I think he is based on a Stephen King character known as Walter O'Dimm, aka the Man in Black, Randall Flagg, Richard Fennin, Maeyrlen, Walter Padick.. and many other names. He comes in many forms throughout King's novels. With very similair intentions.
As a Pole, i love hearts of stone because of the many nuggets of slavic cultyre included, the floral painted houses, the wedding, the music, the whole main quest referencing and being based on the legend od Twardowski, its all *chefs kiss* but it still manages to remain creepy and grey and witchery haha
The wedding (1901 play), Olgierd and his buddies are szlachta (polish nobility), they use sabers, dress more turkish, just like the polish nobility since xvi century. Ofier people are like the ottomans with who poles were fighting a lot at that times. Olgierds "Would you wait, sir, for the dribble to subside?" is a reference to "Potop". This is all soo cool.
Gaunter O’Dimm is one of the scariest video game antagonists for me. It’s rare for a game that’s not horror to have an enemy that genuinely terrifies me but he did it.
Yeah it's so unsettling to know that in future Witcher games, past or future from the Witcher 3, O'Dimm is a force there and could be waiting for whoever you're playing as. Especially if it's a future Ciri. I can't imagine he'd just let Geralt beating him go and would want some revenge. I'm really hoping whatever direction they take, he returns in some way. I don't typically like returning antagonists once they've been defeated but O'Dimm is just different. He feels ever-present, especially once all the dots are connected as to who/what he really is. Also with how he's been following Geralt in disguises, talking and doing business with Geralts acquaintances and how he knows basically everything/future events.
Dead Man's Party is one of my favorite quests in any game of all time. Everything Vlodimir says & does is completely out of character for Geralt & it's great.
I just did this quest the other day for the first time n I absolutely loved it , it was so good, so funny, and it seemed to me like it was a precursor for the story they decided to tell with cyberpunk 2077… rhe dynamic between geral & vlod acts as like a basis for Johnny & v
I've seen some say since his Initials are G.O.D , and he is master mirror. Well mirrors show our flipped/opposite image. So some claim Gaunter is the opposite of god. But then that's just speculation. Considering we're in The Witcher's world. God doesn't have to be good like in our world.
48:46 - I mean, this bloke pretty much confirms it with what can be seen as an ambiguous dialogue tag, if one *doesn't look at it with OP's theory in mind...
literally all the monsters of hearts of stone are some of the hardest in the game, even harder than the blood and wine monsters. We have the toad, the caretaker, the wraith in the mansion, and of course Iris' nightmare
I've consumed every piece of Witcher media created upto this point, and yet still no character even comes close to how much I adore Master Mirror. If you've read the lore about him in the standalone Gwent game, you know that calling him something as black and white as "Evil Incarnate" is extremely ironic, because he's easily the most nuanced and complex character in the series. He's both incomprehensibly powerful and extremely influential but at the same time truly neutral, as he works through the power of suggestion and as such what happens afterwards is purely of the person's own volition, AND he does all of this not with some specific goal in mind, but instead simply to see what happens. He's basically just a curious god that doesn't understand mortal morality because he himself isn't mortal. Such an incredibly interesting character and I look forward to seeing how this being that can swell a wave that affects the whole world is used in the future
19:23 now that's the kind of attention to detail I love about this game. I doubt many people would've gone back to the village after completing the quest but the fact that the devs chose to put in a bit extra for the few who did is brilliant.
The vendor in Hearts of Stone *does* sell missing gwent cards. He just doesn't sell all of them. He sells certain cards which you may have missed during the main game, but not special cards you have to win from tournaments or quests. And if you already have the "missing" cards he sells (aka they aren't missing for you), then he doesn't sell them. He'll only sell the new ones in that case.
I'm glad that I finally got time to watch this, I wanted to watch the whole thing in one go and man was it worth it. I absolutely loved the editing and overall tone of this video, fantastic job! PS: Love the title :)
Can't wait for blood and wine video, your witcher videos are truly incredible at capturing how great this game was. I know these must take forever to produce but man they are your best work.
The next-gen enhanced version can't come soon enough. I've been wanting to do a 3rd playthrough of the entire game for a long time but when I heard the news about 'The Complete Edition' I decided to wait for it. I need it now!
Idk, third playthough with all bad choices is going unexpectedly great so far: new quests and scenes, Dandelion is finally does what the games were lacking - showing the opposite side of relationship we got explained so well in 'Broken Flowers', why Geralt stay friends with him despite all the troubles, annoyances and babysitting, playing a tightlipped misantorpe by picking answers that in other games usually spells boring neutral dialogues skips, over more open Geralt, is just a gift that keeps on giving, much more than preview promises, and often hilarious or more effective. Even more stuff to find to do out of order or consult rare characters about sometimes net satisfying results. Besides after more 'emotional' Geralt in 3 its easier to catch more out of his performances in previous games
I love the story of wild Hunt but it did go on for a little bit too long in my opinion even though the conclusion was incredibly satisfying. Hearts of stone however is a tight 12 to 15 hour narrative thats is seriously some of the best video game writing I have truly ever seen
It's surprising the similarities Heart of Stone and Phantom Liberty has gameplay wise. Both heavly rebalnced the game and took a section of the map that was empty and filled it with content.
Your comments made this a really good summary of Hearts of Stone. I can't wait to play it again. Especially Iris' paint world, I found amazing to explore. The chilling experience of discovering her tragic story was incredibly thought through and well written. The Witcher is a game that makes you feel the pain the characters are experiencing in that world.
