In The Witcher 3, Geralt will come across many opponents, all of whom will oppose him in some way. The same is the case with High Stakes Gwent tournament in The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt as here also Geralt has to face many opponents who will attempt to hinder his efforts to win.
During this quest, Geralt will face off against NPCs; however, they won’t make it easier for him to win. This means that this quest will be highly challenging to win, requiring players to devise different ways and strategies to win. Added to that, if players want to win the High Stakes Gwent tournament in The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt, it is recommended that they are either on level 26 or above.
How to enter the Gwent tournament
The quest for the High Stakes Gwent tournament kicks off after you get to the St Gregory bridge notice board and read the notice there. These notice boards will often mention Count Tylbat’s Gwent Tournament, in which Geralt has to participate.
To participate in this quest, you must head to the Passiflora and interact with the scribe. Here, players must have 1,000 crowns and enough cards to participate in the tournament.
High Stakes Gwent tournament walkthrough
After entering the Gwent tournament in The Witcher 3, you can converse with other participants. Here you will come across a woman named Sasha, eager to chat with Geralt. During your conversation, she will fill you in about all the competitors you’ll be facing off against during the battle.
Below we have gone over every opponent Geralt will face during the High Stakes Gwent tournament in The Witcher 3 as well as tips to defeat them and the strategy to win the High Stakes Gwent tournament.
Bernard Tulle
The first opponent that the players have to face off against is Bernard Tulle. However, players must be careful with the decks they decide to use against him since he will use a powerful but somewhat straightforward deck. His cards will include “15-strength hero cards, such as Ciri, Geralt of Rivia, etc.”
Bernard will also use “Biting Frost,” Commander’s Horn, and Scorch Cards. He will also make use of Scorch cards. Not use many cards of the same strength as the cards mentioned above will limit the effectiveness of your cards. So it is best to avoid this card.
Possessing quite a few different Catapult cards here is recommended since they will act as sacrificial cards that you can use as a buffer.
After the battle, the players will again come across Sasha, who will be eager to talk to Geralt. Hear her out, and she will tell Geralt what she’s after. Afterward, she will ask him to work with her to win the prize at the end of the tournament; however, she will not reveal any information regarding her plan and will only ask Geralt to stick around until the end of the competition.
It is better if the players agree since it will yield better results.
Sasha
Get back to the common room, and you will discover that your next opponent is Sasha. Go to her, and the battle will start. She will use many spy cards and try to outplay you.
Sasha is not good against the weather cards, but because she has a lot of spy cards, it will get tough for you to win this battle.
Throughout the battle, Sasha will keep using her spy cards to either perpetuate her strongest cards in the later rounds or constantly threaten to out-card you by playing and re-playing her spy cards. Added to that, her leader card, Emhyr var Emreis can snatch a card from your discard pile, which is usually a Medic or Spy.
To defeat her, the best way is to use the Nilfgaardian Empire deck. You must select the “Emhyr var Emareis: The White Flame” as the leader card to defeat her leader card in The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt.
Finneas
To defeat Finneas in TW3, players don’t have to use a specific strategy since he is the easiest opponent they will encounter. Finneas will use a reasonably standard Scoia’tel deck with a few heroes and high strength cards, and some muster cards.
So, beating the elf in the High Stakes tournament will be pretty easy since you’ll be able to deal with him with a lucky hand of spy and decoy cards. Using these types of cards will allow you to outspend him. The other way you can use it is to pair up your decoy cards with Villentretenmerth to blast away his Muster cards.
Once you’ve defeated the elf in Gwent, he’ll take offense and start a fistfight. This won’t be much of a problem since if you can avoid and parry his punches; you can get over this battle without taking any damage at all. After you’ve defeated the elf Finneas in the fistfight, immediately you’ll be moved to the last Gwent fight, between Geralt and Count Tybalt.
Count Tybalt
Even though this is the last opponent you have to face off against, Count Tybalt is not as tough as he seems. He uses a monster deck that can seem quite challenging; however, considering how predictable it is, you can easily defeat it using the right strategy.
You can use your spy cards to out card him, but this strategy can be ineffective if Tybalt uses his decoy cards against your spy cards. However, if you’re lucky, you might get Villentretenmerth, which you can pair up with decoy cards to destroy his muster cards, mostly found within his deck.
Once you defeat him, you will get the last leader card, “Eredin, Destroyer of the Worlds.”
The Heist
Once you’ve been crowned the victor, Count Tybalt will be informed that someone has stolen the grand prize. Sasha will tell Geralt that she has not stolen the prize and will agree to help you recover your prize.
Sasha will smoothly talk her way with a guard, who will lead Geralt and her to the crime scene. Here, she will speak to a few more guards, leading them away from the site and leaving Geralt alone to investigate.
Using your witcher senses, investigate a scratch on the floor near the door to the north and the body of the lifeless guard lying on the ground. The last piece of evidence Geralt has to find is a crossbow bolt located on the right-hand side of the terrace.
Once you’ve headed outside, follow the strange scent to a crate on the road. Follow this trail south, then up some stairs to find a box on the ground that bears markings that Sasha will recognize, claiming they are from a specific warehouse.
Once Geralt rendezvous with Sasha, she will inform him that the door to the warehouse is locked. So you have to find another way inside. Head over to the rear of the building, where you’ll notice a scaffolding you can climb to get inside.
Here, you’ll come face to face with the culprit, Bernard Tulle, one of the players Geralt fought against. Fight against him and his henchmen in a relatively easy battle since Sasha will also be fighting alongside Geralt.
The choice
After you’ve defeated all your opponents, Sasha will invite Geralt to the Kingfisher. Here, you’ll choose to accept or reject this offer. If you reject her offer, the quest will be completed there; taking her offer will provide you with the option to romance Sasha.
It must be noted that romancing Sasha will not affect Geralt’s relationship or ability to romance other characters in TW3. In the end, Sasha disappears while Geralt is asleep, leaving behind nothing but a letter for him as a goodbye.
