The best Splendor strategy is to build your engine early. Buy cheap level 1 cards for their permanent gem bonuses, steer those bonuses toward one or two nobles, and switch to high-point level 2 and 3 cards once your discounts make them cheap. Hoarding tokens for one expensive card is an easy way to fall behind.
Some links below are Amazon affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate, King Panda Games earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Full disclosure.
The numbers here come from the official Splendor rules. New to the game? Start with our full Splendor review.
Buy Cheap Cards First
Every card you own gives a permanent one-gem discount on all future purchases. A level 1 card worth zero points is still worth buying early, because that discount applies every turn for the rest of the game.
On turn 4 you can afford either a 0-point level 1 card with a blue bonus, or you can keep collecting for a 3-point level 2 card that needs four more tokens. Buy the level 1 card. The blue bonus makes the next blue-heavy card cheaper, and you’ll often reach that level 2 card sooner with the discount than by saving.
The 10-token limit backs this up. At the end of your turn you can hold only 10 tokens, gold included, so a player who saves for an expensive card hits the ceiling and starts throwing tokens away.
Plan Around the Nobles
Each noble is worth 3 points, a fifth of the 15 you need to trigger the end. Nobles visit automatically when your card bonuses match their requirements, and only card bonuses count, never the tokens in your supply.
Look at the nobles on turn one and pick one or two whose colors overlap. Buying cards in those colors builds toward both nobles at once. You can only receive one noble per turn, so if you qualify for two, take one now and the other later.
The rule: choose your target nobles before your first purchase, and let them decide which cheap cards you buy.
Know When the Take-Two Action Locks
You can take two gems of one color only if that pile has at least four before you take them. Because the rules shrink the piles at lower player counts, the take-two action runs out faster than most players expect.
| Players | Gems per color | Take-two moves per color before the pile locks |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 4 | 1 (the pile drops to 2) |
| 3 | 5 | 1 (the pile drops to 3) |
| 4 | 7 | 2 (the pile drops to 5, then 3) |
Piles refill as players spend tokens to buy cards, so a locked color unlocks again later. But in two- and three-player games, the first player to take two of a color usually denies everyone else that move for a while. That makes a take-two on the color your opponent needs a quiet way to slow them down.
Use Reserves to Block
Reserving a card takes it off the table, and it’s the only way to get a gold token. When an opponent is one or two tokens away from a card they clearly need, reserving it costs you a turn but can cost them several.
What new players often do: reserve only cards they plan to buy soon.
What actually works: reserve the card your opponent is about to buy, especially late in the game. The gold token you get makes your own purchases easier too.
You can hold only three reserved cards, and you can’t discard them, so don’t fill your hand with cards you can’t afford.
Close Out the Game
Reaching 15 points triggers the end, but the round is finished so everyone has had the same number of turns. If you trigger it, make sure the players after you can’t overtake you on their last turn. If scores tie, the player who bought fewer development cards wins, so a few high-point cards beat many cheap ones in a close finish.
Worth knowing: you can reserve a card blind from the top of any deck. Late in the game, a blind level 3 reserve gets you a gold token and a chance at a high-point card nobody else can see.
Still deciding whether to buy it? Read our full Splendor review, or see how it compares with Catan in Splendor vs Catan. If you want more variety, Splendor: The Silk Road adds cities and trading posts.
Check Splendor price on Amazon →
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best strategy in Splendor?
Build your engine early. Buy cheap level 1 cards for their permanent discounts, aim those bonuses at one or two nobles, and move to high-point cards once your discounts make them affordable.
Should you take nobles into account in Splendor?
Yes, from the first turn. Each noble is worth 3 points, a fifth of the 15 needed, and they’re won with card bonuses, so they should shape which cheap cards you buy.
When can you take two gems of the same color in Splendor?
Only when that color’s pile has at least four tokens before you take them. In two- and three-player games, each color allows just one take-two before the pile drops below four.
Is reserving cards good in Splendor?
Yes, both to plan your own purchases and to block opponents. Reserving also gives you a gold token, the only way to get one, though you can hold only three reserved cards.
How do you break a tie in Splendor?
The tied player with fewer development cards wins. Under the current rules, if that’s also tied, the players share the victory.