The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone | The Ultimate Analysis

[@softerrr7893]

this is some high quality shit

[@riptidev10]

Softerrr that profile pic fits your comment. I rate 11/10

[@andromedaastra2420]

Softerrr yes

[@T3hIluvatar]

I agree, but his hairstyle choice is a nightmare.

[@jademers88]

gr8 b8 m8. I r8te 8/8

[@cyprianperepeczo2653]

Nah, i like it more than ponytail

[@richtea615]

Gaunter O'Dimm might be powerful enough to stop time, but Geralt has the power of checkpoints and manual saves.

[@trevalyan006]

As does Gaunter. Geralt would never be stupid enough to attack him, so the player never experiences that fact. I don't think V will necessarily be so cautious, though...

[@LizardsLore]

Baba Yaga still OP in comparison

[@jordandennis6794]

@@trevalyan006 what the fuck is V?

[@alihu5513]

@@jordandennis6794 cyberpunk main Character

[@greed6is6good]

And dying of a fall. Amazing stuff

[@rainbowsnail4171]

One thing at the wedding with Shani, if you go on the boat, she will ask you to take her to the moon, to which Geralt say it's impossible. She then points to the reflection of the moon on the lake. While the reflection aspect is not used again, the idea of the "moon" not having to be the actual moon in the sky, is very key to the ending of the DLC. Feels like some foreshadowing.

[@rajveerkharod8484]

And the ‘reflection’ on the lake

[@hasuramapa4639]

:')

[@cristinamirelasoare2969]

Hmmm...

[@Cj-xt6tv]

It is foreshadowing. Just like in the beginning when you’re captured by the ofieri’s your cellmate says he thought the only thing he’d be able to speak to for the whole journey was his reflection in the piss bucket. And that’s the key to beating gaunter. Your reflection in water. Also if you take the rose, the cat and dog tell you to beat mirror, you have to look for a mirror he can’t break, aka the water

[@noraeld5020]

Woah you're right about the foreshadowing

[@UnreliableUsername]

I loved the little dig at Skyrim when Shani asks the guard how his knee is holding up after he got shot in the knee with an arrow and he says yeah no bother, fine and dandy 🤣

[@heem8814]

the black infantry archers always aim for the knee

[@ChefofWar33]

@@heem8814 The humanity of the bastards! Relegating adventurers to permanent guard duty.

[@leonartha03]

they even have Dark souls reference in blood and wine

[@jazzx251]

I was in howls of laughter. :) "Let us in! ... if it wasn't for me operating on that arrow to your knee, you would be a cripple." [paraphrasing]

[@jazzx251]

@@leonartha03 BOOO!!!! That means I have to make Dark Souls my new Covid-19 game, before I do Blood and Wine.

[@zaurak777]

I will tell you why we, the Polish people, love the Witcher series so much. Few facts: 1. The whole Hearts of Stone main quests are built over the story of a guy who signed a pact with the devil to get the supernatural powers and then tried to outsmart the devil. This is a reference to the Polish legend of Mr Twardowski, which is a Polish classic legend (parallel to Goethe's Dr Faustus) 2. The Wedding quest from Hearts of Stone is a reference to the famous Polish early XX century symbolic drama The Wedding, in which participants during the wedding night meet ghosts of the ancestors and supernatural creatures. In certain parts game characters use the lines from the drama. 3. The scene of the fight with Olgierd before the burning mansion is a reference to the similar scene from classic Polish historic novel (and movie) The Flood in which the best sabre fighter challenges a rogue outlaw. Also in the Hearts of Stone Geralt and Olgierd use the lines from the novel (movie). 4. The names of main characters in Polish version (Olgierd, Witold - which is changed to Vladimir in English version) - these are the names of the founders of Lithuanian Jagiellon dynasty which ruled Poland for over 200 years. Generally, the game plot and the names in certain parts are tribute to Polish history/classic literature and the references are countless, i just mentioned the most obvious ones.

[@Phant0mik]

Its actually The Deluge not the Flood By Sienkiewicz. But ye everything's correct

[@starlyghtdrifter66]

@Plague Doctor racism. Trolling. Stupid humanity. May the man of mirrors take his soul.

[@joesheridan9451]

@Plague Doctor don't bite lol. That's what he wants the sad bastard

[@leonartha03]

this further make witcher is not only a game, it's an Art

[@alessio8455]

Concerning your First point: There is also an old southern German fairytale called "Das kalte Herz", which is called Hearts of Stone in English, so that's most likely where the expansion gets it's title. It's about a charcoal maker who gives his heart to some being to get unlimited money, receiving a stone instead of His heart. It's veeery similar to the DLC

[@L.Becker]

Gaunter O'Dimm is by far my favourite antagonist in any game or movie or anything ever

[@iiReaperv2]

L. Becker Dude me too

[@scoutdarpy4465]

Honestly, I'd love to see them release a book detailing the biography of Gaunter O'Dimm, who he is, how did he come to be, why he chose spoons as his calling card, etc, etc.

[@Koeras16]

Kreia from Kotor 2 is by far more complex and also takes that spot as "favorite antagonist" in any video games I played. But I would love to see more "bad guys" like Gaunter O'Dimm.

[@stephengrant4841]

Scout Darpy well, the spoons are a reference to a proverb about the devil and spoons- cant remember it, and dont care to google it. And i disagree, id rather much of his character be unknown. Mystery without answer adds to the intrigue and interest revolving around the character.

[@CeroAshura]

Stephen Grant "He who sups with the devil should have a long spoon". Meaning that those who must engage with evil men best be weary of becoming entangled in evilness. In a way it is similar to Nietzsche's "He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby become a monster. And if thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee." There is some literal connection between Master Mirror and the last quote, as gazing at our mirror image creates an images that appears to gaze back at us.

[@listerfiend4577]

The circle of kids singing the Gaunter O’dimm song will reappear throughout the DLC at random crossroads while traveling. Such an awesome touch to remind us the player that there is no escaping O’Dimm. Gaunter is probably the best character I’ve ever experienced in a game.

[@adamburgess7890]

I remember when those kids sang his song, I was so creeped out. Same when his tune repeats after saving that women in blood and wine.

[@thewiedzmin6062]

Because the beggar who cursed her as her punishment was our good old GOD! He is not the classic God Or Devil, instead he is as called in the game Master Mirror! He mirrors the person he deals with and if he/she is good like Geralt he will be good to him but he punishes and humbles every bad person that he deals with! Look at olgried, even if you save him from GOD he will be humble and he will even say that all he got to feel with his new heart and life is just pure sadness and humbleness!

[@JAIMEGARCIA-gw9re]

Isn't that the song from the trailer?

