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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Gwent in Novigrad

By
Nathan Garvin

After moving on from White Orchard, all of Velen and Novigrad are open to you, and while the main quest line strongly suggests you start in Velen via the recommended levels for each main quest, this isn’t a hard rule, and it’s even less clear-cut when it comes to Gwent. The quest Gwent: Playing Innkeeps will require you to travel between Velen and Novigrad, and the players in Novigrad are noticeably more competent than the ones in Velen. Still, there’s nothing keeping you from traveling across the Pontar if the Velen isn’t satisfying your desire to play Gwent. This page will provide an overview for all the Gwent-related quests in Novigrad, card locations and players in Novigrad, including Oxenfurt - anything north and east of the Pontar is fair game!

(1 of 2) To get into Oxenfurt and Novigrad you’ll need a Transit Pass or a Letter of Safe Conduct,

To get into Oxenfurt and Novigrad you’ll need a Transit Pass or a Letter of Safe Conduct, (left), or you can just swim across the Pontar - just keep your distance from the Redanian forts. (right)

Page Breakdown

Gwent: Playing Innkeeps

This was mentioned in the Gwent in Velen page as well as the quest page for Gwent: Playing Innkeeps, but this is one of the few quests in the game that will require you to play Gwent in multiple regions to complete, and it’s worth covering again, briefly. This is one of the first Gwent-specific quests that will start, beginning after you defeat the Scholar in White Orchard. You can’t advance it until you reach Velen, however, where you’ll first need to play Stjepen in Oxenfurt. He’s a significant step up above most of the players you’ll find in Velen, but scoring the "Yennefer of Vengerberg" iconYennefer of Vengerberg card is worth going out of your way to get. Next you’ll need to defeat the Innkeep at the "Inn at the Crossroads" iconInn at the Crossroads and finally Olivier in The Golden Sturgeon in Novigrad. Defeat all three of these innkeeps and you’ll complete the quest.

Playing Innkeeps Cards

(1 of 2) Defeat Stjepen in Oxenfurt,

Gwent: Big City Players

One of Novigrad’s many Gwent-related quests, this is the easiest of them to complete. You just need to defeat four players in order: "Vimme Vivaldi" iconVimme Vivaldi, Marquise Serenity, "Sigismund Dijkstra" iconSigismund Dijkstra and a Scoia’tael Merchant. You can start this quest as soon as you set foot in Novigrad, just find Vimme Vivaldi in the southwestern corner of Hierarch Square. Defeat him and he’ll refer you to Marquise Serenity, and so on. The trouble spot with this quest is Sigismund "Dijkstra" iconDijkstra, who cannot be played until you meet him during the quest Get Junior. You don’t have to play a whole lot of the aforementioned quest, but you do have to advance past the point where you fight some thugs in Sigi Reuven’s bathhouse, after which you can talk to Sigismund Dijkstra in his office. Ultimately this quest is well worth doing if you fancy building up your Gwent deck, as you’ll get the Ciri card, a 15 strength close combat hero card that can be used in any deck, and two 10 strength hero cards, one for the Nilfgaardian Empire deck and one for the Northern Kingdoms deck.

Big City Players Cards

Player Card Won
"Vimme Vivaldi" iconVimme Vivaldi "Vesemir" iconVesemir
Marquise Serenity "Morvran Voorhis" iconMorvran Voorhis
"Sigismund Dijkstra" iconSigismund Dijkstra "Esterad Thyssen" iconEsterad Thyssen
Scoia’tael Merchant Ciri

(1 of 4) Play four renown players in Novigrad, including Vimme Vivaldi,


Play four renown players in Novigrad, including Vimme Vivaldi, (left), Marquise Serenity, proprietress of The Passiflora, (right)

A Dangerous Game

In addition to the numerous Gwent-focused secondary quests in Novigrad, there are also some quests where you can obtain Gwent cards that aren’t specifically Gwent Quests, including A Dangerous Game and A Matter of Life and Death (see below). In each case there are several Gwent Cards that can only be found in these two quests and if you do not get them during the quest, you will miss them forever.

