CD Projekt Red is still playing things close to the chest on The Witcher 3's upcoming Songs of the Past expansion, but story director Marcin Blacha did open up a little on why the DLC takes Geralt somewhere entirely new.
Songs of the Past drags Geralt out of retirement when Dandelion gets urgent news from his long-neglected homeland of Letten and needs backup. According to Blacha, going somewhere unfamiliar wasn't just set dressing, it was the whole point.
I'd say this new setting helps do one very important thing for us: lets us tell new stories. We rarely see Dandelion like we will in Songs of the Past, forced to face up to responsibility, and in turn, we get to see how that impacts Geralt as a character as well. With a new region, there are new stories, and a lot of potential for players to discover a new side of a game they know so well. For us, Letten felt like a really natural way to go.
Beyond that, details stay vague. Blacha confirmed the long-dormant evil. Geralt's up against is "certainly a new challenge" and "a core part of the mystery of the region," which, translated from marketing-speak, means we still have no idea what it actually is. There's a curse involved, and apparently some poor souls spliced with trees to fight, but that's the extent of it.
He also wouldn't bite on whether this new finale gives Blood and Wine's old ending any kind of nod, or whether familiar faces beyond Dandelion are showing up. Given that Songs of the Past has quietly taken over as Geralt's actual last ride, the herd's going to want a bit more than vibes before launch.
