Gwent is one of the biggest side activities in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, but collecting every card can be surprisingly complicated.
Cards are spread across White Orchard, Velen, Novigrad, Oxenfurt, Skellige, Kaer Morhen, and, with the expansions, Toussaint and the Hearts of Stone areas.
Some cards can be purchased from merchants, while others are rewards for defeating specific Gwent players.
There are also several cards tied to quests that can be missed if you progress too far without collecting them.
This guide covers all the important Gwent card locations in The Witcher 3, including the base game, Hearts of Stone, and Blood and Wine.
How Gwent Card Collection Works
There are several ways to obtain cards in The Witcher 3.
The first is buying them from innkeepers, merchants, and other vendors. The second is defeating Gwent players, with many named opponents giving a specific card when defeated.
Other cards are obtained through Gwent-related quests, while some are awarded during normal quests that have an optional Gwent match.
Finally, a large number of cards are obtained randomly when you defeat unnamed Gwent players.
This distinction is important because you do not need to defeat every single merchant in the game to obtain every card.
Random Gwent rewards are drawn from a pool of cards you have not yet obtained, meaning you can usually make up for missing random-player matches by defeating other eligible opponents.
The best strategy is therefore to buy every card you see from a merchant and play every named Gwent opponent whenever possible.
White Orchard Gwent Card Locations
White Orchard is where Geralt receives his first Gwent cards and learns the basics of the game.
The White Orchard tavern is the first important location. The innkeeper sells several cards, while the merchant Bram becomes another source of the same collection after he is rescued from the griffin’s attack.
You should also play the Scholar at the White Orchard tavern during the early Gwent tutorial. Winning this game gives you the Zoltan Chivay card.
The Nobleman at the Royal Palace in Vizima is another early opponent worth visiting. Defeating him rewards the Foltest: The Siegemaster leader card.
White Orchard and Vizima therefore provide several early cards that help build your first competitive deck.
Velen Gwent Card Locations
Velen contains a large portion of the base game’s Gwent collection. The region has several merchants selling cards as well as named opponents who reward specific cards.
Inn at the Crossroads
The innkeeper at the Inn at the Crossroads sells several Gwent cards. This is also one of the opponents connected to the Gwent: Playing Innkeeps quest.
Defeat the innkeeper to obtain the Tibor Eggebracht card.
Crow’s Perch
Crow’s Perch is one of the most important Gwent locations in Velen.
The Bloody Baron, Phillip Strenger, can be challenged to Gwent in his office. Defeating him rewards the Sigismund Dijkstra card.
If the Baron becomes unavailable because you progress through his storyline without playing him, later patches provide a fallback: his card can be found in his office.
Crow’s Perch also contains several merchants and craftsmen who can sell or award random Gwent cards.
Midcopse
Midcopse contains several merchants and Gwent players.
The merchant sells cards, while Haddy is one of the important named Gwent players connected to Gwent: Velen Players.
Defeating Haddy rewards the Vernon Roche card.
Oreton
The boatwright in Oreton is an opponent in Gwent: Velen Players. Defeat him to obtain the Letho of Gulet card.
Benek
The Old Sage in Benek is another opponent from Gwent: Velen Players. You can get Crone: Weavess card from him.
Claywich
The merchant at Claywich must first be rescued from bandits before he becomes available as a card vendor.
Once rescued, return to Claywich and purchase his Gwent cards.
This is an easy vendor to overlook, so make sure you complete the rescue before attempting to finish the entire collection.
Lindenvale
The merchant and blacksmith in Lindenvale can provide additional Gwent cards.
Blackbough
Blackbough contains merchants and craftsmen who can sell or award cards.
Other Velen Card Vendors
Additional cards can be purchased from the Quartermaster at Crow’s Perch, the trader at Crow’s Perch, and the merchant at Midcopse.
The Velen collection includes cards that can only be obtained through these regional vendors, so it’s important to check every merchant who has a Gwent option.
The Velen card pool and its merchants are documented across the region’s Gwent collection guides.
Gwent: Velen Players
The Gwent: Velen Players quest is one of the most important collection quests in the game.
The quest involves four major opponents.
Bloody Baron – Crow’s Perch: Rewards Sigismund Dijkstra.
Boatwright – Oreton: Rewards Letho of Gulet.
Old Sage – Benek: Rewards Crone: Weavess.
