For regular players, their opinions on "Blood and Wine" mostly came from their gut feelings and their gaming experience.
This DLC gave them so many surprises.
Before this, many players were worried about the ending of Geralt the White Wolf, because Ethan Winters died in "Resident Evil: Village."
After all, Nebula Games had a history.
But when "Blood and Wine" actually ended, many players were moved to tears.
Because Geralt the White Wolf got a happy ending.
"Moved to tears, I really couldn't hold back when Master Dandelion arrived at the end!"
"The person above is a bad dad, and a scumbag too! Master Dandelion arrived at the end!"
"Seriously, isn't Master Dandelion good? Imagine who saved you from prison!"
"But the ending was still really surprising! Lucas arranged such an ending for the White Wolf. I thought it might be like Ethan Winters."
"The Witcher doesn't die in bed, this rule is finally broken! But I like it!"
"But there's still a bit of regret at the end. Why couldn't Syanna and Dettlaff both die? It has to be either one lives, or Regis, my good brother, flees for his life."
"Why not just get rid of Syanna? Dettlaff isn't a bad guy either!"
"Not a bad guy? Heh, so many people died because of Dettlaff in the Beauclair Blood Moon, and you say he's not a bad guy?"
"+1. If Syanna got what she deserved, then what sin did the ordinary people of Beauclair commit?"
"This is the essence of 'The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt' – choosing between moral dilemmas. But in the end, I still chose to let Syanna die, because she was the main culprit, and I really didn't want Regis to be chased."
"Heh, I'm different. Regis was chased, and Dettlaff, the Duchess, and Syanna all died."
Players excitedly discussed the content of "Blood and Wine."
There was just so much to experience. The new estate gameplay, the new Witcher mutations, the new map, side quests, and Witcher gear.
It could definitely keep players immersed for dozens of hours. And players not only had a high opinion of "Blood and Wine," but the other DLC, "Hearts of Stone," also received countless praises.
Compared to the rich gameplay and the huge new map of "Blood and Wine."
"Hearts of Stone" mostly told a dark fable, even more somber and darker than the main game.
And in terms of storytelling, many players, after finishing it, even thought it was better than "Blood and Wine."
"Hearts of Stone" told the story of a man named Olgierd von Everec, and here players would meet the most terrifying and frightening being in "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt": Gaunter O'Dimm.
At first, the bald wanderer the player met in White Orchard village.
He represented the devil, a devil who tempted others into making deals with him, and finally toyed with the souls of his victims.
Olgierd, the protagonist of the "Hearts of Stone" DLC story, players would see Olgierd and his lover Alice go from a sweet romance to newlywed happiness.
But as his family fortune declined, Alice's parents forced Olgierd to break up with Alice. In this situation, Olgierd made a deal with Gaunter O'Dimm, allowing him to live forever and regain his wealth. But the price was the death of the one he loved the most, his brother.
And not only that, Olgierd slowly lost his emotions.
Hate, love, what kind of emotions could Olgierd feel?
Wealth, servants, pets, Olgierd could give Alice everything.
But he couldn't give her a burning heart, because at this moment, Olgierd's heart had turned to stone, the price he paid for his wish.
The devil can grant your wishes, but not in the way you imagine.
If there were any quests in "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt" that would lead most players to choose the same action.
Then, in "Hearts of Stone," the quest where Geralt controlled himself to drive Gaunter O'Dimm out of this world was one of them.
When Gaunter O'Dimm appeared in the tavern, paused time, and casually killed a drunkard with a spoon.
Watching the terrified professor in the attic confine himself within a circle, but ultimately dying due to the devil's schemes.
Geralt and the players had only one common thought.
Choosing to save Olgierd in the end was not out of pity for him, not out of mercy, and not even because they thought he was blameless.
It was simply because they wanted to banish Gaunter O'Dimm, the devil who toyed with people's hearts, from the world.
......
As more and more players finished the "Hearts of Stone" and "Blood and Wine" expansions.
Discussions about the content of these two expansions became more and more frequent on the forums.
Gaunter O'Dimm, Olgierd, Syanna, the Duchess, and characters like Shani and Regis, more and more players were discussing the fates of these characters.
Besides that, there was one more thing: the pricing of "Blood and Wine" and "Hearts of Stone."
The CosmosVR version, "Hearts of Stone" sold for 88, "Blood and Wine" for 128, and the two-in-one bundle for 198.
At first, players didn't think much of this pricing.
Although it was much cheaper than the DLC of other game developers, it wasn't *that* cheap.
But once they actually played it, countless players realized.
"Holy crap, how is this cheap? This feels like it's being given away for free!"
So much game content, and brand new story quests, two expansions combined for over a hundred hours of gameplay, sold for only 198?
Lucas lost a fortune!
"It's absolutely brilliant. I'm blown away by the story in Hearts of Stone. At first, I didn't feel much, but Olgierd's story, and the mysterious old professor being toyed with by the devil, that plot really scared me."
"+1. When Gaunter O'Dimm froze time in the tavern and inserted a spoon into the drunkard's eye, I decided no matter what, I had to get rid of this guy!"
"And the story of Blood and Wine, it's so sad. No matter which ending, it's not perfect!"
"That's the charm of The Witcher!"
"So much rich content, and Boss Lucas is only selling it for so little? It feels like he's losing a fortune!"
"+1, I feel like even if it were priced as a AAA game, just for the script of Hearts of Stone and the content of Blood and Wine, it would be completely worth it! But together it's only a quarter of the price!"
Strictly speaking, although "Blood and Wine" and "Hearts of Stone" had additional gameplay content.
They were still expansions built on the framework of "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt" itself.
But as an RPG, the story carried at least 50%, or even more, of the core.
And the stories of "Blood and Wine" and "Hearts of Stone" were enough to immerse all players.
From a story perspective, the brilliance of "Hearts of Stone" made many players feel it surpassed "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt" itself.
Because in these more than ten hours of gameplay, players didn't need to worry about other aspects like stats.
They didn't need to showcase other gameplay elements, and could perfectly and smoothly experience the story of "Hearts of Stone."
(End of chapter)
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