Before we begin, many players seem to run into dead ends when trying to get their hands on these cards, or when trying to find the Old Pals quest in the first place. Let it be known that timing is important here, as we were only able to begin the quest by visiting Zoltan at his place near the Gate of Hierarch in Novigrad. We were not able to challenge Vernon Roche, Thaler or Lambert to a game of Gwent prior to triggering the quest and first facing off against Zoltan. We did all of this after we had completed A Deadly Plot, and prior to (but not before unlocking) Ugly Baby.
We have also heard people saying to challenge Thaler while completing A Deadly Plot. We didn’t bother to do this, so don’t worry if you’ve already passed that point.
You can find Zoltan standing outside of his place near the Gate of Hierarch signpost. If you see an exclamation point indicating a possible quest, that is not what you’re looking for. It’s in the same location, but you want to speak directly to Zoltan, rather than heading inside. Your conversation options should allow you to play a game of Gwent with him, and beating him will earn you Eithné, a hero card that is not affected by special cards or abilities, and holds a value of 10. It is part of the Scoia’tael deck, and once you’ve won it you can move on to challenge Vernon Roche.
If you’re aiming to get all four cards in one session, fast travel from the nearest signpost and make your way to the Temerian Partisan Hideout to the northeast of Oxenfurt. If you are tracking this quest you should have an objective marker that leads you right to Vernon Roche. Beat him at Gwent to earn the Saesenthessis hero card. It’s a ranged combat unit with a value of 10, and the hero status means that it cannot be affected by special cards or abilities. It’s definitely a good option to add to your Scoia’tael deck.
This is the card that you want, and in order to get it you’ll need to fast travel to the Seven Cats Inn signpost just southeast of Novigrad. If you have completed A Deadly Plot, Thaler will be inside the pub, standing against the wall near a corner. If you have not completed A Deadly Plot he will not be here yet. Our advice is to finish that secondary quest if you are having trouble starting this one.
If Thaler is there but won’t play Gwent with you, make sure that you first spoke to Zoltan and beat him, then moved on and beat Roche. That is the order this must be done. Once you beat Thaler, he will give you his Geralt of Rivia close combat hero card. It has a value of 15, and being neutral you can add it to any of your four decks. Only the Cirilla Fionna Elen Riannon card is comparable.
This is the part of the quest that will require some patience, as you can only play Lambert after you travel to Kaer Morhen to complete the Ugly Baby main quest. At first you will not have the option to challenge him to a game of Gwent, but after completing The Final Trial the conversation option should appear. If you’re at Kaer Morhen and are having trouble finding him, make sure that you’re tracking the Old Pals quest and he should appear as an objective marker on your map.
After you beat Lambert at a game of Gwent, he will hand over his Triss Merigold hero card. Like the Geralt of Rivia hero card it is also neutral, meaning it can be added to any of your four decks. The value is only a seven, but as a hero card it will not be affected by any special cards or abilities. It should definitely make the cut in almost any Gwent deck out there.
After you have beaten all four of your opponents, the Old Pals quest will be complete. However, if you are perhaps here looking for the Ciri card you will have to complete the Big City Players quest that you’ll get in Novigrad. If that quest is in your list, track it and start beating the four necessary players. At one point you will be sent to play a Scoia’tael Trader who is just southwest of Novigrad. When you beat him you will earn the Cirilla Fionna Elen Riannon hero card, which is comparable to the Geralt of Riva card. It has a value of 15, can be added to any deck, and is a hero card that cannot be affected by special cards or abilities.
There are many more great Gwent cards that you’ll need to build the ultimate deck, but the five that we have spoken of here are some of the best (and in some cases, the best). As you start to play against some of the residents of the Skellige Isles, you’ll find that cards of this nature are essential if you stand a chance at winning.
. Plays August 2, 2014
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