[@Sparkball]

JAIME GARCIA The red haired chick who’s also a bruxa

[@onroad55]

Actually, the story is highly influenced by the Polish legend of Twardovsky. He was a nobleman who has sold his soul to the Devil in exchange of great knowledge and magic skills. He was hiding from the Devil for years and it is believed that currently Twardovsky is in his hideout on the Moon. He is 'the only person who bested Gaunter O'Dimm' I suppose.

[@anda3487]

Prussii isnt Twardovsky a polish retelling of faust?

[@sirLukash]

Not really, the legend is different. He is called "Polish Faust" though, due to some similiarities :)

[@EradonYT]

For anyone who has spotify, there's a free audiobook telling the compressed story of Faustus, great voice acting and a Thrilling story. Definitly should check it out!

[@TheBirdOfParadox]

The second major influence I can see is a german fairy tale called 'Heart of Stone' by Wilhelm Hauff. Its about a worker in a charcoal factory. He seeks out a glass imp who can grant three wishes. He is granted two but looses all his fortune to gambling. He seeks out another spirit, who is much more vile. He grant Peter riches and and turns his heart into stone. Of course, after a while the same happens to Peter as it did to Olgierd, he looses all connections to the people he once loved and even kills his wife in a fit of rage. In the end, Peter tricks the forest spirit by claiming that he was decived and he doesn't really have a heart of stone. The spirit takes the bait and gives him back is old heart for a moment to show him what emotions feel like. He turns and runs as soon as he has his living heart.

[@noleo23]

The books are exactly like that. They use common stories to tell new stories.

[@angad4569]

Witcher 3 is the best game of this generation so far.

[@houndnobleman876]

OLD HUNTER I would not have expected someone with your profile picture to say that.

[@angad4569]

Hound Nobelman Hahahaha I am not a stupid soulsborne fanboy buddy. I love witcher 3 more than bloodborne.

[@scoutdarpy4465]

There's really nothing comparing Bloodborne and Dark Souls to The Witcher 3. To me they felt like entirely different experiences. A better comparison would be to Dragon Age: Inquisition. But I gotta say Olgierd is one of the best examples of a tragic hero in gaming; and, to me, is the best character in The Witcher 3.

[@jacobsmith1173]

+Scout Darpy I really liked Olgierd too, but I found my self obsessed with everything that Regis had to say in B+W. You really sensed the abundance of power that oozed from how calm and cool he was in any situation. The power that came with knowing you are both at the top of the food chain and have lived so long to be above conflict.

[@scoutdarpy4465]

I liked Regis, but I found him especially hard to relate to because of his power and status. Whereas Olgierd, who was born into wealth, and eventually went into poverty, was a tragic character whose pride blinded him into thinking he could outsmart Gaunter O'Dimm, thus ruining his life. If you're after a more traditional ending, then allowing Gaunter O'Dimm to to take his soul is the way to go.

[@dhughesy2023]

It’s insane how thematically rich and densely written just a story DLC can be.

[@breakmanradio2530]

It was a 10/10 besides the dumb ending. Which is remarkable, since it's not an adaptation of anything from the books. If the guys who wrote the plot for this DLC had been the writers for the last season of GoT, imagine how much better it would have been. And that's saying something. I can't believe they found someone to write a plot for a video game DLC that's better than 99% of Hollywood scripts. Just goes to show you how much untapped talent there is out there, and how Hollywood is more about who you know and who you blow then talent (but D&D, writers of GoT, proved that already.)

[@johnjim1250]

@@breakmanradio2530 The main story isn’t an adaptation of the books either

[@hahzhhchebe2393]

@@breakmanradio2530 Last season was bound to fail regardless, they need a few more seasons to really hash out everything. D&D got greedy and since that last season failed so bad, they haven’t worked on anything since.

[@TheMaTaSS]

Gaunter O´ Dimm, Master Mirror, The Mirror of GOD, The Devil

[@Ussurin]

Actually the whole Mirror thing is a parrarel to real life mirrors used by alchemist, etc. and by Master Twardowski on which legend the story of this DLC is based. But you could probably make some psychological meaning out of that.

[@jesjer100]

Mathias Larsen Mirror does not mean opposite

[@hrvojematkovic2714]

hes so fuckin badass, Man of Glass

[@LeonardoJimenezHerrera]

Gaunter O'Dimm, Mephistopheles

[@1DProdigy]

Mathias Larsen Gaunter (Army) O'Dimm (Darkness) He is actually an immortal that serves to win souls for the army of darkness. During this dlc, in the professors house Shani helps you get into there's the book about him called "Gilian Alboco's Lesser Key" that states "good without evil is dimensionless and therefore imperceptible, Evil, then, is an integral part of our lives" so O'Dimm just does his evil part to keep balance. Due to this role he can roam different worlds in the game and therefore can control time.

[@TheCivildecay]

57:46 - The spoons mean: "He who sups with the devil should have a long spoon" which is a old 14th century saying.

[@jimbody1448]

This expansion is fantastic and your analysis was excellent, and there's a few extra things I noticed: The theme of reflection is something that is brought up a lot in the game in reference to the solution of Gaunter's final riddle. As you mentioned, the cat and dog clue you in to this by saying "seek salvation in glass that cannot be broken" however there are, I think, more references to this earlier in the game. When on the boat with Shani, she says "sail me to The Moon" and Geralt says he can't as The Moon is in the sky, Shani replies, "of course you can, it's there in the lake", referring of course to its reflection on the water. The heist mission also plays with this with regards to the Borsodi's. I think of Horst and Ewald as being reflections of one another, how two people, so similar, can act so differently with the money they inherit. I also think that Geralt and Vlodimir are excellent reflections of one another, similar in many ways but polar opposites in attitude. The potential decapitation scene is also a nice mirror to the fate of Olgierd at the end, do you intervene to save someone who's done wrong with the hope of redeeming them in the future? Professor Shakeslock was something I felt differently about, I think it's the best scene in the expansion. It wasn't Gaunter who weakened the ceiling, but Geralt in his desperation to break into the house. The fact that the Professor died moments after stepping out of the circle after dodging the falling wood was very "final destination", he died but not in the way you would expect. I thought it was a perfect scene that made you realise just how scary Gaunter was. There are also a couple of references to Gaunter and the devil. The long wooden spoon recurring theme with Gaunter is for the phrase, "he who sups with the devil should have a long spoon." There are also 2 cases where, shortly after Gaunter disappears, NPCs mention the devil. Once with the prisoner on the boat (these boats heave like devils) and once in the inn when the Wild One looks into his soup and says "what the devil?". Gaunter also meets Geralt after the storm at a Crossroads, Gaunter specifies this whilst still on the boat. This references the tradition in stories and mythology that the devil meets people at crossroads to tempt them into evil.

