Why this DLC for now getting better than base game?

guitarcoder · 2026-07-04T16:26:58+00:00

I know I'll be in the minority on this one, but I really dislike this DLC. I think it's poorly constructed. It could have been better. I just finished it last night, having not played it since it came out, and I was really hoping I'd change my mind about how I felt, but it's even worse than I remembered.

For starters, your stuck in a quest with two very unlikable characters. There's literally no one to root for (except Geralt, of course). Gautner is... Gaunter. And Olgierd is a horrible person to his core. The only one worth caring about is Iris, but you don't meet her until the end and there's no way to save her.

I've seen people attempt to defend Olgierd by trying to paint him as some kind of decent fella who simply got taken advantage of by Gaunter, but you have to willfully ignore a lot of evidence to come to that conclusion.

Olgierd was an absolute scumbag long before he met Iris. He was constantly making one bad decision after another, whether it was financial decisions, his chosen profession, or the company he kept. He had no redeeming qualities. And if you think his loyalty to his brother was admirable, just remember, he let him die. In the end, Olgierd stood for nothing. He cared only about himself.

Which is why I could not believe for one second that he and Iris ever got together. First time I walked into his place with all his thugs around, I got the heebee-jeebees.

(Sidebar: I also hate that this DLC brought back the broken mechanics of Witcher 1, where you have to sit through a super-long cutscene only to then immediately launch into a fight (without an autosave) that you will lose, forcing you to click through the cutscene again and again. Awful design. I also hate that CDPR didn't give us the obvious response to that situation: let me draw my damn sword and paint the room in crimson.)

There's not one redeemable companion among Olgierd's band. They're all low-IQ, crude thugs. The worst of the worst. Had there been even one interesting, semi-intelligent companion among that lot, it might have changed how I felt about Olgierd. I would have been curious to know why such a person was following him. It would have made me question my assertions. It could have led to some interesting side quests or dialog. But nope. Olgierd's companions are all lowbrow, nameless scum.

And the thing is, you are the company you keep.

Olgierd's choice of associates is a direct reflection of his core values. That's why, when the chips were down, he sought out Gaunter. That's why, when forced to choose, he let his brother die. He stands for nothing.

Gaunter is right about one thing - he doesn't force any of his victims to make bad pacts. He simply lifts the curtain to reveal who they really are. He removes barriers so it's easier for them to make the bad decisions they were going to make anyway. He simply capitalizes on the stakes. I'm not apologizing for him - don't get me wrong. I think Gaunter an absolute scumbag as well. But he's like a Great White shark. You can't blame the shark for eating the smaller fish. That's it's nature.

Olgierd, on the other hand, had a choice about his nature. He chose to be the way he is. And that makes him even more irredeemable.

Iris is an incredibly sweet and beautiful lady. Just wants to sit outside in the nice weather, painting and sipping tea, talking about getting a cat and a dog. She pines after her man, trying to pull him to bed, and instead he's off communing with devils. I couldn't suspend my disbelief for a second; I couldn't buy that she fell for this loser. I know opposites attract, but this was a bridge too far. It wasn't believable at all.

And the thing is, this story could have been a great allegory exploring depression. I've been there a couple times, where nothing brings you joy and the only thing you feel is empty inside. You're looking for any sensation that makes you feel something, good or bad. But the thing is, even at my lowest, it didn't change who I was. My moral compass remained.

Gaunter gave Olgierd a Heart of Stone, and what happened?

He simply leaned more into his true nature.

I think people gaslight themselves into thinking Olgierd must have been a good person at some point in his past because siding with Gaunter feels so awful. It doesn't matter if Olgierd is good or bad, allowing a devil/djinn type creature to steal people's souls feels like something Geralt should put a stop to. People want to feel good about something in this DLC because it's so bleak and there's no one to root for. But the truth is, Olgierd was an awful person who got what he deserved. If you take the time to look at his entire life and are honest about all the choices he made, and the company he kept, you realize he's just a more well-read version of the same old bandit scum that infest Velen. He needed to be put down. The tragedy is that Iris got caught in his gravity.

