This article is part of a directory: The Witcher 3: Full Guide and Walkthrough
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Geralt of Rivia has plenty of choices about what to do in The Witcher 3. Other than searching for Ciri, he can also do side quests, fulfill Witcher contracts and earn money, romance sorceresses and other women... or he can play Gwent.

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Even though the card game doesn't have a direct impact on the main storyline of the game, and it's possible to finish The Witcher 3 without playing Gwent a single time, many fans love Gwent and some almost enjoy it more than everything else in the game. Despite that, there are some interesting details about Gwent that some players might not know, especially if they're just starting with the game.

6 It's Available As A Separate Game

Those players who loved playing Gwent in The Witcher 3 but don't want to replay the game have another option. The popularity of Gwent has led to the creation of a separate Gwent game that still draws its inspiration from The Witcher series but stands separately from it.

The most notable one is The Witcher Tales: Thronebreaker which also contains a story but is mostly focused on playing Gwent. And if that wasn't enough, it's also possible to buy the Gwent cards and a board and play Gwent with friends completely offline!

5 The Main Quest Leads To Separate Quests

One of the most challenging quests in The Witcher 3 is called Collect Em All, with the title being cleverly inspired by the Pokémon series. Completing the quest requires winning Gwent cards from all merchants as well as multiple other characters that appear in every location of the game, except for Toussaint that came later.

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If the player doesn't get all the cards, they will later be unable to finish certain quests that are a lot of fun, such as the High Stakes.

4 The Gwent Romance

Speaking of High Stakes, many players who don't get to this quest or don't have enough money to enter it (it costs 1000 crowns to participate), might not realize that they're missing out on a romance for Geralt. One of the players in the Gwent tournament is the beautiful spy Sasha. If Geralt wins all the games in the tournament, he and Sasha end up investigating what happened to the prize money that has mysteriously disappeared.

Once they solve the problem, Geralt has the option to spend a night with Sasha. What's more, an ever rarer detail that many of the players don't know about is that you can later ask Fringilla Vigo about Sasha who reveals more details about the spy. It's possible to have this easy-to-miss conversation with Fringilla once Geralt rescues her from Emhyr's ship in Skellige.

3 It's Easy To Miss Out On Some Cards

If it's their first time playing Gwent in The Witcher 3 or trying to complete the quest Collect Em All, the players might not know how easy it is to miss out on some cards or play their owners. A good example is the Bloody Baron. It's important to win the card from him before the Baron and his men (with or without Geralt) leave for the swamp to save the Baron's wife. However, the alternative is to find his Gwent card later on in his office alongside a list of people who also play Gwent on a professional level in Velen. An even more time-sensitive game is with Priscilla since it happens moments before Geralt and Zoltan try to save Dandelion. If the player loses this game, they will need to reload an earlier save and play Priscilla again because it isn't possible to win her unique card from her later.

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When helping Zoltan in Novigrad during the quest A Dangerous Game, Geralt should choose the rare Gwent cards as his reward, not the money. During the ball where Geralt goes with Triss in the quest The Matter of Life and Death, Geralt should enter the Gwent tournament taking place in the gardens and don't give up until he wins all three games because otherwise, he won't get the chance to get the cards from the tournament ever again. Finally, if the player decides to help Triss save her fellow mages in Novigrad, they should make sure Geralt plays Gwent with Olivier, the innkeeper before the quest starts because Olivier can die during the quest.

2 The Best Love Interest

Why every player has a different preference when it comes to Geralt's romances and his best love interest, those who love Gwent will most likely prefer Shani. An interesting fact is that Shani is Geralt's only major love interest with whom Geralt can actually play Gwent.

If he wins, he'll get the rare card portraying Olgierd von Everec from Shani. The good news is that even if Geralt doesn't play Shani, she'll still leave the card for him as her parting gift when she leaves Oxenfurt.

1 Gwent Can Replace Combat

Geralt Waiting for the Attack - Witcher 3 Fist Fight Guide

If the players love The Witcher 3 and Gwent and are tired of Geralt constantly fighting monsters, there's an ideal mod for them! This mod allows replacing all combat with Gwent. Whenever somebody attacks Geralt, a new Gwent match will start, and if Geralt wins the game, he will also defeat his opponent.

However, if Geralt loses the game, then he will die. The only problem with this mod is that it breaks in some cases, and it's necessary to start an earlier save, such as if Geralt takes on Dettlaff after Dettlaff's and Syanna's final meeting. Fortunately, the moments when the mod doesn't work aren't as common for all Gwent fans.

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