Haddy – Midcopse: Rewards Vernon Roche.
Completing the group also provides the Eredin: Destroyer of Worlds leader card.
Novigrad and Oxenfurt Gwent Card Locations
Novigrad contains some of the most important Gwent cards in the entire game.
The Alchemy Inn, Oxenfurt
The innkeeper Stjepan is part of Gwent: Playing Innkeeps. Defeat him to obtain the Yennefer of Vengerberg card.
The innkeeper also sells additional cards.
The Kingfisher
Olivier, the innkeeper at the Kingfisher, is another opponent in Gwent: Playing Innkeeps. Defeat him to receive the Menno Coehoorn card.
If Olivier dies during Now or Never, his Gwent card can still be recovered from the Kingfisher, so the card is not necessarily lost forever.
Golden Sturgeon
The Golden Sturgeon is an important Novigrad Gwent location and is connected to several card-related quests.
It also contains merchants and Gwent players who can contribute random cards to your collection.
Passiflora
Passiflora is the location of the major High Stakes Gwent tournament. This tournament is important because it contains four unique leader cards.
Seven Cats Inn
The Seven Cats Inn is another important card location. Its innkeeper sells cards, while Thaler can also be encountered here depending on your quest progression.
Cunny of the Goose
The innkeeper at Cunny of the Goose sells additional cards, including cards needed for completing the collection.
Kingfisher and Other Novigrad Vendors
Olivier, merchants around the city, the Scoia’tael merchant, and other innkeepers provide additional cards.
Because merchant inventories are spread throughout Novigrad and Oxenfurt, check every innkeeper and trader you encounter.
Gwent: Big City Players
The Gwent: Big City Players quest contains four important card rewards.
Defeat Vimme Vivaldi at the Vivaldi Bank to receive Vesemir.
Defeat Marquise Serenity at the Passiflora to receive Morvran Voorhis.
Defeat Sigismund Dijkstra to receive Esterad Thyssen.
Finally, defeat the Scoia’tael Merchant to obtain Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, commonly known as Ciri.
These four cards are among the most useful additions to the base-game collection.
Gwent: Old Pals
The Gwent: Old Pals quest takes Geralt around the world to challenge several familiar characters.
Zoltan Chivay
Play Zoltan at Rosemary and Thyme in Novigrad. Defeating him rewards the Eithné card.
Vernon Roche
Roche can be challenged at the Temerian Partisan Hideout. Defeating him rewards Saesenthessis.
Lambert
Lambert can be challenged during Following the Thread, at the Nowhere Inn or later at Kaer Morhen depending on your progression. Defeating Lambert rewards Triss Merigold.
Thaler
Thaler can be challenged at the Seven Cats Inn if the quest progression places him there. Defeating him rewards the Geralt of Rivia card.
If you miss the opportunity to play some of these characters while they are alive and available, later versions of the game provide fallback locations for several of their cards. However, playing them directly is the safest approach.
A Dangerous Game
A Dangerous Game is one of the most important card-related quests in Novigrad. The quest begins with Zoltan Chivay after A Poet Under Pressure.
During the quest, Geralt obtains three valuable cards.
Isengrim Faoiltiarna is found during the investigation of Zed’s house.
John Natalis is obtained from Ravik.
Fringilla Vigo is found inside Caesar Bilzen’s house.
At the end of the quest, Zoltan gives Geralt a choice between money and the cards. Choose the cards.
If you take the money instead, you will not receive these three cards through the normal quest reward.
A Matter of Life and Death
One of the easiest Gwent card opportunities to miss comes during A Matter of Life and Death.
When Geralt attends the masquerade at the Vegelbud estate with Triss, you can participate in an optional Gwent tournament.
You need to find the Gwent table during the party and defeat the three opponents.
The tournament rewards three cards: Milva, Vampire: Bruxa and Dandelion
These cards are important because the tournament disappears once you progress beyond the relevant part of the quest.
If you are trying to complete the entire collection, make sure you play the tournament before leaving the masquerade.
High Stakes Gwent Tournament
The High Stakes quest takes place at the Passiflora and is one of the biggest Gwent challenges in the base game.
You need to pay the tournament entry fee and defeat a series of opponents.
