Top 4 most important lore drops in The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past DLC reveal

After settling down in Corvo Bianco at the end of the Blood and Wine expansion in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, we all assumed that this would be Geralt's journey's end.

Through nine books, three games, and two expansions to said works, we've long followed the White Wolf through the Continent as he comes to terms with destiny, love, and objective honour, challenging a neutral moral compass at every turn.

Yet the poor old witcher is being wheeled out for one last time, much to our pleasure.

No matter your choice of ending in The Witcher 3 - with Ciri, Triss, Yen, or Dandelion for company - it's the latter friend that has Geralt leaving his home of comfort in Toussaint, as the famed monster slayer is off on his travels again in an official third DLC named Songs of the Past.

Previewed by us at Gamescom, the story will take us to new regions with new beasts, romances (sorry, team Yen), and now swords.

The free expansion pack has already revealed a string of features that will be enhanced in its remastered update (also free), the pinnacle of which will be a big bonus for Gwent players.

But before you embark on Songs of the Past, we're here to warm you up with a few foundational lore drops in a starter's guide.

Dandelion's family

At the very core of the Songs of the Past expansion is Geralt's singer-songwriter best pal, Dandelion (known as Jaskier in the Netflix series, for any newcomers to The Witcher games).

The famed bard asks Geralt for help with family matters, and the pair head off to a festival where Dandelion is in his element. Only after waking up drunk, Geralt notices that his friend has vanished and all that remains is his lute.

Dandelion has long been an annoying thorn in the side of Geralt, but has equally made him famous beyond his wildest dreams thanks to his lyrical songs of love and monster slaying, sung high and wide in the major cities. The witcher, who has a history of sticking his neck out for the bard, of course, will try to find him.

Songs of the Past will introduce you to new characters never seen before in any of the works by author Andrzej Sapkowski.

In fact, Dandelion's real name is Julian Alfred Pankratz, Viscount de Lettenhove, and we only ever meet one of his family members in all nine books: his cousin Ferrant de Lettenhove.

So far, we know two new characters in Songs of the Past, as his inquisitive grandmother and other cousin Lilla are introduced early on. The latter of those takes us further...

Read More: The 12 Best Witcher 3 Mods To Play While We Wait For Songs Of The Past

Lovely Lilla

There's some ambiguity about where Songs of the Past generally lines up chronologically in The Witcher 3, but much like Hearts of Stone, it seems that no matter your actions in this DLC, it won't affect whichever ending you choose to make in the main series and ultimately end up with at the end of Blood and Wine.

That leaves you free to romance Shani in Hearts of Stone and open up more love interests in Songs of the Past.

That's where Lilla steps in.

CD Projekt RED has been reluctant to say whether you can hit a chord with Lilla, but early gameplay footage shows the two characters warming up, flirting, and working together, and we all know where that leads.

CD Projekt RED

We know very, very little about Lilla, though.

She is canonically never mentioned in the books, like the rest of Dandelion's family. But there are some slivers of information that have been uncovered about who she is.

Lilla is associated with Dandelion through his father's side of the family and is an orphan - she was raised in the Lettenhove family, most likely by their shared grandmother.

However, there is a question mark around her, as the only other members of the Lettenhove family are shrouded in mistrust.

Dandelion is a serial liar despite being loved by Geralt and fans of the series; Ferrant was a deceitful royal instigator who tried to make the witcher commit regicide through forgery; and the Bard's parents are alluded to be rather distasteful.

Whether Lilla is the sweetheart she appears to be is up for debate.

The Festival of Belleteyn

Serving as the opposite of Halloween, the Festival of Belleteyn marks the start of spring in The Witcher lore, and this will sow the seed for Songs of the Past.

Based on bonfires, fertility, sexuality, love, fire, flowers, and the arrival of summer, the festival is the epitome of Dandelion.

Yet there are some eerie undertones to it. In the books, Geralt and Yennefer both spend time at a Belleteyn festival (not held in Letten) following the Battle of Sodden, where it is used to celebrate both death and life, which go hand in hand.

For Songs of the Past, it serves as the starting point of the DLC, where players will enjoy the festivities but will be wary of the deadly implications.

Interestingly, the festival is known to be Yennefer's birthday (and possibly Ciri's), adding an odd layer to the relationships that Geralt may form in this DLC.

What is Letten like?

The entire DLC is set in Letten, which plays host to the festival of Belleteyn, and is the home of Dandelion and his family.

The family of aristocrats is a huge deal in the area, and their name, 'de Lettenhove', is an extension of the town - they even live at 'de Lettenhove estate'.

Again, Letten is new territory for The Witcher, as the author doesn't expand on Dandelion's background in the book.

However, the town is in North Redania, expected to be between Kovir and Kaedwen and banked on the southern side of the Nimnar River.

That takes us further north than the main storyline and, akin to Toussaint and Kaer Morhen, will have to be fast-travelled to, rather than accessed on foot.

Expected to be rather blissful, with an element of richness to it but not quite as grand as Toussaint, Letten will be a green, lush land that puts Velen to shame.