Master the Board: How to Play Tarock in Oceanhorn 3

Hello, Adventurers,

The Shadow Sea holds many secrets: ancient ruins, towering Titans, and forgotten gods. But sometimes the most thrilling battles aren't fought with a sword or a spell. Sometimes, they're fought across a game board with a deck of cards.

Tarock is the beloved card game woven into the fabric of the Oceanhorn universe, and with this new version of Tarock, the stakes have never been higher. Whether you're a seasoned card duelist or picking up your first hand, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know to dominate the board.

What Is Tarock?

Tarock is a two-player strategy card game played throughout the world of Arcadia. You'll encounter it in taverns, on remote islands, and in the hands of rivals who won't go easy on you. It's quick to learn but endlessly deep; the kind of game that rewards careful thinking and a little boldness.

The Goal

Simple: be the player with the most cards on the board when the game ends.

A full game of Tarock lasts exactly eleven cards. Players alternate placing cards one by one until all eleven have been played. At that point, whoever controls the most cards claims victory.

Placing Cards & Attacking

When you place a card on the board, it automatically attacks in the four cardinal directions: up, down, left, and right. This is where the real strategy begins.

Every card has two key values:

  • Attack — the strength of the card when it strikes an adjacent card

  • Defense — the strength of the card when it resists being flipped by an attacker

When an attacking card's Attack value is higher than a defending card's Defense value, the defending card is defeated and flipped to your side. Chain the right placements together, and you can swing several cards in a single move.

Ties are resolved with a coin toss, so even a close match can turn on a flip of fate.

Special Directions

Here's where Tarock gets truly exciting. Some cards possess Special Directions, unique attack vectors that override all standard Attack and Defense values. No matter what numbers are printed on the defending card, a Special Direction wins the exchange. You’ll recognise cards with a Special Direction from the golden arrows printed on it.

There is only one way to stop a Special Direction: another Special Direction.

When two Special Directions clash head-to-head, neither raw power nor clever positioning matters. The outcome is decided by — you guessed it — a coin toss.

This means that building a deck around Special Direction cards introduces a thrilling layer of risk and reward. They are immensely powerful, but they can never be considered a guaranteed win.


Quick Reference

  • Attacker's Attack > Defender's Defense —> Defending card is flipped

  • Attacker's Attack = Defender's Defense —> Coin toss decides

  • Special Direction vs. regular card —> Special Direction wins

  • Special Direction vs. Special Direction —> Coin toss decides

Tips for New Players

  • Think ahead. Every card you place attacks and can be attacked. Position matters as much as raw stats. Use the blocked tile to your advantage.

  • Save your Special Direction cards for high-value moments. They're your best tool for flipping a cluster of enemy cards in one move.

  • Don't ignore the coin toss. Tied matchups and Special Direction clashes come up more often than you'd expect. Sometimes, fortune favors the bold.

  • Count the cards. Eleven cards total means there are never more than five or six turns per player. Every placement counts.

You can earn Tarock cards by winning matches, receiving daily rewards, or defeating enemies. You can also buy packs from special vending machines around Red Town. The most expensive packs usually contain rarer cards. If you lose a match, your challenger can steal a card from your collection, but don't worry — they won't immediately go for the best ones. If you collect more than one copy of the same card, they will stack in your collection. Ten cards of the same type turn that card into a foiled version that can never be stolen and looks cool.


Final Words

Tarock is waiting for you across the islands of the Shadow Sea. Find a challenger, shuffle your deck, and show Arcadia what you're made of.


Fair winds,

— The Oceanhorn 3 Team

Cornfox