The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt: All Missable Gwent Cards (Complete Guide)

TL;DR

There are 7 cards that are permanently missable with no recovery — mostly from the Vegelbud tournament and the High Stakes tournament.
Several other cards feel missable but have fallback locations you can loot if the NPC dies or leaves.
The two biggest story cutoffs are Reason of State and The Isle of Mists.
Always save manually before any Gwent tournament and before political main quests.
Do not give the money to Zoltan at the end of A Dangerous Game — always take the cards.
Hearts of Stone has one permanently missable card. Blood and Wine has none.

The Card Collector achievement in The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Remastered is one of the trickiest in the game. Not because Gwent is hard. Not because the cards are hard to find. But because the game never warns you when a match is about to become unavailable forever.

You push forward through a quest. An NPC leaves. A story beat closes. And suddenly a card you needed is just gone.

This guide covers every missable Gwent card in the base game and both DLCs. For each one, we tell you the window to get it, what happens if you miss it, and whether there is a fallback.

For the full collection guide with all card locations, see our Witcher 3 Remastered Gwent card complete guide. For DLC-specific cards, see our guide to all DLC Gwent cards in Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine.

Table of Contents

The Two Golden Rules for Missable Gwent Cards

Before we get into specific cards, two rules cover almost every missable situation in the game:

Rule 1: Complete every Gwent secondary quest before reaching The Isle of Mists main quest. This is the point of no return for most quest-gated Gwent cards.
Rule 2: Make a manual save before any main quest that involves a political choice — especially Reason of State, An Eye for an Eye, and On Thin Ice. Characters die in these quests and their cards can go with them.

Follow both rules and you will not lose a single card.

The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt All Missable Gwent Cards

Permanently Missable Gwent Cards (No Recovery)

These are the cards that are truly gone if you miss them. There is no fallback container, no loot location, no alternative source. Miss the window and the card does not exist on your save.

Dandelion — Vegelbud Estate Tournament

Card type: Neutral Hero
How to get: Win all three rounds of the small Gwent tournament at the Vegelbud Estate during the main quest A Matter of Life and Death.
Cutoff: When you leave the Vegelbud Estate during this quest, the tournament tables close permanently.
If missed: No fallback. Gone forever.

What to do: Before doing anything else at the estate, locate the tournament in the courtyard and win all three matches. Do not leave the estate until you have them.

Milva — Vegelbud Estate Tournament

Card type: Neutral Hero
How to get: Win all three rounds of the Vegelbud Estate tournament during A Matter of Life and Death.
Cutoff: Same as Dandelion — leaving the estate ends access permanently.
If missed: No fallback. Gone forever.

Dandelion and Milva are awarded for winning different matches in the same tournament. You need to win all three rounds in the courtyard to collect both. Save before this quest starts.

Vampire: Bruxa — Vegelbud Estate Tournament

Card type: Monsters
How to get: Win a Gwent match against one of the tournament opponents at the Vegelbud Estate during A Matter of Life and Death.
Cutoff: Same as the other Vegelbud cards — leave the estate and the tournament is gone.
If missed: No fallback. Gone forever.

All three Vegelbud cards — Dandelion, Milva, and Vampire: Bruxa — are only available during this single quest. Treat this tournament as the highest-priority Gwent stop in the entire game.

Foltest: The Steel-Forged — High Stakes Tournament

Card type: Northern Realms Leader
How to get: Beat Bernard Tulle in round one of the High Stakes Gwent tournament at the Passiflora in Novigrad.
Cutoff: Lose any match in the tournament and you are eliminated. The card is gone.
If missed: No fallback.

Emhyr var Emreis: The Relentless — High Stakes Tournament

Card type: Nilfgaard Leader
How to get: Beat Madame Sasha in round two of the High Stakes tournament.
Cutoff: Lose any match before reaching her and you will not fight her. Card gone.
If missed: No fallback.

