2018-12-27T12:54:51 01:00

Gwent Tips: The best tricks for the Witcher card game

In this Gwent guide we tell you

What the best tips and tricks for Gwent are
Where to get new cards for your deck
What strengths the Gwent factions bring to the table

The strategic card game Gwent: The Witcher Card Game was released on October 23, 2019 for PC, Playstation 4 () and Xbox One (). If you're looking for tips on deckbuilding in Gwent, check out our guide to the best decks in Gwent.

In this guide, we'll tell you the best tips and tricks for Gwent.

Gwent tips: Game modes, objective of the game & playing field

Practice game
Free game
Ranked game
Arena mode
Thronebreaker (single player mode)

These are the different game modes that Gwent offers you. You either play against the AI or in PvP mode, i.e. against other players. Leave out the ranked games and the arena mode for now if you are just starting out with Gwent.

If you're still working on the right Gwent strategy, you won't stand a chance in ranked matches. That's why we give you the tip to first develop a deck and test it against the AI. Otherwise, you'll quickly lose valuable ladder points that you'll have to work hard to earn back. In addition, the arena mode costs a mirror shard entrance fee (payable in the form of ore or real money).

Don't get poor with this in the beginning if you haven't set up your decks optimally yet. Basically, Gwent is about defeating your opponent on points in three rounds. A round is won by the player who has more points on his side of the board after both sides have passed. The points are the sum of the values on the top left of the cards that were played.

In between, you weaken or destroy enemy cards - plus there's the option of using row effects from special cards to shake entire troops. You end a round by passing. If you win two rounds, you win. Theoretically, you can tie in the third round if you are tied on points.

The playing field is divided into two parts: The upper area belongs to your opponent, the lower one to you. You have a pile of cards on the right, which is your deck. In the middle are the cards in your hand, fanned out face up. The left pile represents the graveyard.

This is where defeated cards and those from previous rounds are placed. Some cards can revive units from the gra veyard and bring them back to your hand or the field.

Tricks for five Gwent factions: Strengths & Weaknesses

In Gwent there are five factions - armies with individual cards - with which you go into battle. All of them have their strengths and weaknesses and are suitable for different play styles. Therefore, you should definitely familiarize yourself with the factions and their maps.

The Nilfgaard faction relies on its strength and works with sneaky tricks like spy cards. Thus, they are able to undermine the opponent's strategies.
The Northern Kingdoms have a powerful army that benefits from siege engines and armor that protect them from damage. In addition, some cards can upgrade to gold cards. This makes them immune to weather effects, which steadily weaken the rest of your played cards.
The Skellige Faction boasts a flexible deck that can both hold brute strength and resurrect its own troop members.
The Scoia'tael faction relies on confusion. This is because some cards are played face down and only turn over after a few turns, which unsettles your opponents. In addition, the Gwent faction is masterful at trapping.
The monster fa ction benefits from weather cards, among other things, which weaken other factions more. It can also summon other monsters and devour friends as well as enemies to improve its strength.

Gwent: Everything you need to know about the deck & special cards

In total, there are around 300 faction-bound cards in Gwent. In addition, you can use neutral cards, which you can use with all factions. This sounds unspectacular, but neutral Gwent cards are neither weak nor useless. On the contrary, they are simply flexible to use.

In the ranks of both neutral and faction cards you will find special cards that have special effects on your own or your opponent's troops. Special cards become active as soon as they are played and immediately go to the graveyard. These include weather cards, which reduce the strength of all cards in a row that are not immune to weather to a value of one.

You can counter such weather effects with the Daybreak card, for example, which removes all weather effects from the field. Some cards - especially from the monster faction - get significant bonuses from certain weather.

Furthermore, since the Homecoming update, there are so-called artifact cards in the Witcher card game . Once played, they have an effect on troops and are difficult to remove from the field. Therefore, these new Witcher cards are a serious force to be reckoned with in combat.

Furthermore, cards played in Gwent have a strength value, the sum of which reflects the total score. Additionally, many cards have a special effect. Sometimes they damage an enemy card, sometimes they increase the strength of one's own card.

Tips for choosing the right Gwent leader for your faction

Each deck also needs a leader. You can choose between different leaders for each faction. At the beginning you will have only one leader, later you will choose from a small ensemble.

Each Gwent leader has an individual special ability. These effects are quite powerful, so be sure to use them and plan them into your strategy above all else. Besides, Gwent cards come in different quality levels.

Bronze cards have no special quality bonuses and serve as the basis for your strategy.
Gold cards can only be damaged by special cards and are also immune to weather effects.

The silver cards known from the beta version are no longer in the game, they were deleted by CD Projekt without replacement. A Gwent deck consists of at least 25 cards. Since the inclusion of cards in your deck is associated with so-called recruitment costs, you have to vary and consequently cannot cobble together a deck that consists exclusively of gold cards.

Zeal, Command, Summon: Tips on card attributes in Gwent

Long before you start building your deck, it's really important to understand some of the basic ways cards work. This is because cards have different attributes and properties. Below is a brief overview of what each attribute means:

Cooldown: This is the number of turns until a command ability can be used again.
Command: The corresponding ability is activated at the player's request. However, it cannot be used until one turn after the card is played.
Block: A status effect that locks a card's abilities and removes other status effects.
Duel: Two opposing cards take turns inflicting damage equal to their strength until one dies.
Zeal: Allows a Command ability to be used on the same turn that the card is played.

Deployment: Deploys a card's ability immediately when it is played.
Reveal: Shows a card to both players, then returns it to the deck or hand.
Seize: Move an enemy unit to the opposite row on your side of the board.
Create: Create a specific card. Which unit you generate is defined by the card played.
Ranged: This card's ability can only be used if you play it in the ranged row.
Generate: This attribute adds a card to the game, analogous to Create.
Summon: Moves a card from the deck to the battlefield.

Charge: The number of charges determines how many times an order can be executed.
Melee: This card's ability can only be used if you play it in the melee row.
Range: Distance in rows that can be targeted.
Espionage: Is the name for a unit that is played on the opponent's side of the field.
Death Wish: A unit's Death Wish ability becomes active when the unit is moved from the battlefield to the graveyard.

Gwent Tricks: How to get new cards easily

When you win a match, you will be rewarded with experience points. If you have enough experience points to level up, you will also get scraps (which you can use to make new cards) or ore, the in-game currency. With 100 ore or real money you can buy a card barrel in the Gwent card store, the lootboxes in Gwent.

In each Lootbox, you choose one of three rare cards to add to your inventory. So you don't have to take everything that is put in front of you. By the way, all cards in Gwent's card library can be either crafted with scraps or obtained through card barrels.

The card library provides an overview of all existing cards, whether you own them or not. Excess cards or cards that you don't use are best broken down into scraps. You can use them to craft cards that you need for your strategy. In this way, you can build the deck you want without spending any real money .

Bonus tip: Bluffing your way to victory

Strength alone is not what will lead you to victory. In fact, you can outplay an opponent even with a relatively weak deck - if your strategy is right.

Here is one of the most valuable Gwent tips: Don't play your strongest cards right away, but proceed tactically. After all, Gwent is also about bluffing - that is, deceiving your opponent to make him act carelessly.

Your opponent has played a number of his strong cards in the first round, while you have played lower cards? Let him win this round by passing. In the best case scenario, he'll have already spent his powder and you'll get the upper hand with your remaining strong cards and some skillful moves.

As with most games, practice makes perfect in Gwent. It is important that you learn the different strategies and recognize what your opponent is planning. As a result, you'll be able to tactic much better than if you play wildly.

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