the main story) and 35 in NG.

Boom. You have arrived at crazytown. Hope you enjoy the raving speculations from our town jester.

 

[sirBenski]

Proper integration of the story DLCs is paramount IMHO.

Spoliers follow so do not read further if you do not want to read such things, but it is linked to the importance of story integration.

Would love to have them work as post main campaign dlc with additions to the game that fixes issues "empty Kear Morhen" and "post-Radovid North/north" if Radovid has been killed (Redanians and witch hunters no longer present and are instead replaced by Nilfgaard soldiers).

I agree with this. Being that it will be called as an "Expansion", to me, it would be better if the setting is post game. It would expand on what happened during the events of the main storyline.

 

[Avin]

As far as I know some datamined content suggests that things occurred in expansions will be mentioned in main campaign.

 

[LionOfVenice]

I hope it will be possible to play the expansion with a savegame from NG+ and i also hope they will be quite challenging and high level.

 

[ONLY_ONCE]

I've been keeping an eye on official information about the Expansions. @Marcin Momot has hinted that information about them will be coming out sometime in the future, and @Michal Janczewski has indicated that eventually they will decide on whether there'll ever be a physical copy of them or not. However, at present, as far as we know, they haven't explained how the additions will fit into the main game or the story-line.

Now, I suspect -- and this is only my speculation -- since the two expansions, thus far, are projected to be digital only, it's possible that specific details about their contents may only arrive comparatively close to the release dates. Without the need to have discs, packaging, and physical cover art designed and printed, nor the hard-copy distribution to retailers to co-ordinate, it's just possible that the Team may be creating and adding content to the games, and making design decisions up until the final hours. This could be a good thing, in terms of game-play, but it could likewise be very frustrating from an informed customer's perspective. Time shall tell. My advice: take naught as definite until we see the official releases.

EE in a year or 2, I bet

 

[bsalim]

Proper integration of the story DLCs is paramount IMHO.

Spoliers follow so do not read further if you do not want to read such things, but it is linked to the importance of story integration.

Would love to have them work as post main campaign dlc with additions to the game that fixes issues "empty Kear Morhen" and "post-Radovid North/north" if Radovid has been killed (Redanians and witch hunters no longer present and are instead replaced by Nilfgaard soldiers).

Or Temerian Soldiers....anyway i like this idea. It is complex because there are different variations on what happens politically which is also tied

Spoiler

to Ciri's fate.

...That being said I think CDPR could pull this off. I would also like to see the immediate effects my choices had on the world...I got what is supposively the "best ending", but as with all the Witcher games (and the book series for that matter) even the best endings are bittersweet...

 

[DaSmas]

Yes having the world be affected, at least a bit by your ending would help with that ... 'empty' feeling you get.

Spoiler

For my preferred ending I would like to see Cerys commenting about her fathers death, Maybe Hjalmar could be found on Undvik at a camp with a band of warriors getting ready to clear the island, Niilfardian Soldiers replacing the Witch hunters and Redanians somehow. Most importantly id love to see people at Kaer Morhen. Maybe Ciri could be found practicing ( for the her becoming a witcher ending), Letho being a loner somewhere in the corner, Eskel being there ( since Kaer morhen has a purpose now...) Lambert with kiera working on the plague cure and of course Yennefer in that top room relaxing:

Perhaps the first expansion will progress what to me seems like a cut questline of who will rule Novigrad?

 

[Riven-Twain]

It'll be interesting to see if the REDs decided to just move on, and focus on the new stories in the Expansions, or if they'll readdress the main game's narrative. I wouldn't get my hopes too high, though, as far as their adjusting the post-epilogue state. They're supposed to be expansions, after all, not corrections.

 

[Victorzilki]

The expanions will be standalone! I think it is take place in pre-epilogue, is more logical

 

[Phinnway]

IIRC the expansions take place pre-epilogue. So before max level. I doubt they have anything to do with Geralt's search for Ciri, but they probably tie into other story archs in the game. Like the plot to dispose Emperor Emhyr and the Church Of Eternal Fire's rise to power in Novigrad.

Whatever the story archs are. I hope they're as good as the Bloody Barron story arch.

EDIT: I also hope the expansions run into the same problem vanilla Witcher 3 had and they end up making them 4 times bigger than initially planned. :rofl: :rofl:

 

[Tangsta]

EDIT: I also hope the expansions run into the same problem vanilla Witcher 3 had and they end up making them 4 times bigger than initially planned.

Me too, actually. If they announce delays for the expansions, we'll all know what's up!

 

[Randomdrowner2015]

The expanions will be standalone! I think it is take place in pre-epilogue, is more logical

If so they have to design them so that Ciri is either in safety or that the DLCs are part of gathering clues to find Ciri. Otherwise you can not roleolay Geralt as searching for Ciri, who potentially is in mortal danger

 

[RiseOfRose1]

I have a feeling and I hope this happens, is that CD is adding a post-ending world state to make way for the DLC.

 

[Tooters]

It'll be interesting to see if the REDs decided to just move on, and focus on the new stories in the Expansions, or if they'll readdress the main game's narrative. I wouldn't get my hopes too high, though, as far as their adjusting the post-epilogue state. They're supposed to be expansions, after all, not corrections.

Hearts of Stone allegedly starts as a follow up to the Cardinal Sins quest, the Doctor can be asked about Shani as is, I am assuming this will be expanded and start the expansions questline from there:

 

[Geragio]

Hearts of Stone allegedly starts as a follow up to the Cardinal Sins quest, the Doctor can be asked about Shani as is, I am assuming this will be expanded and start the expansions questline from there:

Maybe, but you meet the Man of Glass in White Orchard, so you could even start there.

 

[Tooters]

Maybe, but you meet the Man of Glass in White Orchard, so you could even start there.

He implies that he'll need your help later, so I am sure he'll resurface rather than set the quest there.