A Dangerous Game begins when you return to the Rosemary and Thyme following the completion of A Poet Under Pressure. You can’t really mess this quest up, just advance through it and you’ll be tasked with recovering the "Fringilla Vigo" iconFringilla Vigo, "Isengrim Faoiltiarna" iconIsengrim Faoiltiarna and "John Natalis" iconJohn Natalis cards, none of which are usable until the end of the quest. Near the end of the quest you’ll find yourself presented with a choice of reward, and you can either keep the cards or take money, instead. Take the cards or they’ll be lost to you forever, and once you accept them you’ll be able to use them in your Gwent decks.

A Matter of Life and Death

A Matter of Life and Death is another non-Gwent quest that rewards you with Gwent cards, and it’ll begin after you complete Count Reuven’s Treasure. During this quest you’ll have an attend a masquerade with Triss, and once you arrive at the Masquerade grounds you’ll get the objective Meet Ingrid Vegelbud.. Deal with a drunk and a rude mage and enter the masquerade grounds, after which turn south to find a Croupier. Talk to him and you’ll be entered into a Gwent tournament where you’ll have to play a gauntlet of opponents. There are no stakes, to play until you defeat them all to win the "Milva" iconMilva, "Vampire: Bruxa" iconVampire: Bruxa and "Dandelion" iconDandelion cards. If you do not win them before completing this quest, they’ll be lost forever.

(1 of 2) Talk to a Croupier during the masquerade at the Vegelbud Estate to join a Gwent tournament,

Talk to a Croupier during the masquerade at the Vegelbud Estate to join a Gwent tournament, (left), where you can win several unique cards, including the Dandelion card. (right)

Purchase Cards from Merchants

Winning cards from players in Novigrad might be somewhat difficult if you haven’t accumulated cards in Velen, first, but there’s one quick way to bolster your Gwent decks without having to win anything - buy new cards from merchants! Unlike in Velen, cards in Novigrad will almost exclusively be sold by innkeepers, and it should be noted that the merchants in Novigrad tend to stock cards for the Scoia’tael and Monster decks, although the Innkeep at the Cunny of the Goose and the Innkeeper at the Seven Cats Inn both sell a useful "Young Emissary" iconYoung Emissary card and Mariquise Serenity sells the excellent "Catapult" iconCatapult card. It’s generally more difficult to get a Scoia’tael or Monster deck up to snuff, as you have to buy and win an awful lot of cards to get them reasonably competitive, whereas the Northern Kingdoms deck is playable from White Orchard on and it and the Nilfgaardian Empire deck will both be significantly bolstered by playing Gwent in Velen.

(1 of 2) After completing “A Poet Under Pressure”, talk to Zoltan and he’ll ask you to help him recover three unique cards,

After completing “A Poet Under Pressure”, talk to Zoltan and he’ll ask you to help him recover three unique cards, (left), including the John Natalis card. (right)

List of Cards You Can Purchase in Novigrad

Not as many merchants sell Gwent cards in Novigrad as in Velen, but quite a few - mostly innkeepers - will still oblige you.

Cards Sold by the Card Merchant Near Carsten

When it comes to buying Gwent cards, an elven merchant northeast of Carsten (itself north of Oxenfurt) is worth special mention. This character will only appear if you have the Hearts of Stone DLC installed (included in the Complete Edition/Game of the Year Edition), and he’s fixated on Gwent, wanting to do little else besides play a game. He will begrudgingly sell you cards, however, and he stocks a wide assortment of them, as follows:

Faction Cards
Neutral "Commander's Horn" iconCommander’s Horn, "Gaunter O'Dimm: Darkness" iconGaunter O’Dimm: Darkness x2
Nilfgaardian Empire "Emhyr var Emreis" iconEmhyr var Emreis: Invader of the North, "Siege Technician" iconSiege Technician
Northern Kingdoms "Catapult" iconCatapult, Foltest: The Siegemaster
Scoia’tael "Barclay Els" iconBarclay Els, "Dol Blathanna Archer" iconDol Blathanna Archer, "Dol Blathanna Scout" iconDol Blathanna Scout, "Havekar Healer" iconHavekar Healer, "Havekar Smuggler" iconHavekar Smuggler, "Mahakaman Defender" iconMahakaman Defender x3, Vhrihedd Brigade Captain

It’s worth noting that very little of this merchant’s stock is unique. Most of the cards he sells can be won or purchased from other characters, and you’re also limited in the number of certain cards you can possess. The more Gwent you play and the more cards you buy, the fewer cards this merchant will have available. For example, if you buy the Catapult card from Marquiese Serenity, this merchant won’t sell one. If you win enough cards by playing random players, this merchant won’t sell them. This merchant just provides an alternative means for obtaining certain cards, if you’re willing to pay for them. If not, you can win pretty much every card he sells elsewhere, save for "Gaunter O'Dimm: Darkness" iconGaunter O’Dimm: Darkness, which doesn’t count towards the achievement Card Collector.

