'Gwent' Heads To Public Beta On May 24

CD Projekt Red’s Gwent: The Witcher Card Game has been in closed beta sessions since October 2016, but that will change next week. On May 24, the game will be available to play on PC, Xbox One, and the PlayStation 4 as an open beta.

The closed beta session provided the game's developers with much needed feedback and led to many changes. These came in the form of balance changes, new mechanics, additional cards (including the Nilfgaardian faction), and a ranking system. These changes will stay in the new beta, but this time there's a larger pool of players to test out the features. Because it is a public beta, there will be a large influx of players who will be able to play the game because it doesn't require an invitation.

To make sure everyone has a fair chance during the beta's beginning stages, CD Projekt Red will reset the card collection of those who played in the closed beta, but have no fear. If you’ve been playing the game for the past few months, you’ll still get a few rewards for your loyalty. If you purchased card packs, a.k.a. Card Kegs, with real-world money, you’ll get them back in the public beta, although you might not have the same cards you pulled in the closed sessions. Depending on your ranking, you’ll also receive two additional Card Kegs per rank level. There’s also a new progression system that will reward you with two more Card Kegs at level 5 and every fifth level afterwards. You’ll also receive season-end items as well as in-game gifts from the development team. One such example was the premium Geralt card. You’ll also keep multiple player progress rewards such as your overall level, Ore (in-game currency), and Scraps (materials to craft cards).

Before the public beta starts, the game will enter a “short technical transition period” on May 22. In the meantime, you can watch the developers’ overview of the public beta on the studio’s Twitch channel.