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

[@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

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@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?

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@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

[@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

[@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”

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@Jax_Harkness]

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

[@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.

[@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!

[@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.

[@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.

[@itsforbiddensoul8797]

I think he's named master mirror just based on the song the children sing. Gaunter comes to those who wish fortune of their own and he gives them what they wish for not what they want. The wishes he makes for his victims aren't perfect wishes but rather twisted version to reflect on the beholder who is making the wish. Gaunter wants you to wish for whatever you seek so he can give a twisted reflection on what it is you wanted. His other name hourglass can symbolize the cost for his services because once gaunter grants each of your wishes your time in this world comes closer to an end. Other perspective Gaunter O Dimm-G.O.D, master mirror-mirror of God the devil, hourglass-end of your lifetime/the one who brings end and death.

[@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.

[@toallin5146]

You put so much effort in these videos, it's impressive!

[@smartbluecat]

Fantastic analysis of a fantastic DLC. Bravo.

[@joshuagerber7824]

imo the gingerbread-time thingy was a hint for what gunter is capable of since he can controle time

[@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

[@magi74567]

Iris knew that Olgierd made the contract with Master Mirror. She states "she curses the day that she heard of him," when you choose the dialog options "he faces a powerful foe" in the painted world.

[@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.

[@linhza501]

Still can't believe that both DLCs only costs $30 in total, with how much quality and content they have.

[@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.

[@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.

[@oriarditi435]

This is without a doubt one of the best videos I’ve seen on KZbin, I can’t even start to imagine the amount of work you did for this video to become what it is. Even after two years you get a big fat like and subscribe from me !!!! Keep up the good work and I hope to see more videos like this when Cyberpunk 2077 will finely comes out

[@elijahmontgomery4146]

I love the reference to Vincent Van Gough's Starry night. It's the little things.

[@Liamjlm]

Van Gogh * , BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA, GOT THE SPELLING WRONG

[@Osafune2]

Gaunter O’Dimm is clearly a nod to Randall Flagg of Stephen King’s mythos. One of his aliases is Walter O’Dim and he pops up in various forms throughout many different King stories. I like to think maybe Randall Flagg made his way to the Witcher world

[@temisthoughtsemporium]

Someone else might have said this, but the spoon thing you mentioned could be linked to Blood and Wine when you have to go and find a spotted wight who has a curse and an obsession with finding the perfect spoon. It’s later revealed in a letter that this curse was placed on her by a beggar who sold mirrors... aka Gaunter O’Dimm

[@platonios4666]

I think the Gingerbread Discussion is a reference to O'Dimms time-control capabilities. He even said once that he enjoys playing with time at some point I think.

[@lordofchaosinc.261]

The problem with these videos is they make me wanna drop what I'm playing right now and reinstall TW3 instead.

[@Liamjlm]

I CAN'T BELIEVE THE IMPOSTER IS SO SUS!!! 😳

[@redeyedzhaan]

A nice detail: the hawk statue at the auction is a clear reference to the Maltese Falcon.

[@speedy7040]

If you dismatle it , you have a new treasure quest.

[@furioni333]

I can explain the importance of spoons. Not sure if you'll read it, or if someone else explained it as its an old vid. Well, spoons are used to ward off demons in slavic circles. Especially silver ones. However, it could be said that G.O.D does not fear such things, him specifically choosing that item indicates he has something to do with demons.

[@tnm1697]

For the record Shani isn’t just a random woman but an important character from the first Witcher game and in the book “Lady of The Lake” and is a fond figure of his past

[@franspai7415]

The point of the optional part of the quest to meet the professor is that if you don't see him before you won't have an option to save Olgierd.

[@exmerion]

The gunter o-dimm theme actually plays after a quest in Blood and wine. probably because you are cleaning up his handiwork

[@PolishGod1234]

The story of Hearts of Stone alone makes this expansion a 10/10 imo.

[@Cruxxy21]

I do enjoy these videos. Anyhoo: Re: Spoon. I think his spoons also kinda reflect his title of master mirror. You can see someone in both sides if you polish them a lot, but obviously the reflection is distorted... You could also argue that the shape of a spoon also partly reflects how he operates. The larger outer-side distorts you, but also could represent the buffs he presents, but the smaller inner part is what’s at stake. Or it’s reversed. I sorta picture it like this: “there’s two sides to every coin” (same for every deal/bargain). But the unique shape of the spoon still has two sides.. but they’re not equal. The price you ultimately pay will outweigh what you gained. Still, he is a really intriguing and unique character.