My head canon is that Geralt would never risk his life/soul for Olgierd von Beckham and having witnessed professor Shakeslock's last moments, I just can't picture Geralt facing O'Dimm or winning. In my game world, Geralt did O'Dimm's dirty work and got paid in kind (evil saddle, infinite booze). Book Geralt, though, would have asked for info about Ciri, I think. As for O'Dimm himself, he's almost Lovecraftian as far as villains go. Easily my favorite Witcher villain and one of my favorite villains of all time.
Aaaaand you did it again James, Great job. Great Video. Never played Heats of Stone and I decided to see your retteling of it. Not dissapointed at all.
When I started playing this dlc I was done with the main game so it took me a second to realise that gunter was in the starting of the main game... But when I did boy was a stocked..
Why do i keep watching hours upon hours of people reviewing TW3? I've watched well over 30 hours of people talking about witcher 3 now, and i probably wont stop anytime soon
Appreciate that! I actually have a whole channel dedicated to my podcast content that I run with a few other creators, I run As Always Podcast, a show about current gaming and entertainment news, and co-host Four Pillars Podcast a show where we goof off and talk about whatever we feel like or is relevant ua-cam.com/channels/tvlJN1JzToq4CfGjry3FMw.html
Wait what it's been 5 years??? I haven't even had Heart of Stone for one year yet😂 I have a really bad/basic laptop (not even a gaming laptop!) so I only got it when it came out on the Switch and it hasn't been a full year of that yet.... man I really am behind xD (Side note the banana tiger curse struck me today and i now must live with it) (Side note x2 I liked Shani more than I did Triss but my heart lays with Yen. Haven't read the booms yet (they're on my list) and idk about the show, but based on TW3 alone I really like Yen
I know I'm late for the party, but is anybody gonna acknowledge the fact that Olgierd had his own brother killed to get his wish? He didn't had a Heart of Stone back then.
This dlc is mainly based on polish culture (as most of the game but here it shines threw more of in the reinasaince time of polish szlachta) mainly on story of mr twardowski who made a deal with devil for immortality and what not. Ofc there was a but. If he would ever go to rome devil would take his soul and so he goes of as it wont ever happen but one day he parties in a pub called rome and so devil takes him to moon where he stays. Lots of similaritys between olgierd and gaunte o dimm love the connection. On of olgierds man even quotes the poem about this story written by adam mickiewicz "ms. Twardowska" i only know the fragment in polish since i am polish you guys really miss like 40% of game thats based on nods to polish stories and culture so great to see that implemneted
@@LazerzZ really enjoyed your video and i apreactiate the effort you out into this. Edit: this story is also more known as Faust but polish version still exists and has more to do with witcher ofc
After u kill the olfieri guards, u can legit just run away from the mage and he won’t chase u lol I noticed this when I was, at first, having a very hard time defeating him, so I just ran away and the quest just updated n I could’ve just went to meet o’dimm, but I couldn’t help myself but to go back n kill the mage lol then I never actually went to see master mirror, but he just popped up later on when I went to investigate the burning mansion n he berated me for not meeting him when I was supposed to .. pretty cool
Witcher contemplations: Overview. The depth,atmosphere, the story and the CHARACTERS are stupendous. The effects of your choices are so far reaching and lasting, it is brilliant, this is such a superb RPG. When I play a game, I enjoy myself the most when I am fully immersed in it, it is never a character in a world, it is me existing/fighting in that world, thus all decisions I make in a game, are the decisions I would like to try and make in reality if given the chance. I once had my Triss, so I will always choose my Triss in game. (Although I will only ever play the games for a second time under certain specific circumstances.) Combat. I do enjoy the fidelity and pace of the combat and it allows you to conduct satisfying counters and kill moves but … I dislike it when a game forces you to use a certain combat style that you do not prefer. Looking at games like Assassin's Creed Black Flag/Rogue where they force you to constantly use a set layout like Sword+sword or Sword + dagger. I much rather prefer the weapon layout of AC1,2,Brotherhood compared to the forced double handed layout of Black Flag/Rogue. You only use a one handed weapon, no Sword+dagger or sword + shield or two sword combo and that is melee perfection to me. An arming sword in one hand and nothing (Or a shield) in the other ,that is my preference. Unfortunately here , since you play as Geralt , a set character, you are forced to be a Spellsword, using a two handed greatsword with no other option. This combat style is one that I never use, so even though the foundation of the combat is brilliant, the obligatory combat style is not. Ciri vs Ceres. (One of the few gripes about the game.) Ceres. Ugh I can't stand her. She was so one dimensional. No flaws ,no depth, only ''immaculate',' implausible , ''brilliance''. The writers tried so hard to push for her to be chosen as queen that I was repulsed by her and will never choose her. What I love about the Witcher is it presents you with complex choices ,it forces you to try and discern what is the lesser of two evils. Even with deciding on the main factions to be in charge, every faction has good aspects/elements but also a down side. It shows nuance and reflects the complexity of life, that is what makes the Witcher so engaging. With Ceris ,it was a case of gender / sibling competition and from the get go the writers ..for some out of place reason, went against the norm of deep, complex choices and gave you:'' woman guud, brother dumb and bad.'' They essentially ''force'' her to be the likeable character, with zero repercussions, and in today's day and age , if something is forced (upon you) ..it is usually shit. (Looking at you ‘’Not the Witcher’’ on Netflix) (EXACTLY