The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt / Hearts Of Stone

This page covers tropes found in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Tropes A to C | Tropes D to H | Tropes I to R | Tropes S to Z | "Hearts Of Stone" | Blood and Wine

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• Almighty Janitor: Gaunter O'Dimm presents himself as "a mangy vagrant" and a traveling merchant, but is the most powerful being ever to appear in the series.
• Animalistic Abomination: The Black Dog and Cat. They look like their animal namesakes, save for the Glowing Eyes of Doom and the fact that they can talk, but are instead magical beings bound in animal shapes, their thought processes and desires are completely alien to humans.
• Arc Words: "I curse the day..."
• Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Pursuing the Fire-eater at the wedding and asking him what the trick to his trade is can lead to this gem.
  Vlodimir!Geralt: You dare toy with me this way?! Very well! Refuse to tell me, and I shall leave you here as a morsel for any passing boars, bears, or bloodthirsty fawns!
• Asshole Victim:
  • Olgierd von Everec appears to be one - reports and demonstrations of his depravity are frequent, early in the piece. The truth is more complicated. He was never exactly a saint, but it was Gaunter O'Dimm who removed his capacity for empathy, remorse and pleasure. This caused the cascade of atrocities he committed against others, particularly his wife.
    The Black Dog: At least, he still loved his wife.
    The Black Cat: No, he only remembered that he was supposed to love her.
  • Horst Borsodi, potentially, depending on your choices during the heist. His brother Ewald and your remaining criminal companions may fall victim as well.
• The Bad Guy Wins: The "default" ending, unless you decide to talk to Shani and the professor in the final quest. If you do not, Master Mirror outwits Olgierd, claims his soul, and walks off happily. On the other hand, Geralt completes the task O'Dimm asks of him, and O'Dimm grants him a boon of his choosing. In other words, the bad guy wins, but you can profit from it or at least you don't get screwed for your efforts, if you decide you don't care about Olgierd's fate.
• Bait-and-Switch: While hunting the Frog Prince in the sewers, Geralt comes across an ominous sight: a shadow of some humanoid mass moving up and down while a woman tearfully cries, "Please, don't do this to me." Thinking he's seeing an Attempted Rape in action, Geralt rushes forward, only to see... that it's Shani performing CPR on a dying man, and she's begging him to stay alive.
• Be Careful What You Wish For: The complete version (i.e. "...because you just might get it,") get said and paraphrased several times during the expansion to the point it becomes the entire expansion's Arc Words.
  Geralt: "You're clearly not human. What are you? A demon? A djinn?"
  O'Dimm: "Do you truly wish to know?"
  Geralt: "Yes."
  O'Dimm: "No, Geralt, you don't. This one time I will spare you and not grant your wish."
• Berserk Button: The only time Gaunter loses his cool calm and collected voice is when he gets interrupted while trying to talk to Geralt. The results are unpleasant for the poor fool.
• Bewitched Amphibians: The monstrous Toad "Prince" that Geralt fights at the beginning of the DLC turns out to actually be a cursed Ofieri prince, and the men that swore to bring the prince back to his homeland are mighty upset that Geralt killed him.
• Big Bad: Gaunter O'Dimm is the villain of the piece.
• The Blank: The Caretaker. Whatever face it may have had has been scooped out and replaced with a smooth expanse of flesh and a gash in the vague shape of a mouth.
• Blow You Away: The Ofieri Mage uses many wind spells against you.
• Blue-and-Orange Morality: Something of a recurring problem for Olgierd and his summoned servants. The Caretaker, for instance, was supposed to protect his house and its grounds. It did, partly by maintaining the gardens and doing housework, but also by killing any visitors and burying them regardless of their intentions. Similarly, the Black Cat and Dog were intended to be companions for Iris specifically because Olgierd was no longer capable of loving her, but they couldn't love her either - it was not within their natures. At best all they could do was silently watch over her.
• Book Ends: In Olgierd’s Establishing Character Moment, he is seen studying a statue of a beautiful woman. Unable to find any beauty in it, he topples the statue and smashes it. After Geralt saves him and his heart is restored, Olgierd takes a moment to admire the head of a smashed statue of a woman, able to admire the art once again.
• The Bus Came Back:
  • Shani, a love interest from the original Witcher game, returns as a new (but brief) romantic option.
  • The Order of the Flaming Rose also makes a return. Albeit disbanded and with its remnants reduced to selling Fisstech and banditry to finance themselves.
  • The Sentry, the Golem Geralt defeated in the Vizima swamp during events of the first game, guards a treasure North of Novigrad.