[@brovahkiin4302]

I liked hearts of stone but I prefer blood and wine for the gorgeous change of scenery and the longer gameplay plus the added content (I.e. all the Witcher gear). The HoS main quests were amazing though, loved the heist especially

[@nicklaskowalski]

Giving someone a chance to redemption should always be considered the “best” outcome!

[@dragonrider4339]

What you missed is the best way to go about this is to challenge Gunter save your soul and van everichs because during this option is The only way to get the viper steel sword diagram or the viper silver sword diagram.. you cant get this is in any other matter… its along the route you have to run to get to Gunter in the mirror ..

[@Johnnythefirst]

He's called master mirror, probably because that's exactly what he holds up in front of you to lure you in. He makes you see what you want to see, makes you get what you wished for, but it's all mirrors and mirages... no?

[@mrbarefootbogan6254]

Honestly you really missed a lot of notes in this expansion.

[@Liamjlm]

IKR?!?!?! WHEN THE IMPOSTER IS SUS! 😳

[@imadeamistake1712]

Aha, Gaunter’s gingerbread recipe is an analogy for Olgierd’s heart. Which has become “hard as stone” over a long time of immortality. Yet he’s still human so there’s still some part of him that’s ‘soft’. Gaunter is basically describing how he’s going to enjoy taking his soul which has hardened over time, it’s pretty creepy when you think about it.

[@connorgrissett972]

Obviously I'm late, but I feel as though he is the "master of mirrors" or "mirror merchant" because he considers his contracts as a sort of mirror for people to see who they really are, deep down. I think it's a bit of a metaphor.

[@georgschutze9274]

I believe it’s good that you can romance Shani irrespective of giving her the „correct“ gift. Making it so that there is a „correct“ gift would essentially gamify love and romance and could be read as conveying the message that sex or intercourse is something that’s given in exchange for other (material) things. It’s Shani‘s choice to sleep with Geralt and not a strict consequence of pressing the right buttons

[@lea5254]

absolutly loved Dead Man's Party quest

[@commanderpoppinfresh5288]

His smile fair as spring, as towards him he draws you. His tongue sharp and slivery, as he implores you Your wishes he grants as he swear to adore you Gold, silver, jewels, He lays riches before you Dues need be repaid and will come for you All to reclaim No smile to consale you He'll snare you in bonds Eyes glowing afire To gore and torment you Till the stars expire...

[@krk5770]

Probably every Pole knows exactly on which characters Olgierd is based, so choosing not to save him can be done only for curiousity or by beeing a piece of schit But for everyone else it may not be obvious choice

[@Alux-jp7jm]

Is it a coincidence that on the notice board in the first mission (where you get the contract to kill the frog prince), Geralt reads out a notice about someone needing a 'beau' to accompany them to a friends wedding and Shani later says in Dead Man's Party that it's a friends wedding she is going to and later talks about how she doesn't have a 'beau', using the same wording?

[@amandaannamalid7065]

It’s intentional. You can ask Shani if it was her that posted the notice after she asks you to accompany her to the wedding:)

[@NishMiller]

I noticed that after I saw Olgierds’ contract, everywhere I went, those 4 kids who sang that Gaunter o dim song kept showing up randomly in the villages I visited olgierd

[@centurion3345]

fun fact at 6:14 , 33:59 you can see Gaunter O´dimm watching you in the background...

[@cscearce2000]

It’s so fucking well written it made me emotional when I was 16 in highschool, and it still makes me emotional when I’m 21 in the military. (Also Iris is the reason I have an affinity for goth girls w/ black hair.)

[@FOTON_FOREVER]

I have played many games during my life ( starting back in 1997 when i was but a mere 3 years old ), and in all this time there were 2 fictional characters that really rocked my world and made me wanna have their heads rolling on the floor, and i guess that with me feeling like that is a proof that they did what their creator intended them to do, now to name those 2 characters! Their names are Hermaeus Mora and Gaunter O'Dimm.

[@TheMovieslingers]

Gaunter O'Dimm sounds like Walter o'Dim from The Dark Tower and other Stephen King books. He's a master manipulator and is incredibly powerful. The name at least sounds like its a reference to that.

