Gwent: Rogue Mage, a new single-player expansion to Gwent: The Witcher Card Game, will be set hundreds of years before the times of Geralt of Rivia, and could explore the birth of the first Witcher mutations. The new deck-building roguelike from developer CD Projekt Red will be primarily a single-player PvE experience and will focus on Alzur, a legendary mage responsible for many magical innovations in the world of The Witcher series. Featured only sparingly in The Witcher video games, Alzur's story will be revealed at length in Gwent: Rogue Mage.
Gwent: The Witcher Card Game has explored the untold stories of The Witcher in the past. The deck-building strategy game set up The Witcher 3's narrative in Thronebreaker, an expansion pack that utilized voice-acting and cinematic cutscenes to set the stage for the events of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Gwent: Rogue Mage is set to do the same, exploring a period of time centuries before the events of The Witcher video games while introducing a new rogue-like progression system.
Alzur the mage was mentioned very briefly in The Witcher video games, and typically only appeared in hidden lore. His contributions to the creation of the first Witchers, however, were detailed at length on the official Gwent: The Witcher Card Game website. In a post on PlayGwent titled "Alzur's Story," the tragic story of Alzur's quest to defeat creatures invading the continent and create the first Witchers was revealed for the first time.
Gwent: Rogue Mage Will Follow The Creation Of The First Witchers By Alzur The Mage
The first Witcher school deserves its own spotlight, and Gwent: Rogue Mage could be the first step toward the revelation of their story. While the events of this game took place hundreds of years ago in Witcher lore, the narrative of Gwent: Rogue Mage will prove vital to not only the context of the first three Witcher video games but to the pending adventures of The Witcher 4. The events of Gwent: Rogue Mage could be an important window into the future of the Witcher series.
CD Projekt Red is set to release more Gwent-inspired content, namely the elusive new project dubbed Project Golden Nekker. Not much is known about the upcoming Gwent game, beyond that Project Golden Nekker will not come to consoles. The developer will instead focus on future Gwent expansions on mobile platforms, while proper Witcher games will continue to release on consoles. For now, Gwent: Rogue Mage will have to fill the void with crucial backstory and engaging card-based strategy adventures.
Source: Playgwent.com