Francesca Findabair: Queen of Dol Blathanna — High Stakes Tournament

Card type: Scoia’tael Leader
How to get: Beat Finneas in round three of the High Stakes tournament.
Cutoff: Must win every previous round to reach him.
If missed: No fallback.

Eredin: Bringer of Death — High Stakes Tournament

Card type: Monsters Leader
How to get: Beat Count Tybalt in the final round of the High Stakes tournament.
Cutoff: Must win all three previous rounds to face Tybalt.
If missed: No fallback.

The High Stakes tournament at the Passiflora costs 1,000 Crowns to enter. You must win every single round — all four matches — to collect all four leader cards. Save before entering the tournament area. Reload and retry if you lose any match. These four leader cards are among the most powerful in the game and are required for Card Collector.

Missable Cards With Fallback Locations

These cards have a limited window to win them in a Gwent match, but if you miss that window, they either appear in a fallback container or are awarded automatically by the game. They feel scary but can usually be recovered.

Foltest: The Siegemaster — Nilfgaardian Nobleman in Vizima

Card type: Northern Realms Leader
How to get: Challenge the Nilfgaardian Nobleman sitting on a bench in the garden of the Royal Palace in Vizima, right after your audience with Emhyr. Beat him at Gwent.
Cutoff: The nobleman disappears as you advance later into the main story. Play him immediately when you visit Vizima.
Fallback: You can fast-travel back to Vizima and try him at any point before he disappears. Do it right after your first palace visit.

Fringilla Vigo, Isengrim Faoiltiarna, John Natalis — A Dangerous Game

Card type: Nilfgaard / Scoia’tael / Northern Realms
How to get: Complete the secondary quest A Dangerous Game with Zoltan. At the end, when Zoltan offers crowns or the three cards — always take the cards.
Cutoff: The quest fails if not completed before The Isle of Mists. Taking the money instead of the cards means you lose all three.
Fallback: If you completed the quest but took the money, all three cards can be found on the Prison Warden during the main quest The Great Escape. This is the only recovery option and it requires playing through a later main quest to reach.

The safe move: Always choose the three Gwent cards when Zoltan makes the offer. No amount of crowns is worth losing three unique cards permanently.

Geralt of Rivia — Thaler / Reason of State

Card type: Neutral Hero
How to get: Beat Thaler at Gwent. He is available after you complete the secondary quest A Deadly Plot. Find him at the Seven Cats Inn.
Cutoff: If Thaler dies during Reason of State (which happens if you side against Roche and Thaler is killed), the card becomes inaccessible through a Gwent match.
Fallback: If Thaler dies before you play him, his card can sometimes be looted at the Seven Cats Inn. However, this fallback has been reported as inconsistent. The safe approach is to play Thaler before starting Reason of State.

Esterad Thyssen — Sigismund Dijkstra

Card type: Northern Realms Hero
How to get: Beat Sigismund Dijkstra at Gwent in his bathhouse in Novigrad as part of the Gwent: Big City Players quest.
Cutoff: Dijkstra becomes unavailable after the quest Reason of State and some branches of Blindingly Obvious close access to him even earlier.
Fallback: If Dijkstra dies during Reason of State without being challenged, the card may be awarded automatically — but this is unconfirmed. Treat him as a must-play before any Reason of State-related quests lock in.

Saesenthessis — Vernon Roche

Card type: Scoia’tael
How to get: Beat Vernon Roche at Gwent at the Temerian Partisan Hideout as part of Gwent: Old Pals.
Cutoff: Roche can die during Reason of State depending on your choices.
Fallback: If Roche dies before you play him, his card can be found attached to Roche’s Notes at the Temerian Partisan Hideout. The notes also point toward Lambert and Thaler.

Triss Merigold — Lambert

Card type: Northern Realms Hero
How to get: Beat Lambert at Gwent. He is available during the secondary quest Following the Thread or at Kaer Morhen during the Battle of Kaer Morhen preparation.
Cutoff: Lambert leaves after The Battle of Kaer Morhen. If you advance past that point without playing him, his card is gone from the open world.
Fallback: If you miss him during Following the Thread, check Kaer Morhen during the pre-battle phase. If you miss him there too, his card can reportedly be found at Kaer Morhen after the battle — but this is not guaranteed. Play Lambert during the quest to be safe.

