The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has two main DLCs, and Hearts of Stone is the shortest of the two. However, Hearts of Stone is still a very long expansion pack, and the player will need some tips if they want to brave the new questline that is offered in this DLC.
The enemies and especially the boss fights in Hearts of Stone are much more difficult than in the base game, and as such, they require more planning and skill to defeat. Attempting to complete the Hearts of Stone DLC without prior knowledge about it is possible; however, it will be quite difficult on the Death March difficulty and the other higher difficulties.
10 Craft Golden Oriole
To craft Golden Oriole, the player will need 1 Dwarven Spirit, 1 Light Essence, and 4 Blowball. The reason that the player will want to craft Golden Oriole before starting the Hearts of Stone DLC is because it grants the player temporary immunity to poison.
The first boss in the DLC is a considerable step up in terms of skill when compared to the bosses in the base game; this boss is called Prince Toad. This giant toad creature will spew poison at the player, and it will be very important to be able to neutralize it, which is why the player should have Golden Oriole in their inventory prior to starting the DLC, this is especially important on the Death March difficulty.
9 Upgrade Equipment Before Starting The DLC
Before starting the DLC, the player will want to make sure all of their favored gear is in the best shape that it can be because the boss fights in Hearts of Stone are very difficult, and if the player is using low-level gear, then they will get defeated quickly. The player can upgrade their equipment by talking to a Blacksmith or Armorer.
Although a lot of players forget to upgrade their gear or buy new gear all together when it is underleveled, in this DLC, using low-level gear is a death sentence, and it should never be done because of how difficult the fights are.
8 Level Up To Level 30
The Hearts of Stone DLC starts at level 30, and although the player is able to begin the DLC at any level they want, it will be challenging to fight the enemies in the DLC if the player isn't at least level 30.
If the player would like to level up before starting the expansion pack, then they can complete monster contracts and other side quests throughout game to gain XP. It is also recommended to be a little bit over-leveled so that the boss fights will be easier on harder difficulties.
7 Make Sure There Is A Lot Of Free Inventory Space
The Hearts of Stone DLC grants the player many different rewards while completing the main questline and it is important to clear up a lot of inventory space because there will be many times that the player will need to pick up new items either that drop from an enemy or as a quest reward.
Although it can be hard to part with equipment, the player is able to put some of their hard-earned equipment into their stash if they would like to store it and use it later. Otherwise, the player can dismantle their equipment for crafting components at a Blacksmith or Armorer.
6 Decide Whether To Become A Moral Or Selfish Geralt
The player is given a lot of dialogue choice in The Witcher 3 to help shape Geralt in any way that they see fit; this usually leads to multiple playthroughs of the game for most players.
However, when the player is starting the Hearts of Stone DLC for the first time, they will want to make sure that they have decided on whether to be overall moral, overall selfish, or in between. The reason for this is because there will be many important moral choices during the course of the DLC, which will help shape Geralt into a more fleshed-out character.
5 Complete Heart of Stone Before Finishing The Main Questline
Most players agree that the Hearts of Stone DLC is best completed prior to completing the main questline because there are a few pieces of dialogue that the player will miss out on if they have already completed the main quest before starting Hearts of Stone.
Although this isn't an absolute necessity and the vast majority of the dialogue in the DLC will stay the same, if the player wants to get the best experience out of the expansion pack, then it is best to complete it prior to finishing the main questline in its entirety.
4 Craft A Few Oils Of Each Type
There are a bunch of different Oils that Geralt is able to craft through Alchemy in The Witcher 3, and the ingredients for these Oils can be found throughout the world in the form of plants and loot on dead bodies.
The player should have a few of each type of Oil in their inventory before starting the Hearts of Stone DLC so that they will be able to defeat any monster that may come their way. Luckily, there aren't too many monsters in the Hearts of Stone DLC compared to Blood and Wine; however, there are still a fair amount of them, and on higher difficulties, it will be difficult to defeat the monsters without the extra edge that Oil gives to Geralt.
3 Use The Crossbow When Necessary
The Crossbow is one of the weakest weapons in The Witcher 3, and a lot of players consider it to be almost useless because it doesn't deal as much damage as other methods of attack such as signs and swords.
However, because of how the boss fights are structured in Hearts of Stone, it can actually be advantageous to use the Crossbow if the player finds themselves in a situation where they cannot defeat their enemy through traditional means. An example of this is the Prince Toad boss fight because it quickly moves around the battlefield and is sometimes difficult to hit with melee attacks.
2 Upgrade The Quen Sign
Out of the five signs that the player is able to upgrade in The Witcher 3, it is best to upgrade the Quen sign prior to starting this expansion pack. The reason for this is because of the damage shield that Quen grants the player, which will be useful when fighting powerful enemies in the DLC that deal a lot of damage to the player.
Although the Quen sign is useful in the base game as well, the increase to enemy skill in the expansion pack makes the Quen sign much more useful during combat, and upgrading it is extremely advantageous for staying alive.
1 Meet The Runewright
The Runewright is an NPC that is only present in The Witcher 3 if the player has the Hearts of Stone DLC installed. The Runewright is able to combine ruins to create an effect that's much more powerful than the average enchantment for a weapon. As such, the players should visit this NPC and complete the quest that he gives to Geralt as quick as possible because it is very helpful when taking on the main questline in Hearts of Stone.
The Runewright can be found by traveling to the northeast of the Novigrad area, and there is even a notice that he posts on the message board near the Seven Catts Inn, which will make finding him easier.