How to Play Gwent in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

What Is Gwent?

Gwent is a card game you can play against many characters in The Witcher 3. The goal is to win two out of three rounds by having more total power on the board than your opponent.

Each card has a strength value, and some cards have special effects. You do not need to win every round. Good Gwent players know when to push, when to pass, and when to save cards for later.

How Rounds Work

A Gwent match has up to three rounds. To win a round, you need more points than your opponent when both players pass.

Cards you play usually stay on the board until the round ends. Once a round is over, most cards are removed. Because of this, using too many strong cards in the first round can leave you weak later.

Sometimes it is smart to lose a round on purpose if it makes your opponent waste more cards than you.

Build a Strong Deck

A good Gwent deck should not have too many weak cards. Try to remove low-value cards once you get better ones.

Hero cards are very strong because they cannot be affected by weather or many special effects. Spy cards are also excellent because they let you draw extra cards, even though they give points to your opponent.

Keep your deck focused. A smaller deck with strong cards is usually better than a large deck filled with weak cards.

Use Spy and Decoy Cards

Spy cards are some of the best cards in Gwent. They are played on your opponent’s side of the board, but they let you draw more cards.

Decoy cards are useful because they let you take back a card from the board. You can use Decoy to reuse your own Medic cards or pick up Spy cards your opponent played against you.

Getting more cards than your opponent is one of the easiest ways to win Gwent.

Learn When to Pass

Passing is one of the most important parts of Gwent. You do not always need to keep playing cards just because you can.

If your opponent is far ahead and you would need to waste too many cards to catch up, it may be better to pass and save your hand for the next round.

A good strategy is to make your opponent spend strong cards while you save enough power to win the final round.

Use Weather Cards Carefully

Weather cards lower the strength of certain rows, such as melee, ranged, or siege. They can be very useful if your opponent stacks many cards in one row.

Do not use too many weather cards in your deck, though. They can be useless if your opponent is not playing the right type of cards.

Clear Weather is useful if your own units are being weakened, but only keep it if you often struggle against weather effects.

Buy and Win More Cards

To build a better deck, buy Gwent cards from innkeepers and merchants whenever you find them. You can also win cards by beating certain players.

Play Gwent against merchants, blacksmiths, innkeepers, and quest characters as you travel. The more cards you collect, the easier it becomes to build a strong deck.

Beginner Gwent Tips

Start by focusing on the Northern Realms deck because it is easy to use and has strong cards early.

Try to win the first round without wasting too many cards. If your opponent spends a lot, you can pass and save your better cards for later.

Do not fill your deck with every card you own. Keep only your strongest and most useful cards so you are more likely to draw good ones.