Don’t miss the excellent card game from Bravely Default 2

Like any massive RPG, Bravely Default 2 offers an in-game game. It’s called Bind & Divide, or B&D (yes, yes, like the game). It’s a compelling card game that you don’t want to miss, but you can easily roll the credits without ever taking a trick.

B&D is more or less A courageous omission by Gwent. You and a computer-controlled opponent each have a deck of six cards. You take turns placing them on a five by five grid, aiming to capture as much territory as possible. Each captured square corresponds to a point. Each map, based on enemies, characters, and job classes from the “real” game, features a different layout. An orc, for example, will occupy three spaces on a horizontal line, while a sahagin will take two vertically. A character card can change the rules of the game, for example, by making each monster themed card occupy an additional space, regardless of the team. Meanwhile, job cards come with bonus abilities. One of the first, the Player, will swap spaces with one of your opponent’s occupied spaces at random.

Establishing your own territory isn’t enough to win, however. You must also remove your opponent’s territory from the board. Most cards have a primary square plus at least one secondary square. Secondary squares can occupy territory, but if you place them on top of the space occupied by an enemy, they will both be removed from the board, negating that point for both of you. (The square can then be reoccupied by either player.)

This is a good strategy, but you will have a higher chance of victory if you convert your enemy’s territory to your team. Sandwiching an opponent’s square – horizontally, vertically, or diagonally – will cause them to tip over to your side. A well-placed card can convert a significant amount of territory, changing the scoreboard in no time.

Just as Gwent players practically rent a seat from every tavern of The Witcher 3, B&D players can be found everywhere Bravely Default 2. When you win a game, you earn points. You can then use these points to buy cards from the hand of a defeated opponent. The good ones, go figure, cost more, so each victory creates a crossroads. Do you spend your points on the spot? Or do you bank them in the hopes that a game-changing card might appear after your next win?

You can organize three games. As far as I know, you can only customize your decks in the pre-match menu that appears before each match, but you can view all unlocked cards by starting the Lore menu and selecting “Card Binder”.

Okay, I’m sold. Where do I start?

Where else? In Savalon’s gambling house!

B & D is hidden as a side quest, so you’ll be forgiven for walking right next to it. (Generally, Bravely Default 2The side quests of are skip, as they usually range from tasteless to silly.) On one of the card tables near the fountain, you will see a side quest offered by an NPC named Shirley. Talk to him to earn a base deck and start a tutorial series.

I only ran into Shirley well in Chapter 4, around 40 hours after the game started, but you can Apparently start the questline after unlocking the beastmaster position in chapter 1. After a few basic battles, all of which you can face in the game room, you will have to face off against Shirley. Compared to the others you bump into, she’s a glove. Here are a few tips:

• Try to group your squares together so that they cannot be circled. Sticking to the corners will help protect yourself.
• Your initial deck will start with the Player card, which swaps your placement with Shirley’s. Don’t bother using this one because you can’t control the result.
• Stack your deck with humanoid and spirit cards. She’s playing a card that strengthens that class of cards, regardless of team affiliation, so you’ll get a serious boost if you have a pack of them in your deck.
• I’ve learned this by trial and error, but more often than not the game against Shirley starts with you taking the first step. You will be in a better position if you are defending because you have to make the last move and therefore won’t be caught off guard by a game-changing move at the last minute. If you’re struggling, just keep starting over until you start a defensive turn.
• If you are really In difficulty, consider scouring the world a bit, taking on low-level B&D opponents, earning their cards, and building your decks. There is one, for example, outside the Savalon hostel. Another hangs out at Rimedahl, also near the hostel. You can identify players by looking for NPCs with little card icons hovering over their heads.

Defeating Shirley in B&D will trigger a real boss fight A courageous omission fight. Since I was so overrated at the time, I took her and her pals in two rounds, but felt it wasn’t that hard as a fight. (She teamed up with the boss behind the asterisk Bard – which you’ll have already defeated by then – plus two low-level soldiers. Monk pressure point move!)

Am I getting something for this?

You bet. After defeating Shirley in both B&D and Combat, you will get an asterisk for the player position. Without a doubt, the player is Bravely Default 2The most unpredictable job of. One move causes you to spin two wheels – one with a number, one with an element – and launch an attack based on the result. Another spins a wheel with the numbers one to ten. Land on ten, and everyone in your party can earn three BP … or maybe your enemies will earn three BP. Oops!

Also, rather than MP or BP, many player moves use your in-game currency. As a result, it’s better suited for mid- or late-game work, once you’re rich in Rockefeller.

It’s a decent price – after all, one of your main goals in Bravely Default 2 is to collect all the asterisks, but that is no match for being able to play a great game in an already great enough game. Two for one? Talk about an easy bet.

After Bravely Default 2