• Cain and Abel:
  • The Borsodi brothers. Horst denied Ewald his fortune out of fear that he'd squander it and left him in poverty, and is hostile to Geralt immediately. Ewald is far more reasonable to Geralt and willing to work with him, but has a reputation as a violent and ruthless thug. Either will kill the other when they have them at their mercy.
  • Played with later in regards to the von Everec brothers. They adored each other, but when it came down to it Olgierd bargained away his brother Vlodimir's life to be with the love of his life, Iris. Notably though, Gaunter gave him the choice to forfeit the life of one of the two people he loved the most, so that means he still loved Vlodimir more than anyone else, except for Iris of course.
• The Caper: Geralt must assemble a team to break into the Borsodi Vault and take the House of Max Borsodi. There's even a cutscene introducing every character and their role in the caper.
• Caper Crew: For the aforementioned heist Geralt must choose between multiple candidates to recruit, very similar to the fifth GTA.
• Chekhov's Gag: The expansion starts out with Geralt reading off a few silly notices on a board, including one about a girl looking for a beau to attend a wedding with her. Geralt eventually has to attend that very same wedding in order to fulfill one of Olgierd's Impossible Tasks, and goes as the beau for Shani.
• Chekhov's Gunman: In the "Open Sesame" quest, Geralt has the opportunity to purchase a painting by an artist named van Rogh. You later find out that van Rogh was the alias of Iris von Everec, Olgierd's late wife, and a key figure in both his backstory and the "Scenes From a Marriage" quest.
• Cool Shades: In a Call-Back to the first game, it's possible to acquire, and wear, the Professor's tinted spectacles.
• Couldn't Find a Pen: During the "Dead Man's Party" quest, Geralt (whose body is possessed by Vlodimir's ghost) slices his palm open so he can write a note to the latter's brother in his blood.
• Creepy Children Singing: Early in the story, you'll come across a group of children singing an eerie song about a devilish granter of wishes outside the Von Everec manor. You'll hear it again in the background music should you meet Gaunter O'Dimm when he comes to collect his due, and should Geralt go to his realm.
• Cutscene Power to the Max: During the Hearts of Stone addon Geralt throws a short through an attacker's chest when fighting off being dragged off. The player cannot throw swords during gameplay.
• Deal with the Devil: A very traditional one as the basis for the expansion.
• Death by Despair: Iris von Everec simply allowed herself to die when her last gift from her husband - a purple rose - withered in front of her eyes.
• The Devil: Gaunter O'Dimm is either a thematic stand-in for or actually, literally, Satan.
• Devil, but No God: Master Mirror is the most powerful being ever encountered in the entire Witcher Saga, but while he has many common traits to the Judeo-Christian Devil, there is no known equivalent to God. As a whole, the Witcher-verse operates under Have You Seen My God?, where there is no proof that a God or gods even exist. As such, if there is any sentient force that keeps O'Dimm in check and enforces his limitations, we are never told what it is.
• Did You Just Scam Cthulhu?: Geralt can opt to challenge Gaunter to a Battle of Wits wagering the souls of himself and Olgierd, and win, saving them both and banishing the demon from the world.
• Disproportionate Retribution: Someone interrupts Gaunter O'Dimm while he's trying to speak to Geralt. So he casually stops time, finishes his conversation with Geralt, and then lobotomises the poor fucker with a goddamn wooden spoon.
  Gaunter O'Dimm: That was the last time you interrupted me while I was talking to someone.
• Dwindling Party: The heist goes like this. Evaline inevitably hightails it out when things start to go sideways, and the party's other members can be killed by Geralt when the Borsodi brothers confront each other and when it comes to dealing with the house of what's inside; Geralt can end up being the only one who walks out of the vault alive.
• Driven to Suicide: Geralt finds Casimir about to blow himself up after his wife leaves him.
• Evil Pays Better: Helping Gaunter O’Dimm & choosing the Bottomless Carafe becomes this with the addition of the Blood & Wine DLC, where mutations become available. The best builds are extremely dependent on the Euphoria mutation, combat & alchemy, which is limited by the amount of alcohol in your inventory. The carafe provides you with UNLIMITED ALCOHOL, which means you can activate your build whenever you want without ever having to worry about your alcohol stocks running out. Its usefulness really shines in NG+, especially on harder difficulties. Meanwhile, helping Olgierd nets you a silver sword that is outclassed in the B&W expansion, although the steel sword he gives you remains one of the best in the entire game.
• Exact Words:
  • How Gaunter O'Dimm snares his opponents. For example, Olgierd asked to "live every day like there's no tomorrow", so Gaunter removed his capacity for remorse as well as empathy.
  • Geralt is able to exploit this as well. Through giving the House of Max Borsodi but leaving behind its valuable contents. Or by bringing a picture of the violet rose rather than the rose itself.
  • When Geralt finds Iris' corpse still in her bed, he asks the Black Cat and Dog why she was never buried. They explain that they can't do it (whether this is because they're stuck in animal bodies or because they're spirits is not explained as they never interact with physical objects), and Iris once ordered the Caretaker never to touch her, so he can't do it either.
• Eye Scream: What O'Dimm does to some poor, random schmuck in the tavern during the Time Stands Still. He casually walks over to him, takes a wooden spoon, and jams it handle-first into his eye, right up to the head of the spoon. It gets even worse once you see the guy's reaction when Gaunter unfreezes time again. His arm stays raised like he's about to keep talking, but he just keels over with blood spurting from his eye.
• The Fair Folk: Though never stated to be a fairy or such, Gaunter O'Dimm's personality and love of fine print fit the trope nicely.
• Familiar: The Black Dog and Cat are spirits from another dimension bound by Olgierd to serve Iris von Everec. Her being a ghost doesn't release them from their duty.
• Fan Disservice: If Shani has a little too much to drink at the wedding, then Geralt's Optional Sexual Encounter with her will be ruined when a sudden bout of nausea makes her vomit during the act.
• Faux Affably Evil: Gaunter O'Dimm appears ordinary, reasonable and amiable (if curiously prone to turning up in places he should not logically be able to reach) but the horrifying effects of his wishes prove that he is not your friend. For instance, killing Olgierd's brother and viciously tormenting his spirit, as well as condemning Iris to a Fate Worse than Death.
• Foreshadowing:
  • Should you go for the optional romance encounter with Shani, she tells Geralt to row her to the moon, pointing out its reflection on the water. This foreshadows the ending, where Gaunter O'Dimm fulfills the terms of his pact with Olgierd, which states that he can take his soul when he grants three wishes and they stand on the moon. They meet at the Temple of Lilvani, which has a mosaic of the moon on the floor.
    Shani: Row me to the moon!
    Geralt: Have to fly to get to the moon.
    Shani: You're dead wrong. It's right there!
• Go Mad from the Revelation: Professor Shakeslock lost both his sight and his sanity from his research into Gaunter, and especially after he met the man.
• The Heartless:
  • Olgierd is completely devoid of anything resembling human emotion. That's because he lost all of his emotions due to his pact with Gaunter O'Dimm.
  • The black cat and dog, due to them not being from this world and their Blue-and-Orange Morality have very little sympathy for what happened to Iris, simply stating what happened as facts. They mainly help Geralt because he can help release them from their servitude not because they care for Iris' plight.
• Hellish Horse: Should you end the game in Gaunter's favor and wish to be as swift as the wind, then you'll acquire a saddle that makes Roach look considerably more ghoulish when equipped.
• Hostage Situation: During the heist the alarm is sounded, and several customers are held up by the crew. Geralt can negotiate with the guards outside to stall for time when the safe is opened. If the wrong dialogue option is chosen (or Casimir was recruited as the safecracker) the guards will attempt to storm the place and Geralt will need to fight them off.
• Humanoid Abomination: The Caretaker. It looks human, save for the fact that it has no face, but it's implied to be some kind of otherworldly being summoned to serve Iris. This trope also applies to Gaunter O'Dimm, who has nearly godlike abilities despite looking like an ordinary man.
• I'd Tell You, but Then I'd Have to Kill You: O'Dimm straight-up tells Geralt this when he asks about O'Dimm's true nature during their encounter at the Alchemy Inn. Worse yet, O'Dimm only spares Geralt because there is still one more thing Geralt needs to do in order to complete Olgierd's pact. Meaning O'Dimm would have told Geralt the truth and killed him anyway had O'Dimm got no use for Geralt anymore.
  Geralt: "You're not human, that's clear. So what are you? A demon? A djinn?"
  O'Dimm: "Do you really wish to know?"
  Geralt: "Yes."
  O'Dimm: "No, Geralt, you don't. This one time I shall spare you and not grant your wish."
  O'Dimm: "All who have learned my true name are now either dead or have met an even worse fate. Yet I still need you."
• I Am Spartacus: Geralt has a bit of trouble speaking with Olgierd at the beginning. Largely because Olgierd's brigands are a bunch of Trolls who decide to prank the witcher by each claiming to be their leader.
• I Have Many Names: Gaunter O'Dimm is known by many names in many cultures.
• Impossible Task: As part of his contract with Gaunter, Olgierd must have three wishes fulfilled, all of which he's devised in such a way that no one could possibly complete them.
• Improbable Weapon User: The Caretaker packs a mean punch with its shovel. Geralt can wield it himself after killing the creature, and it has the ability to restore health each time it deals damage.
