Designing The Witcher 3's Most Famous Quest

[@StoryModeOn]

Supporters on Patreon can watch the full-length interview with Lead Quest Designer Paweł Sasko: www.patreon.com/posts/43988198 Welcome to Story Mode! What are some of your favorite quests in The Witcher 3? And what games should we look at for future videos?

[@danielcadewood7247]

I really appreciate what this channel is doing and i hope you will continue with many other games, maybe like Fallout new vegas, halo and others

[@NolanDean]

I would love for you to examine Final Fantasy 7

[@madhuvatn6793]

Red Dead Redemption 2

[@Greendalewitch]

Can you do a video about the Witcher 3 Heart of Stone DLC. I personally find the story in that better than the story in the main game. And the story in the main game was awesome.

[@YMRGUITAR]

I would love to hear your take on The Last of Us Part II. It seems pretty polarising on the internet but I thought it was great and the writing was one of the stronger points.

[@LostCosmonauts]

Fittingly, Karolina's opinion on not liking likeable characters makes her perspective interesting, which in turn makes her a likeable character.

[@karolinastachyra6574]

:D:D:D Thanks, Erick :) I really appreciate that :) Michael took me by surprise and I was afraid that I was too honest, but comments like that makes me feel that being honest can sometimes be good ;)

[@rafex987]

@@karolinastachyra6574 I never thought about it that way, but I absolutely love that take, and there was always something that I greatly enjoyed about these type of characters, but I never could quite put my finger on it, but you explained it perfectly. Witcher 3 storyline to this day still make me tear up just by remembering, it is definitely the game that makes me feel the most, for good and bad. I will forever be grateful for one of the best experiences I will ever have

[@karolinastachyra6574]

@@rafex987 Thank you! Reading comments like yours warms my heart and encourages me to work and create :) I'm really grateful :)

[@Buska324]

@@karolinastachyra6574 You're just Polish Karolina, ja powiedziałbym to samo :)

[@karolinastachyra6574]

@@Buska324 Ale to dobrze czy źle? :D

[@Kikox4]

You forgot the most memorable part of that quest: The baron walking with that baby monster

[@StoryModeOn]

Who could forget the bizarrely moving sequence with the botchling.

[@TheMrawesomest]

The voice actor truly elevates that part of the quest.

[@tizkit1]

I love the botchling, it's such an encapsulation of Geralt's ethos in the game. Show things compassion first

[@garydiamondguitarist]

Ah but as anyone who completed the main story knows, even the botchling can have it's own story arc. That's how good the writing is.

[@notduane7327]

Still creeps me till this day

[@danielemazzali9810]

just read the title. It's the cooking pan quest right? it HAS to be that

[@sagargupta3144]

nah its the one with the goats

[@hp2823]

FOUND DE PAN HAVE YE?

[@thehoodedvagabum7375]

The way they make the pan personality likeable and a interesting backstory was amazing.

[@thefran901]

I thought of the one where Roach speaks lol

[@aestheticporkbun2016]

It's the sword maker quest.

[@VitruvianSasquatch]

The main quest of Hearts of Stone is sublime. Best in the game, in my opinion.

[@StoryModeOn]

I *love* that quest so much. -MT

[@TheRedname]

@@StoryModeOn Would be awesome to see you guys do an analysis of that, as well. Perhaps on the effectiveness of Gaunter O'Dimm as an antagonist?

[@phrawga]

I love that quest but I feel it runs on a bit too long. I never really liked quest in the game where you’re given a problem, and you go to fix that problem, and then you need to fix a problem to fix a problem. That quest and the finding dandelion quest line in the main quest are the two I feel run on Wayyyyyy too much.

[@rossedwardmiller]

I finished the original quest after about 100 hours and decided to take a break and return to the dlc stuff later. It’s like a little present I keep for myself. Any time I want to play new Witcher 3 stuff I have it waiting on my pc.

[@phrawga]

@@rossedwardmiller be prepared to sink another 150 hours into the DLCs. Trust me after doing everything in B&W you will never want to see toussant again

[@Shadow18275]

The entirety of Hearts of Stone is perfect. Specifically Gaunter O'Dimm, one of the best vilians of all time.

[@azadalamiq]

i like the fact you meet this dude so early in the game, and he just had this "dude up to something" air about him.

[@BusyAnt1234]

G.O.D. actually being the devil is a brilliant trick

[@blasterelforg7276]

make your wishes...

