Witcher 3 mission initially mimicked Mass Effect 2's suicide run, featuring Geralt's Wild Hunt participation; Blood and Wine DLC originally centered on vampires was devoid of them
You've probably heard that The Witcher 3 was a whopper of a game, but did you know it was cooked up to be even more epic? Here's a sneaky peek at what could have been, based on CD Projekt Red's chats during The Witcher 3's 10th anniversary.
The Wild Hunt: From Insider to Rider
Lead writer Marcin Blacha spilled the beans on a quest that would have seen Geralt joining the Wild Hunt as a rider in Eredin's army. Geralt'd be undercover, pretending to be one of them, elbow-deep in Wild Hunt rider affairs. The game's finale would have switched gears more dramatically, with influences from Mass Effect 2, featuring a suicide mission with Geralt and his pals.
But wait, there's more! You'd remember Geralt gathering a party, setting sail on a drakkar, and fighting the Wild Hunt in a frozen sea. This time around, Ciri wouldn't be sent into the vents, and Yennefer wouldn't lead the charge. It was a more personal apocalypse, they decided.
From Stableboy to a Naked Hero
Blood and Wine, the second DLC, initially featured a tale that revolved around a foolish stableboy named Egg. Finding a dead knight's armor, Egg thought he'd score some points with a damsel in distress, only to face the cold, hard truth of his own incompetence.
As it turns out, a knight's armor is a tad too heavy for a young, scrawny stableboy. The idea was to save Egg and watch him struggle, eventually stripping down to nothing but a sword. Perhaps a bit of poetic justice for a character unwilling to take no for an answer.
A Vampire-Free Vampire DLC? Say What?
Some ideas never make it to the final cut. In the case of Blood and Wine, CD Projekt Red dabbled with the concept of a vampire-free DLC. According to writer Tomasz Marchewka, there were different versions featuring (or not featuring) Regis, Detlaff, and even vampires themselves. But if you're curious about what a bloodless Blood and Wine would have looked like, well, let's not talk about it - Marchewka's tight-lipped on the subject.
In the End, It's a Matter of Taste
Overall, The Witcher 3 might have been a messier, perhaps even worse game, had all the ideas seen the light of day. But hey, imagining what could have been is all part of the fun, right? And man, wouldn't it be interesting to explore a vampire-free vampire DLC? Now, where's Gwent when you need it?
- In a different storyline, the lead writer of The Witcher 3, Marcin Blacha, revealed that Geralt might have joined the Wild Hunt as a rider in Eredin's army, engaged in a more personal apocalypse, and fought the Wild Hunt in a frozen sea without Ciri or Yennefer.
- The initial storyline for the second DLC, Blood and Wine, featured a character named Egg, a foolish stableboy who attempted to save a damsel in distress but found out his own incompetence, culminating in him stripping down to fight with just a sword, while the team considered a vampire-free DLC at some point but kept that idea under wraps.
- When comparing The Witcher 3's original concept to its final version, it's clear that some ideas could have changed the game's outcome significantly, with the possibility of making it messier or even worse.
- Surmising what could have been in terms of The Witcher 3's development is an exciting aspect of the gaming experience, especially contemplating the thought of a vampire-free vampire DLC, which remains a tantalizing mystery for fans to ponder.
