Gwent is a card game in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Players duel with other characters using over 150 playing cards with multiple combat styles, heroes and spells. Gwent represents a "clash of two armies locked in mortal struggle on a battlefield," in which players' decks act as their forces, and players can collect cards to improve their decks. There are 4 factions and cards from each faction cannot be used in decks outside of that faction.
"Invented by dwarves and perfected over centuries of tavern table play, Gwent is a game of initial simplicity and ultimate depth, something beloved by both road-weary travellers during long nights around the campfire and elegant nobles looking to liven up dragging dinner parties."
Gwent Card Stand-Alone Game
Because Gwent has become so popular, CD Projekt RED has since created a stand-alone version of the game due out some time this year (2016). There is a Beta for it in August, that you can sign up for . Please see the Gwent Wiki for more information.
Gwent: The Card Game Wiki
http://gwent.wiki.fextralife.com/
About Gwent in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
How to Play Gwent in The Witcher 3
Gwent is fundamentally about out-muscling your opponent. The goal is to field more powerful units than your opponent in 2 out of 3 rounds. For this reason it is important to empower your deck before facing tougher opponents. A less powerful deck may however triumph over a stronger deck by employing deception, tactics, strategy and good old fashioned luck. Tactics and strategy require Special Cards and Special Abilities. Each deck may contain up to 10 Special Cards but they may also contain no Special Cards at all, this is up to the builder. Special Cards are Frost, Impenetrable Fog, Torrential Rain, Clear Weather, War Horn, Decoy and Scorch. Each deck has a Leader Card. The Leader Card is a Special Card that you will have access to (once) in every match.
Units sometimes have Special abilities themselves:
- Hero - This is indicated by a golden areole around the card number. This card is immune to all Special effects, good and bad. They are immune to weather effects, Scorch, War Horn and revival.
- Tight Bond - The power of this card multiplies by the number of identical cards in the same row.
- Scorch - Some units can use Scorch, their version of Scorch is bound to different rules.
- Revive - This units may revive a discarded unit.
- Morale Boost - This unit empower units in the same row.
- Muster - This card summons certain other units to his/her row. These units may be drawn from your deck or your hand.
- Agility - This unit may be placed in one of two possible rows.
- Spy - This units will lend its power to the opposing side. In exchange you may draw two cards. These cards will end up in the opponent's graveyard at the end of the round. They may also be "stolen" with the Decoy card and used against you.
There 4 factions in Gwent : Northern Realms, Nilfgaardian Empire, Monsters and Scoia'tael. By default you will start with a Northern Realms deck and it will require significant investment before you can use other decks. Each faction is distinguished in three ways: a default faction ability, the Leader cards available for the deck, and the general traits of the units specific to these decks.
The monster faction for instance is allowed to keep one random unit card on the deck after a round ends. This gives this faction a distinct edge in winning the very last round. It has a leader card that allows it to place War Horn on the Close Combat Unit row and it features many cards with the Muster ability.
Northern Realms is allowed to draw one extra card after winning a round and a leader card that places War Horn on the Siege Unit row.
Many of its units have the Tight Bond ability.
Scoia'tael is allowed to choose which faction start and has a leader card that places War Horn on the Ranged Units row.
Many of its units have the Agility, Muster or Revive ability.
Nilfgaardian Empire features some very powerful basic units and a leader card that can cancel out other leader cards.
By default, they win if the game's a tie and many of its units have the Revive or Tight Bond ability.
Special cards are Neutral and can be placed within any deck. Unit cards may be neutral as well, Yennefer for instance may be placed within any deck. It's worth noting that once a Neutral card has been unlocked it can be present in all four decks at once.
The Witcher 3 Gwent Rules
- To begin a match, the game selects the starting player with a coin toss.
- Each player receives 10 random Gwent cards pulled from their decks. Players can discard two cards and redraw in the hope of receiving two superior cards. This is done once.
- Players place a Unit Card on the Gwent board in the dedicated combat row. Each player may play one card per turn unless a special ability enables them to do otherwise. Players may also utilize Weather Cards from the Neutral Deck.
- Each unit Card has Strength points that are added for each player's total. A player will win a round of Gwent when the player has more points than the other and both players no longer have cards to play or the both players pass their turn
- Matches are set with 2 wins out of 3 rounds.
Where to Find Gwent Cards in The Witcher 3
Most merchants in the game and several NPCs can be challenged to Gwent matches. There's is an initial wager of 1 to 10 orens that the player may lose or double should he win. On top of that every Gwent player has a unique Gwent card that can be won upon his/her defeat. This card can be won only once and Geralt will never lose cards when he loses. Defeating Gwent players again nets you some resources and sometimes additional Gwent cards. Gwent is part of several quests and even some main quests. Winning the High Stakes tournament will net you 3500 crowns. For the most part Gwent is played for fun and as a distraction. It may also serve as a minor source of income.