[@spinakker14]

3:05 "I don't like likeable characters, I like interesting characters" (paraphrasing) Hollywood should listen to her. I'm fed up with all the charming, smiling "likeable" characters who cannot make any morally ambiguous choices, or if they do, they have to crack a joke, or the narrative has to redeem them - lest the audience might not like them. It's bad writing because it treats the audience as children who need to be kept happy and have unambiguously good and bad guys for them

[@brewdaly1873]

I kinda get where you're coming from, but that isn't necessarily bad writing. It serves a different purpose. If I want a deep story, with complex characters, something that makes me think? Then yeah, I enjoy that ambiguity. But if I just want to relax and escape, just have some fun for a few hours, then I want to see likable characters. Neither is inherently better or worse than the other, they just have different goals.

[@nicoamarilla2939]

I feel so smart just by reading your guys comments

[@numpy5135]

Seems like you only watch the most mainstream hollywood blockbusters. Nothing wrong with that, but please don't just criticize all hollywood movies because you don't know where to look at.

[@spinakker14]

@@brewdaly1873 you're right, I was being judgemental (in fact these movies could be called well written, since they make a ton of money). Still, I wish these writers made more effort to write complex characters, and that audiences demanded them too

[@spinakker14]

@@numpy5135 quite the opposite, my friend I watch all sorts of movies. But the focus on likeable characters on both sides (because we can read too many professional and audience criticism about the movie "not having likeable characters") is more prevalent among mainstream movies

[@TheMrawesomest]

The wedding quest in the Hearts of stone DLC is magnificent and a lot of fun. Just walking around and chilling.

[@jon-umber]

It's also fucking hilarious.

[@solidaritytime3650]

KING OF THE SWINEHERDS!

[@nicktaylor897]

apart from that FUCKING PIG QUEST

[@suc125]

I loved HoS, all the main quest were diverse, all of them fun and interesting, great villain, Olgierd was an interesting character, and it was a compact intensive experience, as it lasted like 10 hours

[@ashyzup]

One of my favourites! It's really fun. And of course it's with best girl Shani. 😊 The whole HoS dlc is amazing!

[@Nick-kb2jc]

My top ten favorite Witcher 3 quests: 1. The Warble of a Smitten Knight 2. A Towerful of Mice 3. Carnal Sins 4. Possession 5. La Cage au Fu 6. The Last Wish 7. Family Matters 8. Dead Man’s Party 9. Scenes from a Marriage 10. The Isle of Mists I really hope this video inspires new players to try the game and experience its magic!

[@StoryModeOn]

You know a game is good when you can remember the names of this many quests and be like, “Oh man, yeah. That one was good.” -MT

[@Nick-kb2jc]

@@StoryModeOn honestly, I could name every single quest in the game and tell you what happens in them. I’ve literally played the base game and expansions over 50 times 😊. Great video by the way. I look forward to more content from this channel. Awesome work!

[@alonsan3977]

@@StoryModeOn couldn't agree more. The fact I knew the plot for every single quest listed above only proves how strong the writing is.

[@cchristianjeremy]

Scenes from a Marriage 🙌🏻

[@saishonokaze3462]

I really hated A towerful of mice Was so boring to me

[@Synystr7]

Karolina Stachyra is lit, fam.

[@hollowtomato]

The talent of CDPR compared to Netflix is enormous. Paweł Sasko and Karolina Stachyra are simply on another level, when it comes to characters and storytelling. Netflix has the advantage of books which to adapt, but they still fall flat on their faces. Karolina has managed to capture the spirit of Sapkowski's stories and in my opinion, has created a storyline, that matches and even rivals the author's work itself. Great work and thank you for creating the most incredible RPG of all time!

[@Luvutoo]

I recall being really disinterested with the bloody baron initially, but when I got to the dancing maid scene I was curious and started paying attention to the story. Absolutely loved this quest towards the end of it, and their approach to quest design worked out so amazingly

[@StoryModeOn]

Yeah, cleverly-designed dynamics are a really important part of the storytelling process

[@miss.brun0]

So rare is it to find incredibly insightful, well-composed videos centered on just appreciating story games and how significant their writing is. There’s good ones out there, don’t get me wrong, but many never reach the full potential of the message they’re trying to convey. I just know this channel is going to knock it out of the park.

[@ariel5885]

Agreed Bruno

[@justamanofculture12]

Exactly

[@aaryanbhardwaj40]

I wanted to restart the quest when Anna died and the Baron hung himself, but I decided to live with that choice, since that helped flesh out the game more. Love this!

[@dr.embersfield1551]

At least the kids survived and you can see them later in Novigrad.