(1 of 3) If you have Hearts of Stone installed, there will be an elven merchant northeast of Carsten,

Win Cards From Undistinguished Gwent Players

Novigrad is decidedly a step up from Velen in terms of the quality of its players, and while the areas of Oxenfurt and Novigrad are quite small compared to Velen on the map, they’re a lot more densely populated. "Drowners" iconDrowners and decaying foliage - the mainstays in Velen’s swamps - aren’t keen on playing Gwent, and it should be no surprise that as the population concentrates, so too does the number of Gwent players… especially in a mercantile hub like Novigrad! There are nearly twice as many undistinguished Gwent players in Novigrad, but it should be noted that they’re usually more competent than the players in Velen.

Novigrad is a major trade hub, and many merchants will play Gwent.

List of Undistinguished Gwent Players in Novigrad

Player Location
Alchemist north of "Oxenfurt Gate" iconOxenfurt Gate Outside of Novigrad’s eastern walls you’ll find the "Oxenfurt Gate" iconOxenfurt Gate signpost. North of here is a cemetery, and inside the crematory you’ll find this Alchemist.
Armorer in Oxenfurt Look for this Gwent-playing Armorer in north-central Oxenfurt, just northeast of the inn managed by Stjepen.
Blacksmith in Oxenfurt Along the southeastern edge of Oxenfurt you’ll find this Blacksmith.
Blacksmith northwest of "Hierarch Square" iconHierarch Square In the northwestern edge of Novigrad, northwest of "Hierarch Square" iconHierarch Square, you’ll find a Blacksmith in his shop.
Blacksmith southwest of "Hierarch Square" iconHierarch Square In a market southwest of "Hierarch Square" iconHierarch Square, southeast of The Golden Sturgeon. There’s also a Merchant nearby who plays Gwent.
"Elihal" iconElihal An elven tailor running a shop along the southern end of the nonhuman district. You will encounter him during Broken Flowers but you can play Gwent with him earlier if you wish.
Eternal Fire Priest You’ll find him standing near the "Electors' Square" iconElectors’ Square signpost along the northern end of Novigrad, but only during the day. He’s marked as a
"Herbalist" iconHerbalist Along the northern end of Novigrad’s southernmost island you’ll find a halfling "Herbalist" iconHerbalist who plays Gwent.
"Herbalist" iconHerbalist northeast of Oxenfurt In a hut northeast of Oxenfurt you’ll find this halfling herbalist.
"Innkeep" iconInnkeep of the "Cunny of the Goose" iconCunny of the Goose "Innkeep" iconInnkeep of an inn south of Novigrad.
"Innkeep" iconInnkeep of the "Seven Cats Inn" iconSeven Cats Inn At the "Seven Cats Inn" iconSeven Cats Inn, located a short distance southeast of the nonhuman district.
"Innkeep" iconInnkeep of The Golden Sturgeon A tavern on the southwestern edge of Novigrad’s large, central island, west of "Hierarch Square" iconHierarch Square.
"Innkeep" iconInnkeep of The Kingfisher Not to be confused with Olivier, but rather the generic Innkeeper who takes his place following Now or Never, depending on your choices.
"Innkeep" iconInnkeep of The Nowhere Along the eastern edge of Novigrad you’ll find an inn called “The Nowhere”. It’s a nondescript building but you can find signs for it on the northern side of the building. This building is down some stairs in the lower part of town southeast of Passiflora.
Loan Shark northwest of the "Southern Gate" iconSouthern Gate From the northern edge of the Nonhuman District, cross the "Southern Gate" iconSouthern Gate bridge and follow the road west past an arch to find the Loan Shark’s shop.
Madame The proprietress of Crippled Kate’s brothel along the eastern edge of Novigrad’s crescent-shaped docks.
[arcus T.K. Hodgson The proprietor of a book store along the northern end of "Hierarch Square" iconHierarch Square, just across the street from The Kingfisher.
Merchant in Oxenfurt Found by his stall along the northern end of Oxenfurt, northeast of the "Oxenfurt Harbor" iconOxenfurt Harbor signpost. You’ll need to buy paint from this merchant during the quest The Volunteer.
Merchant in the Putrid Grove A Merchant can be found in his shop just past the gate leading to the Putrid Grove, an enclosed ring of buildings on the eastern half of Novigrad’s southernmost island. You must advance the quest Pyres of Novigrad to unlock this area.
Merchant northeast of "Carsten" iconCarsten Found at a caravan northeast of "Carsten" iconCarsten, this elven Merchant always forfeits the Schirru card when defeated. Must have the Hearts of Stone expansion installed before he’ll appear. This card does not count towards the Card Collector achievement.
Merchant northwest of "Hierarch Square" iconHierarch Square In the northwestern edge of Novigrad, northwest of "Hierarch Square" iconHierarch Square, you’ll find a Merchant in his shop.
Merchant northwest of The Golden Sturgeon In a depressed market area northwest of The Golden Sturgeon.
Merchant northwest of "Tretogor Gate" iconTretogor Gate Cross the bridge from "Tretogor Gate" iconTretogor Gate and find a merchant in a depressed area.
Merchant northwest of the "Southern Gate" iconSouthern Gate From the northern edge of the Nonhuman District, cross the "Southern Gate" iconSouthern Gate bridge and follow the road west past an arch to find this merchant on some high ground. He’s across the street from the Loan Shark, above.
Merchant southeast of "St. Gregory's Bridge" iconSt. Gregory’s Bridge A merchant in an upscale shop south of the Passiflora, southeast of the "St. Gregory's Bridge" iconSt. Gregory’s Bridge signpost, right next to the northernmost "Notice Board" iconNotice Board in Novigrad.
Merchant southwest of "Hierarch Square" iconHierarch Square In a market southwest of "Hierarch Square" iconHierarch Square, southeast of The Golden Sturgeon. There’s also a Blacksmith nearby who plays Gwent.
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Guide Information
  • Publisher
    CD Projekt
  • Platforms,
    PC, PS4, Switch, XB One
  • Genre
    RPG
  • Guide Release
    24 June 2015
  • Last Updated
    22 August 2024
    Version History
  • Guide Author
    Nathan Garvin (Haeravon)

