Blood and Wine — The Second Expansion to The Wild Hunt
Part 3 — Indulgence and Chivalry
Blood and Wine (“BW“) is the second expansion to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (“The Base Game“) which released on 31 May 2016. Canonically set after the events of the Base Game, BW takes Geralt of Rivia to the lush and indulgent land of Toussiant on the pretext of a contract issued by the monarch of the region, Anna Henrietta to investigate the murder of two knights. It is a tale of vampires, curses, Wolfs in Knight’s clothing and the true virtues of Chivalry making it a fitting way to end the journey of our battle-worn Witcher, Geralt. Plus, we are gifted a vineyard by the Duchess, so that’s always a good thing.
In my previous reviews of the Base Game and the Hearts of Stone expansion, I left out a major discussion which I felt better belonged under over here. That is the description of the World of the Witcher 3. I don’t mean the lore behind it, but the graphics and visuals in-game of the various cities and locations you visit. This is primarily because it would not be a stretch for me to say that the world of the Witcher 3 is one of the most beautiful fantasy worlds I have ever experienced in a video game, and Toussaint from BW stands head and shoulders above the rest of the locations within this world. Far from the war-torn areas of Novigrad, Velen, White Orchid and the Skellige Isles of the Base Game and its first expansion, Toussiant is lush and breathtaking. The Fortress City of Beauclair is a marvel to behold and the first time you ride into Toussiant you are immediately transported to a fantastical medieval French countryside. Everything about Toussiant is more radiant and bright compared to its grimy counterparts in the rest of the game.
From Gold and Verdant plains to a magnificently built capital city to its gorgeous vineyards and vistas, Toussaint truly is a land of luxury and decadence. In stark contrast to the muddy and murky streets of Novigrad and Kear Morhen, Beauclair is fantastical and advanced. Lush fountains and luxurious architecture dot the capital city befitting its name as the most mesmerizing fortress on the Continent. Even the crystal clear shores of Toussiant put the Skellige isles to shame with its vibrancy and, for the lack of a better word, its cleanliness. The pristine existence of Toussiant during a war for the continent waging just outside its borders also creates the basis for discrimination within Toussiant. The members of the Duchy view outsiders coming in from Velen and Novigrad as savages and naves who wouldn’t know civilization if it pommeled them in the face. All in all, I absolutely adore Toussiant and everything it offers.
You can experience BW at any time so long as you meet its level cap requirements. I myself played the Witcher 3 at the Death March difficulty that is as horrifying in its difficulty as it sounds. But as a seasoned Dark Souls player, BW offered a fascinating amount of challenge. BW adds well over 20 hours of gameplay just from the main story alone and with the additional treasure hunts and side quests you can spend a lot of time in Toussaint. Arguably, BW also has some of the best Character building moments for Geralt and offers players various opportunities to decide just what kind of person they want Geralt to be. The vagueness of that claim aside, a lot of the best moments of BW are spoilers to the story of the expansion and so I will try and explain why I loved BW as much as possible without spoiling the story.
The Story
As mentioned earlier, Blood and Wine follows our titular Witcher, Geralt of Rivia to the magnificent plains of Toussiant in search of a beast that has rumored to have killed two knights of the Duchy of Toussiant, a vassal to the Nilfgardian Empire. While investigating this contract, Geralt is surprised to find out that the quest giver is none other than the duchess herself, Anna Henrietta. A figure that the fans of The Witcher novels will be very familiar with. Upon investigating further, Geralt realizes that the “beast of Beauclair” is a Higher Vampire, beings that have lived for centuries due to their superior strength and resilience. Geralt tries to confront the Vampire, Dettlaff in an attempt to understand why he is targeting Knights only to stumble upon his third victim. Dettlaff claims that someone he loves has been taken from him and that these knights were somehow responsible for it. Before Dettlaff can lunge at Geralt and kill him, an old friend of Geralt’s, Regis Godefroy shows up and saves him. (Readers of the books will know Regis’s fate, but for the sake of the game it appears Dettlaff had a hand in his appearance here). What follows is a tale of deception, death and royal pride the likes of which I had never expected from the world of The Witcher. For the sake of spoilers, I won’t mention more about the story of Blood and Wine, but I will talk about it in future articles.
I absolutely loved the story. It was incredibly well written and paced and I felt the weight of every one of my decisions. The added fact that the atmosphere of the world changes depending on your decisions (such as the sky turning red the more times you made a ruthless choice or the sky turning blue when you make a passive or “good” choice) made it even more memorable. With three possible outcomes to the story, you can be sure I played all three. Each time I experienced the story in a completely different way. To cap it all off, just like in the books, Regis Godefroy is by far one of the best characters in the world of The Witcher. In Blood and Wine especially, there were moments that I liked Regis more than Geralt, and considering Geralt is my favorite video game protagonist, that is saying something. Jan Frycz‘s performance as Regis is exceptional and the character’s sense of humor and wit is second to none. MyAnna Buring as Anna Henrietta was also a treat, bringing the charismatic monarch of Beauclair to life.
For all its twists and turns, the story of Blood and Wine was exceptional and the core theme of Chivalric virtues and their satirical realties was brilliant to watch and play through. By the end of the story, I would be surprised if you can walk out believing that every decision you made was the right one, as, in true Witcher fashion, there is never a right answer. Even the ending that sees the fairytale “happily ever after” vibe set in was achieved at the expense of one of the main characters of the story making it bittersweet at best. And if you end up down the “bad” ending choices… let’s just say it isn’t for the faint of heart.