[@felathar1985]

Holy shit. He didn't kill himself iny my game. This is shocking

[@IbrahiemLegoFilms]

This game is a ridiculously amazing masterpiece, and tbh it's ruined most games for me

[@fermin7c1]

Yup most other games, and just about all made in north america, are pandering shitty social commentary with nothing to say. Too selfminvolved instead of trying to tell a complex story with real depth. Look at what happened to the last of us. The third act of the witcher , after you find siri and their relationship starts to progress in real time is really just the best story telling in any games, with all the interacting and choices with very real consequences.

[@IbrahiemLegoFilms]

@@fermin7c1 You're so Goddam right lol,I I can't wait for Cyberpunk

[@awsomeboy360]

@@fermin7c1 Come on, Rockstar games give us Red Dead 2. Mass effect, Spiderman, God of War. All of these games are really good.

[@awsomeboy360]

@@techmontc8360 Sure. But I'm just saying these games are in their own ways good.

[@gabriel897100]

The only game that has come close to the amount of entertainment that I got from TW3 (I may get hate from this) is assassins creed odyssey and is now looking to become valhalla. I have spent so many hours in those games and haven't got bored yet

[@stuartdenton8537]

"Where the Cat and Wolf Play..." is a quest that caught my attention and stayed with me. I got properly drawn in to helping the little girl. The end of "Possession" also sticks with you (baby in the oven)

[@ziad9533]

Karolina Stachyra's method of writing characters is so great ❤, actually the bloody baron is the first quest that's really got me into the gloomy witcher world. Great job Karolina 👏

[@karolinastachyra6574]

Thank you :)

[@ziad9533]

@@karolinastachyra6574 you deserve the best 😍😍

[@capnphoenix]

Completely agree. I just started playing The Witcher 3 about a week ago (no idea why I waited so long to play it), and while I was having fun and mostly enjoying the story at first, I wasn't too immersed in it. It was just a fun story game for the first day or two. Then when I did this quest, and especially as I progressed it and had to deal with the Crones, that all changed. I noticed the dynamic characters, I realized that "Oh shit, I better watch what I do from now on if I want things to turn out well," and now I'm completely and utterly immersed in the game. Such a brilliant quest line and game.

[@justamanofculture12]

@@karolinastachyra6574 you're an amazing person & writer karoline. Your gig to create interesting characters is amazing. I hope to see you in future CDPR projects.

[@karolinastachyra6574]

@@justamanofculture12 Thank you! It's especially important for me because it flows from The Man of Culture ;)😁

[@jonalmaraz9101]

The whole Faustian story of "Hearts and Stone" is a prime example of storytelling through player choice, and even expression. That would be another great topic if there were another Witcher video. Love you all, Story Mode team!

[@brianbitner]

Thank you!

[@rapapa6697]

Hearts of Stone story is actually based more on legend about Mr. Twardowski rather than Faust.

[@mezzanoon]

Man, CDPR's writers seem divinely inspired. Would absolutely be floored to see a video on Disco Elysium. ZA/UM has the only writers I feel exceed CDPR in that amazing human insight they both have.

[@jon-umber]

Notifying the woman that her husband had died in Disco Elysium was one of the best written scenes I have ever seen in a video game, no exaggeration.

[@emilbrandwyne5747]

@@jon-umber well I guess you gotta convince scene wise if you cant offer voiced lines.

[@vengefulcat5343]

I would love you to make a video on Hearts of Stone storyline, particulary Olgierd-Gaunter dichotomy. The Witcher has a great cast of grey characters, true, but I think that these two are perfect example of showing not just shades of grey, but shades of black. It also amazingly resonates with one of the most important maxims of the game - the one about lesser and greater evil.

[@alessandrodegaetano1825]

I was really lucky to have a little talk with Karolina few years ago and I was completely blown away by her humbleness. Besides that deep and complex masterpiece of Bloody Baron, she wrote the marvelous Dead Man's Party and the last stunning quest in the Hearts of Stone DLC. Such a great talent. I hope she will achieve the same greatness with Techland and will get the credit she deserves. Pawel is another talented guy, as well as the whole team of CD Projekt Red (love you guys!). Great video Story Mode 😍 I look forward to seeing the next analysis!

[@AxiiBoss]

This Game man Absolute Top Notch Storytelling and Amazing characters and an amazing video explaining why that is.