The Witcher 3 Gwent Associated Quests
The Witcher 3 All Gwent Cards
Northern Realms Gwent Deck has 37 cards. Players using this deck gain the special: Get one additional card every time a round is won. For the version of this deck in the standalone game, see Northern Realms Cards in the Gwent Wiki.
Northern Realms Leader Cards (Foltest)
Ability: Pick an Impenetrable Fog card from your deck and play it instantly.
Ability: Clear any weather effects (on both sides) currently in play.
Ability: Doubles the strength of all Siege units, unless a Commander's Horn is already in play on that row.
Ability: Destroy opponent's strongest Siege units if the strength of that row is 10 or higher.
Northern Realms Close Combat Cards
Ability: None
Ability: Tight Bond - Place next to a card with the same name to double the strength of both cards.
Ability: None
Ability: Tight Bond - Place next to a card with the same name to double the strength of both cards.
Ability: Spy - Place on your opponents battlefield (counts towards their total strength) then draw two new cards from your deck.
Ability: Spy - Place on your opponents battlefield (counts towards their total strength) then draw two new cards from your deck.
Ability: None
Ability: None
Ability: Hero - Not affected by special cards, weather cards or abilities.
Ability: Hero - Not affected by special cards, weather cards or abilities.
Ability: Hero - Not affected by special cards, weather cards or abilities.
Northern Realms Ranged Combat Cards
Ability: None
Ability: None
Ability: Tight Bond - Place next to a card with the same name to double the strength of both cards.
Ability: None
Ability: None
Ability: None
Ability: Hero - Not affected by any Special Cards or abilities.
Northern Realms Siege Combat Cards
Ability: Morale Boost - Adds +1 strength to all units in the row, excluding itself.
Ability: Spy - Place on your opponents battlefield (counts towards their total strength) then draw two new cards from your deck.
Ability: Medic - Choose one card from your discard pile (excluding heroes / special cards) to play instantly.
Ability: None
Ability: None
Ability: None
Ability: Tight Bond - Place next to a card with the same name to double the strength of both cards.
Nilfgaardian Empire Gwent Deck has 38 cards. There are 12 Close Combat Cards.
Nilfgaardian Empire Leader Cards (Emhyr var Emreis)
Ability: Look at 3 random cards from your opponent's hand.
Ability: Cancel your opponent's Leader Ability.
Ability: Draw a card from your opponent's discard pile.
Nilfgaardian Empire Close Combat Cards
Ability: None
Ability: Tight Bond - Place next to a card with the same name to double the strength of both cards.
Ability: Tight Bond - Place next to a card with the same name to double the strength of both cards.
Ability: None
Ability: None
Ability: Spy - Place on your opponent's battlefield (counts towards opponent's total) and draw 2 cards from your deck.
Ability: Tight Bond - Place next to a card with the same name to double the strength of both cards.
Ability: None
Ability: Spy - Place on your opponent's battlefield (counts towards opponent's total) and draw 2 cards from your deck.
Ability: Spy - Place on your opponent's battlefield (counts towards opponent's total) and draw 2 cards from your deck.
Ability: Hero: Not affected by any Special Cards or abilities.
Ability: Medic: Choose one card from your discard pile and play it instantly (no Heroes or Special Cards) & Hero: Not affected by any Special Cards or abilities.
Nilfgaardian Empire Ranged Combat Cards
Ability: Medic - Choose one card from your discard pile and play it instantly (no Heroes or Special Cards).
Ability: None
Ability: None
Ability: None
Ability: None
Ability: None
Ability: None
Ability: None
Ability: None
Ability: None
Ability: Hero - Not affected by any special cards or abilities.
Nilfgaardian Empire Siege Combat Cards
Ability: Medic - Choose one card from your discard pile and play it instantly (no Heroes or Special Cards).
Ability: None
Ability: None
Ability: None
Ability: None
Ability: Hero - Not affected be any Special Cards or abilities.
Scoia'tael Gwent Deck has 37 cards. For the version of this deck in the standalone game, see Scoia'tael Cards in the Gwent Wiki.
Scoia'tael Leader Cards (Francesca Findabair)
Ability: Pick a Biting Frost card from your deck and play it instantly.
Ability: Draw an extra card at the beginning of the battle.
Ability: Doubles the strength of all your Ranged Combat units (unless a Commander's Horn is also present on that row).
Ability: 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.
Scoia'tael Close Combat Cards
Ability: Agile - Can be placed in either the Close Combat or Ranged Combat row. Cannot be moved once placed
Ability: Muster - Find any cards with the same name in your deck and play them instantly.
Ability: Muster - Find any cards with the same name in your deck and play them instantly.