like the repulsive feminazi writers of Assassin's Creed Syndicate) I would love an in game decision to ‘’accidentally ‘’ see her die. Ciri. In turn Ciri is a superb complex female character, insanely powerful but still unsure ,capable but timid, eager but knows that she has limitations. She has been through such hardships and struggles, she just wants to be a normal person and does not crave power, thus she shows all the hallmarks of a brilliant leader and she will always place the needs of her loved ones ahead of her own, thus even though she just wants a quiet life, she will in fact make the best Empress the Empire could ask for. She 100% has to be the empress. The Vikings hail from a cold, barren mountainous/fjord covered boggy area, Norway,Sweden,Scandinavia (Skellige) where agriculture was highly difficult to maintain, thus their focus was on fishing, but as their culture and cities grew, it became a necessity to raid other shores/peoples in order to survive and thrive. Thus they started to use their brilliant longboats to conquer the northern seas and raid countless European and Mediterranean kingdoms. (The Continent) The Kingdom of Skellige can’t sustain their populace with agriculture hence the necessity to raid. If the Feminazi is placed in charge as the woke cult so desires, then Skellige will be at peace with outside factions…but its people will starve and civil war WILL erupt, causing unprecedented amounts of death for the Isles. Dettlaff. The popularly perceived ''good'' ending, to me is actually the second to worst ending for me. And the popularly perceived ''second worst'' ending, to me is the best ending. The Duchess is hot but the feminazi (That they try so hard to persuade you is ‘’good/desirable'’ ) is unceasingly annoying. The game tries so hard to show that Detlaf is evil and Syanna is a ''mis understood anti hero''. But that is BS. Because she had a ‘’sad’’ childhood, she manipulates Detlaf into killing people for her. She is the evil one! Everyone says the sisters need to come together in reconciliation and Detlaf is evil... but they are so weak minded, how can they not see that Syanna is 100% the evil one? When I went with her to the land of Fables, I made a decision that I didn't even think about too deeply, it was a small decision to take a ribbon or not...I did...and it caused me to get the worst ending (For me). Syanna gives Detlaf ''sexiness'' and intoxicates his brain like malicious women do... Dettlaff did nothing wrong out of his own volition. The Duchess is foxy and cool,but Syanna..the ''tragic figure''... is utterly manipulative,vindictive and evil. And you can't have Regis..the best character of them all getting anything but the best. Even though Duchess Anna is hot...Regis is fam. Syana manipulated Dettlaff and used his love for her to beguile him, using him to do evil at her behest. Dettlaff 100% deserves to live, for his sake as well as for Regis. Syana deserves to die. She is the cause of it all, just because she had a ''sad childhood'', Anna would look away , ignoring the deaths of innocent people just for the sake of Syana, her love for her sister blinds her to her evil. Syana is the cause of so many deaths and yet she is allowed to continue with no repercussions ? I shall not stand for that. Syana deserves to die and Regis will help Dettlaff to become a better person by means of working through his trauma. Olgierd. Olgierd was manipulated by a demon and by the fates brought upon him in this world, he loved the girl of his dreams and that never changed regardless of all that transpired. He did nothing wrong. Olgierd is a flawed but good man, I 100% spared him. Hearts of Stone is the story of Olgierd's redemption. He's suffered for his mistakes, shown remorse, learned his lesson, and after you save him he gives up his old ways. Hearts of stone. Speaking of the ‘’Hearts of Stone ‘’ DLC , The only gripe I have with it is that you don’t get a dialogue option to respectfully turn down Shanis advances. You either run away and fail the quest (My preferred option) or if you go ahead with the quest,you inevitably sleep with her. I just want to do the entire quest and when offered, just decline having intimate times with her. I would also like it if Shani becomes a more centralised romance option that can be chosen at the end as your lover, for all the people whom wish to follow that path. Gaunter O’Dim is a manifestation of satan. He is the trickster, the liar , the one whose main aim it is to manipulate and deceive in order to drag souls to hell. He calls himself G.O.D because that is what he has always wanted to be. Master of Mirrors refers to how satan constantly tries to get your focus off of God and onto yourself, either inflating your pride (wich brings numerous consequences) or by inflating your faults. Constantly lying to you , making you believe that you are not good enough, thus he slowly kills you and drags you away from God. The researcher studying O’Dim stated that you have to outwit him and that only One Human has ever bested O’Dim in his tricks and schemes and defeated O’Dim. That Human was Christ when he descended to earth and agreed to be challenged by satan in the desert ,ultimately besting satan in the desert and in the underworld when He died on the Cross. I love the clear influence of Christianity in Polish culture. Summary. This game is brilliant. When I finished the game with both DLCs , it left me in tears, not just because my mind is a crippled mess but the story and results of your choices leaves you shocked,breathless and filled with such satisfaction. This game unveils a lot about oneself and it gives you an ending that is you. Upon the completion, I sat for a few minutes just staring at the screen, drinking in and savouring the happiness it made me feel, contemplating all that I have just lived through. The Wicher 3 is certainly on par with Modded Skyrim 10/10. (I highly recommend you play The Wicher 2 before you play this one) I love the moment of realisation when during the Blood and Wine DLC you realise that Oriana was the Bruxa from the game launch trailer ... and when Geralt says:'' You know... I'll be back for you some day..''' the trailer plays in your mind ....Intense Goosebumps moment. One of so many. This game is superb.