[@beachednarwhal9683]

The Last Wish was my favorite quest but that might just be because I simp for Yennifer

[@COHOFSohamSengupta]

Structurally it was awful because it basically it involves doing the same thing over and over.. Structurally & narrative wise Curnal sins or Hearts of stone was wayy better

[@itsflowerside]

@@COHOFSohamSengupta it’s a short, plot-heavy, side quest, of course it’s not gonna be a paragon of “structure.” it’s not meant to be.

[@marinatedweasel5424]

As a bart the troll simp I disagree with this statement

[@uncledoctor6920]

Dude Yennefer is sooooo bad for Geralt.

[@wzdzysawzninosyn4905]

@@uncledoctor6920 she literally sacrificed herself for him. Yeah, what an awful person

[@mattlocke2279]

When people talked about the reverence they had for the Bloody Baron quest I always thought they meant "Family Matters". Seeing the botchling for the first time was horrifying.

[@Noemo2000]

I like how he JUST made the notice of the new channel and it’s already got so many subscribers ... sign of a devoted audience who has seen quality content and trusts this will be as well!

[@strange144]

I feel like he already announced this once a couple of months ago? Either that or I'm ahving the worst case of Deja Vu, lol.

[@deaththekid428]

@@strange144 He did mention it before

[@Noemo2000]

Yeah, I recall him saying they were going to make this new channel, but I don’t believe it was available at the time of the announcement.

[@TheBeastBandit]

It’s on Nebula I believe. Some may be coming from there, some (like me) were salivating at the mouth to have even a scrap of Nebula content on KZbin. If this is what I can expect from this channel, I’m so here for it.

[@BIadelores]

One thing to note: You can actually save Anna AND the children (or rather prevent the children from ever being taken to Crookbag Bog to begin with) by completing the tree spirit quest (And freeing it) BEFORE you go to Crookbag Bog (I think the cut off point is when The Crones task you to kill the spirit? But I'm not sure). Doing this makes it so that the kids never make it to there, which results in Anna not getting cursed into a Water Hag and you get the same ending as if you would've otherwise killed the spirit. That said the village does still meet a gory end so it's not the clean choice it sounds like, there is NO way to save the village without killing the spirit, but it's somewhat the least bad choice, at least from the perspective of the player who has grown attached to the Baron's storyline and the children but not so much the village.

[@Spazticspaz]

That's actually the story ending i got accidentally on my first play-through, because I was exploring the whole map and not doing the actual story first, lol. Plus if you follow the questline you realize the people of that village weren't completely guilt free, either.

[@gracenote108]

That doesn't work. The tree spirit will just take out the village but won't save the children. If it did, the children would end up in the school in Novigrad. The spirit will only save the children only if Geralt (the player) is aware of the children.

[@TheProphegy]

The Witcher 3 for me has the best quests of any game. The best soundtrack by a MILE. The best character development. Such a beautiful narrative. I felt so empty inside when I beat it and realized my time with these characters was over.

[@Sant182]

My favorite quest was Equine Phantoms, I cried at the end.

[@Victim815]

I've played this game a long time ago and never fully appreciate the storytelling it had. This helped me understand what I missed and I now want to play it again through a new perspective.

[@LauriLippmaa]

I've been a fan of LFTS for years and this Story Mode is a fantastic welcome. After the special announcement, I immediately started watching the Witcher video. I love the game, I loved the Bloody Baron storyline and it's an absolute gem to get this (relatively) in-depth dissection of how it was conceived by the creators. As a screenwriter and storyteller myself, I immensely enjoyed it. Thank you Michael for your great work over the years!

[@Peasant_of_Pontus]

Heart of Stone DLC has my favourite quests. Every single one is top notch, from the frog prince through the 3 impossible tasks to the final showdown. The story easily surpasses the main storyline of the base game in terms of complicated characters and ambiguous choices.

[@YourBestBudy]

The bloody baron questline is my absolute favorite, your comments along with the designer commentary have only made me appreciate it so much more. Since everyone is plugging their hopes for what you'll cover next, I would absolutely love one on the original Portal, it's what got me into storytelling construction in every medium. Or even a comparison between Portal and Portal 2!

[@lexib671]

I sobbed at the end of this quest. One of the most memorable moments in the game for sure.

[@mkproductions5608]

Lol i stumbled upon the tree spirit before getting to this part of the quest so i freed the spirit and at the end of the quest anna lived i got lucky i guess 😂😂

[@cdncowguru]

I've never even played any of The Witcher games but I love Michael's videos! This was super interesting and makes me really appreciate the immersive and interactive storytelling style of video games! Looking forward to future videos!

[@sparkplug5129]

Play em now. At least the Witcher 3. You won’t regret it

[@666ironsant]

this comment is for the algorithm gods to bless this chanel.

