Every battle is a challenge. Try to get the flawless extra XP on your chars everytime. Prepare carefully.

At the start of the battle, you can click on the initiative order Character icons to see what your guys will have as hand options. Plan ahead! If you right-click on monsters, you can see their power potential – e.g. Bleed, Avert, Armor etc. on the left side of your screen. Try to avoid left clicking stuff, you may accidentally move your active character on the board.

You want the initiative. Always. If you go first, you can kill the opposition before it gets a turn, less monsters, less need for defense. There are items that buff +5/6 initiative, they are cheap, buy them.

Deck economics: In my book, cycling a lean deck is king. I want draw card options, 0 AP options and options to generate draws and AP generation. Surge, the Swordhands leadership options that are passive, something like that.

It doesn't matter with which character you want to start, but here is my advice: Play Alphonse or Lucius, and get Catherin, Ida or Pierre in your party.

Here we go, in alphabetical order, stuff underscored is a Card you can find in the Codex.

Alphonse: In my book, his best card is Stab, once it is mastered it costs 0 AP to use. Use Stab cards after movement, defense or buffs to max out their damage output. I often just move one or two squares to trigger item abilities - later more about those - to pimp the damage of Stab.
You want items that buff attack damage on him, rings and the occasional weapon. Mind he is dual wielding, so you can get him 2 weapons with +attack if you are lucky. His movement options are great and often free. I once got him to do 12 stab damage. He is amazing. His other build options are underwhelming with the exception off the Throwing Dagger build, but I found it difficult to optimize the deck around it without getting too bloated to get the combos skyrocketing.

Bertram: His best card is Rain of Arrows, hitting 4 random squares with 4x main stat damage. Its situational hit squares can be tweaked by shifting the enemy into the right spots with Back Kick, a 0 AP card. On my hard setting run I found his turret cards as a nice option to mitigate damage off the heroes. His movement options are limited but okay. I used Item movement cards often. Items that boost attack damge are his choice, too. EDIT: He has good movement options, I did not get them all in that run.

Catherin: Healing is underpowered in this game, but Catherin is quite a powerhouse in damage dealing - with the right cards. You want a method to produce Channel easily, I recommend Prayer and Divine Form to get those Holy spells rolling.
There is a distinction between Holy named spells and Holy tagged spells, mind that, Holy Force/Wave/Strike are not tagged Holy so they do not work with Divine Form. With 0AP Prayer you can use any attack form to get channel charges. You want items that boost max channel charges on her, as well as any item that generates channel charges, like the Ivory circlet. I find it easier to play her the IQ lane than the STR one. She has not many move options, I mitigate that by items.

Ida: Oh my...I was first underwhelmed with her deck, but you want: Primal Aspect Getting her into bear form is fan-tas-tic. She has enchanted me, I love her going berserk on the battle field. The Summon spells are nice as meat shields, see Bertrams entry. Her movement options are great, you want Wild Hunt to set up the Bear Hug. Her Cell effect cards are amazing, namely Bed of Flowers, Naturalize and Nature's Bounty and Nature's Flow. She has great Unique items, if you can get one or two for her...

In my first run with her I used an Ivory circlet to get the 2 Channel on her to get Wisdom of The Land - which I mastered to 0 AP running. Boy. what a mistake. Do not do that.

To the devs: What a waste of resources; I wasted an Item slot, 2 skill points on WotL and I get a card in the hand that is not reduced by the channel so I still have to use full AP if the Card is even useful. Well, I tried. EDIT: I was made aware that the Elemental school can make good use of channel and produce it.

Lucius: You want to go the Opener/Finisher way DEX way. Disregard defense, that is covered by either annihilating the opposition via Blade Flurry /Phantom Edge or tanking it away with Catherin's Intervention.Items that boost +attack damage and give him movement options are good for Lucius.

Pierre: “A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.”

I cast The World. Repeatedly. In the boss battles. With Triple Cast. Fun times.

I tried the Fire and the Magic Missile path on him. In my book, both work, for raw damage Magic Missile is the better option with Multi Missile and Energy Tap. The Fire path inflicts more status effects tho, so longlasting battles are won by Fire. I don't like longlasting battles.
His movement options are okay, I did not try the Magic Sword path or Lightning path, as they deemed ma too situational. You want the same items as Catherin. And rings with +spell damage.

Magic items are great.

Their powers will bloat your deck.

You don't want a bloated deck.

I only equip an item, if its net impact is positive. Another Hidden Blade from the Item? But it comes with a draw a card on kill? Sign me in!

In my book, the best item riders are top down, left to right:

• + Card draw
  
• + Draw a card every 4/5 turns
  
• Draw a card on kill
  
• Keep one more card on turn end - you want at least one of these
  
• Caster Only: +1 more maximum Channel charges, Ivory circlet
  
• + Attack/spell damage/Main attribute - you want +IQ/DEX/STR early game
  
• Gain +2 speed up on kill
  
• Gain 1/2 Armor/Agility/Vigil/Guard when moving a cell/row/forward/backward - this can get ridiculously OP when on a moving rogue - I had 15 armor
  
• + x Initiative
  
• + x% XP/Magic Iten´m find/Gold
  
• Start battle with x Might/Crit/Vigil/Guard/Thorns - Damage before Defense
  
• +1 to IQ/DEX/STR based challenges
  
• +x % to Elemental resistance

Armor: You want medium armor users have Surge

You want to always sell unwanted stuff with the exception of Unique items. Never sell them, you will stumble upon more than one transmutation shrine on your journey. No druid but a unique spear? Transmutatio! Voilá you get a dagger for Alphonse!