[@alexblack2884]

Jimbody Dude you're a genius! I've played the expansion 3 times but not even once did I realize that Shani's dialogue on the boat was foreshadowing the climax. After reading all of it, I also realized that the gear used in the heist mission is also called "New Moon" gear. Another mention of the moon!

[@jimbody1448]

OMG yes New Moon armour. I hadn't even though of that. This game just keeps on giving!

[@66awesomness]

Jimbody I have read many theories about Gaunter, and another reference to him and the devil is that he is taking part in many/all of the seven deadly sins. For his whole existence he always hunger for more souls which can be seen as a sort of greed. He is never satisfied. He kills a innocent man by shoving a spoon through his eye, just because he interrupted him. This showing his wrath. He expresses pride when he thinks he can outsmart every human in the world. He encourages Geralt to have sex with Shani, hinting to lust. These are just a few I remember off the top of my head. There are so many little details around the characters in this dlc and Gaunter o'dimm is by far my favorite!

[@jimbody1448]

Yeah I think Gaunter is one of the most interesting villains I've ever faced in a game, right up there with Vaas from Far Cry 3 for me. I love what Gaunter says at the very end too, as he's seemingly pulled down to the depths of Hell...so cool

[@1DProdigy]

Jimbody Gaunter (Army) O'Dimm (Darkness) He in an immortal (maybe the Devil) but he serves to win souls for the army of darkness. In the professors house Shani helps you get into there's the book about him called "Gilian Alboco's Lesser Key" that states "good without evil is dimensionless and therefore imperceptible, Evil, then, is an integral part of our lives" so O'Dimm just does his evil part to keep balance. Due to this role he can roam different worlds in the game and therefore can control time.

[@xu517333509man2]

For those who read the professors notes, wasn't it messed up how gaunter gave the professor realistic dreams of having a daughter to the point where he was so happy, then one day she dies tragically from disease. Gaunter o dimm more like gaunter o fucked up.

[@earlofbroadst]

O'Dimm is basically the Devil, so it makes perfect sense.

[@arnoutvanroosbroeck7233]

I personally really liked the Auction house quest. I was very excited tot get all the different things for sale.

[@ov5527]

how is Jerusalem doing?

[@acforlife1235]

Is there any point, like quests for them? I bought them all as well

[@ChefofWar33]

@@acforlife1235 Trophy homey.

[@KalNertea]

I liked it because it is inspired by heist movies. Nice to have so diverse quests in one expansion

[@ruvend2581]

@@acforlife1235 you can give the painting to the book merchant in novigrad and you can dismantle the small statue for a small side quest, the glasses are just cosmetic

[@Naruga]

Everyone loves Blood and Wine (I like it too) but Hearts of Stone was just the best focused story I played in such a long time.

[@Naruga]

One of the things I love most about it is how strongly it follows traditional European fairy tale formatting of story which kind of brings it back to the Witcher books also.

[@bp2368]

I love Toussaint, but the Story in HoS is much much better.

[@dlimla]

The getting the house quest was a little of a drag for me too but one thing I found hilarious is that the story that the countess Mignole tells with her and Vesamir actually confirms what Geralt said at Kaer Morhen when he was drinking with the other witchers. If you drink when Eskel says "never had to jump out a lover's window with nothing but my nickers." and Eskel was "What would papa Vesemir say?" Geralt says "Papa Vesamir would properly have drank that round too." XD

[@BenMcManus]

Anyone else think Olgierd von Everec looks like David Beckham?

[@ZakkerChannel]

J

[@xXAmightzXx]

Yup

[@Cipher_XoF]

Yep, that exactly what I thought when i played it lol

[@shayZero]

If the netflix show gets to a 12th season, he could play him. He'd have to be dubbed of course, the character sounding like a dog toy squeaker wouldnt work

[@F11994]

@@shayZero no because he doesn't exist in the books and it's a book adaptation. Nothing from the games are canon in the books.

[@jimmyshousevideos]

Yes, you noticed the kids singing too. I started freaking out when I heard them at the end in that pocket dimension thing because it was such a subtle thing but so ominous.

[@dzejrid]

26:30 - I think you misread it here. Shani is not some random chick, she is a character from the saga and the way she's portrayed she knows exactly what she wants. In this situation I believe it was not Geralt who wanted to have sex with her, it was Shani who wanted to have a one-night stand with him (similar to their first meeting waaaay back before the second war with Nilfgaard). It is up to the player to decide whether Geralt falls for that or not. It's very subtle but if you know their backstory you will realise how brilliantly it's portrayed. It shows that the world does not revolve around Geralt and that "masculine point of view". The dialogue you have with her afterwards is a hint: "oh you know it was fun and all, but let's just be friends". It's a reversed trope: instead of hero banging the woman, the woman bangs the hero and dumps him afterwards.

[@HickoryDickory86]

Watching Geralt (Vlodimir) dancing, smiling, and having a blast at that wedding was one of my happiest and most fulfilling moments in all of TW3! The close runner-up was when I got him drunk with Eskel and Lambert, and they dressed up in Yennefer's clothes and used her megascope to make a "prank call." Seeing three full-fledged witchers being so juvenile and having fun was great! It just makes you feel good to give them a bit of light and lightheartedness in the dark and heavy-laden world in which they're forced to live. They deserve a bit of happiness.

[@adamfowler5475]

Notice too about Gaunter Odimms final epic entrance, from the stairway in the sky. This is actually his only true character entrance seen in its full scale. Everywhere else in the dlc, he suddenly appears out of nowhere like a flash. Here, he knows his identity is learned enough to put aside all games, and show a real side of him. A stairway from heaven concept is no mere accident.

[@breakmanradio2530]

He isn't walking down a staircase in the sky. He's just floating down. Unless it was rendered different on my PC than yours. But I just checked a video, of it, and yeah, no walking. Just floating down from the sky. But walking down an invisible staircase from heaven WOULD have been cool symbolism for a demon. The ending sucked. Master Mirror: What smiles back at you? (Plus 49 other clues) Geralt: Umm derpy derp, an echo? Master Mirror: An echo? An echo smiles back at you Geralt? Geralt: Ummmm dey smile back at me har har har Master Mirror: Okay, I guess I'll just give you unlimited guesses for the next 5 minutes. And I'll also place it around here somewhere, so you just have to look around and find it somewhere. Don't want to push your brain too hard.