[@TheThirdPew]

here's another

[@nationalsarcasticsociety1312]

There is only one algorithm god, and it's called the algorithm lol

[@GaaMacgfx]

Blessed be the algorithm

[@District1991]

Well the almighty algorithm pulled me in. VERY surprised to see just two videos on this channel, definitely subscribed.

[@ireadandplay636]

hahahaa yes

[@TheProphegy]

The Bloody Baron quest blew me away because of how beautifully drawn out it was and having to travel across the world and the lengths you go to wrap it up. Such great moments in that quest.

[@rottensquid]

I love this game, and I love Michael from Lesson's from the Screenplay, so this is a real match made in heaven. As for my favorite quest, I think it's the main story quest of Blood and Wine. Going back and exploring the world of the Witcher, I realized more deeply the genius of ending the game with a quest that perfectly bookends the very first Witcher story. In that first chapter, titled "The Witcher," Geralt meets Renfri, a former princess born during an eclipse. A renowned sorcerer appeared and declared her "the curse of the black sun," an evil spirit who would bring disaster to her kingdom. Her parents gave him permission to study her in all sorts of torturous ways, and she was treated with fear and revulsion, eventually being exiled to protect the kingdom from the effects of the curse. Geralt meets her in a town where she has now tracked the sorcerer, determined to get her revenge on him. But the sorcerer treats her mission of revenge as proof of the curse's truth. Meanwhile, Geralt finds himself attracted to Renfri, and after they hook spend a night together, she asks him to use his friendship with the sorcerer to help her assassinate him. Geralt decides not to interfere, but finds himself unable to remain neutral when Renfri's band of bandits take townspeople hostage, threatening to kill them if the sorcerer doesn't surrender himself. Of course, the sorcerer doesn't consider the lives of villagers worth his own, and Geralt must defeat and kill Renfri's band to free them. Renfri would rather die than give up her mission of revenge, and Geralt ends up killing her to stop her. One could read the story as proof positive that Renfri truly was the evil spirit the sorcerer labeled her. Or one could see his actions making her into the monster he wanted to see. As for Geralt, remaining neutral rather than choose the lesser evil only brought about greater evil. He learned that neutrality was never a possibility. One way or the other, inaction only helps evil. The Witcher 3's Blood and Wine expansion is the end of Geralt's history. It's the tale of Silvia-Anna, the lost princess of Toussaint. She too was born under a black sun, and like Renfri, her bitterness over her exile, and the abuse of those who exiled her, lead her to a quest for revenge. The adventure leads Geralt face to face with Detlaff, a tempestuous higher vampire whom Syanne manipulated into doing her dirty work, to assassinate the four knights who abused her while taking her from the kingdom, as well as her sister, the Duchess Anna-Henrietta, who gained the throne when Syanna was sent away. But to me, what's most interesting isn't the battle with Detlaff, though his complex motivations are fascinating. It's Syanna herself, whose actions, though intended only to exploit one vampire and murder five people for personal reasons, ultimately spiral out of control when Detlaff, learning of her duplicity, takes his rage out on the entire Duchy. Once Geralt defeats Detlaff, the player must ultimately decide the fate of Syanna. It falls to Geralt, as the objective outsider, to advise Annarietta how to judge the situation, and Syanna what to do with her rage and her failure. And here lies the real genius of the quest, and how it perfectly bookends Geralt's choice in the short story that introduced him all those years ago. His life has taken him full circle to a do-over opportunity. Renfri and Syanna are basically the same. Both were princesses whose lives were destroyed by this supposed curse. And bear in mind, there's been no evidence the curse even exists beyond Renfri and Syanna's unquenched anger. And such anger needs no more explanation than their parents' and advising sorcerer's the belief in the curse, and how they treated her because of it. So how does Geralt decide? It depends on the player. Some look at the devastation to the Duchy's capital city of Beauclair at the hands of Detlaff, and blame Syanna's scheming and manipulation of a dangerously sensitive vampire. Those players believe justice must be done. However, if Syanna has survived this far, advising Annarietta to administer justice has disastrous results. Even if you condemn Syanna face to face, and expose her final plan to murder her sister, Annarietta can't bring herself to sentence a just punishment. Her lingering love for her sister takes precedence, and she asks Syanna for forgiveness. But Syanna doesn't forgive, and murders Annarietta with her own hairpin. However, if you omit Syanna's plan to murder her sister, and advise both sisters to seek forgiveness, they embrace, and begin some kind of healing process. Bottom line, this ultimately becomes a decision between justice and forgiveness. The death of Syanna may be just after all that she's done, but no one profits by it, least of all Geralt. On the other hand, giving Syanna the opportunity for forgiveness, both for herself and the wrongs done to her, offers an opportunity that justice lacks. It may not redress the wrongs Syanna has done. But then again, justice here is nothing but revenge on revenge. Only compassion and forgiveness bring the chance of healing. That's my favorite quest.

