I Can't Stop Witchering

I still haven't finished Guacamelee! 2 despite the fact that I've probably played through 80-90% of the game.  I've been feeling like I'm a little in a "game hole" where I just can't settle on what I want to play.  The crazy part about this feeling is that the bulk of the time I end up settling on an old favorite that I've played a billion times.  This time around, that game is The Witcher 3.

What can I say about The Witcher 3 that I haven't already said?  It turns out that after 700 hours I can still gush about its magic.  Last summer I had begun my annual effort to replay the entire trilogy and had managed to play mostly through the series--I completed the main campaign in TW3, completed Hearts of Stone, and then had barely begun Blood and Wine--then, I got sidetracked by a new graphics card and a few new games.  Now, I've found myself gravitating back to Geralt's quest to solve the mystery of the "Beast" in the beautiful, sunny world of Toussaint.

I absolutely adore Blood and Wine as a DLC.  I love the fact that they created an environment that is decidedly less bleak and depressing than many of the others in the game.  The main storyline is fabulous and I've always enjoyed seeing Geralt reunite with his unlikely friend/higher vampire, Regis.  To me, Blood and Wine is TW3 equivalent of what the Citadel DLC was to Mass Effect 3--a lighthearted, fun way for fans to spend some quality time with their favorite heroes before saying goodbye.

One of the best features of Blood and Wine is the ability to acquire the rundown estate of Corvo Bianco.  With a bit of coin and some time, players can help Geralt restore the estate to its shining glory.  There aren't a ton of options for personalization, but players can choose paintings to hang throughout the residence.  Personally, I firmly believe that the following paintings should always be hung:

1.) Iris and Olgierd.  You can acquire this painting while finishing the main storyline in Hearts of Stone.  It's a great reminder of the tragic and heartbreaking story that is at the center of that DLC and looking at it makes me smile.

2.) Cranky Ciri.  There is a vendor in Beauclair (located near the grandmaster armorer) who mostly sells junk, but also sells a wide selection of paintings--one of those paintings is a copy that you see earlier in the game when interacting with Emhyr var Emreis--the painting depicts a young Ciri with a decidedly sour expression on her face (in my head, I imagine Ciri being cranky over being forced to wear a ridiculous dress and pose for the portrait).

3.) The White Wolf.  This painting is given to Geralt as a reward after completing the quest called Big Game Hunter.  As a side quest, I've always enjoyed Big Game Hunter--at first, it seems a little whacky that some rich guy wants Geralt to escort him around while he uses his magical photo box to snap pictures of wildlife. After you finish the quest line and agree to meet the Count to see the finished products from the expedition, you learn that his project is a very sweet mission to help his handicapped daughter experience the wider world.

4.) Hierarch Hemmelfart.  This painting is one that can be easy to lose due to the fact that you acquire it early in the game.  As part of the main storyline to track down Ciri, Geralt has to rescue Dandelion while he's being transported to jail.  After a brief chase, Dandelion hides out in a small, isolated cabin in the woods.  Once inside the cabin, Geralt runs across paint splatters and obvious signs of some sort of artistic endeavor.  After rescuing Dandelion, Geralt finds the occupants of the cabin waiting outside--a dwarf and a halfling who come clean about using the cabin to produce and sell illegal forgeries of paintings.  In exchange for Geralt's silence about their enterprise, they provide a copy of their bestselling work--the painting of Hierarch Hemmelfart.

5.) Portrait of the Witcher as an Old Man.  This painting is acquired after completing a quest line that can be randomly discovered while strolling through Beauclair.  Geralt is propositioned by a painter who tells him that he's the perfect subject for a painting--he then agrees to meet the painter so that they can find the ideal location and light for the creation of the work.  One of the fun parts of this quest is that Geralt can choose his pose--in the past, I've always opted to give Geralt a very heroic pose; atop a mount, brandishing a sword.  This time, I wanted to try something silly, so I chose to have Geralt reclining on the ground.  The quest involves the interruption of the painting session by a random griffin attack.  Once the griffin has been slain, Geralt can agree to have it painted into the portrait.  The end result of my new choice is this stunning portrait, which makes me giggle every time I look at it--it's absolutely ridiculous and perfect for the bedroom of Corvo Bianco.

One of the other goals of my numerous playthroughs is to find things that I've missed.  I recently stumbled across another piece of Corvo Bianco that I've missed ALL THESE TIMES!  If you pay attention to the doorway outside the entrance to the hidden alchemy lab, you will notice a small pedestal.  If you pay even closer attention, you will notice that the the "use" message will pop-up.  I has an idea what it was probably for...and I was right!  If you complete the side quest called Great Balls of Granite (which, like the painting mission I usually stumble upon while walking through Beauclair) you are rewarded with a smaller version of the statue that you are tasked with repairing.  Unfortunately for me, I had already sold the statue and it was long gone.  Here is a picture of the pedestal and its location:

Here is what the statue actually looks like when placed:

I hope you have as much fun decorating your new witcher pad as I always do :)