And then there's the Ofieri rune mage. I played through the games and the DLC's and although there are a couple of the Ofieri runes that are pretty neat, I'm glad I thought hard about it and gave them a pass. They are just too freaking expensive...decided that out playing HoS. Then I went on to B&W and was so glad I saved the coin...between fixing up Corvo Bianco and leveling up my top tier armor, I was gratified I had not spent the coin on the Runes. Note that I did not say "wasted." The Runes could have been good but when I got to Toussaint I was glad I had the extra cash. Maybe on the + playthrough I might give them a try...but I still feel they are a tempting but unnecessary expense. Got experience getting the patterns but was too set in my "If you want it but don't need it, don't buy it" path by moments in the Wild Hunt portion of the game where I had been thwarted by a lack of ready cash. Being a miser doesn't always work out but sometimes it helps to just hold onto the gold.
I started HoS and was just chilling, riding along, when I saw some enemies over the hill. Thought they were Nekkers, so I went in... and found a nest of giant fuck-off spiders. I can barely handle Endregas, so holy fuck. I haven't been back. I want so bad to beat the game, but it is NOT arachnophobe friendly.
Same here. I recently completed HoS. After that I was just riding around the area to clear the question marks. Found a cave, a nest, and a whole village with those Spiders. And as a arachnophobe i can only barely deal with Endregas... But this? Fuck that, I ain't doing that.
I like to think the Gaunter O'Dimm is the god of this universe. Not A god, but THE god. This idea works for me considering everything in this universe is a bleak representation of our own fairy tales and legends. People of all faiths firmly believe theres a higher power that watches over them, but what if that higher power does exist, but is not actually watching over us, but just..watching us? Like we would watch an ant farm we'd build in our house for entertainment. And occasionally he plays with his "toys", purely for entertainment. And on that off chance that he loses, Geralt seeing him disintegrate is just a "programmed vision" he sees, when in reality Gaunter enjoyed the game enough that he didn't squash Geralt in anger, but let him live and carry on his journey. I'm probably reading too much into it, but this is the feeling I got from this otherwise omnipotent character
The iris wraith fight was the bane of my existence I played it on blood and broken bones and didn’t die to it but that shit took me forever because every time I would got to destroy a painting my shit would go and jump away from the painting to attack the wraith leading to the longest boss battle in the game because every time I made any fucking ground the boss lock on bullshit would fuck me I legit destroyed my mastercrafted sword twice and spammed spectre oil that many times
The first 1000 people to use the link will get a free trial of Skillshare Premium Membership: skl.sh/lazerzz10201
I think he is based on a Stephen King character known as Walter O'Dimm, aka the Man in Black, Randall Flagg, Richard Fennin, Maeyrlen, Walter Padick.. and many other names. He comes in many forms throughout King's novels. With very similair intentions.
Hmmm, Wind's Howling
LELELELELELEL LELELELE LELELE
dopplers everywhere
Looks like rain.
dammit, a storm
Hmmm, might wanna look around some.
As a Pole, i love hearts of stone because of the many nuggets of slavic cultyre included, the floral painted houses, the wedding, the music, the whole main quest referencing and being based on the legend od Twardowski, its all *chefs kiss* but it still manages to remain creepy and grey and witchery haha
The wedding (1901 play), Olgierd and his buddies are szlachta (polish nobility), they use sabers, dress more turkish, just like the polish nobility since xvi century. Ofier people are like the ottomans with who poles were fighting a lot at that times. Olgierds "Would you wait, sir, for the dribble to subside?" is a reference to "Potop". This is all soo cool.
Gaunter O’Dimm is one of the scariest video game antagonists for me. It’s rare for a game that’s not horror to have an enemy that genuinely terrifies me but he did it.
Yeah it's so unsettling to know that in future Witcher games, past or future from the Witcher 3, O'Dimm is a force there and could be waiting for whoever you're playing as. Especially if it's a future Ciri. I can't imagine he'd just let Geralt beating him go and would want some revenge. I'm really hoping whatever direction they take, he returns in some way. I don't typically like returning antagonists once they've been defeated but O'Dimm is just different. He feels ever-present, especially once all the dots are connected as to who/what he really is. Also with how he's been following Geralt in disguises, talking and doing business with Geralts acquaintances and how he knows basically everything/future events.
Best DLC I've ever played. Best story I've ever played. Absolute masterpiece.
Easily the best story in any form of media for me even today tbh
Dead Man's Party is one of my favorite quests in any game of all time. Everything Vlodimir says & does is completely out of character for Geralt & it's great.
Bro same!!
I just did this quest the other day for the first time n I absolutely loved it , it was so good, so funny, and it seemed to me like it was a precursor for the story they decided to tell with cyberpunk 2077… rhe dynamic between geral & vlod acts as like a basis for Johnny & v
Gaunter O'Dimm is *Master Mirror,* with his initials being *G.O.D.*
As in, *reflection/opposite* of God. 😮
I've seen some say since his Initials are G.O.D , and he is master mirror. Well mirrors show our flipped/opposite image. So some claim Gaunter is the opposite of god. But then that's just speculation. Considering we're in The Witcher's world. God doesn't have to be good like in our world.
Not to mention, who else loves to claim he is GOD?
@@annahenrietta9517 Yeah that's what I meant by *reflection* of god
48:46 - I mean, this bloke pretty much confirms it with what can be seen as an ambiguous dialogue tag, if one *doesn't look at it with OP's theory in mind...