I only buy items in the city if they are really good, like a heavy armor with armor up 7armor instead of 5 and nice additional bonuses.

Oh, and if you save up your money, you can get nice items at Mario's.

In my book, you want one and one Talent alone.

Strategic Mind: Retain one more card on the end of your turn. So powerful. Your Swordhand is out of position for the Zeal? The Channel needs to be build up but The World awaits? You just annihilated the Horde and have 2 Stabs remaining? This is your solution.

The other talents are nice tho.

The best talents in my book at this moment (Chapter 1):

• Tough As Nails/Good Health +4 HP each
  
• +1 STR +2 HP I cannot remember that name
  
• Improved Initiative +4 INI
  
• Tough Sell -10% buy price
  
• Pierre only: Dual Wield Mastery for more kapow with draw card on kill wands

All other talents are mostly fluff and/or situational. +2 on animal encounters? Maybe in later Chapters.
There are 2 different +2 Perception talents tho.

Timing matters. As mentioned in Section 1, you can check your team's hand options in the Initiative order. Do that. You are 1 damage shy of killing the enemy? Your next hero will handle that. Focus that 40 damage card on a monster with full health.

Try to kill as many monsters as you can on first turn. Focus on monsters that apply status effects. With the Build 89h patch, status effects are not applied if you have some way to prevent that, like having Guard, Avert, Armor high enough. I experienced that burn and chill was transferred tho.

Mouseover the enemy attack icon and you see which square gets attacked with which power. Evade or put a well guarded hero in that suqare to mitigate the damage and retain the flawless XP bonus.

On Triggers: Enemy and Heroes can have skills that trigger, the evil cultist like to mass Opportunity attack for examplewhen in the same row. Kill the trigger or row neighbor and the problem is solved.

Damage seems to get mitigated in this order: Avert - Guard - Armor - damage to HP.

The worst status effects in my book:

• Burn. I hate that. Better have some Guard up beforehand or you take damage of x Burn on the card. Killed so many of my early heroes until I became wary.
  
• Bleed. And that I hate,too. Only 2 damage tho.
  
• Chill: Makes your cards 1 AP more expensive. DId I mention I hate that?
  
• Enfeeble. Deal 30% less damage. Lengthens battles.
  
• Vulnerable. Get x more damage on next hit. Is not applied if you kill monsters quick or you move off that square.
  
• Shock: +20% damage for x instances. You get that via trapped ground. Is not applied if you kill monsters quick or you move off that square.
  
• Poison. Is applied at turn end, but not if combat is over. You want to kill quick.
  
• Rooted. Mostly inflicted by yourself or allies. You cannot use move options but you can get moved by allies or enemy. Move into rooted square to get that hero out of the line of fire.
  

The city has a lot to offer to you. Pain and suffering and so many combat encounters.

With reservation you survive, you get to events, marked "?" on the map. You want to do these after you resolved all battles in the given city/outdoors. Why? Double XP, baby!

When you clear that area, you simply go to that encounter, resolve it that way or the other and get some node modifiers. On previously cleared map tiles, making them more valuable in XP and Items.

When you finish a quest site, you get additional rare loot, so always clear all nodes in a building/tomb/dungeoan/whatever.

Shrines. You want to desecrate them always after resolving all combat and encounters. They fill up cleared nodes and add possible unique item spawns. You want to clear that shrine first and then go to Wynne and get that shrine quest and desecrate it a second time for more unique items.

There you go.

When you find the old burial grounds and find the sealed tomb, you do not want to go to Wynne and her "!", you want to loot everything else in the tombs and land and then get back to her to reset the map encounters again!

Beware traveller! As you level up, the encounters will become more difficult to you, but more rewarding, too.

There it is. Free skill points. A camping site.

You came here with full supplies? - Check.
If not, use a Portal scroll. Fíll up with supplies. It's worth it, trust me.

When you come prepared, you set up camp. Now let's eek out evy single skill point available.

On top you see 12 hours of camp time. Enough to get one or two heroes two skill points or a free mastery and one hero 1 skill point and maybe a mastery.

To the left you can see the draw card option. Each hour you want to draw 3 cards, costing you 3 supplies. If you are lucky, you get those options:

6 hour Study: 1 skillpoint
6 hours Refine skill: Redraw a basic skill
6 hours XYZ: Discard a skill card
5 hours rote mastery: Master a skill
1 hour Muse: draw a card

If you have 3 6-5h options in the first draw, do no use all of them, instead draw 3 additional cards to optimize the 6th hour draw to get additional 5-6h cards.

After camp your heroes will be exhausted. If you have the time Rest 2h or set up tent and rest 4 hours. Or just return to the inn, sleep a good nights sleep for 7 gold pieces and shake off the rest off the fatigue with potions for 3 gold eacjh.

Yay, you levelled up!

As you grow in power, you get - hopefully - better. Each level gives you one more HP and a skill point on the skill grid.

For the savescummers out there: I prefer to grab, in this order:

A random skill, hopefully it is good, otherwise you can swap out a dodge/Parry/Shield block/Mind shield for something good.
A mastery if the skill was great or I play Alphonse to master the Stab.
A random skill or one of the school I prefer.
A talent, maybe it is Strategic Mind :D

After level 5, you can add another skill grid to your first one. Careful placement is recommended.



That's it for now. I would like to thank the devs of Gordian Quest and the COVID19 epidemic to make this here possible.

Great game, nice work, stay safe!

Maerchen