The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is getting new DLC in 2027, over a decade after the game’s initial release and two expansions that came out only a year after its original launch. As players now finally have their theories and rumors confirmed with the newest Songs of the Past announcement, many are starting to wonder how this DLC can compare to the past. Considering how The Witcher 3 is one of the most revered “modern” RPGs of all time, players are going to hold Songs of the Past to a higher standard.
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The many rumors and leaks that led developer CD Projekt Red to announce Songs of the Past early do little to explain what the DLC is actually about. For now, everything we know about the expansion is based on what has been shared, including its release window and that it will feature a new story for Geralt of Rivia. Some fans speculate that this expansion’s story might help transition the series to The Witcher 4, but everyone has similar expectations for the DLC’s overall content.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s Songs Of The Past Expansion Has To Compete With Two Other Stellar DLC Stories
Both Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine are already great expansions for The Witcher 3 that came out in 2016. Eleven years later, Songs of the Past is instantly compared to these two DLC juggernauts, which add so much more to the overall experience of an already great RPG. Specifically, Blood and Wine is highly regarding as one of the best expansions of a game ever made, comparable to Shadow of the Erdtree for Elden Ring, The Taken King for Destiny, or other high-profile DLC drops that changed a game’s perception.
Both of the stories for Blood and Wine and Hearts of Stone are some of the best in The Witcher 3, sometimes fixing problems players had with the base game’s narrative. For Songs of the Past to be a sort-of swan song for Geralt within a new story, it has to live up to the weight those expansions presented 10+ years ago. The mature storytelling of Blood and Wine in particular is some of the deepest CD Projekt Red has ever written, and can be directly sited as an inspiration for many of the heavier themes explored in Cyberpunk 2077.
Blood and Wine is also a huge expansion not just in narrative, but in open world elements as well. Players in this DLC get to explore a brand-new region called Touissant, giving you a fresh map to investigate from top to bottom. This obviously came with new quests, characters, and sub-locations, adding many new hours onto an already big RPG. New gameplay elements in Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine are notable too, including new enemies to fight, enchantment systems, and mutations to customize your adventure.
It is unclear if Songs of the Past will include a new region, gameplay systems, or anything as engaging as the DLC that came before it. The 2027 expansion could be extremely linear like Hearts of Stone, or more open-ended like Blood and Wine, but either way, it will inevitably be judged harshly by diehard players. Other small gameplay systems could also be included in Songs of the Past, such as a new romance option or extra combat features. Yet, no matter how Songs of the Past expands The Witcher 3, it needs to do so without copying anything.
Songs Of The Past Already Has Some Promise In Comparison To What Has Come Before
Although Hearts of Stone is a much shorter experience, it still manages to pack a substantial amount of gameplay into its expansion content. On the other hand, Blood and Wine is massive, taking almost 30-50 hours to complete depending on what you find and complete. Thankfully, it seems like Songs of the Past is trying to emulate Blood and Wine in this category, at least according to some details. Recent interviews and financial earnings conversations have shared some details on this expansion’s direction, which might satisfy some players.
It seems that developer CD Projekt Red and associated studio Fool’s Theory are dedicated to making Songs of the Past as legitimate of an expansion as the other two, at least in terms of length. According to an interview with Polygon, financial reports calls shared that The Witcher creators want to use Songs of the Past as “a reminder [about the series],” and “It is, in a way, a prologue…” This reinforces fan ideas that this DLC is meant to transition the series to its next game, while also acting as a re-introduction of the world.
By giving players an authentic The Witcher 3 expansion, Songs of the Past might be able to stand alongside Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine by the time it comes out in 2027. As more details get revealed for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt‘s newest content, players will draw comparisons to the past, but hopefully Songs of the Past is able to provide something new and exciting for all types of fans.
How do you think The Witcher 3‘s next expansion will compare to its first two? Leave a comment below or join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!
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