[@JT-nd6qp]

This is a really engaging video that offers a good vertical slice of what W3 is all about. I wanted to give my non-gamer mom and sister an antidote to the awful Netflix show (which they watched purely for Henry Cavill) and show them what they're missing, so I showed them this and some exploration of Beauclair. They were quite impressed. Hopefully they'll think twice before making fun of me for playing videogames now.

[@AnnoyingEdu]

I totally forgot how HUGE the Bloddy Baron quest line was... wow. Great to have sme insights form the poeple that actutally wrote the quests. It explains why so many quests in the witcher 3 are not written in the standard rpg-quest-format.

[@garrytalaroc]

There's something in The Witcher 3's quests that makes your heart feel something. It's something that you can't feel in other games. That is why I can't wait for their next project Cyberpunk 2077.

[@Alice89chan]

Oh you poor thing...

[@justagoose7741]

You should make a video about Outlast and how it was so effective at being actual horror, I found Outlast to be so immersive that it was genuinely thrilling, a feeling a lot more difficult to achieve than in the medium of film. As for TW3, this video was so comprehensive of the storytelling strengths of the game that it's hard to suggest more quests to talk about in a different light, but I think a strength you didn't mention (that could still be explored in a video) could be world-building and immersion. The music, the NPC chatter ranging from sobbing to gibberish, the architecutral and cultural differences from Toussaint to Velen, the references to the book, etc... and of course the thematic cohesion even in the smallest of details, I found all of these to bring TW3 to a whole new level of world-building in videogames. As always, great video!

[@yairsofer8933]

The king is dead long live the king is one of my favourites! It's the first quest we see my favourite fictional couple doing their thing. The actors OOZE chemistry and the writing is sublime as good as the books. Any quest with Yen and Geralt is a win in my book and are my favourites.

[@TubeDweller]

I would love to see more videos on the storytelling in Witcher 3. The main story in Blood and Wine has to be my favorite questline. One moment in particular stands out: the meeting between Geralt, Anna Henrietta, Detlaff, Regis and Orianna. There's so much tension and dramatic irony in that scene.

[@vvscut3933]

Everything they said I experienced in that quest, the game is truly one of my favorite RPG’s

[@grasielgrasel7510]

I always wanted a channel with some good video essays about games like this one. Thanks, Michael

[@StoryModeOn]

Also be sure to check out Game Maker's Toolkit!

[@Danysian]

Errant Signal and Noah Caldwell-Gervais are two other good ones!

[@KoongYe]

The one where you go inside a painting was cool, along with one with a tone of spoons.

[@pokemonmaster0079]

I really like the spoiler rating in the bottom right hand corner.

[@danielcadewood7247]

Bruh

[@pokemonmaster0079]

@@danielcadewood7247 I mean the format of three circles that are filled up.

[@ptolemy008]

When the baron died, I had to restart the whole game coz I don’t save games manually unless I am done playing for the day. I just had to save him and give him a chance to redeem himself.

[@Gohan11217]

I love how pawel allways is excited to talk about his work 💚

[@hamjoy3602]

Story Mode is about to tie LFTS for my favorite channel.

[@petronellataube2986]

i tried searching and it was pretty hard to find this channel without the announcement video on lessons from the screenplay. Commenting so that others find the channel!

[@animalunae]

The Bloody Baron quest will stay with me for the rest of my life.

[@turovartiainen]

What an interesting video. This storyline is a standout in what I generally consider to be the best written RPG/adventure game in history.

[@adityasivaram6175]

3:05 "I don't like likeable characters. I like interesting characters." That is the best storytelling advice I've heard in a long time. You don't make excellent characters like Heath Ledger's Joker, or Christoph Waltz's Hans Landa, or Andy Serkis' Gollum, by making them likeable. They are conflicted, and relatable, and have an overall sense of humanity. It's what makes them likeable. They become likeable by themselves, if you put your heart and soul into making them believable, and interesting.

[@John-996]

yeah its not all about being likeable but interesting.