Vampire: Katakan — Madman Lugos

Card type: Monsters Hero
How to get: Beat Madman Lugos at Gwent at Kaer Muire in Skellige as part of Gwent: Skellige Style.
Cutoff: Lugos becomes unavailable after the quest The Sunstone in the late Skellige storyline.
Fallback: If Lugos becomes unavailable before you play him, his card can be found in his room at Kaer Muire. Go back and loot it.

Draug — Crach an Craite

Card type: Monsters Hero
How to get: Beat Crach an Craite at Gwent at Kaer Trolde as part of Gwent: Skellige Style.
Cutoff: Crach dies during the main quest On Thin Ice. You cannot play him after the story reaches that point.
Fallback: If you miss playing Crach before On Thin Ice, the Draug card is automatically added to your deck after that quest ends. You will not miss it permanently as long as you play through the main story.

Cards That Used to Be Missable (Now Fixed)

Several cards that were missable in older versions of the game have since been patched to have reliable fallback sources:

The Bloody Baron’s card: If you do not play the Baron before he becomes unavailable after Return to Crookback Bog, his card can now be found in a box in his office at Crow’s Perch.
White Orchard Innkeeper (Elsa): If you miss her before she leaves White Orchard, the same cards she sold can be bought from Bram the Rescued Merchant nearby.
Zoltan Chivay card: If you miss the Scholar in White Orchard who starts the Gwent tutorial, the Zoltan card can be found under the Hanged Man’s Tree in Velen.
Olivier the Kingfisher Innkeeper: If Olivier dies during the quest Now or Never, his card can be found on a body or table inside the Kingfisher Inn.

Hearts of Stone — Missable Gwent Cards

Hearts of Stone adds 12 Gwent cards. Only one is truly permanently missable.

Gaunter O’Dimm — Robert Hilbert, Open Sesame!

How to get: Beat Robert Hilbert at Gwent inside the Borsodi Auction House during the Open Sesame! quest.
Cutoff: The auction house is only accessible during this quest. Miss Hilbert here and the primary source is gone.
Fallback: A partial fallback exists — the Gaunter O’Dimm card may be purchasable from the merchant traveling with the circus near Carsten. However, this merchant does not stay available indefinitely.
Best approach: When you enter the Borsodi Auction House during Open Sesame!, find and challenge Hilbert before progressing the heist.

All other Hearts of Stone cards — including Toad, Olgierd, Cow, Schirru, and all four leader cards — have reliable loot locations or vendor sources that remain accessible even after the relevant quest NPCs are gone.

Blood and Wine — Missable Gwent Cards

Blood and Wine has no permanently missable Gwent cards. Every Skellige faction card has a marked vendor source in Toussaint that stays available throughout the DLC. Activate the Never Fear, Skellige’s Here quest at the Cockatrice Inn and every source is marked on your map automatically.

Safe Order to Avoid Missing Any Cards

Follow this order and you will not lose a single card:

White Orchard: Play the Scholar and buy all cards from Elsa the Innkeeper before leaving.
Vizima: Play the Nilfgaardian Nobleman on the palace bench right after your audience with Emhyr.
Velen: Complete Gwent: Velen Players. Beat the Bloody Baron, Old Sage, Boatwright, and Haddy.
Novigrad — A Matter of Life and Death: Win all three rounds of the Vegelbud Estate tournament. Do not leave without Dandelion, Milva, and Vampire: Bruxa.
Novigrad — Big City Players: Beat Vimme Vivaldi, Marquise Serenity, Dijkstra, and the Scoia’tael merchant. Do this before Reason of State.
Novigrad — A Dangerous Game: Complete the quest and take the three cards from Zoltan. Never take the money.
Novigrad — Old Pals: Beat Zoltan, Roche, Lambert, and Thaler. Play Thaler before Reason of State.
Novigrad — High Stakes: Enter the tournament, win all four matches. Save before entering.
Skellige: Complete Gwent: Skellige Style. Beat Crach, Ermion, Gremist, Sjusta, and Lugos. Do this before The Sunstone and On Thin Ice.
Hearts of Stone: During Open Sesame!, beat Hilbert in the auction house before the heist begins.
Blood and Wine: Visit the Cockatrice Inn, trigger Never Fear Skellige’s Here, and beat all 19 marked vendors. No rush — none are missable.