Holy shit its so clear now... the reflection is DOG
25:23 Perfect
We all remember that time when Bloody Baron tells Geralt that his wife and daughter left him but then we ask him to play Gwent
The Giant Toad was easily the hardest boss in Witcher 3
Nah man detlaff is 100% the hardest
literally all the monsters of hearts of stone are some of the hardest in the game, even harder than the blood and wine monsters. We have the toad, the caretaker, the wraith in the mansion, and of course Iris' nightmare
The Ofierri mage gave me way more trouble than any other boss from HoS
Mansion wraith and the werewolf at the start were only two that took me several attempts
iris nightmare and ofeiri mage gave me the most trouble
Geralt and Olgierd talking by the sunrise is one of my favorite moments in the game
I've consumed every piece of Witcher media created upto this point, and yet still no character even comes close to how much I adore Master Mirror. If you've read the lore about him in the standalone Gwent game, you know that calling him something as black and white as "Evil Incarnate" is extremely ironic, because he's easily the most nuanced and complex character in the series. He's both incomprehensibly powerful and extremely influential but at the same time truly neutral, as he works through the power of suggestion and as such what happens afterwards is purely of the person's own volition, AND he does all of this not with some specific goal in mind, but instead simply to see what happens. He's basically just a curious god that doesn't understand mortal morality because he himself isn't mortal. Such an incredibly interesting character and I look forward to seeing how this being that can swell a wave that affects the whole world is used in the future
19:23 now that's the kind of attention to detail I love about this game. I doubt many people would've gone back to the village after completing the quest but the fact that the devs chose to put in a bit extra for the few who did is brilliant.
Scenes from a marriage is the greatest quest I’ve ever played
Much like the main game, a great video summarising HoS, god this game is a godsend. Here’s to the Blood and Wine vid 🍻
I chose the middle ending siding with o dimm as I didn't wanted to anger him and he gave me the best saddle ever.
I can't get over how Olgierd von Everec sounds like the How It's Made narrator. Please tell me I'm not the only one.
Can't wait for this! It will be spectacular.
53:14 The tone LazerzZ uses got me to giggle. XD
"What do you propose we play? Gwent?"
*LazerzZ like a kid on Christmas*
"YESPLEASE!"
Great stuff. XD
The vendor in Hearts of Stone *does* sell missing gwent cards. He just doesn't sell all of them. He sells certain cards which you may have missed during the main game, but not special cards you have to win from tournaments or quests. And if you already have the "missing" cards he sells (aka they aren't missing for you), then he doesn't sell them. He'll only sell the new ones in that case.
I'm glad that I finally got time to watch this, I wanted to watch the whole thing in one go and man was it worth it. I absolutely loved the editing and overall tone of this video, fantastic job!
PS: Love the title :)
CD PR is the best developer for Witcher 3, the amount of work was amazing. Imagine what game can they made with 8 years- ow they already done it
Can't wait for blood and wine video, your witcher videos are truly incredible at capturing how great this game was. I know these must take forever to produce but man they are your best work.
The next-gen enhanced version can't come soon enough. I've been wanting to do a 3rd playthrough of the entire game for a long time but when I heard the news about 'The Complete Edition' I decided to wait for it. I need it now!
Idk, third playthough with all bad choices is going unexpectedly great so far: new quests and scenes, Dandelion is finally does what the games were lacking - showing the opposite side of relationship we got explained so well in 'Broken Flowers', why Geralt stay friends with him despite all the troubles, annoyances and babysitting, playing a tightlipped misantorpe by picking answers that in other games usually spells boring neutral dialogues skips, over more open Geralt, is just a gift that keeps on giving, much more than preview promises, and often hilarious or more effective. Even more stuff to find to do out of order or consult rare characters about sometimes net satisfying results. Besides after more 'emotional' Geralt in 3 its easier to catch more out of his performances in previous games
The characters in the witcher 3, blood and wine and hearts of stone are fucking incredible
Great job, sir. Looking forward to the Blood & Wine critique.
I love the story of wild Hunt but it did go on for a little bit too long in my opinion even though the conclusion was incredibly satisfying. Hearts of stone however is a tight 12 to 15 hour narrative thats is seriously some of the best video game writing I have truly ever seen
Hearts of stone is probably the best part of the game
It's surprising the similarities Heart of Stone and Phantom Liberty has gameplay wise. Both heavly rebalnced the game and took a section of the map that was empty and filled it with content.
Brilliant once again, James!
Your comments made this a really good summary of Hearts of Stone. I can't wait to play it again. Especially Iris' paint world, I found amazing to explore. The chilling experience of discovering her tragic story was incredibly thought through and well written. The Witcher is a game that makes you feel the pain the characters are experiencing in that world.
I want to forget it all and play it all all over again
My head canon is that Geralt would never risk his life/soul for Olgierd von Beckham and having witnessed professor Shakeslock's last moments, I just can't picture Geralt facing O'Dimm or winning. In my game world, Geralt did O'Dimm's dirty work and got paid in kind (evil saddle, infinite booze). Book Geralt, though, would have asked for info about Ciri, I think.
As for O'Dimm himself, he's almost Lovecraftian as far as villains go. Easily my favorite Witcher villain and one of my favorite villains of all time.
I still think it’s awesome that you can find O’ Dimm in the background of a lot of the cutscenes during the DLC if you look carefully
I loved this video. So nice to see others enjoy what I've enjoyed so deeply. And it's like getting to return to the material but in a different way.
I will play this game for the rest of my life
Sick video, such a good dlc
Roach farts
Geralt : *winds howling*
Aaaaand you did it again James,
Great job. Great Video. Never played Heats of Stone and I decided to see your retteling of it.
