The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Gwent Card Guide by Mallo ================================================== ================================================== Contents 1.1 What is Gwent and what is this guide? 1.2 Gwent Factions 1.3 Gwent tips for first-time players 1.4 The White Orchard 2.1 Gwent at The Royal Palace in Vizima 3.1 Gwent Players In Velen 3.2 Oxenfurt Gwent players 4.1 Novigrad Gwent Players 4.2 Gwent Tournaments in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 4.3 Other significant Gwent-based quests 4.4 Optional rare Gwent cards 4.5 Gwent: Big City Players quest in and around Novigrad 4.6 Gwent Tournament at The Vengelbuds' Estate during the A Matter of Life and Death quest 5.1 Pivotal Gwent card: Geralt of Rivia Northern Realms close combat Hero card (15) 5.2 High Stakes Gwent tournament at the Passiflora in Novigrad 6.1 Skellige Isles Gwent Players 6.2 Gwent loose ends in The Witcher 3 base game 7.1 Hearts of Stone Gwent cards 8.1 Blood and Wine Gwent cards 8.2 Blood and Wine DLC unique Gwent player 8.3 Gwent: To Everything – Turn, Turn, Tournament! 9.1 The Pivotal Gwent cards 10.1 The Witcher 3 Gwent achievements 11.1 Last Updated ================================================== ================================================== 1.1 What is Gwent and what is this guide? Gwent is the built-in collector's card game in the video game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Lots of the merchants and characters you meet in The Witcher 3 will play Gwent with you if you ask them to. And if you beat these characters they often reward you by dropping powerful new cards for you to add to your collection. All you have to do is challenge them to a game of Gwent during a conversation with them. There are 195 individual Gwent cards to collect in the base game; 28 cards in the Skellige deck, and 11 cards from Hearts of Stone. Making 234 in total. Certain characters only have a small window of opportunity for being challenged, so getting every single Gwent card requires diligence. You could in theory miss getting some interesting Gwent cards if you're not careful. This guide will explain in plain terms how you can win at Gwent in The Witcher 3 and enjoy the game. How to work your way to the top of the Witcher 3 Gwent tree and win every single one of the available cards. This guide doesn't list every single Witcher 3 Gwent card because some of them are easy-to-get random card drops and are quickly earnt and forgotten. This guide does however detail *all the significant* Gwent cards that you should be aiming for, and when they will become available. This guide is kind of chronological - going by levels required for quests and the natural pathway through the storyline. Some Gwent cards are what I would call "Pivotal", meaning that they are powerful, useful, and unique cards. These are won at significant points in the game. Some Gwent cards are only available temporarily and must be promptly won when available. ================================================== ================================================== 1.2 Gwent Factions In the base game of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt there are four Gwent factions, each with distinctive hearldry and colour-coding: Northern Realms (blue) Nilfgaardian Empire (black) Monsters (red) and Scoia'tael (green) A fifth Gwent faction - the Skellige faction (colour-coded purple) - becomes available with the activation of the Blood and Wine DLC. When you play a game of Gwent you must choose to play as one of the available four, and later five, different factions. Each faction has its own strengths, units, skills, powers, bonuses and weaknesses. The faction you choose has an effect on everything you do, from deck structures, to initial line-up choices, to the Weather Cards that you use; to spy use, to leader card use, to play strategies, and - most importantly - to any kind of special ability that each faction has. Monsters can spawn multiple groups using Muster commands and can leave powerful cards on the board between rounds. Northern Realms can "Tight Bond" to double a unit's strength, and have a leader card that doubles the strength of Siege cards. Nilfgaardian Empire use a lot of spies to give themselves extra cards during rounds and good all-around battle and Hero abilities. Scoia'tael are strong in Agility, and can also apply Commander's Horn, Scorch, Medic, and Morale Boost effects, as well as weather effects. ================================================== ================================================== 1.3 Gwent Tips for first-time players: There are really just two types of Gwent card drops: *random drops*, and *specific drops*. Random card drops tend to come from more minor characters and specific card drops tend to come from more significant characters. Always check with merchants and vendors for new Gwent cards that you don't yet have. It's surprising the important Gwent cards that minor vendors sometimes stock. If you find any new Gwent cards: buy them as soon as you can afford them. The lower-ranked players will give you a random card drop when beaten at Gwent once - up to a set number of cards. Then they will stop