How to Check Which Cards You Are Missing

Open your inventory and find the book A Miraculous Guide to Gwent. This item is given to you when you win your first Gwent match (the Scholar in White Orchard). It shows how many cards you still need in each region — Velen, Novigrad, and Skellige — so you can quickly spot where your gaps are.

The guide shows a card count per region, not a named list. So use it as a region indicator, then cross-reference with the list above to figure out who you have not played yet in that area.

For the full list of every card and where to find it, see our Witcher 3 Remastered complete Gwent card guide. For all DLC Gwent cards across Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, see our DLC Gwent card guide.

More Witcher 3 Remastered Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Gwent cards are permanently missable in The Witcher 3?

Seven base-game cards are permanently missable with no fallback: Dandelion, Milva, Vampire: Bruxa (all from the Vegelbud Estate tournament), and the four leader cards from the High Stakes tournament — Foltest: The Steel-Forged, Emhyr var Emreis: The Relentless, Francesca Findabair: Queen of Dol Blathanna, and Eredin: Bringer of Death. Hearts of Stone adds one more — the Gaunter O’Dimm card from Hilbert during Open Sesame!

What is the point of no return for most missable Gwent cards?

The Isle of Mists is the main story’s point of no return. All secondary Gwent quests — Velen Players, Big City Players, Old Pals, A Dangerous Game — fail if not completed before you travel to the Isle of Mists. Complete every Gwent quest in Velen, Novigrad, and Skellige before triggering that quest.

Can you still get the three A Dangerous Game cards if you gave the money to Zoltan?

Yes, with one condition. If you chose the money instead of the three cards at the end of A Dangerous Game, all three — Fringilla Vigo, Isengrim Faoiltiarna, and John Natalis — can be found on the Prison Warden during the main quest The Great Escape. Loot the body and you recover all three cards.

What happens if you miss the Vegelbud Estate Gwent tournament?

Dandelion, Milva, and Vampire: Bruxa become permanently unobtainable. There are no fallback containers, no loot locations, and no alternative sources. These three cards are the most at-risk cards in the entire game because the tournament closes the moment you leave the estate. Save before A Matter of Life and Death and win all three rounds before leaving.

Is the Draug card missable if Crach an Craite dies?

Not permanently. If you do not play Crach before he dies during On Thin Ice, the Draug card is automatically added to your Gwent deck after that quest ends. You will not miss it even if you never challenged Crach at all.

What is the safest time to do the High Stakes Gwent tournament?

After completing Big City Players, Old Pals, and A Dangerous Game — but before The Isle of Mists. This gives you the strongest possible deck and ensures you have not missed any related quest-gated cards. Always save before entering the Passiflora tournament area. If you lose any of the four matches, reload and try again.

Are any Blood and Wine Gwent cards missable?

No. Every Blood and Wine Skellige faction card has at least one permanent vendor source in Toussaint. Once you trigger Gwent: Never Fear, Skellige’s Here at the Cockatrice Inn, all 19 card sources are marked on your map and none of them disappear.

Does the Witcher 3 Remastered fix any missable Gwent cards?

The Remastered update released September 29, 2026 did not change Gwent card availability or quest triggers. However, many old missable cards were fixed in earlier patches — including the Bloody Baron’s card (now found in his office), the White Orchard Innkeeper cards (moved to Bram), and Olivier’s card (found in the Kingfisher Inn if he dies). These fixes carry forward into the Remastered version.