[@breakmanradio2530]

Also, the demon was beat in a riddle game in the past and he obviously didn't die. And the whole idea was that he was evil incarnate, and could not be killed. So why do they make it look like he died in the DLC from losing a riddle game? O'dimm should have just whistled and walked off all non-chalant like, showing that he didn't really care about losing but he holds up his end of the deal. Because you can defeat the manifestations of evil, but you can never kill evil itself. It would been the better artistic choice, and a better allegory, but it seems like the ending was written by someone other than the person/people who wrote the first 99% of the game.

[@Magabes_]

@@breakmanradio2530 He's clearly descending down in steps, and once he gets closer you see the energy of his foot hitting a surface. A real and visible stairway would definitely be too on the nose.

[@Arachnocopium4U]

@@breakmanradio2530 You can quite clearly see that he is indeed stepping down what appears to be invisible stairs. Also, Gaunter does *NOT* die, he simply de-materialises back to wherever he came from. I've watched a video on Gaunter O Dimm from someone who has done a lot more research into the character than this Luke Stephens. G. O. D's final words are actually said in three different languages: Antillean Creole French, Georgian and finally in Ossetian (an Eastern Iranian language spoken mainly in Ossetia) and it's in this final language where apparently he says that he is going now but will be back. Honestly, I'm beginning to wonder whether you were just being ignorant or trolling at this point because none of your...arguments...have much thought put into them quite frankly. The way in which he leaves is pretty good because it shows just how evil he is (in the first language he taunts Geralt by telling him that a cock is king only on top of his pile of manure) but still has to reluctantly honour the agreement he made with Geralt. You just have absolutely no concept of a sense of drama or tension do you? There would be none if G.O.D simply walked away with his hands behind his back whistling. Plus, he's clearly not used to losing since apparently only one other person has beaten him at his own game.

[@Raytheharbinger0]

It isn't a stairway from heaven 😂 he is just walking on the light from the moon.

[@MrDudeman9442]

It’s so small but my favorite parts of this DLC are when you look in the background and you can see Gaunter O Dimm there watching you in disguise. Like when he’s holding a crossbow at the heist or in the background at the auction. Small details are awesome

[@jacobsmith1173]

One of my favourite things about the Witcher 3, and is only apparent to those with incredible memories, or played the game including hearts of stone at least twice, was the decision to have Gaunter O'Dimm interact with Geralt in one of the very first scenes in the Wild hunt. On your first play through you write him off as some cocky riddle speaking douche who Geralt could have beaten with a sneeze. But only after experiencing the DLC and playing through again do you have the context of why this stranger approached you in that manner, and how he knew where Yennifer was! Outstanding CDPR, to include the main Villain (if you see him that way) from an upcoming DLC in the beginning of your game was awesome!

[@willcruikshank7972]

Starry Night Over the Pontar hangs in my house in Toussaint

[@Synthgamer]

That's 500 crowns decorated on your wall.

[@timewellspent8137]

You mean one well done contract?

[@K1NG_of_ReVeNGe1]

@@timewellspent8137 Or literally one crappy Bandit sword in the late-game

[@SandyCheeks1896]

Will Cruikshank how dare you neglect lord hemmelfart

[@joesheridan9451]

I've got olegeird and irises portrait in mine

[@8ouroboros841]

For me the fight with Iri's worst nightmare was the toughest duel in the game, even though I was 2-3 levels higher that the suggested, had top-quality gear and made liberal use of potions, bombs and signs. This sudden difficulty spike actually caught me off guard and I died several times, which, despite playing on Death March, hadn't happened for a very long time by this point.

[@nanukgamingcz]

Can confirm. Definitely one of the tougher fights in the game if playing on death march + having enemy level scale with yours.

[@poochiebar]

It was the hardest for me because I kept aggroing like 3 of them at the same time lol which would be nearly impossible to defeat but solo it wasn’t that bad

[@joesheridan9451]

Pretty shit fight tbh. I love hard bosses but that was just boring

[@leo93jesi]

I found the caretaker very difficult... Until you figure out how to use quen against him

[@jaceygaither2581]

Interesting. I found that one to be fairly easy, but I had the same experience vs the mage you fight after the shipwreck. I think it's the only fight I died more than twice on my whole death march playthrough.

[@shaco77]

Wedding is heavily based on Slav culture and novel "Wedding" writen by Wyspiański-polish author. Even the name of village where it take place is related to this novel

[@shaco77]

Sorry in advance for every mistake I have made, but as you might guess English is foreign language

[@beteg2]

Nie przepraszaj (ja też się z tego leczę - a mój angielski jest beee)... Tym bardziej, że Twój angielski jest super.

[@EzioAudacityTheRefrigerator]

I love how one of the boring notices Geralt reads at the start of the DLC is from someone needing a partner to attend a friend's wedding with. Shani, perhaps?

[@sethcalvert-green7018]

Ezio Audacity the Refrigerator you can actually ask her if that is her notice when she asks you to the wearing. she says it isn't.

[@T8-TR]

@@sethcalvert-green7018 She says it while shyly looking off to the side. Voice acting wasn't the best for Shani, but I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be her trying to cooly play it off.

[@joonyee94]

The Witcher 3 Hearts of Stone DLC is one of the rare gem that broke my heart... I'm sure I'll never forget this game for a long loooong time..

[@needlessoptions]

I found this to be more of just a summary than an "Ultimate Analysis"

[@argo117007]

I agree.

[@Cj-xt6tv]

He does analyze the themes, metaphors, literary devices, etc. tho. Basically analyzing what it all meant, and he got it dead right

[@KaiSaeren]

Witcher 3 has some of the best DLC's ever released, they are basically expansions especially in the case of Wine and Blood, wish more companies were like CDPR. Dimm was such a great "antagonist" the atmosphere surrounding this dlc and Dimm specificaly was just haunting and I couldnt get enough. Also, the writing is obviously excellent, Olgierd being either hated or loved doesnt make it bad lol, its just difference in values and points of view of people, some see him as pioneer of love willing to sacrifice everything for it, with unfortunate ending truly a tragic figure, others see him as a crude persona with little to no moral standing before or after the curse, who just wanted what he wanted all else be damned. It depends on how you see it.

[@thewiedzmin6062]

I wish I could erase my memory to be able to exprience the whole Witcher again!

[@thewiedzmin6062]

If only that spoon dude called GOD was real.....

[@stevecosmolove1045]

The Wiedźmin he is real bruh, always has been

[@stevecosmolove1045]

Imagination is real and he is a figment of our imagination. And we created him from the beginning. And he has been with us from the beginning. All of this is true.

[@100Predator]

I just cant believe the graphics still look this fucking good.

[@T8-TR]

About a year later from this comment and... yeah, still pretty great looking. On max settings, it's arguably still one of the best looking open world RPGs (or games, period) we have.