[@Thehackerguy2000]

The sub plot feels like a tutorial for what’s to come in the next. Unintended consequences are present throughout the game’s quest and it prepares you for later story bits, but it only feels like a tutorial after you’ve finished the whole game. It’s incredible after all these years n all the bloody Barron videos on KZbin you still find something new about this quest line.

[@MrEffectfilms]

Karolinas approach is something every writer should take to heart. Don't obsess over making your characters likeable, focus on making them interesting. As long as they're interesting your audience is more likely to appreciate the character regardless of how likeable they are.

[@Cherriheart]

I loved the characterizations of the side characters in this game! Even the npcs involved in random fetch quests. I can go for months without playing but then I always go back to this game.

[@MadeinHell2]

I actually didn't finish W3 because life got in the way, and when I tried playing it again (over a year later) I was bad at the game, and didn't remember where I was. This definitely makes me want to replay it but the early game can feel like a lot of busywork with the inventory management and stuff like that.

[@gngnome]

As others have pointed out, the most memorable sequence was the walk back to the castle in the middle of the night with the Baron & his stillborn child turned Botchling. The reason I think why this is so memorable is for how well it marries gameplay and story and is crafted in a unique atmosphere. You're going from one point to another as escort and fighting enemies but it's the story & atmosphere that keeps you immersed and in fully the know what you're doing and why you're doing it. This is the sequence where the Baron truly stands out as the father carrying a burden.

[@oilrigpistol]

So many quests and characters in this game were amazing, but one character that particularly stuck with me was the ghost Vlodomir and when he possessed Geralt. It was so fun to see usually stuck-up Geralt (I don't mean that in a bad way at all) so fun and energizing and how he managed to woo Shani as Vlodomir. It was so fun to wreak havoc as Geralt at the wedding and say that everything that went wrong was Vlodomir's doing! Ah great memories this game has given me!

[@Greendalewitch]

Can you do a video on the Witcher 3 DLC Heart of Stone? I find the story in that better than the story in the main game. And the story in the main game was awesome.

[@StoryModeOn]

I *love* Hearts of Stone, so if there's a way to talk about it as well I will do my best to find it! -Michael

[@Greendalewitch]

@@StoryModeOn Oh sweet, my comment got noticed. Hope to see a video on it. Btw. If you are interested, Robert Mckee is currently holding Webinar series about wide array of subjects. This month its TV series. In the last month it was Love story and in the month before that it was story as Craft. Recordings for the last two webinars are still available. Ive noticed you reference his book in your videos, that is why I bring this up. mckeestory.com/register/

[@icywinterof88]

Man I cant wait to play this game again. I played it for the first time last year. It's the one game that I cant multitask while playing, it just completely envelops me and takes all of my attention. I love living in that world, even with all of its dark tones. It's just so beautiful.

[@nspinicelli]

I agree that this quest is the most memorable quest in gaming history. Shocking, dark, real. Like the Empire Strikes Back of video games.

[@seanypdesign]

So happy you decided to take this further into its own channel. This video was amazing and I'm SUPER excited for more!

[@mackie4397]

A Towerful of Mice is one of my favourite quests in the game. I love that this game makes side quests so meaningful

[@22lilbean]

THIS IS SO EXCITING! I love how you started with the wither 3.

[@educampsrocks]

For real, these two people wrote all of the best quests in the game. They are such great writers and I respect them so much. I played this game down to every corner because I loved it so so much. Fantastic video. Would love any more Witcher content

[@brandondasher261]

The witcher 3 is probably the most memorable game I have ever played. It is one of my favorite stories across any medium

[@1957DLT]

Wow, Karolina and Pawel are responsible for so many of my favorites quest lines in Witcher 3. The first time I played the Bloody Baron quest I got the horrible ending and I swear my shock did not wear off for two days. I went online to research what the heck I did wrong and found out about the choice/consequence with multiple endings...then I knew I was in for one really wild ride playing W3. It is a credit to the writing that the entire Bloody Baron questline is one I look forward to on replays. The Hearts of Stone quests Dead Man's Party and especially Scenes From A Marriage are two others that I look forward to as well. Iris is a tragic character that sticks with you long after Geralt tells her she will be remembered. In Blood and Wine, the quests La Cage au Fou/The Hunger Game and A Knight's Tales seem lesser at the outset but open into far richer scenarios by their ends. I have much love for all of the Blood and Wine dlc, it being such an awesome kiss goodbye to the Witcher fans. Enjoy your re-play of Witcher 3, Michael. And thank you for this video.

