Summary
CD Projekt RED has more than provided themselves as capable of making brilliant expansions. BothThe Witcher 3andCyberpunk 2077have provided players with brilliant DLCs that pack the game with hours of additional content, a new portion of the map filled with quests, exciting discoveries, and riveting campaigns. Yet, which expansion is better out ofCyberpunk 2077andThe Witcher 3?
Both expansions are brilliant in their own right. Whether it’sThe Witcher 3with itsBlood and Wineand Hearts of Stone DLCs, orCyberpunk 2077with itsPhantom Libertyspy thriller expansion. CD Projekt RED leaves no stone unturned and shows their love for their games and their fans with these expansions that are well worth their asking price.
Map Size
Cyberpunk 2077:Phantom Libertyadds a brand-new district joined to Night City. Players cansay hello to Dogtown, a ruthless and lawless district ruled by Kurt Hansen. This district is one of the largest in Night City and feels very diverse with what players can find here. With an abundance of discovery waiting, players can have lots of fun in Dogtown, with an air dash or a car.
When it comes toThe Witcher 3:Blood and Wine, a new map is given to players as they venture out of Velen, Novigrad, White Orchard, and the Skellige Isles into Toussaint. Adding Toussaint into the game is even more impressive, considering the game already has so much on the map. This entire new area is so large, and the fact that players have their feet and their trusty stead Roach, they will spend more time exploring than they would in a car.
The winner for map size has to beThe Witcher 3, just because of the sheer difference in map size in terms of the vanilla game and the expansion.
Weapon Variety
Players that embark intoCyberpunk 2077:Phantom Libertyare going to find an array of new weapons to choose from. The game offers plenty ofmissable Iconic weapons, which all play differently, and feature some fun and overpowered effects and designs that can make each playthrough feel distinct and unique to the last.
InThe Witcher 3’s expansions, the features seemed more on the stories than the weapons, and Geralt of Rivia continues to use his iconic steel and silver swords, crossbows, and signs. Players can get some different weapons, but they don’t feel as unique asCyberpunk 2077’s first-person melee weapons, guns, and quickhacks.
The winner for this point isCyberpunk 2077, for its distinct Iconic weapons and excitingly different variety of guns and melee weapons.
Interesting Characters
Upon entering Dogtown, players are going to be pretty impressed with the characters they meet. From Rosalind Myers, the NUSA President, to the loyal FIA agent whom players might struggle to trust, Solomon Reed, played by the ever-talented Idris Elba. Not to mention the returning face of Keanu Reeves as the rocker boy terrorist Johnny Silverhand. Outside the central talent,Cyberpunk 2077:Phantom Libertyhas so many interesting characters, through the story and the side gigs, that it’s hard not to get fully invested.
When players embark on Toussaint, they are going to run into some fun characters, but most of them don’t feature outside a few missions or less. One of the main characters fans seemed to love was Emiel Regis,a higher vampirewho stole the show due to his personality and friendship with Geralt.
Cyberpunk 2077wins this round, due to the interest in the characters and the detailed writing that goes into giving everyone inside the game a personality, ambitions, and consequences.
Expansion Length
Some players might ask how long isPhantom Liberty, and they could be happy to know that it could take anywhere between 20 to 30 hours, or even more depending on how quickly players get through the main story, the side activities, and the dialogue options. The fact that players are almost doubling their playtime intoCyberpunk 2077with this expansion shows just how great it can be.
With Hearts of Stone andBlood and Winefeaturing asThe Witcher 3expansions, players can expect a DLC finished in a total of perhaps 50 hours or more. These two expansions add so much game time toThe Witcher 3, andBlood and Winealone can take players well over 30 hours due to its large size and ambitious content, so players are going to besticking with Geraltfor a long time.
The Witcher 3deserves the point for the expansion length here, as both expansions will give players plenty more hours in the game, but that doesn’t discreditCyberpunk 2077.
Story And Additional Content
A riveting spy thriller that will have V and Johnny Silverhand weave their way through the difficulties of lies, dictatorships, and politics,Phantom Libertywill keep players on their toes as they try and stop themselves from drowning in the blood of Dogtown, and the meddling of the FIA, as V desperately tries to save their own life, whilst understanding the complex motivations and differences of Songbird and Solomon Reed. InPhantom Liberty, it’s hard to trust anyone. The side jobs and gigs also feature some great choices, but not to a varied degree likeThe Witcher 3.
The Witcher 3’s expansions feel a lot more light-hearted in comparison, and players can take a nice vacation with wine, vampires, and monsters inBlood and Wine. They will also have a rather daunting experience with another worldly being in Hearts of Stone, but the plot is less significant and integral thanCyberpunk 2077. However, theside missions are far wackier and entertaining.
This has to be a draw, sinceCyberpunk 2077:Phantom Libertyhas a far stronger plot thanThe Witcher 3’s expansions, but the additional content ofThe Witcher 3with its side missions seems more varied.
Choice and Consequence
When players reachCyberpunk 2077:Phantom Liberty, they will know that V is on borrowed time, and is seemingly desperate for a cure. Songbird has promised just that, and the stakes are elevated when President Myers’ safety is on the line. Throughout the campaign and the side missions, players can make riveting choices that alter the outcomes of the narrative, and provide players with completely different endings that can have avast effect on the world, characters, and V’s life.
With both expansions toThe Witcher 3, choice is present, and a big part of the narrative, but Geralt doesn’t seem to have the stopping power that V does. Geralt can make big decisions, but there aren’t many shown outcomes that players see the result of.
Cyberpunk 2077wins here, simply because it presents dire consequences for nearly every choice that players make, creating unique paths and playthroughs.
Winner:Cyberpunk 2077
The reasonCyberpunk 2077comes out on top is due to the fact that so much was riding on its success. CD Projekt RED put their entire being into this expansion after the launch ofCyberpunk 2077, andPhantom Libertyhas more than paid off. Not only does it offer a riveting story with some new and iconic characters, but it also provides diversity within the missions available, a new resolution for V’s story, and a great new way to experience the game thanks to Update 2.0.
This is a subjective victory, asThe Witcher 3’s two expansions still deserve the crown just as much asCyberpunk 2077. However, if one must be crowned the king of video game expansions, it seems only right to give it toCyberpunk 2077, as although it only had one expansion with slightly less content, the context and additions to the base game easily makeCyberpunk 2077one of the best games on the market, and one that brims with more life.
