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 card is worth going out of your way to get. Next you’ll need to defeat the Innkeep at the Inn 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¶
| Player | Card Won |
|---|---|
| Stjepen | Yennefer of Vengerberg |
| Inn at the Crossroads Innkeep | Menno Coehoorn |
| Olivier | Tibor Eggebracht |
(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, Marquise Serenity, Sigismund 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, 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 | Vesemir |
| Marquise Serenity | Morvran Voorhis |
| Sigismund Dijkstra | Esterad 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)
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 card and Mariquise Serenity sells the excellent Catapult 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.
List of Cards You Can Purchase in Novigrad¶
| Merchant | Cards |
|---|---|
| Innkeep at the Cunny of the Goose | Francesca Findabair: Daisy of the Valley, Havekar Healer, Impera Brigade Guard, Scorch, Young Emissary |
| Innkeep at the Golden Sturgeon | Barclay Els, Dol Blathanna Scout, Mahakaman Defender, Siege Technician |
| Innkeeper at the Seven Cats Inn | Decoy, Havekar Smuggler, Impera Brigade Guard, Mahakaman Defender, Young Emissary |
| Mariquise Serenity | Catapult, Commander’s Horn, Dol Blathanna Archer, Mahakaman Defender |
| Olivier | Havekar Healer, Havekar Smuggler, Mahakaman Defender, Vrihedd Brigade Veteran |
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, Gaunter O’Dimm: Darkness x2 |
| Nilfgaardian Empire | Emhyr var Emreis: Invader of the North, Siege Technician |
| Northern Kingdoms | Catapult, Foltest: The Siegemaster |
| Scoia’tael | Barclay Els, Dol Blathanna Archer, Dol Blathanna Scout, Havekar Healer, Havekar Smuggler, Mahakaman 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, 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 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 | Outside of Novigrad’s eastern walls you’ll find the Oxenfurt 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 | In the northwestern edge of Novigrad, northwest of Hierarch Square, you’ll find a Blacksmith in his shop. |
| Blacksmith southwest of Hierarch Square | In a market southwest of Hierarch Square, southeast of The Golden Sturgeon. There’s also a Merchant nearby who plays Gwent. |
| Elihal | 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 signpost along the northern end of Novigrad, but only during the day. He’s marked as a |
| Herbalist | Along the northern end of Novigrad’s southernmost island you’ll find a halfling Herbalist who plays Gwent. |
| Herbalist northeast of Oxenfurt | In a hut northeast of Oxenfurt you’ll find this halfling herbalist. |
| Innkeep of the Cunny of the Goose | Innkeep of an inn south of Novigrad. |
| Innkeep of the Seven Cats Inn | At the Seven Cats Inn, located a short distance southeast of the nonhuman district. |
| Innkeep of The Golden Sturgeon | A tavern on the southwestern edge of Novigrad’s large, central island, west of Hierarch Square. |
| Innkeeper 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 | From the northern edge of the Nonhuman District, cross the Southern 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. |
| Marcus T.K. Hodgson | The proprietor of a book store along the northern end of Hierarch 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 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 | Found at a caravan northeast of Carsten, 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 | In the northwestern edge of Novigrad, northwest of Hierarch 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 | Cross the bridge from Tretogor Gate and find a merchant in a depressed area. |
| Merchant northwest of the Southern Gate | From the northern edge of the Nonhuman District, cross the Southern 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 | A merchant in an upscale shop south of the Passiflora, southeast of the St. Gregory’s Bridge signpost, right next to the northernmost Notice Board in Novigrad. |
| Merchant southwest of Hierarch Square | In a market southwest of Hierarch Square, southeast of The Golden Sturgeon. There’s also a Blacksmith nearby who plays Gwent. |
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