Gwent: The Witcher Card Game

So, I finally (and really) quit Final Fantasy XV: A New Empire (good riddance) and have been playing this (amazing) card game for a few weeks.

As you know, I am a bit of a (video) card game addict and have played (a long, long time ago) Yu-Gi-Oh The Eternal Duelist Soul as well as the series' Ultimate Masters World Champion Tournament 2006 (still have to beat that!); my all-time favourite the Marvel Trading Card Game; and Uncharted: Fight for Fortune (the only game I've ever plat-ed LOL). So when a card game based on The Witcher universe was released on Android, I was, like, Wow. 

The Witcher 3 - Wild Hunt, of course, has its own in-game card game called Gwent, which is fun but the one released for consoles (though PlayStation no longer carries it), mobile phones and now on Steam, definitely has more depth and, well, more challenging. 

The version (latest patch was released end of April) I am playing now is the result of several upgrades already (think the beta version came out some years ago) and some long-time players say it is for the better, others for the worse. Well, I can't really judge or compare but it did take me a week or two just to get the hang of the basics.

And you need to really understand not only your own deck but that of your opponent to win. So here are some basics about Gwent: the Witcher Card Game. There are six factions to choose from: Nilfgaard, Skellige, Scoia'tael, Northern Realms, Monsters and Syndicate. So far I have ONLY played Northern Realms simply because it has all my fav characters from the Witcher games :-) 

This faction is also, I think, less straightforward to play and it offers many deck variations that players can experiment with. I find Scoia'tael, for instance, quite straightforward and its "Harmony" deck is, apparently, the best (Meta) desk out there now. 

While playing against the AI is available (which was improved significantly in the April patch), you really wanna play with a human opponent as you basically wanna climb the rank ladder to be a "Pro". Well, I ain't that ambitious but I guess it is more fun playing against a real opponent. But that also puts the pressure on as, well, humans are (in most cases) more fun players than AI ...You start at Rank 30 and you slowly work your way up to Rank 0. Though once you reached a rank you never get de-ranked but it can be quite frustrating to be stuck in the same rank for too long. I was, for instance, stuck in 20 for a long time cos (ironically) the patched version for Android just kept crashing *argh*

I started off with a boost NR deck and that worked quite nicely from Ranks 30 to around 24/23 ... then the opponents start to look more threatening and I had to start getting new cards (which the game mechanics helps you to do) that give me a better chance of winning.

Watching other (Pro) players play online (I've become a lot more active on Discord and Twitch as a result) is a MUST. Only then you learn what cards are good -- you don't necessarily have to have the same deck as them (well, you won't be able to do if you are still climbing the rank ladder unless you pay, I guess) and you will have your own play style but other players' strategies can be very good reference.  

   

I now have an "Inferno Deck" because, at one point, I was using the two Sabrina cards, which are for removal -- and I just loved the apocalyptic-style animation of Sabrina's Inferno ;-) Alas, these two cards are not as good as I'd hoped and by the time I reached Rank 20 I think I was being out-played by Many opponents. 

So now I've settled with a semi-swarm deck that still has a few removal cards such as Boiling Oil and Alzur's Thurder as well as Draug and Revenant (latter is great for spawning) and have been on a winning streak lately. But it is a difficult (and IMHO more fun) deck to play because there are many ways to deal with opponents who like stealing and locking cards (I'm looking at you, NG players!) or swarming and boosting with Harmony.

Now let's see if this deck will be able to carry me through to Rank 10 ... ...

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (Part 4)

The time has come when I have to finish the main game -- albeit with a little reluctance. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has been such a wild ride I will miss the excellent storytelling not only of the core story but also its two expansion, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine.  

Awesome trailer 

I actually wasn't that keen on playing HoS in the beginning -- I thought it was just more running around doing repetitive side quests -- but I was wrong. From the word go this expansion is action packed and full of challenges (argh, the Toad Prince and the Ofieri mage)... and as the story unravels, the main characters -- Shani, Olgierd and Iris -- are nicely fleshed out. I like this story so much my Geralt continues to wear/use all the exclusive gears from this expansion: the Venomous Viper Amour Set, the Ornate Robe & Boots and New Moon Trouser, and, of course the Iris steel sword. 

I've also started the second/last expansion Blood and Wine, which is VERY important in that it unlocks the new mutation skill tree (Euphoria!!) and the exclusive Grandmaster Manticore Armour Set.

Which also means that I should have no problem killing the Wild Hunt now. My setup is only slightly OP -- like, I have not even used enchantment or high-level rune stones to boost my armour and sword stats -- but my "Alchemy" build does mean my Geralt has incredible combat and defence buffs: he heals as he attacks, and damages he dishes out are massive when his toxicity level reaches sky high.

