I gotta say, CD Projekt Red is killing it with all the free stuff they keep adding to The Witcher 3.
Not only did they just announce a big new 1.07 patch that promises to address the game’s lingering inventory and control issues (including “various improvements to horse behaviour”, hooray), they have been steadily releasing free weekly DLC packs in the form of new character outfits, weapons, armour, scavenger hunts and some fully fledged missions. Last time I checked in on Witcher 3 DLC, there was only one new quest among the more cosmetic offerings. Since then, a bunch of other stuff has been added, and most of it is pretty damned good.
First, the non-quest stuff. In the main menu under the downloadable content tab, you can now turn on an “alternative look for Triss” option that changes Triss Merigold’s outfit in-game. It puts her in a dress that… well, it’s pretty tacky.
![The Latest Free Witcher 3 DLC Is Really Good](https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/08/1330609399891891629.jpg?quality=75?quality=75)
It also doesn’t really fit the story, given that it screams “I AM A SPECIAL MAGICAL LADY, LOOK AT ME” despite the fact that Triss spends the majority of the game trying to remain incognito in Novigrad. Your mileage may vary.
You can also go and buy Undvik armour from the armorer at Kaer Trolde (the main castle) in Skellige. It’s pretty good heavy armour, though it’s expensive, and not as good as the mastercrafted armour I’m guessing many of you are rocking at this point.
![The Latest Free Witcher 3 DLC Is Really Good](https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/08/1330609400141990573.png?quality=75?quality=75)
However, the horse armour you can buy for Roach is great; it has higher stats than the gear I had even at level 34, and it makes Roach look pretty cool, to boot:
![The Latest Free Witcher 3 DLC Is Really Good](https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/08/1330609400689667757.png?quality=75?quality=75)
In addition to that stuff, there’s also a whole new scavenger hunt questline that eventually gives you an upgradeable set of Wolf School armour. I’d always thought the Wolf School (Geralt’s school) was conspicuously absent from the Cat/Bear/Griffin school armour that was in the game at launch, so it’s nice to see it added now. I haven’t done the full scavenger hunt, but given that I’m an armour-collecting obsessive, I definitely will. You can start the quest same as the other ones, by buying maps from vendors. I bought the first two maps from Hattori, the master blacksmith in Novigrad. Here’s a full list of the vendors who have maps.
Two more additions include the “Ballad Heroes” Gwent card set which… I’ll be honest, I don’t play Gwent and haven’t checked them out. If you’re into Gwent, however, I’m sure you’ll be happy to have new stuff. The elite crossbows are available at a few different vendors across the game, but none of them measure up to my high-level Feline crossbow, so they’re not for me.
On to the quests. The first one is a level 10 quest called “Fool’s Gold,” and it can be a bit tricky to find. It’s not on a notice board or anything; you have to head to this point on the map in Velen:
![The Latest Free Witcher 3 DLC Is Really Good](https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/08/1330609400745496493.jpg?quality=75?quality=75)
From there, things unfold naturally. You’ll meet a somewhat daft gentleman and get involved with a village full of pigs. At one point, you will herd pigs, but thankfully it’s nowhere near as annoying as the other herding quests in this game. It also leads to enjoyable moments like this one, as Geralt purposefully strides alongside a bunch of pigs:
![The Latest Free Witcher 3 DLC Is Really Good](https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/08/1330609400794793645.gif?quality=75?quality=75)
Stride on, Master Witcher.
Next, there’s “Skellige’s Most Wanted”, a level 29 contract that will turn up on your map as a yellow notice board in the town of Fyresdal in Skellige. Like the other new DLC contract, it’s of the “Contract With A Twist!” variety, and I don’t want to spoil the twist, so I’ll just say it’s a neat little quest with a fun ending, depending on the conversational choices you make.
Lastly there’s “Where The Cat And Wolf Play”, another mission that starts as a contract you can get on notice boards in Crow’s Perch or at the village of Oreton to the south, near Crookback Bog. It’s a level 25 quest that features yet another twist, and another interesting decision to make. I liked it, and I’ll leave it at that.
![The Latest Free Witcher 3 DLC Is Really Good](https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/08/1330609401118668205.jpg?quality=75?quality=75)
I’ve got 91 hours logged on the PC version of The Witcher 3 — I’m nearing the endgame, but given that I already finished on PS4 for my review, I’m in no hurry to finish for a second time. It’s a bit odd to be going back and playing through these DLC missions now; I can’t shake the feeling that they’d work better if I had waited to start a new game and experienced them as part of a more natural progression. That weirdness is compounded by the different level requirements for each mission. Some are appropriate for high-level players, while others are a cakewalk.
All the same, it’s nice to see CD Projekt Red adding yet more interesting, enjoyable free stuff to their already massive game. And of course, there’s even more DLC on the way, along with this week’s 1.07 patch. I’ll keep an eye on it as it comes.
Comments
12 responses to “The Latest Free Witcher 3 DLC Is Really Good”
which one is the latest? all the ones listed are old
The actual latest one is “Where the Cat and Wolf Play”.
This week’s planned DLC (alternate look for Ciri) has been delayed while the devs focus on the upcoming patch.
That patch looks like such a treat I’m actually looking forward to it more than any DLC. 😛
I’m only up to level 8 so kinda glad I haven’t blitzed through it, with v1.07 coming out it’s almost tempting to down tools for a while until they’ve finished with all of the DLC & improvements.
‘Where the Cat and Wolf play’ is the most recent, last week.
Play Gwent. Seriously.
For some reason I can’t get into Gwent. I keep getting owned by enemy combo of constant spy + burning + overly powerful cards.
I used to suck too. Here’s a good tip: Put out all your weakest/spy cards in the first round, and pass once all your useless cards are down and the enemy has played a decent amount of their good ones. The idea of the first round is for them to waste all their good cards while you get rid of shitty ones.
Another tip: Unless you’re playing a monster deck, don’t let your deck bloat. Trim the fat out of it by discarding all the weakest cards so that no matter what your hand is, it’s full of awesome.
Also, Decoy is FANTASTIC when played with cards like spies (“Oh, you played a spy on me? Well now it’s mine!”) or medics, which rez units out of your discard pile.
Also try playing random merchants, rather than the quest characters. You get a card for beating them (the first time), and that can help out with the quest characters.
First thing – where can I get that horse armour? It looks great!
Second thing – play Gwent! It’s as awesome as everything else in the game.
Same place as the armour set for Geralt. The saddle is only 75 where I had an 80 but I used it anyway for looks and cvs use I had finished the races.
Yeh.. it’s a shame there is not a lot of end-game content to continue playing. Considering everything is so finely handcrafted, voice acted and so on, they have to stop somewhere.. but it is a tad disappointing that once you get to the end of the main story, you’re of sufficient level, skills and equipment that anything you do is so boringly easy, it’s not worth the effort.
With so much “freemium” and “micro-transaction” content now in popular gaming, this wave of free DLC has been a breath of fresh air.