Not dissapointed at all.
When I started playing this dlc I was done with the main game so it took me a second to realise that gunter was in the starting of the main game... But when I did boy was a stocked..
The most important thing in the mirror world is getting the sword
Why do i keep watching hours upon hours of people reviewing TW3? I've watched well over 30 hours of people talking about witcher 3 now, and i probably wont stop anytime soon
53:14
"Yes please!"
😂😂😂😂😂
Who would have thought that the scary, trickster demon guy is a wholesome wingman ..😅
Each retrospective always feels like it outdoes the last one. Fantastic video!
Cdpr used my language for one of gaunters lines and i really appreciated that
Ooooooo... can't wait
I used the wrong account
Dude I love your videos. I can’t wait for the blood and wine vid
The main story of Hearts of Stone is really sad, it is on parr with the Baron's story.
Such an epic franchise, my GOD.
Great video as always! I had been waiting for this since the witcher 3 review
Another great video, As Always
I would say that this DLC is actually better when played about in the middle of the game, before you find Ciri
I’ve really been enjoying the hell out of your witcher videos, wish you had a podcast or something
Appreciate that!
I actually have a whole channel dedicated to my podcast content that I run with a few other creators, I run As Always Podcast, a show about current gaming and entertainment news, and co-host Four Pillars Podcast a show where we goof off and talk about whatever we feel like or is relevant
ua-cam.com/channels/tvlJN1JzToq4CfGjry3FMw.html
@@LazerzZ AHHH perfect! Thank you so much for your time and content, hope to see more witcher content in the future
The gwent simping gives me great joy, very relatable!
Brilliant video thanks for the hard work
As good as ever Laz
Fantastic job as always 🙌
47:36 I honestly believe that they just didn't know what he was supposed to be so they didn't answer the question in the game
Seeing this has reminded me why I'm so hyped for cyberpunk 2077
Incredible video once again
Bro how long do these videos take you to make? I assume these must be a pain to edit and voiceover, so much effort it’s insane
Geralt of Rivia, Butcher of Blaviken, Geralt the Giant slayer, but fall 10 ft and dies
Gaunter O'dimm is literally the devil. It's in nordic folklore as far as I know
James a question how are you so talented
Appreciate the kind words, I do try my best!
@@LazerzZ I see and It looks like you put even more than your best into it
Wait what it's been 5 years??? I haven't even had Heart of Stone for one year yet😂 I have a really bad/basic laptop (not even a gaming laptop!) so I only got it when it came out on the Switch and it hasn't been a full year of that yet.... man I really am behind xD
(Side note the banana tiger curse struck me today and i now must live with it)
(Side note x2 I liked Shani more than I did Triss but my heart lays with Yen. Haven't read the booms yet (they're on my list) and idk about the show, but based on TW3 alone I really like Yen
Gotta get that viper sword in o’dims riddle! Missed it til my 2nd play through.
I know I'm late for the party, but is anybody gonna acknowledge the fact that Olgierd had his own brother killed to get his wish? He didn't had a Heart of Stone back then.
He didn’t want his brother to die, he didn’t even choose whether he loved his brother or iris more O’Dimm just knew and killed him
I spent this whole video waiting for your reaction to gaunters Gwent line
This dlc is mainly based on polish culture (as most of the game but here it shines threw more of in the reinasaince time of polish szlachta) mainly on story of mr twardowski who made a deal with devil for immortality and what not. Ofc there was a but. If he would ever go to rome devil would take his soul and so he goes of as it wont ever happen but one day he parties in a pub called rome and so devil takes him to moon where he stays. Lots of similaritys between olgierd and gaunte o dimm love the connection. On of olgierds man even quotes the poem about this story written by adam mickiewicz "ms. Twardowska" i only know the fragment in polish since i am polish you guys really miss like 40% of game thats based on nods to polish stories and culture so great to see that implemneted
That’s super interesting, thanks for the comment!
@@LazerzZ really enjoyed your video and i apreactiate the effort you out into this. Edit: this story is also more known as Faust but polish version still exists and has more to do with witcher ofc
the fact that you missed the Olgierd fight means you didn't do the DLC fully
sorry, it's just too good
Great video
Didn't know you could save him. Right from the start the group pissed me off so I had no intention of trying to help them 😅
After u kill the olfieri guards, u can legit just run away from the mage and he won’t chase u lol I noticed this when I was, at first, having a very hard time defeating him, so I just ran away and the quest just updated n I could’ve just went to meet o’dimm, but I couldn’t help myself but to go back n kill the mage lol then I never actually went to see master mirror, but he just popped up later on when I went to investigate the burning mansion n he berated me for not meeting him when I was supposed to .. pretty cool
Witcher contemplations:
Overview.
The depth,atmosphere, the story and the CHARACTERS are stupendous.
The effects of your choices are so far reaching and lasting, it is brilliant, this is such a superb RPG.
When I play a game, I enjoy myself the most when I am fully immersed in it, it is never a character in a world, it is me existing/fighting in that world, thus all decisions I make in a game, are the decisions I would like to try and make in reality if given the chance.
I once had my Triss, so I will always choose my Triss in game. (Although I will only ever play the games for a second time under certain specific circumstances.)
Combat.
I do enjoy the fidelity and pace of the combat and it allows you to conduct satisfying counters and kill moves but … I dislike it when a game forces you to use a certain combat style that you do not prefer. Looking at games like Assassin's Creed Black Flag/Rogue where they force you to constantly use a set layout like Sword+sword or Sword + dagger.
