Players who chose Shani over Triss Merigold were very disappointed when she did not appear in The Witcher 2, and the choice that the player made appeared to not matter. However, this may change in Hearts of Stone. How Shani interacts with the player may be influenced by whether or not they chose her in the original game.
The new expansion seems to give players the most bang for the buck, especially compared to how many developers these days will charge five dollars for an armor DLC. Hearts of Stone adds ten hours of new content, which may take even longer depending on the player. The setting is Velen and Oxenfurt from what we have seen so far, and it features an independent storyline that will be affected by the player’s choices. CD Projekt RED has also added a “Runeworld” system that is supposed to significantly effect Gameplay.
Hearts of Stone is set to release on October 13. CD Projekt RED will also release another expansion in April 2016 titled Blood and Wine.