You get these cards as rewards:
- Bernard Tulle – Foltest: The Steel-Forged
- Sasha – Emhyr var Emreis: The Relentless
- Finneas – Francesca Findabair: Queen of Dol Blathanna
- Count Tybalt – Eredin: Bringer of Death
You must win the tournament matches to obtain all four cards. Losing a tournament match can permanently lock you out of the corresponding card on that playthrough.
Make a manual save before entering the tournament and save whenever the game allows it.
Skellige Gwent Card Locations
Skellige contains another major group of cards.
Important card vendors include the innkeepers at Arinbjorn, Harviken, Svorlag and Urialla Harbor, along with Jonas, the innkeeper at Kaer Trolde.
You should also check the blacksmiths, armorers and merchants in the island settlements.
Some of the cards available through Skellige vendors include Arachas, Botchling, Earth Elemental, Foglet, Werewolf, and other faction cards.
Skellige also has its own dedicated Gwent quest.
Gwent: Skellige Style
The Gwent: Skellige Style quest sends Geralt against several of the best Gwent players in the islands.
- Ermion – Gedyneith
- Crach an Craite – Kaer Trolde
- Gremist – Gedyneith
- Sjusta – Kaer Trolde Harbor
- Madman Lugos- Kaer Muire
Completing the quest also rewards the Emhyr var Emreis: The White Flame leader card.
Madman Lugos is worth special attention because his availability can depend on your quest progression. If you can no longer play him, his unique card can be recovered from his quarters.
Following the Thread
During Following the Thread, Geralt can challenge Lambert to Gwent.
The easiest opportunity is after the main events of the quest, when Lambert is at the Nowhere Inn.
Defeating Lambert gives you the Triss Merigold card if you have not already obtained it through Gwent: Old Pals.
Shock Therapy
The Shock Therapy side quest takes place at Gedyneith in Skellige.
Help the druids deal with Egill’s vow of silence by repeatedly annoying him with Aard and environmental interactions.
After completing the quest, return to the quest giver to receive the Iorveth Gwent card.
This is the only normal source for Iorveth, making Shock Therapy an important stop for collectors.
Random Gwent Card Locations
Not every card has a fixed opponent.
Many cards in The Witcher 3 are obtained as random rewards when you defeat unnamed Gwent players.
These include various merchants, craftsmen, blacksmiths, armorers, and other NPCs across the game’s regions.
The important thing to understand is that these rewards are drawn from the game’s remaining random-card pool.
Because of this, you should not panic if a particular random card does not drop from the first merchant you defeat.
Instead, keep playing eligible opponents until you have completed the collection.
This is also why it is useful to challenge merchants whenever you see the option to play Gwent.
Kaer Morhen Gwent Cards
Kaer Morhen has fewer dedicated Gwent opportunities than Novigrad or Skellige, but it becomes important later in the story.
Lambert can be challenged at Kaer Morhen if you missed the earlier opportunity.
Several fallback card locations also become available depending on which characters survive the story.
For a first playthrough, the best approach is to complete Gwent: Old Pals before the late-game story reaches its final stages.
Hearts of Stone Gwent Cards
Hearts of Stone adds 12 additional Gwent cards to the game.
These cards are separate from the 199-card base-game collection.
Upper Mill Merchant
The merchant at the Upper Mill sells three copies of Gaunter O’Dimm: Darkness.
Merchant Near Carsten
The merchant near Carsten sells four additional Hearts of Stone cards, including the Schirrú card and additional faction/leader cards.
Dead Man’s Party
During Dead Man’s Party, visit the wedding location and search the upper level of the barn to find the Cow card.
You can also challenge Olgierd von Everec to Gwent during the quest. Defeating him rewards the Toad card.
Open Sesame!
During Open Sesame!, challenge Robert Hilbert to Gwent before the auction progresses.
Defeating him gives you the Gaunter O’Dimm card.
This card is important because missing the Gwent match can permanently lock you out of obtaining it through the normal route.
Whatsoever a Man Soweth…
During Whatsoever a Man Soweth…, play Gwent against Shani at her clinic. Defeating her rewards the Olgierd von Everec card.
The Hearts of Stone expansion also introduces new leader cards for the major factions, including Foltest: Son of Medell, Emhyr var Emreis: Invader of the North, Francesca Findabair: Hope of the Aen Seidhe, and Eredin: The Treacherous.
Blood and Wine Gwent Cards
Blood and Wine adds an entirely new Gwent faction: Skellige.