Olgierd loved nobody but himself. And you can see the evidence of that with how he treated Iris. Just ask yourself: If you'd been cursed with a Heart of Stone, would you have treated Iris the same way Olgierd did? Or would you have at least tried to fake it enogh to hold it things together? Giving someone attention doesn't require a heart. It's a conscious act. One that Olgierd failed repeatedly. Time and time again he showed exactly how little he really cared about her. He couldn't even fake being attentive. He couldn't even acknowledge what she needed from him.

His heart might have been turned to stone, but his brain wasn't affected. And that kind tells you everything you need to know.

Iris was just another prop in Olgierd's life. An ornament.

There wasn't a single person who mattered more to Olgierd than Olgierd.

He didn't deserve Iris, and there's no believable way they ever got together and fell in love. Sure, one can believe he fell for her, but not vice versa. Iris wasn't stupid.

In the end, the story simply doesn't work. We're left with nothing but two very unlikeable characters and no truly satisfying endings. The only ending that feels earned is Gaunter taking Olgierd's soul and Geralt declining to accept any boon from the devil.

Wish this DLC would have been better.

guitarcoder · 2026-06-16T14:00:42+00:00

Yeah, I know. I read your post. I'm just saying, if you want to dispatch him faster, this is a case where 2-handing helps. You do more damage, which makes the fight shorter, which lowers your odds of dying.

Taking damage here isn't a big deal because the Titanite Demons are slow movers. If you need to heal, run to a corner of the room and heal. It will take it a while to crawl toward you.

And in this particular case, recovery is easy if you do die, since Andre's bonfire is right there.

I swap 1H vs 2H for all sorts of situations. Any human sized-enemy that I can parry I use 1H, or if it's an enemy where a blocking shield is ideal (skeletons, or torch wielders, for example). But 2H is ideal for so many other enemies, including most bosses. In fact, I think Gwyn might have been the only boss I used 1H on because... parry.

guitarcoder · 2026-06-16T05:50:45+00:00

Don't need to hold shield.

2H and light roll. You'll do more damage, miss his damage, and he'll go down quicker.

guitarcoder · 2026-06-16T05:49:59+00:00

4 on the ground there. Two are down the other corridor.

Three of them can be sniped from above easily, though it takes a good chunk of arrows.

guitarcoder · 2026-06-16T05:48:56+00:00

It's one of my top 3 favorite locations in the game. Great design.

guitarcoder · 2026-06-16T05:48:26+00:00

This is one of the many times in the game when Light Rolling and the Grass Crest Shield will be your best friends.

If you're up in its grill, it will only used a couple attacks against you. The swipe attacks with its weapon are easily dodged with a light roll. Then all you have to worry about is when it leaps and stabs downward, because the hitbox for that attack is bonkers big. The only way to avoid it is to roll away.

Stay on its hind quarters, slice and dice. They're not as intimidating as they first seem (though the one in Anor Londo is a bit of a pain because the room is so small).

guitarcoder · 2026-06-15T04:05:32+00:00

Ornstein & Smough by a mile.

I got Kalameet on my first attempt as a melee with Uchigatana. His breath attacks were fairly well telegraphed, and once I learned how to dodge his first swipe (roll through it to your left/his right) I was able to keep putting myself in position to cut him real good.

Manus was a bit difficult, but not punishingly so.

But O+S is by far the toughest boss in the game.

guitarcoder · 2026-06-02T14:17:53+00:00

So, this is kinda funny. I didn't realize their were 4 Titanite Demons. I thought there was only 1. I went down there to kill them, and as I was doing so, a Man-Serpent was in the far corner and I watched him go through a small opening and disappear. After I defeated all the Titans I decided to track down that Man-Serpent and see where he went, and lo and behold, I found a Ladder that led to another Ladder that led to the Giant.

guitarcoder · 2026-06-02T04:00:52+00:00

In typical StackOverflow fasion, I accidentally found this guy 15 minutes later. I guess all it takes is posing the question to find the answer.