[@DonDadda45]

It's 2021, 6 years after release, and the only game that managed to look better is RDR2

[@spoons250]

@@DonDadda45 I disagree whole heartedly. Ill take witchers SLIGHTLY downgraded but stable texture pack over rdr2s unstable, bouncing/flickering textures that never cache save so you have to reload them it seems every so often. The colors are washed-out and less saturated too on rdr2. The story is still moving, though.

[@noraeld5020]

Three years later and yeah it's still so good looking

[@MarkHogan994]

@@DonDadda45 Ghost of Tsushima, TLOU2 and Demon's Souls also all have better graphics than Witcher 3, so in that sense they look better (not speaking about art direction). However it's not a totally fair comparison with TLOU2 and DeS because they aren't open world. But Ghost of Tsushima and Red Dead 2 definitely beat out Witcher 3 in terms of graphics in an open world game.

[@pama2719]

The spoon has major significance in the Blood and Whine DLC where Gaunter O'dimm cursed a woman in the main quest. I wont spoil much but if you read her diaries and piece together the evidence you will see that Gaunter O'dimm is responsible for the curse.

[@F11994]

@James Moody there is wight that you need to get saliva from in the main quest for blood and wine and you can help the wight and remove her curse.

[@patrikmatousek5450]

There's a paper in the woman's house which indirectly states the curse was O'Dimm's work

[@tragedy_and_farce6488]

Great video, I absolutely love your analysis. I think it’s worth mentioning that the character of Gaunter O’Dimm is inspired by the polish legend of Pan Twardowski, a nobleman who made a deal with the devil in order to gain magical powers in exchange for his soul. Twardowski told the devil that he could only take his soul when he was in Rome, a city he never intended to visit. However, the devil tricked Twardowski into going to a bar named Rome, where he promptly harvested the man’s soul. While carrying his soul, the devil accidentally dropped it halfway to hell and Twardowski landed on the moon.

[@MioRaem]

You missed the fact that the guy the Wild Ones want to decapitate (or actually do it) is the one who slaps the woman's butt during your first encounter with Olgierd.

[@miaria2049]

MioRaem I missed that... interesting.

[@LiquidSnake1988]

How so

[@ManoVeneza]

And apparently he killed the owner of the mansion, according to the glossary.

[@DirkAustin]

Thats why i let them kill him. Sexual harassment deserve punishment.

[@ManoVeneza]

Sarah You're saying that sexual harassment should be punishable with death? A little extreme, don't you think?

[@markwells3289]

"Scenes from a Marriage" is one of the best RPG quests I have ever played.

[@CATboss001]

'Whoever dines with the devil, dines with a long spoon' That's what the spoon indicates.

[@figofagonagoitis]

He who sups with the devil should have a long spoon

[@snaker9er]

What does it mean

[@mclovinjr9086]

@@snaker9er probably something about keeping your distance?

[@snaker9er]

@@mclovinjr9086 Yeah that seems really obvious now lol

[@gygeson5888]

The spoon actually has a specific meaning. There is a saying, "he who sups with the devil should have a long spoon" which is a 14th century proverb. The basic meaning is that one should be cautious when dealing with dangerous persons or to keep the devil at a long length. Don't get too close to evil people, etc. The fact that he has a spoon throughout the DLC is pretty cool, especially when he kills the drunk with one. Lots of subtlety with this dlc. Hope that helps!

[@oliverus12]

58:00 I think the spoon is a reference to the quote: "He who soups with the devil should have a long spoon". Meaning basically that if you must interact with the devil, try and stay as far away as possible. Or in a more realistic adaptation: if you interact with bad people, try not to get influenced by them.

[@leet47]

I'm replaying Witcher 3 on my handheld Switch, and sometimes I just get teary eyed remembering what this game means to me.

[@LeviSandoval]

Ikr!!?

[@ReleaseZeKrakken]

I know it's 4 years later but I'm genuinely surprised it runs as well as it does on the switch.

[@teamrocketcircle8067]

Love the video, but a possible reason Iris's Greatest Fear was so easy is because you had it on a lower difficulty? Going through Hearts of Stone of the hardest difficulty is super difficult.

[@samuelleask1132]

I agree

[@kevinruiz1041]

Definitely. With an OP alchemy build he still whooped me on normal lol

[@thejanssen6030]

@@kevinruiz1041 The hardest part about him on Death March was trying to get all 6 activated at once. One full spin attack took out all except one of them

[@Darkpara1]

Cd Projekt Red can really write characters well.

[@nicholasortega5876]

The spoons importance basically comes from the fact that the devil is often portrayed with a spoon and the quote “He who sups with the devil should have a long spoon”

[@TonyPizzaPie]

21:38 "makes you feel like you're on a wedding in some foreign culture" me (being a Ukrainian): "yeah, seems like a legit wedding"

[@DonDadda45]

@@itisyerdad Weddings aren't like that in the Western World, they're usually way more formal and serious instead of fun like Eastern/Southern weddings.

[@dathunderman4]

@@itisyerdad because Maybe, just maybe, people are from cultures that are not like your own. I know it’s a crazy idea but there are actually people who are from a different country as you. playing with pigs at a wedding is a foreign concept to me as well

[@BlogWanderer]

long live the ataman! ;-)

[@pl-hq5hr]

@@DonDadda45 You miss alot than...

[@miosz952]

The part of the DLC that I absolutely loved was how we slowly and over time learn the terrifying true nature of Gaunter, how from some powerful, a bit funny, mysterious human, we see first how powerfull he is, then how he was ruining other peoples life's and in the end we see that he is basically a demon in human form

[@contohasmr5876]

You know what else I noticed? To lure out the toad he used blood and alcohol. Kind of like the next DLC, blood and wine.

[@livnatkris]

Few points: Open Sesame!- It's not as great as dead man party but it offers few things that work together if you play HoS during the main game (you can talk to Vasemir about the woman who sells you the witcher gear, and the additional stuff you can get in that quest are pretty cool), regarding the teams you put up to get into the house: 1. no matter what you do Eveline (the elf) will always be in your team, 2. the dwarf one can be brought without fighting him (I actually didn't know you can fight him and lose to him to get him to the team) of course when you fight him and kill him he's dead. I did enjoyed both of the options for how this quest plays out (and it changes if you go for the thief or the dwarf) , I end up killing the both brothers in one playthrough and in the next keeping one of them alive, and again this changes input from Olgierd. I think even if it was not on per as dead man party in terms of being fun and memorable, I still thought it was well thought out quest with a lot of out come (and the fact there was something I learned about this quest from this video shows it). anyway, good job on all this, I can't wait for the blood & wine vid :D

[@SpiderRodas]

Livnat Mizrahi in my playthrough Eveline bolted tho, when the guards came knocking...