[@Poss1]

Very well done! "The Bloody Baron" was an excellent first choice. I would love to know more about the thinking behind the "Beauclair's Wild Kingdom" side quest. There have been years of discussion on the decision itself, Geralt's character-nature vs "My Geralt," where responsibility can fall, ends and means... a lot of real life issues. As for other games to explore: Prey 2017's story is a rich one that unfolds really well. Thanks for your work.

[@usosama1988]

Funny this jumped into my recommendation in the same day that I've played this quest, and I've got to say it is one of the best in gaming

[@chocolatestick2340]

i'm currently playing the game the second time and yes, the baron quest was still amazing, specially because of the different endings you can generate

[@EnexS02]

Please do an episode on Her Story, such a unique way of story telling only possible on interactive media

[@iMetallized]

This is one of my favorite quests. I wish I could play the game again like the first time...

[@robchuk4136]

This is my jam. There are SO MANY story-based games I can't wait for you to discuss!

[@yasm1376]

This approach is the core element that made the Witcher series' storytelling so good and memorable.

[@yaboyjay7202]

Sad to have found out that Karolina is no longer at CDPR 😭

[@Alice89chan]

After December, do you wonder why she left?

[@yaboyjay7202]

@@Alice89chan Techland (the company currently working on Dying Light 2) offered her the position as lead narrative designer

[@emiliano8669]

The witchers getting drunk at Kaer Morhen made me smile during the whole mission

[@monserratbarahona8603]

Off to a fantastic start! LFTS is one of my most favorite video essay channels of all time, and it's extremely exciting to see that same level of care and quality be applied towards videogames. Thank you for the great video, and I'm looking forward to the next!

[@StoryModeOn]

Thank you so much!

[@Kvh47]

The character design in this game is unrivaled. there is no other game out there that comes even close.

[@r0h44n]

This game deserves all the love it gets and more. Looking forward to more videos on it, especially the DLCs. Like the stories of the bin Everecs and the Ducal sisters

[@Nee421]

keep the good work man. Amazing vid

[@mr.d3183]

Bloody baron is the best character ever, changing from a violent man to a sad reformed one seeking for redemption from its loved ones

[@henrytran6607]

Please do the analysis video on Heart of Stone story line. I love this DLC so much, even more than the main quest.

[@BlizzyFoxTF]

Already guessed what quest it is before clicking. Was too heart broken when I got the bad ending. I realized the mistake I made and it felt truly my fault. Super memorable moment in a game full of highlights.

[@eklezia2829]

Scenes from a Marriage quest from Hearts of Stone is the best in the whole game in my opinion. Absolute masterpiece. Just like all of Witcher 3.

[@Vokkss]

There will never be a game like this one ever again.

[@Paul_Hardy]

Putting aside the story and characters that make this game fantastic, it's hard to believe that it's over 5 years old. It looks like it could have been released yesterday.

[@Helioscore1]

This video is incredible. Of course you would do a video on the witcher, this game has the best storytelling ever told in a game. Seriously this channel is fantastic. I can't wait to see whats next.

[@trayzgredner8326]

Great work on this awesome game and the best questline ever made.

[@hoongfu]

This video was fantastic. What a ride. Thanks for letting us peek behind the veil that is videogame story telling.

[@StoryModeOn]

Our pleasure, glad you enjoyed!

[@SSaNNEE100]

The first time ever playing through this mission was such a shocking feeling. I remember crying a lot which isnt usual for me in video games, but the cutsecenes were more like a tv series you wanted to watch and know about more how its going to end.

[@tizkit1]

The Volunteer! I currently have it in NG+ and have yet to complete it because the rock troll makes me so happy, I like going to just visit him

[@Porcheg]

Everything with Regis is incredible. The best character in the entire game imo.

[@warddeboer7674]

im only 5 minutes in, but this level of quality is amazing. Love that you chose this topic as well! and the interview with the actual designers. what an upload!

[@TheParallellinial]

My absolute favorite quest in any computer game of all times! Absolutely amazing!

[@deffarhan6748]

Great videos! i will keep waiting for more! the Blood and wine DLC story is just amazing! toussaint is just beautiful!

[@TheRatchetnclank]

Excellent analysis of probably my favourite gaming questline of all time. Can't wait to see what else you do with the channel.

[@Warbringer95]

Beyond Hill and Dale and Dead Man's Party are two standouts for me. Honestly too many to remember them all off the top of my head, so perhaps that's why I remember the expansion quests a little easier, as they're shorter experiences. Anyway, excellent video! My favorite game of all time and one of the very best quest lines in the entire game.

[@Pre-Post-Mortem124]

It's really cool how you got the devs to star in this. Well done man