Practically since CD Projekt Red deemed Cyberpunk 2077 to be in a "satisfactory" state, the company has gone rather quiet. Not much has been said since then, including when Cyberpunk 2077 missed its free DLC release window. Of course, behind the scenes, there's likely a different story. CD Projekt Red, within the remainder of the year, has the Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 PS5 and Xbox Series X upgrades to release, with new Neflix-based DLC for the former and a slate of free DLC for the latter. On the horizon, there's also Cyberpunk 2077's premium DLC.
Cyberpunk 2077's free DLC will likely be an assortment of clothing, quests, weapons, vehicles, and more, all of which can be derived from what the Witcher 3 DLC got. However, while it's easy to see the potential similarities there between the two games, it's hard to imagine Cyberpunk 2077's premium DLC expansions living up to The Witcher 3.
The Witcher 3 DLC Set the Gold Standard
The Witcher 3 received two major expansions: Hearts of Stone, and Blood and Wine. These two DLC are, to this day, hailed as some of the best in the gaming industry. Indeed, it wasn't just with the base game that CD Projekt Red practically became a household name, but how the company followed it up. Hearts of Stone sees Geralt attempting to collect a debt for Gaunter O'Dimm, with the player drawn into a potential conflict between him and Olgierd von Everec. Players can save the latter's soul from O'Dimm by wagering Geralt's.
In Blood and Wine, Geralt travels to Toussaint where he must investigate a series of murders by a beat and gets dragged into a powerful vampire storyline, complete with epic battles and political intrigue. Each DLC has unique approaches that make them stand out, and while it can take about 10 hours to beat Hearts of Stone and 16 to beat Blood and Wine, each can feel like a whole game unto themselves. A completionist playthrough of the former takes about 18 hours, while the latter takes 40+. This is because the region introduced in Blood and Wine has over 90 quests, new Points of Interest, new weapons, new monsters, and massive max level increase.
By having a high level of quality in terms of storytelling and a quantity of content practically unheard of DLC, The Witcher 3 truly established itself as the gold standard for DLC. Unfortunately, since Blood and Wine released in 2016, it seems many games have ignored this call for a stronger suit of premium content, instead sticking to tried and true simple formula for DLC. It seems now that call falls on the same company, but Cyberpunk 2077 is more limited than The Witcher.
Cyberpunk 2077 DLC Has More Limitations
For Geralt, these DLC fit perfectly into his worldview and his role as a titular Witcher. Blood and Wine plays off any ending of The Witcher 3 well, and overall, it serves as a level of character and world building that itself seemed impossible at the time. Cyberpunk 2077, on the other hand, is more limited in how it can react to DLC, no matter when or where the DLC occurs. Sometimes, DLC "happens" ahead of the end of the game to avoid many complications, but the problem here is that it wouldn't make sense for V. As players know, the chip holding Johnny Silverhand's psyche is killing V, and the main quest is all about figuring out how to take down Arasaka, clear V's name, and somehow, somewhere, survive.
As such, a pre-ending DLC for Cyberpunk 2077 that doesn't deal with V's impending fate might not so easily fit in. After all, while acquiring rides and completing gigs helps V acquire the necessary funds, as well as build their legendary status ahead of the final showdown, a DLC wouldn't likely have this same luxury.
If it did indeed deal with V's fate in some way, it couldn't change the endings of Cyberpunk 2077. DLC that would be set after the main game has a similar conundrum. Not only does it have to deal with various endings for V, it has to deal with whether a player let V's mind go to Mikoshi, let Johnny Silverhand take over their body, and, at least in most endings, V's remaining time of six months.
While V may be more open to adventures during this time, having achieved a certain renown in Night City and having nothing to lose, there will always be the fact that V is on a timer. At the same time, if a post-ending DLC revolved around still trying to find V's cure, that eliminates some endings and has the potential issue of being repetitive.
The Witcher 3 May Still Be Cyberpunk 2077's Best Way Forward
It remains to be seen if Cyberpunk 2077 can hit, match, or maybe even exceed The Witcher 3's DLC, but there are elements from it Cyberpunk 2077 could use to incorporate its DLC better. Assuming Cyberpunk 2077 gets two expansions, they could and should play out in a similar way. While both require a certain level to complete and are still possible of doing before beating The Witcher 3, at least Blood and Wine ties in better if done after. As such, Cyberpunk 2077 needs its own level of ambiguity that could work in both a Hearts of Stone-style and Blood and Wine-style expansion.
For example, while V may be inherently reluctant to get dragged away from their quest to save their life, Hearts of Stone didn't give Geralt much choice. Just as as a simple job gone wrong leads to O'Dimm dragging Geralt in, it could be a situation V finds themselves in where they too have no choice but to assist as quickly as possible. Depending on when players complete this mission, Silverhand's pysche could or could not come into play.
Blood and Wine serves as a good epilogue journey of sorts for Geralt, and his travel to a new land is perfect for V. Perhaps requiring players to beat the main story before Cyberpunk 2077's second premium DLC at least, V could travel outside of Night City to complete some big mission. If players let Silverhand take control, then it would just be Silverhand in V's body. If V is on a timer, that can still be justified but served better outside Night City. And, while not eliminating all potential endings, it whittles down to what level of player agency gets ignored—the Mikoshi ending.
Either way, for now this is all speculation. Cyberpunk 2077 has other hurdles to deal with before getting to its premium DLC, but it seems safe to say that The Witcher 3 will be hard to beat here.
Cyberpunk 2077 is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One. PS5 and Xbox Series X versions are in development.