Chivalric Virtues, as mentioned earlier are at the center of everything in Beauclair and Toussiant as a whole. Blood and Wine explore the deep-rooted misconceptions these virtues have created and try to tell a story that makes your Geralt, the main tool that lays down the standards for these virtues. Every character you meet during Blood and Wine judges you based on your adherence to “their” idea of chivalry and it is up to you and your choices to decide what chivalry means to you. A relevant point to note however is that Chivalry in Blood and Wine is defined as the original meaning of the term and not the colloquial version we see in daily life. It is the set of rules and codes that Knights of a Kingdom follow in furtherance of their duty. Sympathy, Valor, Honor, Generosity and Wisdom are the five virtues the characters in the game ascribe to Chivalry. And throughout your time in Toussiant, the side quests you complete ticking a box in any one of these five virtues. However, depending on your choices, you could end up losing points too. Although these points you accumulate do not change the base story of the game all that much, they are instead counted towards acquiring one of the game’s most powerful weapons. Which in itself is a nod to the Excalibur from the tales of King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable. (The sword, Aerondight is actually given to you by the Lady of the Lake. How cool it that?!)
After experiencing on of the three endings you are treated with a final scene back in your vineyard in which you reunite with your love interest from the base game (or if you choose neither or both) with Cirilla and you share a final conversation with them. Personally, I felt the ending where you share a drink with Regis to be a far more fitting end to the game and the series as a whole, and this final meeting at your vineyard to be a cherry on top so to speak. Nonetheless, it was satisfying and I had a great time throughout.
The Gameplay
The gameplay of Blood and Wine remains largely the same. There are a couple of new features and gameplay systems introduced such as a new mutations system which allows you to upgrade your basic magical spells to create a build that is more in line with your playstyle. From being able to freeze your enemies completely to exploding them from within, the opportunities are endless. Gwent, the card mini-game, also sees some improvements with the addition of new cards and status effects. The opponents in Toussiant are actually quite high levelled and beating them takes some trial and error. Even with every card in the game, I found myself struggling to beat some characters.
Additionally, Blood and Wine introduces a Grandmaster Smith who can craft Grandmaster Witcher armors, which are the strongest in the game. Each armor gains additional rune slots and it makes them significantly stronger. I myself stuck with the legendary Wolf, Manticore and Bear armor, changing them as the situation demanded. Apart from all this, Blood and Wine introduces Corvo Bianco, Geralt’s Vineyard, which gives you a stable to park your horse Roach and an alchemy lab to develop stronger potions and concoctions. You can also dye your armor with different colours if that’s your thing.
As I mentioned earlier, enemies in Blood and Wine are stronger, more varied and much more aggressive making combat challenging without introducing any artificial grind. The progression is well-paced and I had a great time with the new armor and mutations system. Not to mention travelling around Toussiant was an absolute joy making treasure hunts all the more exciting.
The Land of a Thousand Fables
This is where I throw caution to the wind and boldly enter spoiler territory. But don’t be alarmed too much. I’ll try to keep spoilers to the minimum. There is no way one can talk about Blood and Wine and not mention this unforgettable portion of the game where you enter the Land of a Thousand Fables. At a point in the main quest of Blood and Wine you are thrust into a magical book or tome called the Land of a Thousand Fables in search of a woman who was imprisoned within and, my God, I cannot even begin to explain how amazing it is. Dubbed the “Fable sphere”, this land is filled with the Witcher 3’s version of all our favorite tales from the big bad wolf and the three little pigs, to little red riding hood to Rapunzel to jack and the giant beanstalk and so on; each with their own twisted dark Witcher-y vibe to them. Rapunzel in particular was horrifyingly new with her prince charming falling to his death halfway through his climb and Rapunzel hanging herself with her hair in grief.
Every moment you spend in this land is magical. From the over-saturated colours to give you a colouring book vibe to pixies attacking you if you stood still to will-o-wisps leading you to treasure and more danger. It really doesn’t hurt that the armor that the woman you try to rescue recommends you put on is a fully gold plated knight’s armor. A literal Knight in shining armor reference. It’s cheesy and shockingly satirical at the same time. For example. the fact that the wolf from the little red riding hood is French and that he has a tummy ache from eating too much bread before eating red riding hood’s grandmother is absolutely hilarious and is gaming humor gold for me. (For those curious about this wondrous addition to Witcher lore or for those just interested in seeing how this world looks, check out this video. I would also suggest watching this amazing video by Hamish Black in his Writing on Games channel on YouTube about how The Witcher 3 manages its narrative scale.)
Conclusion
In my opinion, Blood and Wine was a marvelous send-off to Geralt of Rivia and the Witcher series as a whole. The story of Blood and Wine was polished and well made rivalling anything the Base game and the first expansion accomplished. General criticisms about the third act of the story being poorly paced are understandable, but I just didn’t feel that way. Each ending was well thought out and the steps to get each ending made complete sense to me. Dettlaff was a well-written antagonist, Anna Henrietta might just be the best monarch in Witcher Lore and Regis is the BEST friend any man could ask for. The World of Toussiant was marvelous to explore and the Land of a Thousand Fables was, for me, the single most memorable experience in the entirety of the Witcher franchise of games. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that I rate the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Blood and Wine:
S for sensational. I highly recommend that you play the Witcher 3, but I even more wholeheartedly suggest you play the Blood and Wine expansion.
The Blood and Wine is available as downloadable content for the Base Game and is included in the Definitive Edition of the Game. Considering that the Definitive Edition is available for a very affordable price, I would suggest picking it up.
Originally published at https://anvkuma.wixsite.com on March 9, 2021.
