Blood and Wine and Defeat

As expected I flew through Heart of Stone with a very modest XP gain. I enjoyed the main story line but balked at investing in the runemaster. I turned to Blood and Wine intending to deal with the runemaster later.

Blood and Wine is a substantial expansion. It’s also quite a departure from the main game. I’d describe it as whimsical Arthurian fables set in an idyllic Renaissance world. Violence and monsters are even more jarring there. Of course a monster contract prompts Geralt’s return. He faces typical moral quandaries but there was only one way it was going to end for me. There are certain story lines I just can’t resist.

During the final mission I found myself thwarted by shortsighted gaming decisions. Geralt was still short of cash and resources. I had thought the Yennifer relationship was blown but a letter Geralt received indicated that it wasn’t. This caused me to obsess on reuniting Geralt with Yennifer post main quest. I collected all the grandmaster diagrams but again balked at the price so only crafted the Viper set.

I could not win the final battle. Reading guides did not help me. I suppose I might have survived eventually but I couldn’t get past the second stage. I just didn’t want to do it anymore. Although I was loath to leave Toussaint I decided to do what I wanted to do anyway. I would start a new game plus.

Most of my gear is of little use other than one sword. New runestones, glyphs and runewords could help. I needed to craft or upgrade potions and decoctions and max out abilities. I also planned to take along at least 50,000 crowns. My game level was at 49 and I could easily hit the level cap in new game plus. Once again I am a victim of efficient levelling. I blame Oblivion for this. I needed to do some serious grinding without levelling over 50. So it was back to Skellage and the annoying Sirens. Sigh.

Along the way, I wondered if I was just under equipped for the final battle. That’s possible but I have made my choice. I have even reset Geralt’s abilities.

For now it’s back to Henry.