giving you cards and will give you money or random items instead. At this point you can stop playing low-level vendors. The higher-ranking Gwent players will usually give you more interesting, unique cards, and/or Hero cards, and some characters must be played at specific points during the game to win their card drops. Keep any eye out for those magical "play me at Gwent" menu options in conversations and don't pass up any games of Gwent with significant characters. Below, I've tried to indicate each player's level of difficulty by using Easy, Medium and Hard. Some players are better than others. Beat the lower-ranked players first. Refine your four different Gwent decks as you go. Work your way up the ranks gradually, towards playing the harder players and winning tournaments, when you have better cards in your decks. Understanding how to use all the different factions and how the units and boosters work best together is crucial. Use your Gwent deck selector in the main menu to fine-tune your individual decks. Keep replacing your cards with stronger and stronger units and tune your decks as you progress, removing lesser cards to give the higher and more useful cards more of a chance to be dealt. Learn how to use spies to bring back cards from your discard pile and get ahead of your opponent; how to use decoys effectively, and how to ressurect dead cards, or transform them into something stronger, and also how to use leader cards effectively. Learn how not to waste cards and how to deploy specific cards like decoys. You can change leader cards by double-clicking on the existing leader card in the middle of each faction display. The key to winning at Gwent is to gradually build up your various deck collections so that you have a strong and tuned-up set in every faction, with an understanding of how to win battles. The weak deck at the beginning of the game is very limiting. Beat the Innkeeps first, then go for the High Stakes Novigrad guys. Then your friends, and then Thaler. Then get the more advanced Gwent cards. Get the advanced Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, Geralt of Rivia and Mysterious Elf Hero cards as soon as possible. They're invaluable. Learn how to use units with the "Tight Bond" special skill, like the Crinfrid Reavers Dragon Hunters, to boost their battlefield strength when grouped together. Three Northern Realms "Tight Bond" Crinfrid Reavers Dragon Hunters cards, grouped together, with a Commander's Horn on them, adds up to a strength of 90 points in total, which is a huge number for three cards. Getting all three Crinfrid Reavers Dragon Hunters cards together in one game, though, is the key. The chances of it happening are fairly low and it takes time and many attempts to get lucky enough to succeed. Your deck must be set up correctly and you have to get lucky with the draw. If you're finding Gwent too hard: lower the difficulty level in the options menu or just reload and try again. Gwent opponent AI by default is reasonably challenging. Not every player you meet is a pushover. You can make the Gwent difficulty level even higher if you want to... I wouldn't recommend it though. Unless you truly are a Gwent wizard. In general: Get all the higher-powered and useful Gwent cards first, then start winning tournaments. There are two major quest-based Gwent tournaments available, and a number of other Gwent side quests, to encourage you to start winning cards. Gwent definitely does become more enjoyable as you begin to assemble a good collection, and start to get a feel for the rules, tricks and subtlties of the game. ================================================== ================================================== 1.4 The White Orchard: The first player in the game, battlefield historian Aldert Geert, is sat at one of the tables at the Inn at Woesong Bridge - he's EASY to beat and gives you the Zoltan Chivay neutral close combat card if you win. Elsa the Innkeeper at the Inn at Woesong Bridge - SELLS CARDS + disappears later so buy her cards ASAP. The Merchant you saved from the griffin - SELLS CARDS + appears later ================================================== ================================================== 2.1 Gwent at The Royal Palace in Vizima: The unnamed Nilfgaardian Nobleman sat in the pillared area plays Gwent - he's a MEDIUM difficulty. He uses the Nilfgaardian Empire deck and gives the Northern Realms "Foltest: The Siegemaster" leader card if beaten. Foltest: The Siegemaster is a very useful leader card. The nobleman might be too tough for noobs. If so, go back to him later when you have better cards. Don't leave it too long though because he disappears later. ================================================== ================================================== 3.1 Gwent Players In Velen: Crow's Perch Gwent players The area around Crow’s Perch has 16 characters you can play Gwent with. Free Zoltan Chivay card by Hanged Man's Tree, hidden in a book on the floor near an unlit campfire (if not won earlier). Phillip Strenger aka The Bloody Baron at Crow’s Perch - MEDIUM + OR HIS OFFICE LATER He gives you Sigismund Dijkstra (4), a Northern Realms close combat card and your first spy