You've been there. You're standing in a damp cellar in Novigrad, staring at a merchant who refuses to play cards with you because you've already beaten him, and you realize you're still missing that one elusive Vampire: Fleder card. It's frustrating. Honestly, hunting down Witcher 3 gwent card locations is less about being a master strategist and more about being a dedicated skip-tracer. You are basically a debt collector for cardboard.
Most players treat Gwent as a side hobby until they hit the "Collect 'Em All" quest. Then, the panic sets in. The game doesn't exactly hold your hand, and if you miss certain windows of opportunity, you're locked out of a full deck forever. It’s brutal. But if you know where to look—and who to bully into a match—it’s actually manageable.
The trick isn't just knowing the map. It's knowing the rhythm of the game's world.
The White Orchard Trap and Early Essentials
Listen, if you left White Orchard without buying every single card from Elsa (the innkeeper), you've already hit your first speed bump. People used to get really stressed about this because, in the launch version of the game, if you missed her, you were toast. CD Projekt Red eventually patched in a merchant near the bridge who sells her stock if she leaves, but don't rely on that. Just buy the Foltest: Lord Commander of the North card immediately. It’s your best friend for the first ten hours.
While you're in the prologue, play the scholar in the tavern. He gives you the Zorrt T-Rex—wait, no, the Zoltan Chivay card. It’s a neutral card with a strength of 5. In the early game, that’s like bringing a tank to a knife fight. Most NPCs in Velen have decks made of literal garbage, so Zoltan can carry you through those early matches against blacksmiths who barely know which end of the card is up.
Velen is where the real grind begins. You'll find yourself wandering into places like Midcopse or Claywich. Here’s a pro tip: Save the person in distress near Bandit's Camp (east of Claywich). If you don't rescue that merchant, you can't buy certain Nilfgaardian cards. He’s the only one who sells them. If he dies or you ignore the quest, your collection is doomed. It’s these tiny, missable moments that make finding all Witcher 3 gwent card locations such a headache.
Winning High-Stakes Cards in Novigrad
Novigrad is the belly of the beast. This is where you move from "playing for fun" to "playing for keeps." You need to start the "Gwent: Big City Players" quest as soon as possible. Vimme Vivaldi, the dwarf at the bank, is your first target. He’s not even that good at the game, to be honest. Beat him, and he’ll point you toward the Marquise Serenity at the Passiflora.
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The Passiflora is legendary for two reasons. One, it's a brothel. Two, it's the home of the High Stakes tournament. Do not—I repeat, do not—enter that tournament until your deck is stacked. You need at least a few Spies and Decoys. If you go in with a basic Northern Realms deck, Tybalt will eat you alive.
Why Spies are the Meta
Let's talk shop. If you aren't using Spies, you aren't playing Gwent correctly. The Northern Realms and Nilfgaardian Empire decks are the strongest because of their drawing power. When you're scouting Witcher 3 gwent card locations, you are specifically looking for:
- Prince Stennis: Found in the Northern Realms' starting deck or bought early.
- Sigismund Dijkstra: Won from the Bloody Baron (or found in his room if he... leaves).
- Thaler: Bought from the innkeeper at the Seven Cats Inn.
- Mysterious Elf (Avallac'h): This is the holy grail. It's a 0-strength hero spy. You win it from Gremist on Skellige.
Getting these cards changes the math of the game. You're no longer trying to outpower the opponent; you're trying to out-draw them. You want your hand to be twice as big as theirs by the third round.
Skellige: The Land of Monsters and Weather
Skellige is different. The players here love the Monster deck and the Scoia'tael deck. If you've spent the whole game relying on "Close Bond" units like the Blue Stripes Commando, you’re going to get hit with a Biting Frost and lose everything. When you're hunting for Witcher 3 gwent card locations in the islands, keep a Clear Weather card or a Sunshine leader card handy.
Gremist is a pain. You have to finish his "Practicum in Advanced Alchemy" quest before he'll even look at you. It involves a lot of running around and dealing with a grumpy druid, but the Mysterious Elf card is the reward. It is arguably the best card in the entire game. No contest.
Also, don't ignore the smaller islands. Places like Urialla Harbor or Harviken have innkeepers with unique cards. It’s easy to get lazy and stay on the main island of Ard Skellig, but the completionist life requires a boat. You'll find the Vampire: Katakan card in Kaer Trolde, won from Gremist as part of the Skellige style questline.