[@redjakOfficial]

Shani was very well known by those who read the books or played the first Witcher game. You could even choose her over Triss.

[@austinkurth4549]

Possibly the best Short Story and definitely the best DLC I've experienced. Tragic, well paced, good themes, Top Notch Villain. Hearts of Stone is a Rare point in the industry that the DLC can sell the base game, its a must play.

[@cohitoewa]

Hey I know who outwitted Gunter. This DLC is based on Polish fairytale about Jan Twardowski, who outwitted the devil himself and got the reference straight. This DLC it’s a great tribute to Poland and its traditions - the whole wedding takes place in Bronovitz village, place that got described in a play called “Wedding” about traditional polish wedding. Also the wedding from the game, costumes and haircuts are based on traditional Polish outfits. Also layout of the village and interiors. I really enjoyed being myself a Pole and seeing all those Slavic Easter eggs placed here and there. So far - that’s was the most Slavic thing in the whole game, despite many claiming otherwise.

[@Sieuqt]

Very nice review! One of the thing that impact me the most, even though its a small detail, what proves that Olgierd still loves Iris despite his heart turning into stone is that he named his most prized belonging after her; the sword. The sword that he gave to you saying he's ready to move on. I know that its a very small detail but that was the one element that ties up the whole DLC for me.

[@Cj-xt6tv]

I’m kinda reluctant to admit I definitely shed a couple tears at the ending of the iris quest. It wasn’t full on crying but it definitely hit me

[@Alesandros356]

1:16:42 as far as i have been told, you are only given the chance to save Olgiert if you choose to visit the professor, because else you wouldn't know that you could beat Gaunter at his own game, so it's not completely without consequence to skip the optional quest.

[@stephengrant4841]

Alesandros356 youre right. He got it wrong in the video, or his game was broken

[@PewPew1234567]

It has been a few years since I actually played this, but just watching this video made me so emotional. Just unbeliavably good writing.

[@ThePunisher0995]

By the way, they call Olgierd Ataman, that is title of the leader (its how Russians call them, but in Ukraine we call them Hetman), so they are practically Cossacks like in Ukrainian time period of Ukrainian Hetmanate after the Bohdan Khmelnytsky revolt against the Polish yoke. And notice that haircut at 6:56? It's traditional cossack haircut.

[@Bolekh]

Olgierd's thugs are clearly inspired by the Cossack's, but he (Olgierd) is an archetype of a rogue Polish Nobleman. his haircut, robes, sabre and fighting technique is a reference to the 17 century noblemen. Also the "Faustian" story is rather based on the polish version, Sir Twardowski (XVI century legend).

[@Mrityugata]

+John Doe I agree about Olgierd's origins, but his robe (kontusz) doesn't say much, as it was used by both Polish and Cossacks (we're not talking about completely separate cultures after all). As for faustian legend, it also originated in the late XVI century (Goethe didn't invent it, if that's what you thought). +Святослав Хоробрий In Polish the term _ataman_ is used for Cossack commanders, _hetman_ for Polish ones (historical, that is).

[@TherBFE3000]

I bet Olgierd is inspired by main character from polish movie Potop - Kmicic (he was polish nobleman). There are quotes like during Geralt and Olgierd fiht "Would you wait sir for the dribble to subside?" (Może waść chcesz poczekać aż siąpić przestanie?) which is taken 1:1 from that movie. Even Iris name was Bilewitz and name of Kmicic beloved one was Bilewicz

[@yaajfcomments7171]

Olgierd is a mix of Kmicic, Twardowski and Faust, at least. Gaunter's nickname "Master Mirror" is from the legend of Mr. Twardowski and probably the only person that have outsmarted the Devil was Mr. Twardowski himself. The children singing about Gaunter at the beginning reminds me "A nightmare on Elm Street" and the counting rhyme about Freddy. Everything in this game is related to something in our culture, literature or language. The talk about gingerbread is good example. We didn't hear the beginning of this talk but it's almost like Gaunter is explaining "Co ma piernik do wiatraka?" ("What does gingerbread have to do with a windmill?") and his explanation - the time - is neither the real ingredient of gingerbread or the answer to that question and this dialogue has nothing to do with the rest of the story. What a coincidence!

[@S.Solmazturk]

Ataman is actually a Turkish/Turkic word. Slavs loaned it from Turkic tribes. Founder of Ottoman Empire is Ataman/Atman/Otman Bey.

[@SirThomas_II]

I loved the ways they tell you how to beat O'Dimm throughout the story. When I heard them say "Seek salvation in glass that can't be broken" so I spent the majority of the last quest running around looking for water only for me to realize after dying multiple times that I had to look for a mirror first

[@Jax_Harkness]

In the end scene of the main game (good ending) you can meet a few dwarfs who talk about Master Mirror.

[@martinjesenicnik]

I loved the deep story of this expansion, specially the mission where you go into the paintings and learn the history of both characters

[@livnatkris]

I just got into the spoon part, I just have to say "Wow" since this plays into a quest in Blood & Wine and another person effected by o'dimm!! nice I didn't even noticed it! Also: just got to the end of the vid. Shani is a char from the first witcher game, her return means a lot more to the story. About Odimm- I think the option of Saving Olgierd is only avilable if you talk to the prop (maybe the mods trigger it still, dunno), but it is not possible if you didn't talk to him before that. Odimm names comes from a legend about a devil selling mirrors, and I think in Polish his name means master of mirror, I know a lot of Europians got the idea of what he was right from his name. It has something to do with a folklore or so, so this is the source of it.

[@CRaZYLPs2508]

Shani isn't just a char from the first Witcher game, but also from the Witcher books

[@WanderfalkeAT]

Despite the fact that she was a frontline medic student at that time and had no contact with the witcher - Yes she is a book character! Nice to see someone who also read the books and is not creating some Story ark out of nothing! I do not want to call names, Poo...Couch, Couch!

[@calonkat]

She did have "contact" with Geralt in the books! She was asked by Dandelion to pass on a message to Geralt, and when Dandelion tracked Geralt down, he interrupted them in bed! To be followed shortly by Philippa Eilhart (it was a very crowded attic room by that point).

[@chronowyrd8418]

Him saying “Gunter” O’ Dimm hurts my soul

[@MT_199]

Oh man, I just love Shani. I wish there was an ending where Geralt will actually go with Shani, help her with her profession, putting his anatomic knowledge to use. #fortheplayer

[@dr-mon-v3i]

Shani is little bit like a highschool girlfriend :d

[@dkarlovi]

I think the mirror bit is basically just Gaunter inflicting *us* on our selves, ie. he uses our own words and actions to harm us, by which casting a (twisted) reflection on them. He doesn't summon beasts or monsters to defeat us, it's always ourselves.

