The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past Expansion Revealed

CD Projekt Red surprised fans by announcing a third expansion to its acclaimed 2015 role-playing game, and after weeks of anticipation, The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past finally received its first gameplay reveal at Gamescom Opening Night Live. A hands-off preview session gave attendees an hour-long look at the new region and story direction, showcasing how the expansion builds on the foundation that made the base game one of the most celebrated titles in gaming history.

The expansion centers on Letten, the childhood homeland of Dandelion, the bard companion players encounter throughout The Witcher 3. The preview opened with protagonist Geralt waking on the banks of this new region after celebrating a festival, with his friend mysteriously absent. The initial sequence involved recovering Dandelion's lute from a new owner, establishing the game's familiar tone and character work that defined the original release. Geralt's gruff personality and the series' characteristic blend of humor and crass dialogue remain intact, suggesting the expansion maintains the narrative voice players expect.

Letten itself serves as a full open-world region with its own side quests, enemy types, and equipment. The preview highlighted the region's picturesque countryside, inspired by rural landscapes in Poland and England, populated with numerous NPCs engaged in distinct activities and conversations. This attention to world-building extends to the free Witcher 3 Remastered update launching September 29, which features refined lighting and reflection systems. Water ripples naturally, sunlight filters convincingly through trees, and the overall visual presentation receives a noticeable upgrade from the 2022 next-generation patch.

The central narrative involves Dandelion's cousin Lilla, who yearns to escape her family's manor and becomes a key character in the story. After Geralt mentions a cryptic dream about a well surrounded by thorns, Lilla reveals a family legend concerning the Garden of Thorns, a dark and mysterious location tied to their ancestry. The story hints at a tragic past involving one of their ancestors, a witch, and violence from townspeople, setting up themes of family secrets and hidden dangers.

Gameplay improvements accompany the new content. A new Chain weapon serves as a ranged tool that pulls enemies close and enables slow-motion finishing moves. A new enemy type called the Swarmion uses a cloud of wasps as a defensive shield that only the Chain weapon can penetrate. Combat refinements in the remaster include improved camera behavior during dodges, keeping the player's intended target centered on screen, along with smoother animations for dodging, parrying, and attacking sequences. These adjustments aim to enhance the flow of combat without fundamentally altering the established system.

The preview concluded with a boss encounter against the Slumbering Knight, an armored figure that emerges from the ground in the Garden of Thorns. The fight's conclusion reveals this knight to be Lilla and Dandelion's ancestor, directly connecting the family legend to the expansion's core mystery and suggesting deeper secrets will drive the narrative forward. The expansion is scheduled to release sometime next year, with the free Witcher 3 Remastered update arriving September 29. Based on the preview, Songs of the Past appears designed to deliver more of what made the original game successful rather than attempting to reinvent the formula, which may be exactly what longtime fans want from an expansion to a game that remains influential over a decade after launch.