The Witcher 3 will return in 2027 with the Songs of the Past DLC, but fans looking for a fresh adventure as Geralt won't have to wait that long to step back into his shoes. As usual, the modding scene for The Witcher 3 continues to prosper, filling in the gaps of virtually any idea that developer CD Projekt Red hasn't yet tackled.
The latest big release is a proper story expansion that could be the perfect option in the meantime. "Annals of the Duchy" introduces a new quest for Geralt in Toussaint, and the recent release of the mod's first chapter is only the start of the journey.
Created by Nexus Mods user Jontej, Annals of the Duchy describes itself as "a lore friendly unofficial Expansion to Geralt's life in Toussaint." Of course, the introduction of Songs of the Past in 2027 could change the current scope of The Witcher lore, but Jontej seems optimistic that the mod and the expansion will go hand-in-hand. According to the modder, its "timeline fits quite well," as Songs of the Past will take place after the main game and Blood and Wine.
Perhaps the most exciting selling point of the mod is the inclusion of full voice acting in both English and Polish, a feat that Jontej suspects may be a first for a Nexus Mods Witcher 3 project at launch. With an increasing number of mods starting to rely on AI voice acting, the promise of voice acting provided "100% by REAL People!!" is certainly exciting, and the Nexus Mods page takes care to list the full cast in both languages.
If you want to get a glimpse at what that voice acting sounds like, a fair bit of it shows up in the Annals of the Duchy release trailer, available on Jontej's YouTube channel. Along with character impressions for the main cast, the trailer also features appearances from new characters like the explorer/inventor Cuthbert Funkennickel, which sounds like a true Witcher side character if I've ever heard one.
To experience the fan-made story expansion, you'll have to meet a few basic requirements. Beating both the main game of The Witcher 3 and the Blood and Wine expansion are the obvious ones, but for the story to work, both Anna Henrietta and Syanna will also need to be alive. The Corvo Bianco Garden renovation from the "No Place Like Home" quest will also need to be completed. Once all of those conditions are met (and the mod is installed), Geralt can trigger its start by walking from his house to the garden around noon.
For those who don't meet these requirements, there are always plenty of other mods for The Witcher 3 to check out while waiting for Songs of the Past. Either way, it's always nice to have a new option, and this looks like one of the most ambitious offerings that The Witcher 3 community has concocted in a while.
