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March 28, 2024, 11:37:35 AM

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Gwent beta - Witcher card-game spin-off

Started by Barry Admin, February 24, 2017, 12:57:18 PM

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Barry Admin

Anyone else in the beta for this? I love these strategy card games so am having fun with this. Impressed to see that it allows cross-platform play of some description, too.

Barry Admin

Turns out this Is going to be free-to-play, supported by micro transactions. I loved Gwent in Witcher 3, and they've made some nice changes to it here. Definitely worth checking out the beta if you get an invite and love a bit of the old strategy.

brat-sampson

I played this for a bit and got my ass spanked. I'll definitely return on the full release (there's going to be a full campaign as well as all the main course multiplayer stuff). I mean, it's a CDPR game so at this point I'm in regardless, I just hope I can actually reach a point where I can beat real people ;) Also I'm against buying card packs because I'm a stingy bugger so ideally there'll be plenty of ways to keep a trickle coming through for free.

Barry Admin

I've been doing really well so far, although I'm not upto "ranked mode" version yet. Even got a couple of forfeits, but have also ended up getting my shit pushed in during a few rounds.

It's one of those games where you can earn stuff slowly instead of taking the micro transactions route, so don't worry about that. You can "mill" cards you don't want then craft them, and "buy" new card packs with the ingame currency.

Mister Six

I've mostly been playing The Witcher 3 as a card game simulator so I'm well up for this. How much is it?

Barry Admin

Free to play, launched "whenever it's ready", which I assume to be soon, as they seem to have been in beta on PC for ages. And now Xbox beta has launched, with cross-platform play, which is sweet.

Mister Six

Balls, I'll have to wait for the PS4 beta then.

brat-sampson

Beta's now open to all. A Huge amount has changed from the in-game Witcher 3 version, hell, even from how the closed Beta was when I had a brief go originally months ago. Now it's a dense, deep tactical CCG monster all of its own.

Viero_Berlotti

Will have to have a look at this. However I'm currently in the midst of a chronic Hearthstone addiction so not sure if there is time for this in my life at the moment.

mobias

I've still never played gwent. Funnily enough though I'm just starting another playthrough of the main story of Witcher 3 and I was in White Orchard and got offered a game of gwent. I've still never got into it. Is it really worth trying to get into?

Barry Admin

If you like strategy, yeah, definitely! The original version is very easily picked up, too. I love strategic card games - they take a bit of forethought and planning, and a bit of luck. You can play mind games on human opponents too, try and bluff them, try and bait out their strongest cards, then push their shit in.

Give it a go sure, one or two games and you'll get it.

brat-sampson

Witcher 3 Gwent goes through deliberate phases as you acquire more powerful cards. Basically at the start most players will destroy you and there's nothing you can do. So you go around playing village idiots and acquiring better and better cards from them until you can actually sort yourself a serviceable deck and have a fun strategic game against the tougher folks. Towards the end you're totally overpowered and can basically destroy entire tournaments. Then there's the DLC and they introduce a whole new deck and strategy and make you play around that, which was bloody clever. Overall though it was one of the best mini-games I've ever played and really really good fun once you actually get on the ladder.

The standalone is obviously vastly more intricate and complex but in comparison with its obvious forebear Hearthstone seems to rely more on actual strategic play and less on card-draw and RNG. Sure, there's some, but you get plenty of chances to Mulligan, and the way you can play any card in your hand at any time, and have to use only that initial hand plus a couple of later introductions and whatever else you can lay your hands on to last across potentially all 3 rounds is where it really shows its differences.

Barry Admin

Been getting back into this of late, now it's in open beta and the reset has taken place. Still absolutely adore it! Bought another few card packs too, to thank them for the enjoyable time spent thus far. Am skewing towards Monsters at the minute, as it seems pretty powerful out of the gates - I build it around frost, basically.

Really like all the changes to the meta and UI that have taken place, although I do find that it's basically always a great idea now to just go hard to take the first round. Whereas previously - and in W3 - I would be more inclined to bait out all my opponents best cards, then give him the round, and smash him over the next two. Anyway, rank 6 now, can't wait to start playing ranked games.