card, if you beat him at Gwent. He uses the Northern Realms deck. Yoanna, the Armorer’s Apprentice/Master Armorer at Crow’s Perch - HARD, she uses the Monster Deck Fergus Graem, the Armorer at Crow’s Perch - MEDIUM, he uses the Scoia'tael deck The Quartermaster at Crow’s Perch - EASY + ALSO SELLS CARDS The Merchant at lower Crow’s Perch - EASY The Blacksmith at Blackbough - EASY The Merchant at Blackbough - EASY The Blacksmith at Lindenvale - EASY The Merchant at Lindenvale - EASY The Armorer at Midcopse - EASY The Merchant at Midcopse - EASY + ALSO SELLS CARDS The Merchant at Claywich - EASY + Person In Distress rescue first + ALSO SELLS CARDS The trader at Oreton - HARD, uses Northern Realms deck The Boatwright at Oreton - HARD, uses Nilfgaardian Empire deck + gives Letho of Gulet Nilfgaardian Hero card (10) Haddy (the child) at Midcopse - MEDIUM, uses Northern Realms deck + gives Vernon Roche Northern Realms Hero card (10) The Innkeep at the Inn at the Crossroads, north-east of Crow's Perch - HARD, uses Nilfgaardian Empire deck + gives Menno Coehoorn Nilfgaardian Hero card (10) ================================================== ================================================== 3.2 velen, Oxenfurt Gwent players: There are six players in or near the city of Oxenfurt. The Swordsmith at Mulbrydale - EASY + I BEAT HIM BUT HE DIDN'T DROP A CARD The Blacksmith in south-eastern Oxenfurt - HARD Stjepan the innkeeper at the Alchemy Inn in Oxenfurt - MEDIUM, uses Nilfgaardian Empire deck + gives Yennefer of Vengerberg neutral Hero card (8) Yennefer card includes Medic: Choose one card from your discard pile and play it instantly (no Heroes or Special Cards). Also not affected by any special cards or abilities. The Armorer in northern Oxenfurt - MEDIUM The Merchant at the market in northern Oxenfurt - EASY The Dwarven Herbalist in the hut north-east of Oxenfurt - EASY The Quartermaster at the Nilfgaardian Army Group Center Camp - MEDIUM, uses Northern Realms deck ================================================== ================================================== 4.1 Novigrad Gwent Players: There are 30+ players in total, in and around the city of Novigrad, and also a number of card-sellers. The lady Innkeep at the Nowhere Inn - MEDIUM, uses Nilfgaardian Empire deck The Innkeep at The Golden Sturgeon, west of Hierarch Square - HARD, uses Nilfgaardian Empire deck + ALSO SELLS CARDS The Innkeep at the Seven Cats Inn, east of Tretogor Gate - EASY + ALSO SELLS CARDS The Innkeep at Cunny of The Goose, south of the city - HARD, uses Scoia'tael deck + ALSO SELLS CARDS The Innkeep at The Rosemary and Thyme - MEDIUM, uses Monster deck - only becomes available after the quest "Cabaret" has been completed. The Merchant north of Glory Gate, in Putrid Grove/Rathole - MEDIUM, uses Monsters deck The Madame at Crippled Kate’s Brothel - MEDIUM, uses Northern Realms deck Zoltan at The Rosemary and Thyme, near the Gate of The Hierarch (during quests only) - HARD, uses Scoia'tael deck + gives Eithne Scoia'tael Hero card (10) Lambert, on a quest with him, or at Kaer Morhen on the quest Gwent: Old Pals - MEDIUM, uses Scoia'tael deck + gives Triss Merigold close combat Hero card (7) Vernon Roche at the Temerian Partisan Hideout - HARD, uses Northern Realms deck + gives Saesenthessis Scoia'tael Hero card (10) Elihal, the tailor, south of Tretogor Gate - EASY, uses Northern Realms deck The Priest of Eternal Fire, near Elector’s Square on the northern island - MEDIUM, uses Nilfgaardian Empire deck The Alchemist at the Crematory, north of Oxenfurt Gate - MEDIUM, uses Nilfgaardian Empire deck The Merchant west of Hierarch Square/NW of the notice board - MEDIUM, uses Monster deck The Loan Shark, south-west of Oxenfurt Gate - MEDIUM, uses Monster deck The Merchant across the street from the Loan Shark - EASY The Merchant at the market north-west of Tretogor Gate - MEDIUM, uses Nilfgaardian Empire deck Olivier, the Innkeep at The Kingfisher Inn - MEDIUM, uses Nilfgaardian Empire deck + ALSO SELLS CARDS + gives Tibor Eggebracht Hero card (10) Marcus T.K. Hodgson at the bookstore on Hierarch Square - HARD, uses Scoia'tael deck The Blacksmith in Silverton, north-west of Hierarch Square - HARD, uses various decks The Blacksmith on the Fish Market, just south of the bank - MEDIUM, uses Monster deck The Merchant across from the above Blacksmith, on the Fish Market - MEDIUM, uses Nilfgaardian Empire deck The halfling Herbalist south of the Fish Market, across the canal - MEDIUM, uses Scoia'tael deck The Merchant in the small market west of Hierarch Square/just north of The Golden Sturgeon - MEDIUM, uses Monster deck The Merchant in Gildorf Square, who also sells the Jade Figurine - HARD, uses Nilfgaardian Empire deck The Old Sage at Benek - HARD, uses Monster deck + gives Crone: Weavess Monster card (6) [Also gave me Eredin Breacc Glas Monster Leader card] ================================================== ================================================== 4.2 Gwent Tournaments in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Gwent Tournament at The Vengelbuds' Estate during A Matter of Life and Death quest High Stakes Gwent tournament at the Passiflora in Novigrad Tournament