I much rather prefer the weapon layout of AC1,2,Brotherhood compared to the forced double handed layout of Black Flag/Rogue.
You only use a one handed weapon, no Sword+dagger or sword + shield or two sword combo and that is melee perfection to me.
An arming sword in one hand and nothing (Or a shield) in the other ,that is my preference.
Unfortunately here , since you play as Geralt , a set character, you are forced to be a Spellsword, using a two handed greatsword with no other option.
This combat style is one that I never use, so even though the foundation of the combat is brilliant, the obligatory combat style is not.
Ciri vs Ceres.
(One of the few gripes about the game.)
Ceres.
Ugh I can't stand her. She was so one dimensional. No flaws ,no depth, only ''immaculate',' implausible , ''brilliance''. The writers tried so hard to push for her to be chosen as queen that I was repulsed by her and will never choose her.
What I love about the Witcher is it presents you with complex choices ,it forces you to try and discern what is the lesser of two evils. Even with deciding on the main factions to be in charge, every faction has good aspects/elements but also a down side. It shows nuance and reflects the complexity of life, that is what makes the Witcher so engaging. With Ceris ,it was a case of gender / sibling competition and from the get go the writers ..for some out of place reason, went against the norm of deep, complex choices and gave you:'' woman guud, brother dumb and bad.'' They essentially ''force'' her to be the likeable character, with zero repercussions, and in today's day and age , if something is forced (upon you) ..it is usually shit. (Looking at you ‘’Not the Witcher’’ on Netflix)
(EXACTLY like the repulsive feminazi writers of Assassin's Creed Syndicate)
I would love an in game decision to ‘’accidentally ‘’ see her die.
Ciri.
In turn Ciri is a superb complex female character, insanely powerful but still unsure ,capable but timid, eager but knows that she has limitations.
She has been through such hardships and struggles, she just wants to be a normal person and does not crave power, thus she shows all the hallmarks of a brilliant leader and she will always place the needs of her loved ones ahead of her own, thus even though she just wants a quiet life, she will in fact make the best Empress the Empire could ask for. She 100% has to be the empress.
The Vikings hail from a cold, barren mountainous/fjord covered boggy area, Norway,Sweden,Scandinavia (Skellige) where agriculture was highly difficult to maintain, thus their focus was on fishing, but as their culture and cities grew, it became a necessity to raid other shores/peoples in order to survive and thrive. Thus they started to use their brilliant longboats to conquer the northern seas and raid countless European and Mediterranean kingdoms. (The Continent)
The Kingdom of Skellige can’t sustain their populace with agriculture hence the necessity to raid. If the Feminazi is placed in charge as the woke cult so desires, then Skellige will be at peace with outside factions…but its people will starve and civil war WILL erupt, causing unprecedented amounts of death for the Isles.
Dettlaff.
The popularly perceived ''good'' ending, to me is actually the second to worst ending for me. And the popularly perceived ''second worst'' ending, to me is the best ending.
The Duchess is hot but the feminazi (That they try so hard to persuade you is ‘’good/desirable'’ ) is unceasingly annoying.
The game tries so hard to show that Detlaf is evil and Syanna is a ''mis understood anti hero''. But that is BS. Because she had a ‘’sad’’ childhood, she manipulates Detlaf into killing people for her. She is the evil one!
Everyone says the sisters need to come together in reconciliation and Detlaf is evil... but they are so weak minded, how can they not see that Syanna is 100% the evil one?
When I went with her to the land of Fables, I made a decision that I didn't even think about too deeply, it was a small decision to take a ribbon or not...I did...and it caused me to get the worst ending (For me).
Syanna gives Detlaf ''sexiness'' and intoxicates his brain like malicious women do...
Dettlaff did nothing wrong out of his own volition.
The Duchess is foxy and cool,but Syanna..the ''tragic figure''... is utterly manipulative,vindictive and evil.
And you can't have Regis..the best character of them all getting anything but the best.
Even though Duchess Anna is hot...Regis is fam.
Syana manipulated Dettlaff and used his love for her to beguile him, using him to do evil at her behest. Dettlaff 100% deserves to live, for his sake as well as for Regis.
Syana deserves to die. She is the cause of it all, just because she had a ''sad childhood'', Anna would look away , ignoring the deaths of innocent people just for the sake of Syana, her love for her sister blinds her to her evil.
Syana is the cause of so many deaths and yet she is allowed to continue with no repercussions ? I shall not stand for that. Syana deserves to die and Regis will help Dettlaff to become a better person by means of working through his trauma.
Olgierd.
Olgierd was manipulated by a demon and by the fates brought upon him in this world, he loved the girl of his dreams and that never changed regardless of all that transpired. He did nothing wrong. Olgierd is a flawed but good man, I 100% spared him.
Hearts of Stone is the story of Olgierd's redemption. He's suffered for his mistakes, shown remorse, learned his lesson, and after you save him he gives up his old ways.
Hearts of stone.
Speaking of the ‘’Hearts of Stone ‘’ DLC , The only gripe I have with it is that you don’t get a dialogue option to respectfully turn down Shanis advances. You either run away and fail the quest (My preferred option) or if you go ahead with the quest,you inevitably sleep with her.
I just want to do the entire quest and when offered, just decline having intimate times with her.
I would also like it if Shani becomes a more centralised romance option that can be chosen at the end as your lover, for all the people whom wish to follow that path.