The expansion adds 43 cards to the collection, including the starter deck and cards earned from opponents throughout Toussaint.
Gwent: Never Fear, Skellige’s Here
The first major step is to begin Gwent: Never Fear, Skellige’s Here. Speak to Count Monnier in Beauclair to receive the starter Skellige deck.
Afterward, the quest marks the locations of the remaining Skellige card players across Toussaint.
There are 19 additional cards that must be won from opponents.
Beauclair Card Locations
Several Skellige cards can be obtained around Beauclair.
- The Innkeeper gives Draig Bon-Dhu.
- The Merchant gives Light Longship.
- The Armorer gives Kambi.
- Another Merchant gives Clan Dimun Pirate.
- The Herbalist gives Mardroeme.
- The Sommelier gives Olaf.
- Pierre gives Young Berserker.
- The Ducal Camerlengo gives King Bran.
- The Madame gives another Mardroeme.
- The Butcher gives Skellige Storm.
Castel Ravello Vineyard
The Herbalist at Castel Ravello Vineyard gives the Clan Brokvar Archer card.
Flovive
The Innkeeper at Flovive gives the Cerys card. Cerys is one of the more valuable Skellige cards, so make sure you complete this match.
Francollarts
The Armorer at Francollarts gives a Clan Drummond Shield Maiden. The Innkeeper at Francollarts gives Ermion.
The Cockatrice Inn
The Innkeeper at the Cockatrice Inn provides another Clan Drummond Shield Maiden. This is also one of the earliest places where you can begin the Skellige Gwent questline.
Tourney Grounds
- The Blacksmith at the Tourney Grounds gives Young Berserker.
- The Armorer gives Skellige Storm.
- The Barber gives another Skellige Storm.
- The Innkeeper gives War Longship.
Once you combine these 19 cards with the starter cards received from Count Monnier, you can complete the Skellige deck.
Blood and Wine Gwent Tournament
After completing the Skellige collection, you can participate in the Gwent: To Everything – Turn, Turn, Tournament! quest.
This is the major Gwent tournament in Toussaint and serves as the final major Gwent challenge of the expansion.
Make sure your Skellige deck is fully developed before entering because the tournament features several strong opponents.
The Complete Gwent Card Count
For players using the Complete Edition, the overall collection breaks down as follows.
- Base Game: 199 cards.
- Hearts of Stone: 12 cards.
- Blood and Wine: 43 cards.
- Total: 254 cards.
The 43 Blood and Wine cards form the Skellige faction, while Hearts of Stone adds a mixture of leader, faction and neutral cards.
Most Important Missable Gwent Cards
If your goal is the Card Collector achievement/trophy, the cards with the strictest deadlines deserve special attention.
During A Matter of Life and Death, win the masquerade tournament for Milva, Vampire: Bruxa and Dandelion.
During A Dangerous Game, choose the cards rather than the money to obtain Isengrim Faoiltiarna, John Natalis and Fringilla Vigo.
During High Stakes, save before the tournament and win every match to obtain Foltest: The Steel-Forged, Emhyr var Emreis: The Relentless, Francesca Findabair: Queen of Dol Blathanna and Eredin: Bringer of Death.
You should also play characters such as Roche, Thaler, Lambert, Madman Lugos, and the Bloody Baron as soon as you have the opportunity.
Later patches added several fallback locations, but collecting cards directly from the intended opponents is still the safest method.
Best Way to Collect Every Gwent Card
The easiest approach is to treat Gwent as a continuous activity rather than something you finish at the end of the game.
Start in White Orchard and buy every card available. When you reach Velen, clear the merchants in Crow’s Perch, Midcopse, Lindenvale, Blackbough, Claywich, and the surrounding settlements.
Complete Gwent: Velen Players before progressing too far through the Bloody Baron storyline.
Once you reach Novigrad, complete Playing Innkeeps, Big City Players and Old Pals while also checking every innkeeper and merchant.
Pay particular attention to A Matter of Life and Death, A Dangerous Game and High Stakes, because these quests contain some of the most important missable cards.
After reaching Skellige, complete Gwent: Skellige Style and Shock Therapy, then visit the island’s major settlements and purchase every available card.
Finally, if you own Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, collect the expansion cards separately.
Hearts of Stone has several quest-specific opportunities, while Blood and Wine’s Skellige cards are concentrated around Toussaint and can be tracked through Never Fear, Skellige’s Here.
