CD Projekt Red has confirmed the release date for the first paid expansion for The Witcher 3, Heart of Stone. It's slated for release across all platforms the game is out on (GOG, Steam, Xbox One and PlayStation 4) on October 13 worldwide. The game's second expansion, Blood & Wine, will be out in the first quarter of 2016.
Heart of Stone is set to introduce more than just story content to the game, including a new gameplay mechanic called Runewords. It's set to significantly affect how the game is played.
Here's how it works, according to CD Projekt Red, "Each Runeword will impact a different aspect of in-game mechanics and will allow the players to experiment with various strategies and tactics."
Players will also encounter new monsters, characters, and pursue a new romance presumably with Shani, who's pictured in the screenshot above.
Gamers will also be able to purchase a special, limited boxed edition of Hearts of Stone ($19.99/19.99€) available at selected retailers worldwide. The box set contains a digital download code for the expansion pack, two physical decks of Gwent (Monsters and Scoia'tael), and a detailed manual of the card game.
Anyone who owns the Expansion Pass can also purchase the cards separately by headin over to redeemgwent.com.
Heart of Stone has 10 hours of content and can be purchased separately for $9.99 if you prefer not to get the Expansion Pass.