with the dwarves in Dead Man's Party Gwent: To Everything – Turn, Turn, Tournament! in Blood and Wine ================================================== ================================================== 4.3 Other significant Gwent-based quests: Gwent: Velen Players Beat the important players in Velen. Gwent: Playing Innkeeps Beat the main Gwent-playing Innkeeps. Gwent: Big City Players in Novigrad Beat the key Gwent big city players in Novigrad. Gwent: Old Pals Eithné card from Zoltan Saesenthessis card from Vernon Roche Triss Merigold card from Lambert Geralt of Rivia card from Thaler Collect Em All Secondary quest. Collect every single one of the available cards in the base game. Northern Realms Gwent deck (40 cards) Nilfgaardian Empire Gwent deck (41 cards) Monsters Gwent deck (44 cards) Scoia'tael Gwent deck (41 cards) Gwent neutral cards (29 cards) Gwent: Never Fear, Skellige's Here Obtain a basic Skellige Deck. "Collect all the missing cards in the Skellige Deck. 0/19" This is a Blood and Wine DLC quest. Speak to the deck's creator, Martin Monnier, in Toussaint. ================================================== ================================================== 4.4 Optional rare Gwent cards Keep the three unique cards from the "A Dangerous Game" quest. The Isengrim Faoiltiarna Hero card from a box in Zed's Pawnshop. The John Natalis Hero card from Ravvy/Ravik. The Fringilla Vigo card from Caesar Bilzen's house. ================================================== ================================================== 4.5 Gwent: Big City Players quest in and around Novigrad Take these one at a time, starting with Vimmie and working your way down the list. The Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon card (15) from the Scoia'tael Merchant is a pivotal card. Vimme Vivaldi, the owner of the Bank - HARD, uses Scoia'tael deck + gives Vesemir card Marquise Serenity at the Passiflora - HARD, uses Nilfgaardian deck + gives Morvran Voorhis Nilfgaardian Hero card + ALSO SELLS CARDS Sigi Reuven aka Djykstra at the bathhouse in Novigrad - HARD, uses Northern Realms deck + gives Esterad Thyssen Northern Realms Hero card Scoia'tael Merchant in the forest south-west, outside of Novigrad - HARD, uses Scoia'tael deck + gives pivotal Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon Hero card (15) ================================================== ================================================== 4.6 Gwent Tournament at The Vengelbuds' Estate during the A Matter of Life and Death quest Margrave Vladimir de Cret - MEDIUM, uses Nilfgaardian Empire deck + gives Milva Scoia'tael card Gomo Seeling - MEDIUM, uses Scoia'tael deck + gives Vampire: Bruxa card Marius Florin - MEDIUM, uses Monsters deck + gives Dandelion card Suggested level 12. ================================================== ================================================== 5.1 Pivotal Gwent card Geralt of Rivia Northern Realms Hero card (15) A neutral Hero card with a high strength. Given by Thaler, who must be met during the quest A Deadly Plot - he's HARD, he uses the Scoia'tael deck Or, if your quest choices are different, you might play him later in a different quest, called Gwent: Playing Thaler. ================================================== ================================================== 5.2 High Stakes Gwent tournament at the Passiflora in Novigrad: Recommend winning both the Geralt and Ciri Hero cards before entering this tournament if you can. First opponent: Bernard Tulle - HARD, uses Northern Realms deck - note: I highly suspect this bastard cheats Second opponent: Sasha - HARD, uses Nilfgaardian Empire deck Third opponent: Finneas - HARD, uses Scoia'tael deck Fourth opponent - Final: Count Tybalt - HARD, uses Monster deck Winning this tournament nets you the following four Gwent leader cards: Foltest: The Steel-Forged (leader) Northern Realms leader card Destroy your enemy's strongest Siege unit(s) if the combined strength of all his or her Siege units is 10 or more. Won by beating Bernard Tulle during High Stakes. Emhyr var Emreis: The Relentless (leader) Nilfgaardian Empire leader card The Relentless: Draw a card from your opponent's discard pile. Won from Sasha during High Stakes. Francesca Findabair: Queen of Dol Blathanna (leader) Scoia'tael deck leader card Queen of Dol Blathanna: Destroy your enemy's strongest Close Combat unit(s) if the combined strength of all his or her Close Combat units is 10 or more. Won from Finneas during High Stakes. Eredin: Bringer of Death (leader) Monster leader card Restore a card from your discard pile to your hand. Won from Count Tybalt during High Stakes. ================================================== ================================================== 6.1 Skellige Isles Gwent Players: Ard Skellig - NORTH Ard Skellig is the large, central island. The northern part of the island is home to ten people of interest: Ermion the Druid, near Gedyneith - HARD, uses Monster deck + gives Leshen Monster Hero card Gremist the Druid, near Gedyneith - HARD, uses Nilfgaardian Empire deck + gives extremely useful Mysterious Elf Hero spy card (0) Crach an Craite, inside Palace at Kaer Trolde - HARD, uses Monsters deck + gives Draug Monster Hero card (10) The Blacksmith at Kaer Trolde, up top - MEDIUM, uses Scoia'tael deck The Armorer at Kaer Trolde, up top - MEDIUM, uses Northern Realms deck The Herbalist at Kaer Trolde, down below - MEDIUM, uses Nilfgaardian Empire deck Jonas the Innkeep, at The New Port Inn in Kaer Trolde - HARD, uses Monsters deck The Merchant in Blandare - MEDIUM, uses Northern Realms deck Sjusta, the Tailor in Kaer Trolde, near your stash - HARD, uses Northern Realms deck + gives Yaevinn Scoia'tael card (although you must beat Crach an Craite first) Iorveth Scoia'tael Hero card - EASY - Reward for completing Shock Therapy quest on Ard Skellige Ard Skellig - SOUTH The southern half of the island has slightly more, with eleven players: The Blacksmith in Arinbjorn - MEDIUM, uses Monsters deck The Innkeep at the inn in Arinbjorn - HARD, uses Scoia'tael deck + ALSO SELLS CARDS The Blacksmith in Fayrlund - HARD, uses Monsters deck The Merchant in Fayrlund - MEDIUM, uses Scoia'tael deck The Herbalist (Person In Distress) south of Blandare - MEDIUM, uses Scoia'tael deck The Merchant in Fyresdal - MEDIUM, uses Monsters deck The Smith in Fyresdal - MEDIUM, uses Scoia'tael deck The Merchant in Holmstein’s Port - MEDIUM, uses Scoia'tael deck The Armorer in Kaer Muire - MEDIUM, uses Monsters deck The Smith in Kaer Muire - MEDIUM, uses Scoia'tael deck Madman Lugos, at Kaer Muire - HARD, uses Monsters deck + gives Vampire: Katakan and Emhyr var Emreis Leader card An Skellig The north-eastern island is home to three medium-to-hard Gwent players. The Blacksmith in Urialla Harbor - MEDIUM, uses Monsters deck The Innkeep in Urialla Harbor - HARD, uses Northern Realms deck + ALSO SELLS CARDS The Armorer in Urialla Harbor - MEDIUM, uses Nilfgaardian Empire deck Hidjarsfall The island in the eastern part of the archipelago. There are four good players there. The Armorer in Larvik - HARD, uses Nilfgaardian Empire deck The Merchant by the inn in Larvik - MEDIUM, uses Northern Realms deck The Innkeep at The House of Warriors Inn in Larvik - HARD, uses Scoia'tael deck The Blacksmith in Larvik - HARD, uses Monster deck Faroe Is the elongated island in the south-east. There are only two people who play Gwent on this whole island. The Innkeep at the inn in Harviken - MEDIUM, uses Monsters deck + ALSO SELLS CARDS The Blacksmith in Harviken - MEDIUM, uses a Scoia'tael deck Spikeroog The island in the north-west is called Spikeroog. There are three Gwent players there: The Innkeep at the inn in Svorlag - HARD, uses Northern Realms deck + ALSO SELLS CARDS The Merchant by the sea in Svorlag - MEDIUM, uses Scoia'tael deck The Smith in the north of Svorlag - HARD, uses Nilfgaardian Empire deck ================================================== ================================================== 6.2 Gwent loose ends in The Witcher 3 base game: Emhyr var Emreis Emperor of Nilfgaard leader card Emperor of Nilfgaard: Look at 3 random cards from your opponent's hand. Buy from the Innkeep at the Crossroads Inn, or Purchase from Lindenvale's Innkeep There are a couple of significant characters in The Witcher 3 base game who don't play Gwent. You don't play Triss Merigold at Gwent at any point in the game. You do however get a Triss Merigold Hero card. You don't play Yennefer or Kiera Metz at Gwent either. ================================================== ================================================== 7.1 Hearts of Stone Gwent cards There are a small number of useful cards awarded by either finding them lying around, or by defeating certain characters at Gwent, in the Hearts of Stone DLC. There are 11 new Hearts of Stone Gwent cards in total - four leader cards, and seven new unit cards to find. Olgierd von Everec (6) Neutral ranged or close combat unit Morale boost: Adds +1 to all units in the row (excluding itself). Agile: Can be placed in either the Close Combat or the Ranged Combat row. Cannot be moved once placed. Beat Shani at home after Dead Man's Party to get the Olgierd von Everec card. Schirrú (8) Scoia'tael deck Siege card with Scorch ability Destroys your enemy's strongest Siege Combat unit(s) if the combined strength of all his or her Siege Combat units is 10 or more. Won from the merchant at the circus northwest of Carsten. Has a black skull on his card to denote Scorch ability. Cow (0) Neutral Ranged combat unit This summons the strong unit Bovine Defence Force in the next round if taken out of play. Found inside the barn in Brunwich during the Dead Man's Party quest. Bovine Defence Force (8) Neutral close combat unit Summoned by the removal of the Cow card during play. The card's name references the chort that appears after six cows are killed in White Orchard. There are two types of special, neutral Gaunter O'Dimm cards. One of Master Mirror, which is a neutral siege card, and three of O'Dimm as his shadow demon true self, which are neutral ranged units with Muster ability. Gaunter O'Dimm (2) Neutral Siege card with Muster ability Muster: Find any cards with the same name in your deck and play them instantly. Won from Hilbert during Open Sesame! Gaunter O'Dimm: Darkness (4) There are three of these neutral Ranged combat units. 