[@GeraltORivia]

9:46 That whole cutscene with Geralt preparing the lure and sitting there for hours to be awoken by the rats felt like something taken straight out of the books, it was so good.

[@drewengel7073]

The main problem with the expansion is that as much as I felt sorry for Olgierd at the end of the DLC, the memory of that stupidly tough Frog Prince fight, made me say, "you know what I want some revenge on this guy for that miserable experience." But still, I was conflicted about my decision more than I would generally be.

[@markozerdin9784]

Honestly, I feel you. I felt the exact same thing

[@RadagonTheRed]

Just for the record it’s *Ofieri* not _OLfieri_ as pronounced in this video starting around 12:24 and furthermore its *GAUNTER* not _GUNTER._ It’s not an issue of accent, these are names and therefore have only one correct pronunciation.

[@LorwynAR]

Olgierd didnt curse prince intentionaly. He just spoke in anger (it's said in the game). He didnt know what he was doing even when he accepted deal with Gaunter, him studying black magic came later, he was trying to wiggle out of contract.

[@pawe1721]

That's not true. You can't save Olgier if you don't speak previously with that Profesor inside Oxenfurt university.

[@Rivet0153]

I just finished Hearts Of Stone and wanted a refresher of the play through and a more in depth explanation of the story. Amazing video!

[@raffy9841]

I just finished this dlc expansion. When I first played I thought it would be about us trying to lift the prince after the toad flees the fight. Then we ended up killing the prince, and having the dlc being about paying a debt to the mirror guy from the beginning of the frickin game. A character that I met so many hours ago in a tavern that I didn't think would be important after that point of the story. Really great story expansion with memorable moments like the wedding and iris von everec whole story.

[@anthonybarnes706]

Honestly probably one of the pound for pound best stories I’ve ever experienced playing a video game. Small and concise yet rich and intriguing.

[@Alpysf]

The scenes from a marriage quest is probably my favorite “game” I’ve ever played. I’d played a lot of games, specially story driven ones, and witcher 3 had been the best of them so far. But this DLC, and specially this part of it, was definitely the best thing I’ve ever played. It was the only thing I consider to be as good as AC II.

[@matejpotrusil1464]

You missed the point with the hearth of stone. Olgierd wished to be immortal among other wishes (it was phrased differently in game). Gaunter granted him the wish in his own twisted way, by turning his hearth into stone. "Be carefull what you wish for or it might be granted" is kinda a theme throughout the books aswell. Geralt bounds his fate to Yennefer so he can save her life, his wish is granted in form of their twisted relationship.

[@smartbluecat]

Fantastic analysis of a fantastic DLC. Bravo.

[@TheDragonfly256]

When Geralt ask Gunter what is he, and he says you dont want to know, I got chills on my neck.

[@papag1196]

Holy fuck thank you for bringing up the song with the children. Thats the coolest shit ever

[@mahdinner]

The spoon is a reference to the saying: "He who sups with the devil should have a long spoon." It's another reference to reinforce the idea that Gaunter is the devil or a Faustian demon.

[@Resin311]

i have trouble watching this. just due to that hairstyle. that is not geralt anymore

[@MasterRoyalSnow]

Catlin Herd it's literally the worst haircut you could possibly choose from 🙃 good lord looks like emo Geralt.

[@K1NG_of_ReVeNGe1]

And the fact that he has bad armor.

[@sjoerdm3555]

It,s probably the fault of that stupid ass hole Vladimir. He changed Gerald haircut when he took possession of his body. He also bet all your money, I'm glad his brother got him killed.

[@-hasamastersdegreeinwumbol8565]

@@sjoerdm3555 vlodimir was awesome, lol! Never changed my hairstyle. He shaved geralts beard, but, I had planned to shave it already, so... and he didn't lose a cent of my money because I'm just that good. I think all of those things that happened to you are mainly your fault.

[@deusexbaby5555]

Nah I prefer that hairstyle. To me the full hair is weird.

[@Herr_Gamer]

One piece of heavy foreshadowing you missed: on the lake, in the boat with Shani, she says "row me to the moon". Geralt chuckles at how ridiculous that sounds. However, she then points to the lake and days something like "look, it's right there on the lake!". Now think about this and then about the ending and you'll know what I mean

[@xeagaort]

*Joel cared so much about ELLIE that he would’ve damned the whole world to save her. Corrected your mistake

[@Liamjlm]

sussus amogus! 😳

[@donwild50]

I love the wedding for a lot of reasons, but at the end of the DLC I realized the wedding contains a very subtle foreshadowing of how the DLC can end. Oddly enough, it's during the love scene on the boat under the full moon...moon, reflection, ...mirroring. Won't go any further cause I don't want to spoil anything but wanted to mention it because it illustrates just how wonderfully CD Projekt Red constructs its stories. Looking forward in any story you can miss things like this; looking back you sometimes wonder how you missed them. Lovely writing.

[@TK-sn3rx]

There's something seriously magical about the Witcher 3, CD Projekt Red nailed it. And contrary to most games the dlc's are at least as good as the main story. It's almost impossible for me to choose which story I like better because they're all so perfectly written while still being drastically different.

[@ΚώσταςΧρήστου-ξ3ρ]

The fight vs the distorted Olgierd is pretty hard on Death's March, since he does a kind of attack that one shots you or stuns you if you have shield on and the monsters attack two at once.

[@cavsasvi]

Grandmothers and mother's tell their children in Poland, not stare for to long in the mirror, because they will see the devil.

[@youshallnotpass2156]

cavsasvi why should anyone tell something horrible like that to children?!?

[@cavsasvi]

You shall not pass! Yeah I was a bit afraid as a child. But you find stuff like that in Grimm's fairy tales.

[@zamaskowany12]

You shall not pass! My grandmother never said anything like that to me

[@kh4lex259]

Which is somewhat true tho... Stare long enough to mirror without blinking and your brain will do some weird stuff with your face.

[@noamias4897]

Kh4lex especially when it’s dark, I did this once when I was really tired and I looked fucking terrifying

[@eklezia2829]

Today marks the 5th anniversary of Hearts of Stone. I still haven't played the better story in any game, let alone DLC. Simply Masterpiece.

[@jonathann4280]

46:02 - “They come from the same realm as the undertaker.” *WWE Music plays*

[@FaerieDust]

Oh wow, I hadn't picked up on the spoon theme - that's repeated in Blood and Wine, too! Very cool detail, even if I have no idea of the mystical significance of spoons...

