The Witcher 3 Gwent: tips and tricks for winning more games
Struggling to win more games of Gwent? We've put together some essential hints and tips that should give you the edge in battle.
Gwent is one of the most popular games played by the villagers and townsfolks who inhabit the world of The Witcher 3, and you won't have to go too far to find a match when you fancy one. Here are some helpful hints and tips that should help you win a few more games once you've got the basics under your belt.
If you're looking for more assistance, our Witcher 3 walkthrough can help.
- Keep in mind that those ten cards you start each match with are the only ones you have to play with throughout the entirety of the match. There's very little point in romping to victory in an early round if you have nothing left to bag that second win with.
- Remember that cards which affect the weather affect both players, so think very carefully before putting one into play. It can be heartbreaking to see your strategy fall to pieces, just because you miscalculated the impact of these cards. If you're going to play a weather card during a round, keep an eye on which row your opponent is focusing on, and build your own units elsewhere.
- Try and read the opponent's degree of aggression carefully when playing out your deck. If they're putting in more resources than you feel it's sensible for them to commit to the board, it might be better to just let them take the win - this time around. Try to bait their hand out with lesser cards though, and get them to spend as many of their precious resources as possible to get that win.
- Always experiment with the new cards that you manage to unlock, particularly if they're unusually powerful. You shouldn't be afraid to radically change the fundamental strategy of your deck design in order to incorporate an obviously powerful card.
- Don't miss any opportunity to expand your Gwent card collection, whether that's through completing quests or purchasing new ones from merchants. You'll find yourself steamrolling early opponents, but don't get cocky! By the time you head into the second region of the game, you'll find that your opposite number is capable of putting up a much tougher fight.
Our Witcher 3 walkthrough and guide can help you with the main story, including the Wandering in the Dark and Family Matters missions, and eventually, one of several Witcher 3 endings. There's plenty of side content, too, including Witcher 3 Contracts, White Orchard quests, Velen quests, Novigrad quests and Skellige Isles quests. Elsewhere, learn about the best Witcher 3 builds, the best Witcher 3 mods, how to make money in Witcher 3, find Places of Power locations, and learn how to do Witcher 3 crafting and Witcher 3 Alchemy And when you're done with all those - we can help you through expansions with our Hearts of Stone walkthrough and Blood and Wine walkthrough.
- It's one thing to have every card under the sun in your deck, it's quite another to feel confident that you'll actually draw the cards you most want to see. For this reason, it makes sense to have a deck with a very specific focus - the more cards you cram in, the less likely you are to receive those units that synergise well with each other. Have a decent spread of categories represented too.
- There are four different deck types in the game, and each one has a special bonus effect. Northern Realms players receive an extra card after winning a round, for example, while Nilfgaard players will emerge victorious from any round that would otherwise be considered a draw. Scoia'tael players get to choose who goes first, while Monster deck players get to keep a random unit on the battlefield when a round ends.
- Note that Hero cards are immune to any effects put into play by Special Cards. Weather effects can be a particular pain in the neck, but your Hero won't be set back by even the most blustery storm on the battlefield.