1 is purchased from Dulla kh'Amanni at Upper Mill 2 are purchased from the merchant at the circus camp near Carsten Toad Monster card (7) Ranged Monster deck unit with a special Scorch ability. The Scorch destroys your enemy's strongest Ranged Combat unit(s) if the combined strength of their Ranged Combat units is 10 or more. Won by beating Olgierd von Everec at Gwent Foltest: Son of Medell (leader) Northern Realms leader card Destroy your enemy's strongest Ranged Combat unit(s) if the combined strength of all his or her Ranged Combat units is 10 or more. Purchased from the merchant at the circus camp near Carsten Emhyr var Emreis: Invader of the North (leader) Nilfgaardian leader card Invader of the North: Abilities that restore a unit to the battlefield restore a randomly-chosen unit. Affects both players. Purchased from the trader at the circus camp near Carsten Eredin Bréacc Glas: The Treacherous (leader) Monster leader card Doubles the strength of all spy cards (affects both players). Purchased from Dulla kh'Amanni in Upper Mill Francesca Findabair: Hope of the Aen Seidhe (leader) Scoia'tael leader card Hope of the Aen Seidhe: Move agile units to whichever valid row maximizes their strength (don't move units already in optimal row). Purchased from Dulla kh'Amanni at Upper Mill There's no Gwent card for Iris von Everec, The Caretaker, The Wraith from the Painting, or Iris Everec's Worst Nightmares. ================================================== ================================================== 8.1 Blood and Wine Gwent cards The addition of the new Skellige deck. The Skellige deck is coloured purple and is part of the Blood and Wine DLC. It becomes available when Blood and Wine is installed and you've activated the Skellige deck by entering Toussaint. When you arrive in Toussaint, after the opening Golyat battle, you must then go to the Cockatrice Inn and speak to the Innkeep to start two important quests: "Gwent: Never Fear, Skellige’s Here" and "Gwent: To Everything – Turn, Turn, Tournament!" This will activate the Skellige deck. You can then begin collecting and using Skellige deck cards and they will show up in your deck selector with their distinctive purple colouring. Important Skellige deck cards: The Skellige deck has a number of low-powered cards that are won randomly by playing people on your travels throughout Toussaint. The cards listed below are the more interesting ones in the Blood and Wine DLC expansion and are more often than not won from important characters rather than by random card drop playing merchants. These cards I think are also generally more useful for the Skellige deck tournament. Crach an Craite (leader) Skellige deck leader card Shuffle all cards from each player's graveyard back into their decks. Part of the base deck King Bran (leader) Skellige deck leader card Units only lose half their Strength in bad weather conditions. Won from the Ducal Camerlengo in Beauclair by completing Gwent: To Everything - Turn, Turn, Tournament! Cerys Hero card (10) Close combat card, Skellige deck Hero: Not affected by any Special Cards or abilities. Summon Shield Maidens: Summons all Shield Maidens from deck and hand. Won from The Barrel and Bung Inn's Innkeep Olaf (12) "Many've tried to defeat Olaf. But you won't hear about it from them. They're dead." Olaf is a strong dual ranged/close combat Skellige deck bear with extra Morale Boost power. Olaf's Morale Boost power adds +1 strength to every other unit in his row. Win him from The Adder and Jewels Winery's sommelier This one is a must-have. Ermion (8) Ranged Skellige deck Hero card Has the Mardroeme effect - transforms Berserker cards Hero: Not affected by any Special Cards or abilities. Mardroeme: Triggers transformation of all Berserker cards on the same row. Won from Francollarts' innkeep Clan Dimun Pirate (6) Ranged Skellige deck unit with useful Scorch ability Scorch: Kills the strongest card(s) on the battlefield. Won from Dupont & Sons' merchant Clan Drummond Shield Maiden (4) Close combat Skellige unit with "Tight Bond" special power Tight Bond: Place next to a card with the same name to double the strength of both cards. There are three of these types of units. 1 is part of the base deck 1 is won from Innkeep at The Cockatrice Inn 1 is won from the Francollarts' armorer Kambi (0) A close combat Skellige Gwent card When this card is removed from the battlefield, it summons the powerful Hemdall Hero card to take its place. Won from Beauclair's armorer Hemdall Hero card (11) A high-powered close combat unit that is summoned if Kambi is taken off the board in the previous round. Special useful power: it is not affected by any special cards or abilities. It is the transformed version of Kambi and does not exist as an ownable card on its own. Mardroeme (transform) "Eat enough of them, and the world will never be the same..." A special Skellige card that transforms other cards on the board. Suddenly turning regular units into more powerful ones. Pretty much like a magic mushroom for the battlefield. Mardroeme triggers transformation of all Berserker cards on the same row. 1 is part of the base deck 1 won from The Belles of Beauclair's madame 1 won from the Herb Store's herbalist Young Berserker (2) Young Berserker is a ranged combat gwent card in the Blood and Wine expansion and part of the Skellige deck. When a mardroeme card is played on its row, it transforms into Transformed Young Vildkaarl. 