How to play Gwent
When you start a game of Gwent, you will have to select a faction and a leader. This choice will determine which cards you will be able to use, and which faction-specific perk you will get. Each faction has a minimum of three variations on its leader.When you’ve selected your faction and leader, the game will randomly draw 10 cards from your faction’s deck. You will not be able to draw more cards during the game, but you will be able to re-draw two cards if you are not satisfied with your current cards.
The game is played in turns, with a coin toss deciding who gets to play first. During each turn, players can either play one of their cards, or pass. If a player chooses to pass, he will not get any more turns in that round, so pass only when you are sure you will win or have already given up the round.
The round ends when both player pass. Do not play all the cards you got at the start of the game – they need to carry you through the entire game.
Each card has a number in its upper left corner – a sign of its strength. Whenever you place a card, it increases your total strength score. The player with the highest total strength score at the end of the round wins. The game is played in a best-of-three manner – each player starts with two life gems, one of which is destroyed when a round is lost.Basic cards come in three types: melee, ranged, and siege. Each type is placed in a different row on the board. This division is important because there are cards which affect one of these rows. For example, weather cards reduce the strength of all units in a particular row (for both players). Some special cards have unique abilities such as increasing the strength of other cards or reviving dead soldiers.
The final type of card you can have in your deck is the Hero card. Hero cards are extremely rare, and for a reason, since Heroes are immune to the effects of special cards.
Gwent Factions
There are at least three factions in Gwent – the Nilfgaardian Empire, the Northern Realms, and the Scoia’tael. Each faction has different units, passive perks, and leaders. Passive perks trigger certain events at the beginning or end of a turn. Leaders give you a special ability that can be used only once in a match. Each leader has at least three variations which have to be unlocked before you can use them.| Faction | Leader | Leader ability | Passive Perk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Realms | King Foltest | Pick an Impenetrable Fog from your deck and play it immediately | Draw a card after you win a round |
| Nilfgaardian Empire | Emhyr var Emreis | ??? | Always win ties |
| Scoia’tael | ??? | ??? | ??? |
Gwent Players
Since Gwent is a very popular game in the world of The Witcher 3, there are many players to be found throughout the Northern Realms, with varying levels of skill. Below is a list of all the Gwent players in the game.- Aldert Geert, a professor staying at the inn near the Woesong Bridge in White Orchard.
- Stjepan, an inkeeper in Oxenfurt.
- Tybalt, the ruling Gwent champion, who can be found in Passiflora.