I also finally picked up the Witcher 3 DLC in the sale, and have embarked on another complete playthrough! I almost never - ever - replay long narrative-based games more than once, but Witcher 3 is special and deserves it.

Replaying Witcher 2 due to lovely old backwards compatibility, as well - god I love that fucking feature; they actually made Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition backwards compatible tonight, which I was sure would never have happened. I almost squealed out loud. Anyway, I never got to finish my first playthrough of Witcher 2 due to a bum second-hand disc 2, so am really enjoying it. In fact I'm enjoying it even more this time around as I know all the lore now - from W3 and then reading some of the books.

I just absolutely love the whole Witcher world, and everything that CD Projekt Red has done to bring it alive over the years. God tier shit.

Barry Admin

Don't really know what to think now. I think I'm hurting a bit from being brought down a peg or two.

I played Witcher 3 on Death March, and I dunno if this affects Gwent levels, but I absolutely dominated throughout, regardless. Maybe I'm not bad at this wee game?

In closed beta, I was doing well, but never finished the grind to get to ranked because I was busy with so many other games at that time, I guess.

So I've been grinding away this time and the first 10 levels flew by relatively quickly, as I was quite absorbed by it. For my level 9 matches, I started getting put up against ranked players who were up to 7 levels above me! Eek! I mostly held my own, though, and beat a lot of those fucks, which was very gratifying. I must be quite good, then!

Started on ranked games and... well, I've won some, but I've got a lot to learn; that's fine, I love to learn.

The problem I'm really having is the meta, and the very concept of a meta.

I had a look on the sub reddit the other night for interesting discussions, and I quickly picked up what the current meta is. And of course, these are the decks I'm coming up against more and more frequently now.

What I really loved about the game was figuring it all out as I go, and feeling that it allowed me to be creative. Now I don't really feel that's much of an option. There's always going to be a meta, and people who look to build the strongest deck by researching online etc. So you're left with the option of playing the meta (which is boring and predictable to me), or building against the meta (also quite boring.)

Or I can continue the way I am now, and try to enjoy it, and see how things change. While getting my shit pushed in.

I don't really like losing so much though, especially when it's to these cut and pasted meta decks.

Barry Admin

Don't get me wrong, it's still a fucking brilliant game. I've fucked off sitting in the sunshine today to batter away at it - finishing off the challenges and such. I think I'll start playing with other factions decks now, to freshen things up a bit for me. See what other strategies and synergies I can come up with.

brat-sampson

Yeah, this idea of there only being one or two objectively 'best' ways to play has always put me off getting too into this kind of game. I'd assume CDPR will be pretty adept at countering anything that gets too entrenched with appropriate buffs/nerfs but obviously that'll take a while and only shake things up for so long. Otherwise though it's clearly bloody excellent. The job they've done of taking the W3 version and adapting it as well as building on it to make it suitable for actual competitive play is incredible.

Bhazor

Never really warmed to the game in Witcher 3. Some hopelessly OP cards and only a handful of effective "builds". I did love the collectable aspect though. Tracking down every Gwent player and winning their cards of them was my favourite side quest in the game. I'm afraid the Gwent game as a standalone holds no interest for me.

Still better than Hearthstone at least. That playerbase is fucking cancer.

Barry Admin

Bump. There's some special event on at the minute, just about to check it out. Haven't played since July as I hated the meta, but I figure it's all changed again now. Got my season rewards there, not bad, got some free card packs to open. Can see me getting right into this again, as at its best it IS absolutely superb and wildly gratifying when you have a good game.

Barry Admin

Bump. By complete and total fluke, I found out today is legendary day. A guaranteed legendary in every barrel!

But I haven't played it in, uh, a year. So the meta has certainly changed, and there's all these new cards I know nothing about. Great! I tried a friendly game there and took the second round, but got hammered all in all. Very tempted to get back into it though, as figuring out all the new strategies is very alluring.

Seems like it'll be quite an uphill struggle too. I don't think I'll be earning many legendaries today!