1 is part of the base deck 1 is won from the Tourney Grounds' blacksmith 1 is won from Pierre at Tailor's Workshop Transformed Young Vildkaarl (8) Ranged combat unit It replaces the Young Berserker when a Mardroeme card is played on its row. Tight Bond: Place next to a card with the same name to double the strength of both cards Transformed version of Young Berserker Berserker (4) A close combat Skellige Gwent card Transforms into Bear: Transformed Vildkaarl when a Mardroeme card is placed on its row. Not sure who you win this from. Possibly a random drop Gwent player in Blood and Wine. Bear: Transformed Vildkaarl (14) Skellige close combat unit Morale boost: Adds +1 strength to all units in the row (excluding itself). Transformed version of Berserker It replaces the Berserker when a Mardroeme card is played on its row. Blueboy Lugos (6) Close combat unit Part of the base deck Clan Brokvar Archer (6) Ranged Skellige unit 2 are part of the base deck 1 is won from the herbalist at Castel Ravello Vineyard Light Longship (4) Ranged combat unit Muster: Find any cards with the same name in your deck and play them instantly. 2 are part of the base deck 1 won from the Perfumery's merchant Draig Bon-Dhu (2) Siege unit with Commander's Horn ability Commander's Horn: Doubles the strength of all unit cards in that row. Limited to 1 per row. Won from The Pheasantry's innkeep Weak but useful boost abilities Birna Bran (2) Medic: Choose one card from your discard pile and play it instantly (no Heroes or Special Cards). Part of the base deck Skellige Storm (weather) A neutral Skellige deck weather card that reduces the strength of all units to 1. Can be used in other decks too 1 is won from the Tourney Grounds' armorer 1 is won from the Tourney Grounds' barber 1 is won Beauclair Port's butcher Journal entry, after completing Gwent: Never Fear, Skellige's Here: "Geralt did what he had set out to do. After many a victorious hand of Gwent, he finally had all the cards from the Skellige deck. Though it cost him a great deal of effort, it was all worth it, for the new cards were truly beautiful sights to behold." There's no Gwent card of Anna Henrietta, the duchess of Toussaint, or her sister Syanna, in The Witcher 3, and neither will play you at Gwent either. There's no further Witcher 3 Gwent material about the spoon-obsessed Wight in La Cage Au Fou, or Marlene de Trastamara, who cooks in the kitchen at Corvo Bianco for you after you rescue her. ================================================== ================================================== 8.2 Blood and Wine DLC unique Gwent player Little Flint Girl The vendor in The Land of a Thousand Fables You have to beat her if you want to get the ribbon back for the good ending with Syanna and Anna Henrietta. She plays you with a Scoia'tael deck. You don't have to beat her if you don't want to, but if you don't get the ribbon you'll get the bad ending to Blood and Wine. ================================================== ================================================== 8.3 Gwent: To Everything – Turn, Turn, Tournament! The final and arguably hardest Gwent challenge in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is completing the Blood and Wine Gwent questline "Gwent: To Everything – Turn, Turn, Tournament!" successfully. This quest is a test of your Gwent skills because you must win four tough matches in a row with no losses, with the new Skellige deck, and with no saves in-between, to win the top prize. The tournament takes place at The Pheasantry in Hauteville, in Toussaint. Do you feel confident enough with the Skellige deck to do this? Is the question. It's not too difficult if you practise a little. If and when you *do* win this rather tough tournament you unfortunately don't get awarded *any* special cards, just a trophy. Which is a major bummer! :-( Some tips on completing the final Gwent quest "Gwent: To Everything – Turn, Turn, Tournament!" Only four rounds of Gwent are played, but being forced to use the Skellige deck can be daunting since it is a deck that relies heavily on the luck of the draw. Whether you get good cards or weak ones. The tournament schedule is: 1. Hamal ogn Dangbahli, who plays the Monsters deck. HARD - He will ask to raise the stakes, putting his silver sword "Blave" up against Geralt's currently equipped silver sword, and you can agree or refuse. If you lose it you can barter it back from him later or reload and try again. 