Gaunter O’Dim is a manifestation of satan. He is the trickster, the liar , the one whose main aim it is to manipulate and deceive in order to drag souls to hell.
He calls himself G.O.D because that is what he has always wanted to be.
Master of Mirrors refers to how satan constantly tries to get your focus off of God and onto yourself, either inflating your pride (wich brings numerous consequences) or by inflating your faults. Constantly lying to you , making you believe that you are not good enough, thus he slowly kills you and drags you away from God.
The researcher studying O’Dim stated that you have to outwit him and that only One Human has ever bested O’Dim in his tricks and schemes and defeated O’Dim.
That Human was Christ when he descended to earth and agreed to be challenged by satan in the desert ,ultimately besting satan in the desert and in the underworld when He died on the Cross.
I love the clear influence of Christianity in Polish culture.
Summary.
This game is brilliant. When I finished the game with both DLCs , it left me in tears, not just because my mind is a crippled mess but the story and results of your choices leaves you shocked,breathless and filled with such satisfaction.
This game unveils a lot about oneself and it gives you an ending that is you.
Upon the completion, I sat for a few minutes just staring at the screen, drinking in and savouring the happiness it made me feel, contemplating all that I have just lived through.
The Wicher 3 is certainly on par with Modded Skyrim 10/10.
(I highly recommend you play The Wicher 2 before you play this one)
I love the moment of realisation when during the Blood and Wine DLC you realise that Oriana was the Bruxa from the game launch trailer ... and when Geralt says:'' You know... I'll be back for you some day..''' the trailer plays in your mind ....Intense Goosebumps moment. One of so many.
This game is superb.
Didnt know there was snow falling after that quest part
I just finished this yesterday perfect timing
Gaunter wanted none of that Gwent smoke. 😂
Witcher 3 is One GOATS in games and best RPG in my opinion.... But I want more man.... I hope CD Projekt Red get back to their prime...i hope
Grate video as before.
I really hope that he got that silver vipers sword in the riddle dimension
And then there's the Ofieri rune mage. I played through the games and the DLC's and although there are a couple of the Ofieri runes that are pretty neat, I'm glad I thought hard about it and gave them a pass. They are just too freaking expensive...decided that out playing HoS. Then I went on to B&W and was so glad I saved the coin...between fixing up Corvo Bianco and leveling up my top tier armor, I was gratified I had not spent the coin on the Runes. Note that I did not say "wasted." The Runes could have been good but when I got to Toussaint I was glad I had the extra cash. Maybe on the + playthrough I might give them a try...but I still feel they are a tempting but unnecessary expense. Got experience getting the patterns but was too set in my "If you want it but don't need it, don't buy it" path by moments in the Wild Hunt portion of the game where I had been thwarted by a lack of ready cash. Being a miser doesn't always work out but sometimes it helps to just hold onto the gold.
A 10 hour dlc game for less than most games, puts other games to shame. 🍺
I started HoS and was just chilling, riding along, when I saw some enemies over the hill. Thought they were Nekkers, so I went in... and found a nest of giant fuck-off spiders. I can barely handle Endregas, so holy fuck. I haven't been back. I want so bad to beat the game, but it is NOT arachnophobe friendly.
Same here. I recently completed HoS. After that I was just riding around the area to clear the question marks. Found a cave, a nest, and a whole village with those Spiders. And as a arachnophobe i can only barely deal with Endregas... But this? Fuck that, I ain't doing that.
Sorry i'm late but man james another banger video
Cheers bro!
Why does Gaunter O’Dimm just remind me of Money Saving Expert from daytime TV?
If you think having the qwent quest still active is annoying image having the ofieri gear quest bug and not be able to collect the final diagram
I like to think the Gaunter O'Dimm is the god of this universe. Not A god, but THE god. This idea works for me considering everything in this universe is a bleak representation of our own fairy tales and legends. People of all faiths firmly believe theres a higher power that watches over them, but what if that higher power does exist, but is not actually watching over us, but just..watching us? Like we would watch an ant farm we'd build in our house for entertainment. And occasionally he plays with his "toys", purely for entertainment. And on that off chance that he loses, Geralt seeing him disintegrate is just a "programmed vision" he sees, when in reality Gaunter enjoyed the game enough that he didn't squash Geralt in anger, but let him live and carry on his journey.
I'm probably reading too much into it, but this is the feeling I got from this otherwise omnipotent character
Skip Olgierd fight at the manor is the crime!
Here for some BLOODY GOOD TIME!!
15:35 lol i payed him the 5000 thinking it would be useful to only find out you need to pay him even more later.
Can't wait
Man Of Mirror = M.O.M
Still hate how expensive the rune weight is but I understand it
This is gonna be a spectacle lads!
10:35 Just realized that could it be that O'Dimm somehow feels guilty about creating that monster (von everec) ?
The iris wraith fight was the bane of my existence I played it on blood and broken bones and didn’t die to it but that shit took me forever because every time I would got to destroy a painting my shit would go and jump away from the painting to attack the wraith leading to the longest boss battle in the game because every time I made any fucking ground the boss lock on bullshit would fuck me I legit destroyed my mastercrafted sword twice and spammed spectre oil that many times
Just need the venomous viper silver sword in the riddle area
Wish I could watch this but I’ve never played the DLCs and I’m waiting for the PS5 release but take my like
Brilliant
Dude, I WISH we could've played Gwent with Gaunter! You know he'd be a MESS. So unfair.
Fuck YES, I cannot wait for this video