• Infinity +1 Sword: The expansion includes the two most powerful swords in the game: the Venomous Viper Silver Sword for monsters, and Iris for humans, the latter of which can unleash a more powerful attack Cast from Hit Points.
• Ironic Hell: What Olgierd von Everac is condemned to. He has great wealth and immortality, things most men crave, but he can't take any pleasure in them because he gave up everything and everyone he treasured most to get it. Furthermore, those things were incidental to what he really wanted, which was to remain with his beloved wife, but the effects of his wish mean he is no longer capable of loving her.
• Lampshade Hanging: When Geralt goes to pick up Max Borsodi's house, it starts a cutscene where he puts out the candles surrounding it before picking it up, saying "Damn candles." Anyone who's played the game will empathize with that sentiment.
• Le Parkour: During the heist, Eveline the she-elf circus acrobat scales the watch tower wall like a pro.
• Life Drain: The main part of the challenge presented by the Caretaker is in it sucking health out of other things to add to its own life bar. It even summons enemies solely to kill them and restore itself.
• Manipulative Bastard: Gaunter O'Dimm seems to prefer trapping his victims with words and vows over using brute magical force.
• Multiple Endings: Only two this time.
  • You let O'Dimm collect his due. He proceeds to age Olgierd into dust, taking his skull as a trophy, and can grant Geralt one of five wishes (an enchanted saddle for Roach, a horn of plenty that provides endless food, a bottle of strong alcohol that never runs out, 5000 crowns, or information about Ciri). Or if this whole expansion taught you anything, you can also say you really don't want him to grant you any wish.
  • If you decide to talk to Professor Shakeslock, then you can challenge O'Dimm for Olgierd's soul. After solving O'Dimm's riddle, Olgierd is rendered completely mortal again, vows to turn his life around, and gifts Geralt his personal sabre, Iris.
• Non-Standard Game Over: If you run out of time before finding the answer to O'Dimm's riddle, you get a brief cutscene depicting him grabbing Geralt from behind and reducing him to dust.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: If you side with O'Dimm in the ending and you ask him where Ciri is, he won't give you the answer, but instead gives you advice on how to Earn Your Happy Ending with her. He's uncharacteristically solemn and even sympathetic, which means that you really have to pay attention.
• Painting the Medium: Every time Geralt speaks while Vlodimir is possessing his body, the subtitles are purple instead of white.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: If you talk to Gaunter O'Dimm during the wedding ceremony as Vlodi!Geralt, Gaunter mercilessly deconstructs Vlodimir's motivations.
• Red Baron: The Man of Glass and Master Mirror are other names for Gaunter O'Dimm.
• The Remnant: The Order of the Flaming Rose is now a shadow of its former self, having been used as cannon fodder by King Radovid in order to slow down the Nilfgaardians.
• Scavenger Hunt: Hearts of Stone adds more Viper equipment: diagrams for a full suit of armor and the steel sword, while the silver sword can be found in O'Dimm's nightmare world. Unlike the other Witcher gear hunts, there is no associated quest with finding them, so it's possible to completely miss them.
• Screw Politeness, I'm a Senior!: A rare self-deprecating form of this trope comes from Mignole, an old lover of Vesemir's.
  Mignole: I thank you for tolerating a decrepit madwoman so elegantly.
  Geralt: Please don't say that.
  Mignole: I am old and I am wealthy. I may say what I please.
• Time Stands Still: One of the many tricks that Gaunter O'Dimm has up his sleeve.
• Uriah Gambit: The Order of the Flaming Rose was subject to one. They were used to slow down the Nilfgaardian invasion and when they were all but destroyed, Radovid confiscated all of their lands to finance his war and exiled or executed any protesters. The remainder joined his army as Witch Hunters.
• Whole-Plot Reference: The situation between Olgierd and O'Dimm mirrors that of Faust, specifically the Polish version of the legend, Pan Twardowski.
• William Telling: A quest involves shooting apples off of an elf's head, hands, and foot with a crossbow as part of a circus act. If Geralt hits him however, he's angrier than injured in the cutscene following it regardless of where the player was aiming. If you shoot all of the apples without hitting the elf one of the children even say that it would have been funnier if you had shot the elf.
• Win Her a Prize: The ghost of Vlodimir von Elrec spends the one night he's given to possess Witcher Geralt at a wedding. The celebration includes different competitions, all of which Vlodimir attempts to win in order to impress Geralt's date, Shani. If Vlodimir-as-Geralt is able to win the hog wrangling competition, Shani receives a stuffed animal as a prize.
• Your Soul Is Mine!: What Gaunter O'Dimm is motivated by.

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