[@Sparkball]

Scenes from a marriage might be the greatest quest I’ve ever played in a game and how about the voice acting for Olgeird von Everec. Open sesame was the worst quest in the dlc but it was still decent. Loved the caretaker battle

[@raycom201]

I know this has been published three years by now, but I might as well tell you and anyone else this. When confronting the suicidal dwarf, you could just use the axii dialouge option to make him come down and there will be no fight.

[@sethadams4165]

My analysis of irises biggest fear was that, while yes she was afraid of the monster olgeard had become, her biggest fear was the fear of him leaving..the fear of being alone. As shown by the letter garelt reads stating that olgeard was leaving and wished the best for her. This is powerful in its own right, as people we often clutch to things that are not heathy for us, in fear. This is equally prevalent in relationships, many people never speak of an abusive relationship, in many cases this is because they fear being alone more than the person they are In the relationship with. Even in the end iris did not want to let go of the rose as in some way it was the last bit of olgeard she had and without it she would have been completely alone. You can experience an absurd amount of things in life, but in the end, what are experiences if not shared with others.

[@Roid25Rage]

This expansion was the first time I ever played a game where it felt right for me to choose the "bad" ending. Not because it would give me a special item, not because I was on a Renegade playthrough where my actions were predetermined as evil before I even knew what choices the game would give me, but because the game actually created a story where it felt right to pick this action. I chose to let O'Dimm kill Olgierd because O'Dimm felt like someone you did not want to be involved with. When he gave me a wish afterwards I denied it because that went with the theme of the story, be careful what you wish for, so I chose not to wish for anything. I didn't let Olgierd die because I wanted a wish granted, but because it felt right. Gaunter was a shady, unknown figure that would still exist no matter what I did, so at least I could rid the world of one of them. I wouldn't even describe it as the "bad" ending because unlike the base game and B&W the player gets a direct choice, and if its the ending you wanted, then is it really bad? Of course right after I reloaded and played the other ending, but I continued to Blood and Wine with my original decision because that is what felt right. I both like and dislike Olgierd. I like his true self, but dislike the person he became and what he did to start his transformation. He got what was coming to him, so I followed the advice of Iris's companions, "Stand in (O'Dimm's) way, and you'll meet a fate worse than death," and decided not to put Geralt's fate in Gaunter's crosshairs just to save someone who doesn't necessarily deserve to be saved. But that doesn't mean I don't feel remorseful. There are times when I ask myself if it was truly the right decision. This internal debate I have with myself way after I completed this expansion just shows how good the story really is. I played the expansion late and wasn't expecting too much going in because it's been overshadowed by Blood and Wine, but Hearts of Stone is truly remarkable.

[@solitary2]

Vlodimir was by far my favorite part of the entire DLC. That and getting Olgierd’s sword

[@crok8349]

Did you get the silver sword from the gaunter's shadow realm? It's there somewhere I remember. Viper venomous silver sword.

[@KaiSaeren]

I always took Olgierd losing his emotions as sort of side effect if the wishes, I mean he wished for several things that go against being a human right, I mean he is immortal and all that, much like old beings cant really enjoy things the same way as young ones can. Becoming immortal took away what made him human, even before his soul his humanity was the cost for the deal with the devil.

[@felisasininus1784]

Those are halflings, not dwarves, dwarves are bearded, even females. What a shameful display!

[@PolishGod1234]

I feel like Witcher 3 is 4 games in one : 1-Wild hunt 2-Gwent 3-Hearts of stone 4-Blood and Wine. And they are all fucking brilliant.

[@philippplein4974]

You totally forgot the Professor Oxenfurt Acadamy part. Where he explains How gaunter odimm is pure evil

[@philippplein4974]

Never mind lol

[@w.d.g.]

five years ago... this video was made. Did Luke even read my comment?

[@zilentis1835]

i think iris's greatest fear took its form like that because she was afraid of the Heart of Stone and she still loved the"old" olgierd

[@SupremeDP]

I have to say that the Hearts of Stone bosses were the best in the whole game. Dettlaff was good and everything, but the Caretaker and the Olgierd Nightmare are imho the best fights the game has to offer, specially in Death March. And though the Toad is just annoying, the Ofieri wizard is also quite nice. I am saying this as a huge Souls fan, since I was pretty underwhelmed by most if not all bosses in the base game. This DLC brought some really creative and nice stuff to the table.

