Witcher 3 Gwent Cards: Complete Collection Guide

Gwent is far more than a distraction in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. CD Projekt Red built a fully realized card game that rewards patient collectors and strategic thinkers. Completing your Witcher 3 Gwent cards collection is one of the most satisfying side endeavors in the entire RPG gaming landscape — but it requires knowing exactly where to look, who to challenge, and when to buy. This guide covers everything you need to know.

Understanding the Four Gwent Factions

Before hunting cards, you need to understand what you're collecting. Gwent in Witcher 3 features four playable factions, each with distinct playstyles:

• Northern Realms — Relies on tight unit synergy and medic abilities to resurrect fallen cards.
• Nilfgaardian Empire — A spy-heavy faction that draws cards and controls momentum.
• Scoia'tael — An agile faction with decoy tricks and muster abilities that swarm the board.
• Monsters — Brute-force power using weather effects and muster chains.

There is also a fifth faction — Skellige — added in the Blood and Wine expansion. Each faction has its own leader cards, and collecting all variants is essential for completing the "Collect 'Em All" quest.

Starting Your Gwent Card Collection Early

The single most important rule: start collecting Witcher 3 Gwent cards as early as possible. Many cards are locked behind merchants, innkeepers, and quest-givers who may become unavailable as the story progresses. The moment you arrive in White Orchard, challenge the innkeeper at the Woesong Bridge tavern and purchase any cards from the local merchant before moving on.

In Velen, challenge every innkeeper and merchant you encounter. The Crow's Perch quartermaster, the Nilfgaardian garrison trader, and the merchant at Claywich all carry unique cards that cannot be found elsewhere. Missing these vendors during early game can force you into a second playthrough.

Key Merchants and Innkeepers by Region

Tracking down all Witcher 3 Gwent cards means systematically working through every region. Here is a breakdown of the most critical vendors:

• White Orchard: Innkeeper (Woesong Bridge), White Orchard merchant near the mill.
• Velen: Crow's Perch quartermaster, Nilfgaardian garrison merchant, Midcopse innkeeper, Keira Metz (quest reward).
• Novigrad: Zoltan Chivay (story NPC), Vivaldi Bank, Triss Merigold, the Passiflora innkeeper, Crippled Kate's innkeeper, Dandelion at the Rosemary and Thyme.
• Skellige: Kaer Trolde innkeeper, Urialla Harbor merchant, the innkeeper at Harviken.
• Toussaint (Blood and Wine): Multiple merchants in Beauclair carry Skellige faction cards.

Always check merchant inventories after leveling up or completing main quests — some vendors refresh their stock with new cards after story milestones.

Winning Cards Through Gwent Challenges

Purchasing cards is only half the equation. Many powerful cards — especially rare and hero cards — can only be won by defeating specific opponents in a game of Gwent. The "Collect 'Em All" side quest in the witcher series specifically tracks these challenge-based acquisitions.

Notable opponents to defeat include:

• The Bloody Baron — Drops a Northern Realms card after his questline.
• Stjepan at the Alchemy Inn — Carries a rare Monsters card.
• Sasha — Found during the "High Stakes" Gwent tournament in Novigrad; winning this tournament rewards several unique cards and significant crowns.
• Count Tybalt — The final opponent in the High Stakes tournament; defeating him completes the Novigrad Gwent chain.

Prioritize building a strong Nilfgaard spy deck for early challenges — the card draw advantage makes most early opponents manageable.

Random Loot and Chest Cards

A surprising number of Gwent cards appear as random loot in chests, barrels, and crates scattered across the world. While this is not the primary acquisition method, it fills gaps in your collection. Bandit camps, abandoned sites, and guarded treasures frequently contain cards. Always loot thoroughly — the witcher game world hides collectibles in unexpected corners.

Cards can also drop from certain enemies, though this is rare and inconsistent. The more reliable approach remains merchants and challenges.

Building the Ultimate Gwent Deck

Once you have amassed your Witcher 3 Gwent cards, building an optimized deck is the final challenge. The strongest competitive decks in the base game typically follow these principles:

• Keep your deck at or near the minimum of 22 cards — smaller decks draw key cards more consistently.
• Maximize spy cards (Nilfgaard) or medic cards (Northern Realms) for card advantage.
• Include at least two Decoy cards to recycle high-value units.
• Avoid weather cards against human opponents unless you can clear them yourself.
• Hero cards are immune to weather and abilities — prioritize collecting all 16 of them.

The Nilfgaard spy deck remains the consensus strongest for the "Collect 'Em All" quest, but the Monsters muster deck can overwhelm opponents before they adapt.

Completing the Collect 'Em All Quest

The "Collect 'Em All" quest is automatically tracked in your journal once you win your first Gwent game. It completes when you acquire every obtainable card in the base game — over 190 unique cards in total. The quest rewards a sense of accomplishment that few RPG gaming side quests match, and it unlocks the "Card Collector" achievement.

If you are missing cards near the end of the game, the Vivaldi Bank merchant in Novigrad is one of the few vendors who stocks a rotating selection. Additionally, the Scribe at the Passiflora sometimes carries duplicates that can fill final gaps. Plan your collection systematically, region by region, and you will complete the set without needing to replay the game.