There is a best way to experience DLC expansions for Witcher 3 will take players about 50 hours to complete. If players combine the run time of the main story and the two expansions, it will take them about 170 hours to finish everything. While the expansions can technically fit in anywhere while players are experiencing the main part of the game, there is a proper order to do The Witcher 3 DLC.
Witcher 3 DLC Release Order
The two expansions for The Witcher 3 are Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine. Hearts of Stone was released in October 2015 and brought Geralt into the wilds of No Man's Land. Here, he aims to complete a contract for the Man of Glass. It requires all his power to escape from this situation alive. Blood and Wine was released in May 2016. Running double the length of Hearts of Stone, in Blood and Wine, Geralt visits Toussaint to discover its bloody secrets.
The recommended way to experience The Witcher 3 DLC is by its release order. This means completing Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Hearts of Stone, and Blood and Wine in that order. However, it is possible for players to jump into Hearts of Stone first, even ahead of the main campaign, without any major story confusion. Since this story is mostly disconnected from the other DLC, players can tackle it at any time. After clearing both the main campaign and Hearts of Stone, Blood and Wine will be the ending challenge.
Play the Blood and Wine Witcher 3 Expansion Last
Blood and Wine is available The Witcher 3's main story, and should be the absolute last thing players do in the game. Completing this Witcher 3 expansion any earlier can cause players to discover massive narrative spoilers. Additionally, Geralt will need his more advanced skills and abilities to survive in Blood and Wine. Since this is post-game content, players will need to reach end-game stats. Geralt should be comfortable completing this DLC once he reaches level 40.
Making sure to equip the proper Witcher gear while killing monsters is essential to The Witcher 3!
How Much Witcher 3 DLC Expansions Cost
There are multiple ways to purchase The Witcher 3 expansions, including separately and in bundles:
Title |
Price |
Includes |
|---|---|---|
The Witcher 3 Expansion |
$24.99 |
Both Blood and Wine and Hearts of Stone DLCs, no base game |
The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine |
$19.99 |
The complete Blood and Wine DLC expansion |
The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone |
$9.99 |
The complete Hearts of Stone DLC expansion |
The Witcher 3 Complete Edition |
$49.99 |
Both Witcher 3 DLCs, the base game, all extra content added post-launch |
At the time of this writing, all The Witcher 3 bundles (and other Witcher games) are currently on sale, likely due to the recent reveal of The Witcher remake. For example, on the PlayStation storefront The Witcher 3: Complete Edition is priced at $9.99 instead of $49.99 until Nov 10, 2022. For anyone who is looking to jump into the full Witcher 3 experience and play all the DLCs in order, now is the perfect time.
However, since the game is such a long time investment, it may be a good idea for players with little free time to try out Witcher 3's Nintendo Switch port instead. This will allow players to complete quests from anywhere, even on the go, and get closer to starting The Witcher 3 DLC. While graphical quality will drop somewhat, the flexibility is a perk players can use to finish the full game and experience all The Witcher 3 expansions in order.