Ability: None
Ability: Agile - Can be placed in either the Close Combat or Ranged Combat row. Cannot be moved once placed
Ability: Agile - Can be placed in either the Close Combat or Ranged Combat row. Cannot be moved once placed
Ability: None
Ability: Agile - Can be placed in either the Close Combat or Ranged Combat row. Cannot be moved once placed
Ability: Agile - Can be placed in either the Close Combat or Ranged Combat row. Cannot be moved once placed
Ability: Agile - Can be placed in either the Close Combat or Ranged Combat row. Cannot be moved once placed
Ability: Hero - Not affected by any Special Cards or abilities and Morale Boost - Adds +1 to all unites in the row (excluding itself).
Scoia'tael Ranged Combat Cards
Ability: Medic - Choose one card from your discard pile and play it instantly (no Heroes or Special Cards).
Ability: None
Ability: Muster - Find any cards with the same name in your deck and play them instantly.
Ability: None
Ability: Agile - Can be placed in either the Close Combat or Ranged Combat row. Cannot be moved once placed.
Ability: None
Ability: None
Ability: Agile - Can be placed in either the Close Combat or Ranged Combat row. Cannot be moved once placed.
Ability: Agile - Can be placed in either the Close Combat or Ranged Combat row. Cannot be moved once placed.
Ability: Agile - Can be placed in either the Close Combat or Ranged Combat row. Cannot be moved once placed.
Ability: Agile - Can be placed in either the Close Combat or Ranged Combat row. Cannot be moved once placed.
Ability: None
Ability: Agile - Can be placed in either the Close Combat or Ranged Combat row. Cannot be moved once placed.
Ability: Hero - Not affected by and Special Cards or abilities.
Ability: Morale Boost - Adds +1 to all units in the row (excluding itself).
Ability: Hero - Not affected by and Special Cards or abilities.
Ability: Hero - Not affected by and Special Cards or abilities.
Monster Gwent Deck has 40 cards. For this version of the deck in the standalone game, see Monster Cards in the Gwent Wiki.
Monster Leader Cards (Eredin)
Ability: Pick any weather card from your deck and play it instantly.
Ability: Double the strength of all your Close Combat units (unless a Commander's Horn is also present on that row).
Ability: Discard 2 cards and draw 1 card of your choice from your deck.
Ability: Restore a card from your discard pile to your hand.
Monster Close Combat Cards
Ability: Muster - Find any cards with the same name in your deck and play them instantly.
Ability: Agile - Can be placed in either the Close Combat or the Ranged Combat row. Cannot be moved once placed.
Ability: None
Ability: Agile - Can be placed in either the Close Combat or the Ranged Combat row. Cannot be moved once placed.
Ability: Muster - Find any cards with the same name in your deck and play them instantly.
Ability: Muster - Find any cards with the same name in your deck and play them instantly.
Ability: None
Ability: Muster - Find any cards with the same name in your deck and play them instantly.
Ability: Muster - Find any cards with the same name in your deck and play them instantly.
Ability: Muster - Find any cards with the same name in your deck and play them instantly.
Ability: Muster - Find any cards with the same name in your deck and play them instantly.
Ability: None
Ability: None
Ability: None
Ability: None
Ability: Muster - Find any cards with the same name in your deck and play them instantly.
Ability: None
Ability: Muster - Find any cards with the same name in your deck and play them instantly.
Ability: Muster - Find any cards with the same name in your deck and play them instantly.
Ability: Muster - Find any cards with the same name in your deck and play them instantly.
Ability: None
Ability: Hero - Not affected by any Special Cards or abilities, Agile - Can be placed in either the Close Combat or the Ranged Combat row. Cannot be moved once placed, Morale Boost - Adds +1 to all the units in the row (excluding itself).
Ability: Hero - Not affected by any Special Cards or abilities.
Ability: Hero - Not affected by any Special Cards or abilities.
Monster Ranged Combat Cards
Ability: Agile - Can be placed in either the Close Combat or the Ranged Combat row. Cannot be moved once placed.
Ability: None
Ability: None
Ability: None
Ability: Agile - Can be placed in either the Close Combat or the Ranged Combat row. Cannot be moved once placed.
Ability: None
Ability: None
Ability: Hero - Not affected by any Special Cards or abilities, Agile - Can be placed in either the Close Combat or the Ranged Combat row. Cannot be moved once placed, Morale Boost - Adds +1 to all the units in the row (excluding itself).
Ability: Hero - Not affected by any Special Cards or abilities.
Monster Siege Combat Cards
Ability: None
Ability: Muster - Find any cards with the same name in your deck and play them instantly.
Ability: None
Ability: None
Neutral Gwent Cards
Weather Cards
Ability: Sets the strength of all Close Combat cards to 1 for both players.
Ability: Removes all Weather Card (Biting Frost, Impenetrable Fog and Torrential Rain) effects.