So, onward with the game and I hope I get the "happy" ending in which Ciri becomes a Witcher. She would make a good empress I guess but his dad (Emperor Emhyr) is such a nasty piece of work I rather not leave her in his hands ... EWW...

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (Part 3)

Have decided to take a diversion to start on the Hearts of Stone expansion -- since I have reached the recommended level of 30 -- and WOW level of difficulty has REALLY SPIKED !! The first boss (yes, Toad Prince) was close to impossible to kill as my sword, even with the correct oil, was hardly making a dent (had to look up YouTube ... and was lucky to have enough ability points to up one of my Sign skills) and second boss, some mage, could OHKO Geralt ... truly WTF but I LOVE IT! 

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (Part 2)

WOW! First of all, dunno why it's taken me this long to write (more) about this game (just realised my last entry was 2019!) 

SO, I took a couple of weeks off work recently and really stuck my teeth into The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and this game is completely mind-blowing. I am a latecomer to the title (think it was released back in 2015) but better late than never! Also, it's kinda NEW on the Switch! 

It took a bit of time -- maybe the first 4-5 hours -- for me to get the hang of all the controls (yah, I've always been a bit slow in the department) but once I mastered things like dodging and blocking and how to skill up (which is actually quite complex), then it was, like, Let's Do It!

So the game is, like most RPGs, split into two parts: there is the main story, and there are the side quests. The first 20-30 hours or so it was fun doing EVERY SINGLE side quest -- exploring all the "?" and "!" on the huge map -- and it was great getting some practice on the gameplay mechanics. And Geralt being a detective-like Witcher, it was fun doing all that CSI stuff in solving different murder mysteries etc.

But after awhile it got a bit repetitive -- like, always using his "Witcher sense" to find things -- and it transpired then that the ENTIRE game is about looking for things. The crashes also started to set in so close to my 100th hour I decided to just do the minimum and stick to the main plots.

Of which -- thank God -- there are only a few and they determine how your game will end: badly, happily, or majestically -- apparently. NOT that many people are reading this blog but ***SPOILER ALERT*** ahead ...

So, the main, main story is Geralt'a quest in, yes, FINDING his ward Ciri (who is his "child of surprise" ... go watch Netflix's The Witcher if you don't know what that is) and to save her from the Wild Hunt (the game's ultra baddies). Then there is the sub plot of whether the expanding Nilfgaard empire (of which Ciri is the would-be-heiress) will succeed in swallowing up the powerful kingdom of Redania. There is also this minor but steamy plot on who Geralt will end up with, Yennefer or Triss, both his love interests and very powerful sorceresses. 

I'm now close to endgame -- am opting for the happy ending -- but because the Switch version of the game also comes with two expansions I have just started playing those too.

Which is pretty good timing because I have just unlocked the entire skill tree for Geralt. And here is the thing. Now that I'm near the end of the main game, I finally realise that this Skill Tree is probably the most important mechanics that determines how good your Geralt is. Definitely, IMHO, more important than the level/ gear set + weapons.

For instance, you can take on monsters/bandits/ guards that are of higher levels with basic gear and weapons... It was more than half way through the game when you gain access to Geralt's canonical Wolven set, but by which point it is already out-levelled -- yet it doesn't really matter.

The Wolven armour set

What does matter (to me, anyway) is it is its looks. And here lies the only problem I have with this game: why are the armours so ugly? Like, before I unlocked the Wolven set I was wearing the low level Nilfgaardian set for the longest time (it was a DLC item) cos it looks half decent. Then I got the relic version of the Redanian halberdier armour, which I think is one of the best mid-game armours that I still wear to battles.

And finally, the skill tree. At level 30, all the skill slots are unlocked and I've just re-spec my skills so my build focuses more on "alchemy", i.e. on buffing. So forget about sword and magic skills (which I still have) but I am working on how to keep my Health bar full all the time by using potions, decoctions and oils. I'm still fumbling my way through trial & error but I think THIS is what gives this game's combat system depth, and what makes playing it fun. 

Perhaps I can finally give up playing (the stupid) Final Fantasy XV: A New Empire (???) 

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Blink and it's almost the end of another year. And, believe it or not, I have gone back to playing Final Fantasy XV: A New Empire *argh* I have no idea WHY -- maybe because I like the FFXV lore? -- but despite being terribly cheated/conned/swindled by the greedy developer who reset the game in April, and therefore wiped clean what I'd spent on the game, I'm drawn back to it ... cos it now has a better gameplay/mechanics. Though still after players $$$ at least it is now possible to progress in the game without having to fork out $$$ just to catch up. The dev seems to have found a balance between satisfying their main clients (or whales, who can drop US$1,000 without thinking) and free2play (like me). Since I started playing the game again I did spent several hundred dollars but that I am okay about ... they just better not reset everything again next year. 