Missable Cards: The "Wall of Shame"
This is what keeps players up at night. There are cards you can lose forever.
- The Vegelbud Estate Tournament: During the quest "A Matter of Life and Death," there is a mini-tournament. If you don't play it then, those cards are gone. You can't come back later.
- Lambert’s Card: You need to play Lambert during "The Final Trial" or at the Nowhere Inn. If you finish the main story without playing him, you might find his card at Kaer Morhen, but it’s buggy. Just play him early.
- The Baron: If the Bloody Baron's storyline reaches its... natural conclusion before you play him, check his desk in Crow's Perch. The card (Dijkstra) and his list of players will be there.
Honestly, the "Gwent: Old Pals" quest is the one people mess up the most. You have to play Zoltan, Roche, Lambert, and Thaler. Each of them has a specific window. If you're deep into the endgame and realize you forgot to play Thaler at the Seven Cats Inn, check the floor. Sometimes the game spawns the card there if the NPC is gone, but it's a gamble you don't want to take.
Building the Ultimate Northern Realms Deck
Most people stick with Northern Realms because the "draw a card when you win a round" ability is broken. It’s great. To make this deck unstoppable while you're finishing up Witcher 3 gwent card locations, you need the "Foltest: The Siegmaster" leader card. You get this by beating the Nilfgaardian Noble in the palace garden in Vizima.
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He is tough. Like, really tough for an early-game opponent. He uses high-value Nilfgaardian cards that will crush your basic deck. The trick? Use the Biting Frost card you got in White Orchard. His deck relies heavily on front-row melee units. Freeze him out, take his leader card, and suddenly your siege units are doing double damage for the rest of the game.
The Monster Deck Grind
Once you've cleared out Velen and Novigrad, you'll have most of the Monster cards. These are mostly won from random merchants. This is the "boring" part of the hunt. You have to visit every single tavern, every single herbalist, and every single blacksmith.
If you're missing a card and the "Miraculous Guide to Gwent" book says you have 1 left in "Velen," it’s almost always a random merchant in a tiny village like Benek or Oreton. Just play everyone. If their dialogue option for Gwent isn't greyed out, they have a card for you.
The Monster deck is all about the "Muster" ability. You play one Crone, and the other two fly out of your deck. It’s flashy, but it’s dangerous. If you draw all three Crones in your opening hand, the ability is useless. That’s why the Northern Realms deck is more reliable for the high-level tournaments.
Finishing the Collection: Actionable Steps
So, you're sitting at 95% completion. What now?
First, check the Miraculous Guide to Gwent. It’s an in-game book that tells you how many cards are left in each region. If it says "0" for the main regions but you still haven't finished the quest, you're missing cards from a specific questline or a specific tournament.
- Go back to the Passiflora: Check if you missed the "High Stakes" quest.
- Visit the Skellige Innkeepers: Arinbjorn, Svorlag, and Harviken are common spots people skip.
- Check your Leader cards: Sometimes you have all the unit cards but are missing a Leader card won from a specific NPC (like the one in Vizima).
- The "Person in Distress" Merchants: There are a few merchants held captive by bandits. If you don't free them, they don't open their shops, and you can't buy their cards. Look for the yellow cages on your map in Velen.
Gwent is a game of patience. It’s about the journey across the Continent, stopping at every greasy spoon tavern to see if the guy behind the bar has a rare piece of paper to sell you. It’s ridiculous, and it’s one of the best parts of the game.
Once you have that final card, the "Collect 'Em All" quest will finally pop as completed. It’s a better feeling than defeating Eredin. Seriously. Now, go to the Seven Cats Inn, buy a pint, and challenge the first person you see. You've earned it.
Next, you might want to head over to the Toussaint expansion areas. The Blood and Wine DLC adds an entirely new deck—the Skellige deck—and a whole new set of Witcher 3 gwent card locations to obsess over. But that's a story for another time. For now, just focus on the base game. Get your spies in order, keep your decoys ready for when the opponent tries to steal your spies, and never, ever pass a round until you're absolutely sure you've baited out their best cards.
Stay focused on those Velen merchants; they’re the ones who usually hold the key to the final few cards in a standard playthrough.