'The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt' DLC update: 'Hearts of Stone' expansion - what to know

Twitter courtesy of The Witcher

When developer CD Projekt Red released "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt" this year, the company also assured fans that the new title will come with expanded content via both free and paid DLCs. Now that the free expansion packs have already made their way into the game, the developer is now preparing for the first of the two paid DLCs to make its way as expanded "The Witcher 3" content.

The first one, dubbed as the "Hearts of Stone" expansion, will be released on Oct. 13. For the story, it will see "The Witcher" series' main protagonist Geralt going head-to-head with an immortal Man of Glass. Although he couldn't give out specific details, game director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz shared a few tidbits with game industry observer Gamespot

Said Tomaszkiewicz, "There's not much I can tell you at this point without spoiling the plot too much. 'Hearts of Stone' is definitely on par with what 'Wild Hunt' established in terms of the depth of characters and story."

The game director also confirmed the rumors that the next expansion for the title will not be a continuation of "Wild Hunt" but rather a new story for "The Witcher 3" fans.

He stressed, "The story told in 'Hearts of Stone' is pretty much standalone from the events that took place in Wild Hunt, so even players who have not finished the game can play."

"Hearts of Stone" is expected to give an expanded view of "The Witcher 3" world, with expanded content rumored to add a conservative estimate of 10 hours' worth of game time. In addition to the main "Hearts of Stone" story, the DLC is also expected to add new side quests, missions, and monster hunts.

"Hearts of Stone" will be available for $9.99 as a standalone purchase, and will be free for those who already have a "The Witcher 3" $19.99 expansion pass.