How are they going to take the game forward is everyone's guess since they seem to have exhausted every character in the original game -- the latest hero is a dog! But since I'm now in a new guild (the old one had v sadly dissolved) and there are several whales around (they pay so I don't have to) I'm quite happy to stick around for a bit longer. Besides, I seem to have pretty much caught up with the mid-tier players anyway so I can lower the protective shield without the fear of being OHKOed... 

Meanwhile, have bought a couple of new games for my Switch: Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 and The Witcher 3... I wish I'd known about the latter being ported to the Switch so I'd have waited on getting the former. Neither game is easy to get into first but am playing the Witcher game now, which looks really interesting -- though will need a guide cos right now am not sure what I should be doing (as I like to do lots of sidequests -- hence I am still in chapter 2 in Final Fantasy XV !!)

Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age (Endgame)

After having beaten Hell Wyrm I'd decided to leave the final two bonuses Omega and Yiazmat for now -- they are not unbeatable but just take a darn long time (endless rounds of buffing and debuffing) to kill ><! Besides, there are no more ultimate gear/ accessories to be had at this point.

So I finished the main game -- which has a FAB ending (Balthier!!!) -- and started New Game+ to do a full Trial Mode run. I had to speed play *arghhh* a good chunk of the game again (including several awful/ lame side quests) to have the full team of six unlocked.

To make this run more, err, challenging -- I practically OHKO my way through story mode given my invisible weapons and accessories all carried over -- I will only use three jobs.  

Vaan -- Shikari

Balthier -- Machinist

Fran -- Red Battlemage

Basch -- Bushi

Ashe -- Knight

Penelo -- White Mage

Shikari because I want Vaan to wield a Ninja sword (Yagyu Darkblade) and administer Remedy 3 (with  Nihopalaoa *evil*); Bushi for the Masamune Genji Gloves combo for Basch; and a healer.  

There are 100 stages in Trial Mode and I've reached level 36. So far everything is manageable (though Vaan still got OHKOed with Gendarme shield and Ribbon on!) but it is not as much fun as I'd wished. 

Vaan and Basch are great for dealing damages (with Vaan doubling up as thief and Basch able to cast Shades of Black). The problem is with the third job. 

White Mage is needed for Dispel and Esuna ... but that's pretty much it since there is no need for constant healing. So either swap Fran in  or make Penelo a Red Battlemage instead (and Fran an Archer). At least then I have a team member that can cast spells as well as buff/ debuff.

Another problem is none of these three jobs can cast the four Breaks, which I think is important. And there is NO way to accommodate that without opening a second licence board, and maybe give Foebreaker to Penelo/ Fran. 

Something to think about. Just as well I teleported back to Rabanastre so I can go to Montblanc to have licence boards changed ...

     

Final Fantasy XII - The Zodiac Age (Part 3)

Shame I cannot transfer a saved video from my Switch to PC cos I have a cool clip of my kickass team beating a boss LOL

(I quite like this long scene... as credit)

Well, I am now reaching the end of the game, with just a few more side quests and non-story bosses to beat. Like many other RPG games, the beginning is always the hardest. By mid-game I had so many good weapons even non-story bosses became a bit of a walk in the park. Now I have just got a couple of awesome spells like Ardor and Flare I can finally attempt the more challenging dungeons.

It's also time to re-group my teams ...

Vaan, Balthier and Fran definitely cannot be all on the same team cos that would mean the other team would have no one to administer Remedy3. That pretty much means Fran and Balthier will always be together (thematically also makes sense since they ARE a couple); and Vaan and Penelo also need to pair up (bro and sis). 

I incline to group Princess Ashe with Balthier and Fran cos 1) they are the game's protagonists IMHO and 2) she can cast Bravery and Faith on them; which means I have to give Basch the same if I team him up with Vaan and Penelo (Hashmal). I will give Penelo Dispelga and Arise (Famfrit). So...

Vaan -- Black magic + Yagyu Darkblade & shield for physical attack + Remedy 3 + Steal

Penelo -- physical attack + Bubble (+ Shellga/ Protectga) + Dispelga + Arise

Basch -- physical attack + healing + Bravery/ Faith

Balthier -- physical attack + Remedy 3 + Steal

Fran -- Black magic + physical attack + healing + Arcane magic + Remedy 3

Ashe -- Bravery/ Faith + Bubble + healing + Shellga/ Protectga + Dispelga