[@stephenrochester6309]

I kept Iris alive in the hope she could be reunited with Olgierd. I told Olgierd she was waiting for him and then at the end… he walks off into the sunset by himself. My only upset with the entire game. And yes, I did only just play this game for the first time. £7 on Steam sale including all DLCs!

[@fpsmeter]

1:15:30 - person who had best the devil was Twardowski. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_Twardowski again, a reference to a polish legend about a nobleman who signed pact with the devil but eventually was able to get away with it :)

[@Capm0rg3n]

They also sing that song after you retrieve the flower from vons wife it makes it real creepy id say

[@shabbychurl789]

I loved this video! really in depth analysis, really well thought out. I just wanted to say that I belive that Olgierd is a really well written character BECAUSE people cannot decide whether they should love or hate him. Mark Rosewater, Head Designer for Magic The Gathering said in his GDC speech two or three years ago that it is better to design cards that some people really love and some really hate than cards that all people just find okay. If you want to get strong emotions out of your player base you have to design stuff that does the first. With Olgierd we obviously have the first case and that is in my mind evidence for him being really well written.

[@Pokerface-tr1ds]

Well... I had my Witcher Armors and Swords of all Schools fully upgraded at the time Hearts of Stone came out. Let's see: I had the Armor and Swords of the School of Wolf equipped and my build was a mix between Swordplay and Alchemy, meaning I was able to injest TRHEE Decoctions without having to worry about the level ot Toxicity in Geralt's Body. I made quick work of the Toad beneath Oxenfurt without breaking a sweat :)

[@traetonjarvis8748]

Gaunter O dimm cursed the woman in blood and wine to turn into a wight and her curse had spoons involved.

[@SnarkyLesbian]

[...] then you have to break your lock on from the Caretaker. Your what? Ooooh, lock on, the thing you never every use when playing on PC because you have a mouse. On PC you turn around and just hit the specters, Geralt automatically strikes enemies close to you / in the center of the screen. Quite effectively as well.

[@mateomejia7889]

Mirror because his punishments and the terrible things he does to those people reflect the person they are and shows their true flaws. He’s not evil he shows the evil in others and reflects it back onto them 10 fold.

[@felisasininus1784]

Master Mirror is hands down one of the best villains in any entertainment media ever, he’s right up there with the Joker from Dark Kinght and he’s infinitely more terrifying.

[@TheHigherSpace]

Oh sure give a second chance in life to someone who sacrificed his own brother knowingly to get a woman (who didn't agree to run out with him) .. And the worst part, you get to meet his brother who is in LOVE with Olgried and respects him ... if only he knew ... The shit Olgried did BEFORE he got a heart of stone is terrible enough ... I would have stopped O'dimm at the end if there was an option "wait before you take his soul, let me try this new ability whirl on him, see how it goes" ..

[@Wicked061]

I have always looked at Gaunter as the DM of the witcher world.

[@tyhy1]

this was pretty good, but you did forget about Gerald as a character

[@xenexix7072]

The Significance of Spoon was revealed in Blood & Wine.

[@lustinlis413]

Btw the comment Shani say in the boat to drive her to the moon... is not random its there for a reason !

[@seanlunt6593]

I took gaunter talking about time is because he can control it! But great vid!!

[@breakmanradio2530]

13:00 "He declines to explain why he's on the ship and how he hasn't been caught yet." What do you mean he declines to explain how he hasn't been caught yet?

[@omorgan8999]

I took the bit where he was talking about ginger bread as a sign of him being all knowing.

[@Sartyra]

Your next critique could be Nier: Automata maybe ?

[@Soviless99]

I thought it would of been really emotional if olgeir broke down and cried when his heart came back realizing his beloved is dead

[@RadioactiveLobster]

Liked the video. Other than the fact it drove me nuts every time you pronounced it "Gunter O'Dimm" instead of "Gaunter O'Dimm'

[@chandrasivaram]

At 33:11 , for Casimir, you can use Axii to calm down, always keep lvl 3 Axii in Character screen. today I completed Hearts of Stone story and want to see your review.

[@QuaziIrtiza]

Nice name

[@vishren]

Omg, another one... wedding plot was a drag? This is one of the most mature, lovely, though out and once again lovely story about relationships in the history of video games. And Shani is simply AMAZING character, especially if you finished Witcher 1.