Share this free guide:

You are Geralt of Rivia, a professional monster-hunter known as a Witcher. You’ve fully regained your memories since your miraculous revival and escape from the Wild Hunt, and have cleared your name of the false accusations of regicide. In the wake of the assassination of Foltest, king of Temeria, the north have been rent by warfare as Nilfgaard launches its third major invasion, and the northlands have been united under the insane king Radovid. Overshadowing these petty politics is the mysterious return of Ciri - Geralt’s adopted daughter, who is now being pursued by the Wild Hunt.

The guide offers the following:

  • A full walkthrough that’s more than just a listing of quests-it’s an “ideal chronological order” that will get you through the whole game and allow you to see and do everything the game has to offer.

  • Side quests, including monster contracts and treasure hunts for obtaining powerful Witcher sets.

  • Descriptions of decisions, quests, and events that influence the various endings of the game.

  • Crafting and Alchemy information.

  • General strategies on how to take down foes large and small, monstrous and humanoid, boss or mundane.

  • Information on how to complete all the Gwent quests and obtain all the Gwent cards, including detailed Gwent strategies.

  • Trophy/Achievement information.

MASSIVE UPDATE: 7th September 2016 ongoing

  • Added DLC quests “Fool’s Gold” and “Scavenger Hunt: Wolf School Gear”.
  • Organisational changes in the Velen section of the walkthrough to reflect the increased level of Griffin School Gear.
  • Organisational changes throughout the walkthrough to provide a “no skulls” path through the game.
  • Added Death March difficulty tips and commentary throughout the guide.
  • More XP reward numbers included.
  • Walkthrough now includes additional information based on patch changes.
  • Various typo and grammar fixes.
  • Added DLC pages for Blood & Wine, Heart of Stone
  • Lots more quality of life improvements

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