2. Ambassador von Hinn, a member of the Nilfgaardian artistocracy and therefore plays with a Nilfgaardian deck. HARD 3. Then there's a fistfight 4. Martin Monnier, who plays with a Skellige deck. HARD 5. Yaki Rafiberg, the leader of the protesters, who uses a Scoia'tael deck. HARD If you win the tournament you get a trophy called The Victor's Cup, to put on the shelf at Corvo Bianco, and it will also count as "Proof of wisdom" for the quest There Can Be Only One. And the satisfaction that you've beaten the game's toughest Gwent challenge. I managed to win the tournament on the second attempt after initially losing in the first round, but I was relatively lucky with the later draws, and I also managed to understand the Skellige deck well enough to make it through all four matches by the seat of my pants. Which is what I think basically the whole idea of the tournament is: an uncertain trial by fire. ================================================== ================================================== 9.1 The Pivotal Gwent cards A short list of the Pivotal Gwent cards, in more or less chronological order: Zoltan Chivay card (5) Won from Aldert Geert in the Woesong Inn in White Orchard. It's the first major card of the game. Foltest: The Siegemaster (leader card) Won from the Nilgardian Nobleman in Vizima. Sigismund Dijkstra spy card (4) First spy card of the game, won from Phillip Strenger aka The Bloody Baron at Crow's Perch. MEDIUM difficulty, he uses the Northern Realms deck Yennefer Hero card (8) Won from Stjepan the Innkeeper at the Alchemy Inn in Oxenfurt - who is MEDIUM difficulty and uses the Nilfgaardian Empire deck. Vernon Roche Northern Realms Hero card (10) Won from Haddy at Midcopse. Letho of Gulet Nilfgaardian Hero card (10) Won from The Boatwright at Oreton. Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon Hero card (15) aka the Ciri Hero card. Won from the HARD Scoia'tael Merchant hidden in the forest south-west of Novigrad. Eithne Scoia'tael Hero card (10) Won from Zoltan Chivay. Because he moans and swears about it. It must be a good card. Triss Merigold card (7) Won from Lambert while on the quest Gwent: Old Pals - MEDIUM difficulty, he uses the Scoia'tael deck. Small window of opportunity. Crone: Weavess Monster card (6) Won from the Old Sage at Benek - HARD, uses Monster deck Geralt of Rivia Northern Realms close combat Hero card (15) Won from Thaler, who is HARD difficulty and is only available for a short period of time at a specific point in the game. Foltest: The Steel-Forged (leader card) Won by beating Bernard Tulle during the High Stakes tournament in Novigrad. Mysterious Elf Hero spy card (0) Won from Gremist the Druid, near Gedyneith - HARD difficulty. Uses Nilfgaardian Empire deck + gives extremely useful card. Olgierd von Everec card (6) Beat Shani at home after Dead Man's Party to get this neutral, Agile unit with Morale Boost. Cerys Hero card (10) - Summons all Shield Maidens from deck and hand. Won from The Barrel and Bung Inn's Innkeep in Toussaint. HARD Olaf (12) - powerful Skellige Bear that can be placed in either close combat or ranged positions, so is Agile. Olaf also has a Morale Boost to add +1 strength to every other unit in his row. Won from The Adder and Jewels Winery's sommelier in Toussaint. HARD Little Flint Girl In The Land of a Thousand Fables. Uses Scoia'tael deck. Whether you win the ribbon or not, or take this quest or not, is a determining factor in the happy or sad endings of Blood and Wine. HARD King Bran (leader card) Won from the Ducal Camerlengo in Beauclair by completing Gwent: To Everything - Turn, Turn, Tournament! HARD ================================================== ================================================== 10.1 The Witcher 3 Gwent achievements There are a number of Gwent achievements to be earned while playing The Witcher 3, but there's one achievment that is particularly challenging to get and that's the "Killed It" achievement. For me, Killed It was the most difficult achievement in the game. It took me a while, and a few attempts, to get it and it was my last achievement. By some distance. To unlock "Killed It" you have to win a round of Gwent with a total strength of 187 or more. That is easier said than done, but it is achieveable with some practise and a bit of luck. One good way of getting this achievement is to play with the Corvo Bianco Majordomo, Barnabas-Basil Foulty. He plays any Gwent deck against you, at any difficulty level, making him a great opponent to practice against. The first time Barnabas-Basil Foulty is beaten, the player receives 1000 experience points. If you're playing NG+ then you're probably aready at the level 100 ceiling by the time you meet him and are therefore not earning experience points any longer. There are various different ways of gaining this achievement, though, by using any of the five different factions. I got it by using a Northern Realms deck and a combination of Foltest Siegemaster bonuses and Siege cards, and multiple Crinfrid Reavers Dragon Hunter cards and a Commander's Horn. My final, winning round strength was 204. Vital extra Crinfrid Reavers Dragon Hunters cards can be brought back into the game from your discard pile in the second and third rounds, remember. Which is how I managed to get all three to appear at once. It's worth keeping a Clear Weather card as insurance against bad weather cards killing your Crinfrid Reavers at the end of a round. I had one and had to use it. At long last: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2247465551 ================================================== ================================================== 11.1 Last Updated: 3/2/2022 Copyright Mallo 2020-2022 https://www.mallo.co.uk/Gwent.txt