[@hassamkkkk5721]

It's clear you missed a lot of things in the dlc , olgried was lost didn't know what to do so he met up with a witch who told him that master mirror will help him marry iris , so he met master mirror at the crossroads and made a deal (he did not summon him though) , master mirror promised him wealth and fortune (didn't say anything about his life being destroyed or him having a heart of stone) he himself even said that him having a heart of stone was a SIDE EFFECT, so it wasn't in any way his fault because he didn't know he will have a heart of stone , but what I don't understand is that the people who say he's evil rather side with the fucking devil than with him (the victim of the devil) what? y'all are idiots PS master mirror is NOT in any way human (so he didn't "gain" this power nor was he an actual merchant of mirror before having it as you suggested ) , the professor said that he roamed earth for THOUSANDS of years , humans came to earth only 1500 years ago before the main story , so it's clear he's not in any way human , the only reasonable explanation is that he's truly the devil , because his presence is simply out of place in the witcher lore (because no other creature is any way near him , the closest are the djins and they still aren't that close to being as powerful)

[@onebuffalo5402]

Cause Master Mirror never lies to you or deceives you at all. He blunt and honest about everything to you (unless you challenge him then he kinda cheats with the mirrors quest; personally Id have prefered if there was a clue in his riddle that hinted to a water reflection being the right answer. That way it doesnt feel as if he was cheating rather misleading you). Is he the personification of evil? Perhaps, but as we're shown he keeps his word as long as you keep yours. Grant it I wanted the bad ass sword from olgierd so i defeated him but i woulda rather preferred to let him win. Especially cause he basically threatened geralt when hes banished to his dimension.

[@hassamkkkk5721]

One Buffalo He never lies , that’s true , but he does trick , he promises people wealth and power and happiness , and gives them that , but with side effects and tweaks that will ultimately destroy their lives , he then arrives at the end , takes the souls and goes on his marry way , because that is his goal , every single contract will end with him getting a soul , the destruction of the people’s lives are just entertainment for him really It is very arguable that he only does that to bad people (olgierd was a mercenary , the woman from blood and wine was arrogant and greedy) But I don’t think that , he certainly didn’t mind sticking a spoon into a random homeless guy’s brain for merely annoying him for seconds He is the personification of evil , he’s not exactly the devil sure , it is obvious that he is a creature from the “outer sphere” (a very mysterious realm mentioned in bits here and there, the realm that the cat and the dog / the caretaker are most likely from, and of course many other creatures of all sorts) A journal entry says (Of all the beings inhabiting the Outer Spheres, the spirits of the elementals are the most foreign to human nature. They possess a will of their own and are intelligent, though not in the way of men. For there is no way to fathom their drives and intentions.) Also a very underrated book , in the blood and wine dlc called (between worlds) mentions an ancient rather familiar story that happened on a different plane (In a plane not unlike our own there once lived a ruler named Azgaryk. When he was an old man, he fell ill. He felt that he would soon die, so he summoned an evil spirit - Marbas - and made a deal with him. Azgaryk would live until his son came of age and ascended to the throne. 10 years passed. Azgaryk died, and next to his body Marbas appeared and turned to the heir to the throne: "Your father promised me something. Now you must pay his debt." "And just what did my father receive from you in return?" asked the heir. "And what do I owe?" "Your life," said Marbas, and cut the heir's throat with his claw. The boy had not yet died when Marbas opened a gate to another plane. Out of it came a mercenary army, with the evil spirit Berith marching at its head.) Very obviously that ol’buddy o’dimm is marbas , I sincerely doubt this story is actually true , because it continues on , and it ends with marbas trapped in a tower surrounded by the countless dead bodies of the people of that realm , it is most likely fake and an exaggeration, but it does mention him in a different form he is surely the most powerful in that realm , he roamed the earth / other planets, appears in all cultures , to all intelligent creatures in different names, appearances, but always as evil in someway I even doubt he even needs souls , i think the mirror act is just fun for him Is he honest , sure , but he is a trickster as well, and he always exploits honestly and truthfulness to get what he wants , and he made that clear in his encounter with geralt in the inn

[@sweynskarilsen9105]

@@onebuffalo5402 I usually let him kill olgeird, the saddle you get from the I wanna be fast wish is an amazing saddle and is also the best in the game whereas the sword isn't as good once you level up.

[@davidbreuer7446]

@@onebuffalo5402 Of course he lies, but not as obviously tho. "once we step on the moon"... there's a HUGE difference between the moon and the ground. He plays with semantics and linguistics in general, that's how he lies

[@onebuffalo5402]

@@davidbreuer7446 thats not a lie, thats a matter of semantics. You perceive "the moon" as meaning the physical moon (which he never explicitly states). instead of anything representative of the moon. It was technically the truth

[@Milankina]

2021 here, first played the expansion. I was shocked! I have studied literature at uni and I think the inspiration for Gaunter is Mephistopheles, the devil who seduces Fausto into selling his soul to him in exchange for everything he desires, and he follows the same path as Olgrid. It’s just… so we’ll made and fascinating. The environment, the art, the dialogue, the voices, even the archetypes of the devil and the scholar who ends up delving with the dark arts. The analysis was fantastic. Thank you! :)

[@navarro4043]

This expansion was fucking fantastic, they somehow made it better than every single story in a game ever and this is just a fucking expansion! Hell it even surpasses the main game's story in some ways and has a way better villain which is Gaunter O dimm, doing something like this is almost impossible with most games and CDPR proved it is possible, great analysis :)

[@nghtspawn651]

You can find Gaunter O’ Dimm throughout the main story, stalking you throughout the story and dialogue cutscenes.

[@Burrdmizzle]

This was my favorite amongst the three Wild Hunt and Blood and Wine included

[@alexwalters9173]

Appreciate your opinion, however, my ending she gave up her rose to give Olgierd. Olgierd had immense regret upon presented with the rose. She died for him.

[@retsila4750]

I really liked the heist mission. It was just really fun and then at the end it was kinda cool.

[@RipperMatricus]

at that time with Gaunter o' Dimm we had that impending feeling throughout the game ... be careful what you wish for! - now with a few years in retrospect and multiple playthroughs later, the whole concept of Gaunter o' Dimm developed (for me at least) into a very special case of : he who studies evil, will be studied by evil! This character sents me shivers down my spine like no other antagonist has ever since.

[@looming_]

Can't believe you didn't include the "Hee haaw" ass sound the people at the wedding make to poke fun at geralt. That cracked me up hard.

[@Kelseysophia]

The kids singing at the crossroads during the day are already there before you even begin the DLC..

[@michaelp9061]

i usually come back to revisit this master piece of game review. well done

[@deniahmetaj]

Van der Knoob and Longendjik. Such a simple pun, yet so funny