Ability: Sets the strength of all Ranged Combat cards to 1 for both players.
Ability: Sets the strength of all Siege Combat cards to 1 for both players.
Neutral Close Combat Cards (Any Deck)
Ability: Hero - Not affected by any Special Cards or abilities and Spy - Place on your opponent's battlefield (count towards opponent's total) and draw 2 cards from your deck.
Ability: Commander's Horn - Doubles the strength of all unit cards in that row. Limited to 1 per row.
Ability: None
Ability: None
Ability: None
Ability: Hero - Not affected by any Special Cards or abilities.
Ability: Scorch - Destroy your enemy's strongest close combat unit(s) if the combined strength of all of his or her combat unit(s) is 10 or more.
Ability: Hero - Not affected by any Special Cards or abilities.
Ability: Hero - Not affected by any Special Cards or abilities.
Neutral Ranged Combat Cards
Ability: Medic - Choose one card from your discard pile and play it instantly (no Heroes or Special Cards) and Hero - Not affected by special cards, weather cards or abilities.
Special Cards
Ability: Commander's Horn - Doubles the strength of all unit cards in a row. Limited to 1 per row.
Ability: Decoy - Swap with a card on the battlefield to return it to your hand.
Ability: Scorch - Discard after playing. Kills the strongest card(s) in the battlefield.
Skellige Gwent Deck has 27 cards and is part of the Blood and Wine expansion. For the version of this deck in the standalone game, see Skellige Cards in the Gwent Wiki. Players using this deck gain the special: Two random cards return from the discard pile in the final round. To start the hunt for the cards, speak to the innkeeper at The Cockatrice Inn in Toussaint to initiate the quests Gwent Never Fear, Skellige's Here and Gwent To Everything - Turn, Turn, Tournament!.
Skellige Gwent Cards
Skellige Leader Cards
| Name & Icon | Leader Ability |
|---|---|
| King Bran | Units only lose half their strength in bad weather conditions. |
| Crach an Craite (Card) | Shuffles all cards from each player's graveyard back into their decks. |
Skellige Close Combat Cards
| Name & Icon | Card Strength | Special Abilities |
|---|---|---|
| Kambi | 0 | Summon Avenger: When this card is removed from the battlefield, it summons a powerful new Unit Card to take its place. |
| Birna Bran | 2 | Medic: Choose one card from your discard pile and play it instantly (no heroes or special cards). |
| Clan Drummond Shield Maiden | 4 | Tight Bond: Place next to a card with the same name to double the strength of both cards. |
| Holger Blackhand | 4 | ?? |
| Clan Heymaey Skald | 4 | N/A |
| Clan Tordarroch Armorsmith | 4 | N/A |
| Udalryk | 4 | ?? |
| Donar an Hindar (Card) | 4 | ?? |
| Berserker (Card) | 4 | Berserker: Turns into a bear if there's a Madroeme in the same row. |
| Svanrige | 4 | None |
| Clan an Craite Warrior | 6 | Tight Bond: Place next to a card with the same name to double the strength of both cards. |
| Blueboy Lugos | 6 | N/A |
| Madman Lugos | 6 | N/A |
| Cerys | 10 | Hero: Not affected by special cards, weather cards or abilities. Summon Shield Maidens |
| Olaf | 12 | Morale Boost: Adds +1 to all units in the row (excluding itself). Agile |
Skellige Ranged Combat Cards
| Name & Icon | Card Strength | Special Abilities |
|---|---|---|
| Young Berserker | 2 | Berserker: Turns into a bear if there's a Madroeme in the same row. |
| Light Longship | 4 | Muster: Summon all other units of the same name from the deck. |
| Clan Brokvar Archer | 6 | N/A |
| Clan Dimun Pirate | 6 | Scorch |
| Ermion (Card) | 8 | Hero: Not affected by special cards, weather cards or abilities. Mardroeme: Triggers transformation of all Berserker cards on the same row. |
| Hjalmar | 10 | Hero: Not affected by special cards, weather cards or abilities. |
| Olaf | 12 | Morale Boost: Adds +1 to all units in the row (excluding itself). Agile |
Skellige Siege Combat Cards
| Name & Icon | Card Strength | Special Abilities |
|---|---|---|
| Draig Bon-Dhu | 2 | Commander's Horn |
| Holger-Blackhand | 4 | N/A |
| War Longship | 6 | Tight Bond: Place next to a card with the same name to double the strength of both cards. |
Anonymous*reads comment from guest on 22 June* Heh. I KNEW Ermion was the same druid, featured during the certain events in Cintra in the first book, and it was just a translation thing. XD
Anyone know who I play or where I could purchase the Hero Spy Card that has 0 value? It's an amazing card. It adds 0 to the other opponent and you get to draw two cards. Plus, since it's a hero card they can't use a Decoy Card to pick it up.
2
+10
-1