Hearts of Stone (2015)

While the majority of the core gameplay sticks around, the story is unlike one ever told in the tale of Geralt

The first expansion to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt finds our hero tangling with the mysterious Man of Glass, the immortal Olgierd von Everec, and some old friends.

Beginning with a contract to take out a giant toad, Geralt finds that the toad is in fact a prince he has been set up to kill, and escapes imprisonment with the help of one Gaunter O’Dimm. In return for his kindness, Geralt must secure a debt on his behalf from Olgierd, who has become immortal thanks to an exchange of his emotions, hence carrying a “heart of stone.” This debt turns out to be the fulfillment of three wishes, all of which Geralt must complete in order to repay it, but things aren’t always as they appear as Geralt unravels the mystery of the relationship between the two men. It’s up to the player to decide which party they should side with, with each choice following the classic “lesser of two evils” style employed so much by the previous games.

Featuring the same gameplay players can expect from the base game, Hearts of Stone serves as a standalone tale in the life of our Witcher, and was met with positive reviews across the board.  

This giant toad isn't exactly what he appears to be, and begins the main quest of the expansion

Geralt runs into an old friend from a previous installment, Shani, as you uncover the myster of the immortal man