Gwent, a free-to-play card game based on the fictional game from within The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015), is getting a new game mode: Gwent Arena.

The new mode is a draft-based arena mode that enables players to build decks with no restrictions on rarity or duplicates. Taking part in Gwent Arena costs 150 ores, which can either be purchased with actual currency or earned in-game. Gwent Arena is aimed at challenging players through the use of new rules. For example, the Gwent Arena might close in on you after losing three times. Additionally, winning nine times will net you the highest reward and close the Arena.

In a way, it acts very similarly to Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft’s Arcade mode. When you enter the arena and pay the toll, you get to draft a deck of cards. There are no restrictions on the type of cards players will get during the drafting phase. It has no faction limitations, no card number limitations, and no synergy requirement. In fact, CD Projekt RED intends for Gwent Arena participants to focus on raw power instead of card synergy.

Gwent Arena introduces a new competitor to the Gwent scene called Gaunter O’Dimm. He is also the “Man of Glass” antagonist from the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt story expansion, Hearts of Stone. As someone who has not played Hearts of Stone yet, I wonder if Gaunter O’Dimm is a reference to the popular Stephen King’s Dark Tower antagonist, Walter O’Dim (or Randall Flagg). CD Projekt RED is known to include references to other works in their popular Witcher series.

Gwent Arena is now in testing and will release to the public as soon as it is ready. Gwent is in open beta, with a full release expected to within 2018. It is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows.

[Sources: Destructoid, PC Gamer, Play Gwent (official site), Windows Central]

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Junior Editor at Vamers. From Superman to Ironman; Bill Rizer to Sam Fisher and everything in-between, Edward loves it all. He is a Bachelor of Arts student and English Major specialising in Language and Literature. He is an avid writer and casual social networker with a flare for all things tech related.