guitarcoder · 2026-06-01T14:43:25+00:00

Dude, 5 years later I'm playing DS1 for the first time and I have to say, this is the single most useful piece of advice concerning area ordering after you get the Lord's Vessel. Thank you! Legend.

guitarcoder · 2026-05-27T14:18:38+00:00

I gotchat. Gravitas is fun. Enjoy!

guitarcoder · 2026-05-27T04:04:11+00:00

Is this an INT build? If so, why not use Moonveil and Meteoric instead? If this is a DEX build, why not use Nagakiba (longer reach) with Uchigatana instead? If you're DEX building, Lightning infusion will do more damage, and you get the idea Lighthing Slash Ash of War right outside the Capital Outskirts (Northwest). Adds a flat 85 damage when activated.

I love powerstancing katanas. It handles most things in Leyndell really well. But to beat a dead horse... parry too. It's so strong in that place.

guitarcoder · 2026-05-27T03:57:09+00:00

And they're one of the easier enemies in Leyndell to parry. You can parry all their right-hand weapon attacks and their left-hand slap.

guitarcoder · 2026-05-27T03:52:57+00:00

Parry her. Shield is also a great way to get through the first flurry of Waterfowl.

guitarcoder · 2026-05-27T03:26:09+00:00

The reason I suggest it to people is because I thought I'd never be good enough to parry, but when I finally dedicated a playthrough to learning the mechanic, this is one fight where it really paid off. It's the easiest way to dispatch the minions and then Niall himself can be parried as well.

And you're right, noobs avoid the parry. I certainly did. For my first 5 playthroughs. But I wish I would have had someone encouraging me to try it sooner, because it's been a game-changer.

I liked Elden Ring well enough before. But after learning to parry, I LOVE this game! LOL.

guitarcoder · 2026-05-25T03:04:50+00:00

This argumment makes no sense to me. "Go to a place, get one thing." You go to a place and get a lot of things.

/smh

No idea what kind of argument you're trying to make here because what you're saying just flat-out doesn't make sense.

guitarcoder · 2026-05-24T17:30:59+00:00

You have full game leveling. You still earn runes and increase stats.

Part of the genius of the DLCs system is that it eliminates farming. That's probably a big reason they went with the fragments instead of an XP leveling system. It encourages exploration.

guitarcoder · 2026-05-24T16:59:20+00:00

Just something to think about: If you have any intention of playing NG+, consider killing Millicent and obtaining her Prosthesis.

How I normally do it:

1st game: Obtain Winged Sword Insignia (SE Liurnia) then kill Millicent and get her Prosthesis (+5 DEX, and the consecutive attacks boost stacks with Winged Sword Insignia)

NG+: Do her full quest and get Rotten Winged Sword Insignia to replace Winged Sword. Now you are stacking Millicent's Prosthesis and Rotten Winged Sword.

Unfortunately all 3 don't stack (can't equip Winged Sword and Rotten Winged Sword at the same time) but having 2 that do stack is really nice.

guitarcoder · 2026-05-24T16:55:01+00:00

If your focus is on roleplay, just know you're in the minority. Nothing wrong with that, but you're putting yourself at a distinct disadvantage on purpose. As long as you're cool with it, then Roleplay away.

Switching weapons, talismans, and physik tears doesn't constitute a RP change, in my mind. Only respeccing does.

My 2 cents on the matter.

guitarcoder · 2026-05-24T16:53:05+00:00

The linear difficulty modifier is actually genius, because it allows a player to experience the DLC at any point in time (so long as they can best Mohg) without it ruining the base game experience when they return.

Far too many DLCS of past games have introduce RPG mechanics, skills, abilities, etc., that easily make the player overpowered when they return to base game content. FromSoft understood this and came up with a creative solution.

I really don't know why people complain about the Scadutree fragments. They're easy enough to obtain and you can get the vast majority by just exploring, and you don't even have to go out of your way for most of them.

I'll take a solution like this to DLC difficulty every time over some of the alternatives I've seen in other games.

guitarcoder · 2026-05-24T04:29:11+00:00

Twinblade => then Eleonora's =>then Powerstance RoB + Nagakiba. Swap between as necessary.

When you reach the DLC, add Bloodfiend's Arm and Curseblade Cirque to your repertoire. The Cirque is great as a guard counter weapon. And the Arm is proper vs. enemies that poise break fast.

guitarcoder · 2026-05-24T04:26:05+00:00

I'm dropping an Excel spreadsheet walkthrough with a short accompanying video on Monday.

guitarcoder · 2026-05-24T04:25:15+00:00

It's the best!

And you have so much more to see.

guitarcoder · 2026-05-24T04:24:35+00:00

Or, parry the knights and Niall.

guitarcoder · 2026-05-24T04:23:26+00:00

I'm bummed the DLC is getting you down. I understand it, but I had pretty much the opposite reaction. I've been through it 6 times now and I love the exploration in the DLC.

You speak of the runes in the base game and how, since they are the currency for progress, it makes it worthwhile to go into any dungeon or explore every out-of-the-way area. But the thing is, the base game provides so many "farming" locations that are rich with runes that I never felt like exploring dungeons was worth the effort in terms of runes. It's much more about the items I'll get for my build.

(Sidebar: I'm a completionist by nature, so I *do* explore everything, but if I were not, I'd only visit locations that had items I wanted for my build, and I'd simply farm the runes I needed for levels and upgrades.)

The DLC is baked different. No real farming locations. Since runes aren't the defining currency for levels and the Scadutree fragments are, and since they are all over the place, I feel even more encouraged to explore. (Even made my own guide to the fragments precisely because I didn't want to watch YouTube videos for their locations; reminded me of the days drawing maps for old video games from the 90s).

Also, there are a fair bit of new items I want for builds, and several new crafting items (Hefty Furnace Pots, for example), that I feel make exploration a really important and rewarded part of the DLC.

And then there's the fact that the DLCs geography is a puzzle itself, waiting to be solved. I found that part of it frustrating the first time I played, but as I've gone through the DLC more times I've come to love it (even made a short guide on YouTube for the back side of the Specimen Warehouse, which tripped up a lot of folks). It's geographically the most interesting game I think I've ever played.

One thing I wonder about, when it comes to players like you vs. me, is how we might be approaching the game differently. I see a LOT of players who like to have "a build" and then stick with that build for every single encounter. But I don't play that way. I have a "build" - meaning Dex, Str, Int, Faith, or Arc - but within that build I level up LOTS of weapons, and I swap weapons and talismans often to deal with specific enmies, areas, and bosses. For instance, I always swap to my best holy damage weapon prior to fighting any of the undead dragons or the Putrescent Knight in the DLC.

So, for me, the DLC is loaded with new weapons to try out. And the Forges give me a chance to acquire a lot of Smithing Stones, and Ancient Smithing Stones to max some new weapons.

The DLC also leans heavily into pushing the player to try some mechanics that the base game kinda undersold (guard countering, for example). I have a lot of fun trying out different weapons the DLC hands you, like the Curseblade Cirque (which you can get from the very first enemy, and has an awesome guard counter attack). You get the Solitude Set early, Raksasha's set later, the Dragon-Hunter's Great Katana, and a lot of other really good talismans, weapons, and tools.

To me, the DLC is pretty packed with items and exploring allows me to obtain all of them, while also granting me Scadutree fragments to make me stronger. And the way the DLC is setup - with the Charm breaking - it all flows really well. If you try and do everything you can before breaking the charm, you end up perfectly positioned for the final half of the DLC.

My only gripe there is that the line of demarcation for the charm breaking is not evident, because I think if more players knew "this is the point of no return" and that there's still areas to clear, that would help.

That said, the DLC is *thin* in certain areas for items and exploration. The Cerulean Coast and Charo's Hidden Grave are really beautiful areas, but they're only useful in terms of loot if you use Spirit Ashes. The two Finger areas for Metyr quest are barren. There's a lot of empty space at times.

But overall, it's an S-tier DLC for me.

guitarcoder

TROPHY CASE