Gwent Closed Beta Live Stream - What Did We Learn
The Gwent closed Beta pre-launch Twitch stream lasted two hours. In these two hours, presenters Kristine Steimer and Michał Dobrowolski showed us a lot of new additions from the upcoming closed Beta.
They played a few rounds of Gwent and showcased some of the interesting new features from the game. So, without further ado, let’s go over some of the stuff we saw in the live stream.
We also created two separate pages discussing two important game mechanics that were first shown during the livestream:
The gameplay has some useful new features. Hovering over the deck now shows you how many cards are left in your deck. You can also browse through your graveyard. Zooming into a card will tell you everything it does. If it musters or summons, it’ll show you exactly which cards it’ll bring to the board.
The most noticeable change is that each faction now has a distinct banner on the left. Gold cards have a fancier banner than the rest, with ornaments in the upper left corner. Some fans complained that this made the frame look overcrowded; however, it helps distinguish bronze from gold cards.
The second major redesign is that card features are no longer in the familiar diamonds. Instead, they are part of a card’s 3D feature, so they still stand out. Disloyal cards now have a red eye symbol, making them instantly recognizable.
The third and relatively smaller difference is that now cards have a small gem in the lower right corner. The gem tells you how rare the card is depending on the color.
This is what we’ve learned so far. All that remains now is to play the Beta and see what happens. Fingers crossed that we all get our keys. Here’s the VOD of the stream:
We also created two separate pages discussing two important game mechanics that were first shown during the livestream:
Gwent Beta General Information
- Beta keys will be sent out on October 25th, starting at 7 pm. They’ll be sending them out in waves, so if you don’t get it immediately, be patient.
- Everything will be wiped after the Beta is over or when the actual game drops.
- There will be no chat available in the Beta. You won’t be able to talk to other players in-game.
- The Beta will include a tutorial mode. If you’re a new player, be sure to check this section out before you start playing.
The Gwent Board Design and Gameplay Features
The Gwent board design has changed slightly. The most noticeable difference is that they got rid of the buff/debuff glyphs. This cleans up the board of somewhat unnecessary information. The hand card counter now counts your leader card. Developers have also hinted at new board designs coming our way in the future.The gameplay has some useful new features. Hovering over the deck now shows you how many cards are left in your deck. You can also browse through your graveyard. Zooming into a card will tell you everything it does. If it musters or summons, it’ll show you exactly which cards it’ll bring to the board.Card Frame Redesign
While the cards still have bronze, silver or gold edges, the frames did undergo a major redesign.The most noticeable change is that each faction now has a distinct banner on the left. Gold cards have a fancier banner than the rest, with ornaments in the upper left corner. Some fans complained that this made the frame look overcrowded; however, it helps distinguish bronze from gold cards.
- Northern Realms have a blue banner with tassels. Their gold cards have a helmet and a scroll.
- The Monsters banner consists of red tatters stitched together. The gold cards have dragon wings and a tail.
- Scoia’tael have a green, very elvish-looking banner. The banner of their gold cards has arrows and ivy.
- The Skellige banner made some fans unhappy. It’s purple with furs on top. Their gold cards have more awesome furs with bear paws, and a warship head.
- Neutral cards have a brown banner with no particular embellishments. Their gold cards have two swords.
The second major redesign is that card features are no longer in the familiar diamonds. Instead, they are part of a card’s 3D feature, so they still stand out. Disloyal cards now have a red eye symbol, making them instantly recognizable.
The third and relatively smaller difference is that now cards have a small gem in the lower right corner. The gem tells you how rare the card is depending on the color.
Other interesting facts
- First of all, we were introduced to a leveling system. Playing Gwent will give you experience and level your account. Every new level will give you some kind of small reward. We don’t know what the rewards are yet.
- One more interesting feature is the Collection. Here players can see all of their cards at once or sorted by faction. This screen also shows you how many cards are in each faction compared to how many you have. This is basically an incentive for players to keep buying card kegs.
- In the beginning, players will only have starter cards available. There’ll be one deck for each faction, and only one leader card per faction. However, players will have enough neutral cards to spice up their decks. From there, you’ll have to play and earn in-game currency called ore in order to buy card kegs. Keep in mind that not all cards from the finished game will be in the Beta.
- Actors from The Witcher series are voicing the cards. The music is composed by Marcin Przybyłowicz, the composer for The Witcher 3 Gwent.
- The single player campaign will feature comic book cut-scenes. They will tell some untold stories from the Witcher universe.
- The fifth faction, Nilfgaard, is on it’s way. We don’t know for sure when they will be available. The developers are working on revealing mechanics.
This is what we’ve learned so far. All that remains now is to play the Beta and see what happens. Fingers crossed that we all get our keys. Here’s the VOD of the stream:
