What to Expect from The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past
While fans had already shifted their attention toward The Witcher 4, CD Projekt RED has recently been giving them plenty of reasons to look back at The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Alongside a newly announced remastered edition launching on September 29, Geralt is also returning for a brand-new expansion. Songs of the Past launches in 2027 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, and is co-developed with Fool's Theory, the studio behind the remake of the original The Witcher.
What to expect? While CD Projekt RED has yet to reveal story details, the studio has confirmed that Songs of the Past is being developed as a full expansion rather than a small DLC, making comparisons with Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine inevitable. Two expansions that stood out for different reasons, and that are well worth revisiting to better understand what made them memorable and what we might expect from this new release.
Hearts of Stone (2015)
Lasting around ten hours for the main quest, Hearts of Stone stands out for its deep narrative and character writing, with plenty more content available through side missions.
Its story revolves around a mysterious pact, as Geralt is forced to fulfill three impossible wishes for the cursed nobleman Olgierd von Everec. Gaunter O'Dimm, the charismatic main antagonist, is probably the best-written villain in all of The Witcher 3. Other characters including both Olgierd and Iris von Everec are written just as masterfully, as is their tragic love story. Players experience a dark and melancholic tale that culminates in the unforgettable quest Scenes from a Marriage, where Geralt enters the painted world of their memories.
Gameplay-wise, Hearts of Stone is slightly more demanding than the base game, offering a higher level of difficulty. Its most significant gameplay addition is the introduction of the Runewright, a mage-craftsman who allows players to enhance weapons and armor through a more advanced system than the rune and glyph mechanics of the base game.
Blood and Wine (2016)
Its story centers on a terrifying beast responsible for a string of murders in a tale where blood and wine truly become the narrative threads. The main quest alone takes between ten and fifteen hours to complete, with many more if you dive into its side content. Its multiple endings also encourage replayability.
Blood and Wine offers a level of freedom that few other expansions have matched, with well-written characters and a rich story. Yet what truly makes this expansion stand out is the stunning new region of Toussaint. At the time of its release, it impressed players not only because of its remarkable size but also because of the beauty of its fairy-tale setting, perfectly matched to the story it tells. Exploring Toussaint is rewarding in itself, from its landscapes, reminiscent of the Tuscan countryside, to its French-inspired architecture.
The expansion also introduces a few gameplay additions, including a light management mechanic centering around Geralt's Corvo Bianco vineyard. Character progression is expanded through the introduction of a new mutation system, allowing players to unlock additional passive abilities by combining skill points and mutagens.
For both, CD Projekt RED offered substantial content at an affordable price. Will the same be true for this upcoming expansion? If Hearts of Stone excelled thanks to its narrative depth, while Blood and Wine stood out for its world and scale, what can we expect from this third expansion?
CDPR was very clear from the beginning about the nature of this new content. Rather than being a simple DLC with additional content, Songs of the Past is being presented as a full expansion, as explained on X by Marcin Łukaszewski, Community & Social Media Manager at the Polish studio:
"For us at CDPR, DLCs are small pieces of content we release for free — like the additional outfits for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Expansions, on the other hand, are major pieces of content providing lots of hours of gameplay, including new story, characters, etc."
So it is reasonable to expect something comparable to its predecessors, at least in terms of scale and playtime. Following the first details revealed at Gamescom, however, we have a few hints about what Geralt's next adventure will look like. Songs of the Past will take him to Letten, a new rural region shaped by traditions and folklore, where a long-dormant evil awaits. The region is also the homeland of Dandelion, confirming the return of Geralt's longtime friend and suggesting that their relationship will play an important role in the story.
There are still plenty of mysteries surrounding the expansion, including exactly where it fits within the timeline and whether it will establish any direct connection to The Witcher 4. But with CD Projekt RED describing Songs of the Past as one last adventure for Geralt, his return to the Path is beginning to take a much clearer shape.
Chiara Fisichella