Greetings Gamers
This weekend I started checking out the Blood and Wine expansion for the Witcher 3. The video above is one of the first quests in the main storyline, titled "The Beast Of Toussaint".I decided not to add any commentary to this video as the game is incredibly cinematic and immersive, especially with the updated next-gen graphics patch.
As the video starts out Geralt is following the knight Milton De Peyrac-Peyran to the shores of a river near The Cockatrice Inn. A body has been found in the river by some fishermen and Geralt has been hired to investigate.
All screenshots in this post are taken by me from the footage above.- The Witcher 3 has always looked beautiful, but with the next-gen patch, it looks like a moving oil painting. Taking these screenshots is a pure joy
As we wander through the landscape of Toussaint the hustle and bustle of country life is going on all around us.
The body was dragged out of the waters near these shores behind The Cockatrice Inn,its time to use Geralt's Witcher senses to look around.
Footprints lead us further along the shoreline...
We are attacked by a group of scurvers which have been drawn here by the smell of blood...
When these foul creatures die they explode....
The camera angle happened to be perfect to catch this one exploding in an epic fashion!
Scurver body parts and blood rain down on Geralt but he ain't fazed...
With the scurvers dead we can continue our investigation of the shoreline.
The footprints lead us to this wreckage.
Geralt decides to dive into the river to make sure we didn't miss anything.
Snared in a fishing net we find a monogrammed handkerchief with the initials d.L.C...
Back on the shore we realize guards have moved the body somewhere else.
We need to find out where the body is before it starts to decompose so Geralt can examine it.
Some of the inn's patrons must have witnessed the guards removing the body so we should go and ask there if anyone saw anything.
These screenshots taken from the cutscenes look particularly photogenic and like an oil painting from the Renaissance era.
Geralt's Witcher eye spies a mysterious stranger...the hooded figure on the far left.... who is that?
Lets head over to the inn and see what we can find out.
Approaching the entrance to the Inn we hear some music playing.
Before heading into the Inn I take a minute to appreciate the music and the view...
The crowd appreciates the bard's song, such beauty, and life all around us...magical...
Its time to head into the Inn.
We take a seat at the table and Milton introduces Geralt.
A local fisherman was the one who found the body in the river.
The fisherman tells us the body is currently in the wine cellar of a nearby vineyard named Corvo Bianco. Our mysterious hooded stranger from earlier is eavesdropping on the conversation.
As the conversation continues the stranger slips out of the door, Geralt notices her leave.
The nobles suggest the stranger is the Innkeepers's daughter Linnice.
It's time to leave the inn and head over to the wine cellar at Corvo Bianco vineyard.
The vineyard isn't far from the Inn , just a short walk along the path outside.
As we head out of the Inn in the direction of Corvo Bianco I am again struck by the beauty of my surroundings...
On the edge of the Corvo Bianco estate, we hear the sounds of fighting..
We reach the vineyard to find the soldiers that transported the body from the river have been slain...
It's a bloodbath here....the crows will have a feast...
There is the ominous-looking wine cellar which is currently being used as a morgue...
I cautiously head down the stairs into the depths of the underground cellar.
In the faint orange glow of the candlelight, we see a creature feasting on the body from the river!
Its the stranger from the Inn , she beat us to the body,but why is she here?
The stranger seems interested in a severed hand lying next to the body...
Geralt suggests resolving this situation without fighting...
The stranger who we now know is a bruxa vampire decides she can't let Geralt leave...
The fight goes relatively smoothly , I am playing on the second of 4 difficulties so all it takes is some swift swordplay and my exploding Quen shield and the vampire is dead.
What was the bruxa doing to the body?
We should take a closer look...
As we examine the head we find a pouch of coins stuffed in the mouth...
The coins are Nilfgardian Florens...
If the murderer put the coin pouch in the mouth we are dealing with a thinking sentient being and not a mindless bruxa vampire.
Examining the chest we find the creature that did this had long sharp claws.
As we examine the severed hand Geralt seems surprised to learn it is still alive...blood is still flowing and its still moving!
This still-living hand seems to be something Geralt has never encountered before...
The mystery surrounding this body in the river has only deepened if the bruxa isn't the murderer who is?
If the bruxa isn't the murderer what was she doing down in the cellar with the severed hand?
The coin pouch stuffed in the victim's mouth is also a mystery...
Geralt has many new questions to find answers for...
Its time we left this dark candle-lit cellar, this place gives me the creeps...
Time to head out into the beautifully Toussaint sunshine...
Oh yeah, I forgot this place was littered with dead bodies...ah well at least the sun is still shining...
I will continue this storyline pretty soon ,Im eager to find out more about this mysterious severed hand.Stay tuned for more next gen witcher 3 real soon!
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