The Witcher 3: Hearts Of Stone Coming October 13th

The first expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt [official site], named Hearts of Stone, will arrive on October 13th, developers CD Projekt RED have announced. I'll tell you more about that soon but first, the important part: it will get a physical release which comes with two Gwent decks. You could play Gwent with your pals. Oh aye, they won't be your Gwent decks, but Gwent!

So anyway, the expansion itself! Said to take ten hours, it'll bring a new story with new characters and monsters, a new Runewords system, and oh my gosh is that Shani again? Hi Shani! Here, come peep at the first teaser trailer:

Here's what RED have to say today about Hearts of Stone:

"Step again into the shoes of Geralt of Rivia, a professional monster slayer, this time hired to defeat a ruthless bandit captain, Olgierd von Everec, a man who possesses the power of immortality. The expansion lets you choose your own way through an adventure that includes recruiting a crew of break-in artists, spending a night partying with a ghost and outsmarting the most bizarre creatures Geralt has ever faced.

"... Hearts of Stone packs over 10 hours of new adventures and introduces new characters, powerful monsters, unique romance, and a brand new storyline shaped by gamer choices. The expansion also introduces a brand new system of Runewords that significantly affects gameplay. Each Runeword will impact a different aspect of in-game mechanics and will allow the players to experiment with various strategies and tactics."

So back to Gwent. The physical release will have Monsters and Scoia'tael decks for your playing pleasure. Folks who've already pre-ordered the expansion digitally can buy them separately for 9,99€. The expansion itself will cost 9,99€ digitally or 19,99€ in a box.

This is making me glad that I stalled in the main game (around the 70-hour mark), as when I return for Hearts of Stone I'll be refreshed and reinvigorated for more questing beyond. CD Projekt RED are expanding its lovey-dovey stuff soon too.