Hey there guys,
Today, I wanted to have a look at the new Gwent which is called Gwent: Homecoming.
A cardgame that I have been playing for a couple of years now.
The new update also provided a single player adventure called "Thronebreaker".
Normally you would expect a Guild Wars 2 video, but no worries.
I got something in the works!
I had my first encounter with Gwent through the Witcher games and that eventually led
to the stand alone game we have right now.
In this video I want to share my impressions on Gwent Homecoming, which comepletely changed
the fundamentals of the game.
Also, I want to have a look at some important mechanics that have been changed since the
original Gwent.
To understand the changes that came with Homecoming, we have to go way back, back to the Witcher
3.
Therefore, I want to start this video with a short look at the evolution of Gwent.
But before we start, If you liked this video, give it a like, a comment and make sure to
share it!
Okay, Let's dig into the video.
Gwent was first playable in the Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt.
This game was released in may of 2015 and according to some, it is one of the best games
of the last couple of years!
In the Witcher 3, almost every bartender, some armorsmiths and even some main characters
had the dialogue option to play a game of Gwent.
Gwent in the Witcher 3 consisted out of a board with 3 rows on either side.
That's 6 rows in total.
You, the player, had a melee row, a ranged row and a siege row.
Your opponenent, the NPC, had the same rows.
As you might know or might have guessed, Melee cards can be put on the melee row, ranged
cards are put on the ranged row and the siege cards are put on the siege row.
Next to that there were also control cards, which allowed you to damage and reduce the
score of your opponent.
There were Spy cards that gave your opponent a few extra points to their score but gave
you an extra card or another beneficial effect.
All these different cards were divided into Gold, Silver and bronze rarities.
Gold Cards and Gold Units were immune to negative effects while Silver and Bronze cards could
be damaged or removed from the board.
To win a game of Gwent, you had to win 2 out of the 3 rounds.
The Standalone version of Gwent basically copied this concept of Gwent but had better
graphics with new and updated cards.
This version of Gwent was first playable in 2016, at Gamescom in Germany.
This was were I first played the game and I was already kind of surprised with some
balance changes.
These were mostly positive though!
Just one of many examples, spy cards in the Witcher 3 gave your opponent 1 point but in
the beta version I've played they gave your opponnent 13 points.
A considerable difference I must say.
But it made playing these cards more risky.
You had to think thoroughly before using these cards.
Over the last 2 years, the beta version of Gwent underwent some more changes that played
with the core gameplay mechanics of the game.
While I personally did not like with everything, most of the changes seemed fine to me.
But just last week, Gwent Homecoming was released.
Which is Gwent 1.0.
The game has left the beta phase after about 2 to 3 years.
Gwent homecoming is visually beautiful.
But it has comepletely changed the game.
I didn't play the new Gwent on the PTR servers because I wanted to experience it when it
came out.
So, I was kind of surprised to see the changes after playing it for a few hours.
Let's have a look at the changes and answer the question: "What is Gwent: Homecoming"?
Gwent: Homecoming is still the cardgame based on the Witcher universe.
However, it is comepletely different than the classic version of Gwent that we've known
since the Witcher 3.
Luckily, the game provides a fun and interesting tutorial featuring Geralt of Rivia and our
favorite bard from the Witcher series, Dandelion.
...
Let's go over three changes that have caught my eye.
If I missed anything.
Put it in the comments!
The first change that caught my attention was the removal of the siege row.
In the later stages of the Gwent Standalone Beta, rows weren't locked to specifc cards
or units.
Meaning that Siege units could be placed on every row and vice versa.
Removing one row means a smaller playing field and you have to be thoughtful about the placement
of your cards and units.
The second change that caught my attention were the card changes.
If I had to make an estimate, I'd say that 80 to 90% of the cards have changed in purpose.
This means that card combos or strategies from a few weeks prior are now obsolete.
I was kind of bummed out about this since there were some interesting cards that allowed
you to do some awesome combos.
However, I feel that cards have been simplified.
For experienced players this might seem like a dissappointment but I think Deckcrafting
is a bit easier to get into for newer players.
Also, I think this also opens up a window to be more creative with your deck and this
will offer more build diversity.
The third and last change that caught my eye were the graphics and the UI.
Gwent looks different, but it also looks really cool!
Instead of playing your cards on a board, you play them on a battlefield.
Having played all of the Witcher games, this really gives me back the feeling of revisiting
the games once more.
However, I do feel that the board version was a little bit easier on the eyes.
It was more relaxing to watch.
Also, your Faction Leader card is not longer just a card.
He is a living, breathing persona that accompanies you though the battle against your opponnent.
These were the three changes that caught my attention by playing for the first couple
of hours.
But why did CD Project Red change the game in such a drastic way right before release?
In an open letter on their website, the Gwent Devs stated that the current version of Gwent
was drifting away from their vision they had for the game.
Also, they've stated that they have always taken risks and made bold decisions to improve
the quality of the game.
But I can't help but wonder, why leave a game in beta for over 2 years and then change the
whole game upon release It is a bold decision and a risk.
So in that regard they are fulfilling the statement they had made in their open letter.
However, in this open letter, the developers did listen to community feedback.
For example, the coin-flip mechanic which decided who would play the first card was
changed and fixed.
The developers also reduced some RNG based mechanics.
This way, the core focus would be on skill and not RNG.
But maybe most importantly, they wanted to bring back the Witcher.
The beta version of Gwent had bright colors while Gwent: Homecoming looked a bit more
grim.
Just like the witcher does.
I'll provide a full link to this open letter in the video description.
So, that was my video on Gwent Homecoming.
I know it was soemthing different but I felt like summarizing the new Gwent update and
making a video about it.
I might even pick up the Thronebreaker Adventure later on but for now, I'm just going to play
a bit more Gwent.
I hope you guys enjoyed this video it nonetheless.
As usual, don't forget to subscribe, like and share this video.
It is very much appriciated.
Thank you all for watching and PEACE!
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