During today’s High Isle Chapter Preview event, the development team behind The Elder Scrolls Online’s next big adventure had the chance to share more about Tales of Tribute, the new card game that takes away the pubs of the world. Tamriel in the storm. For insider news, we’ve reached out to several of the designers of Tales of Tribute for details on this new system.
Why a card game?
“The team is always exploring potential new features and quality of life improvements for ESO, and historically we’ve added an important new gameplay element with each Annual Chapter release,” said Rob Garrett , ESO’s Head of Game explains. “For a while, we were interested in exploring the idea of a pub game. Something Tamriel residents play for fun and, like Antiquities, can be a fun activity for adventurers looking to take a break from their usual getaways. ”
The result was an entirely new card game system, fully integrated in ESO, that anyone who owned a High Isle could pick up and play.
Build a tactical deck with a twist
Tales of Tribute is a two-player deck-building card game that can be played with NPCs and other adventurers you meet in ESO. Guarantee victory by collecting enough Victory Points or win the favor of all four Patrons at once.
A Patron is a unique type of mechanic, there are four of them playing at the same time, and each Patron is associated with a specific type of card (kind of like a suit in a normal card game). And each Patron, you earn their favor by performing different quests – some require gold while others require certain actions or combinations to be played. This is an important part of the game’s strategy, where the player must decide whether they want to focus on trying to win the favor of just one type of Patronus or focus on multiple Patrons. If the player doesn’t want to pay attention to the Guardians, they still have to be aware that their opponent can gain benefits with the Patron in order to win.
Irenio Calmon-Huang, one of the System Designers behind the new game, explains: “Tales of Tribute plays like casual but tactical turns, alternating with your opponent. “Each deck is based on a story in Tamriel that helps form the foundation of its theme and mechanics. The game is all about taking the right cards to form a synergistic deck with itself and the Patrons, so you can achieve victory over your opponents.”
During a match, you will receive cards from the Tavern that will grant benefits such as coins, power-ups, and other special abilities, allowing you to continuously improve your deck to excel and ultimately the same is to lower the opponent’s score. How you improve your deck will depend entirely on the choices you make on your turn and what cards are available in the general Tavern pool.
“There are two paths to victory in Tales of Tribute,” Irenio said. “The more common path is to earn 40 prestige against your opponent and then take a turn ahead. If they pass you, whoever can be above 40 or above in prestige after their opponent’s turn wins. Another way to win is to get the backing of four Sponsors at once — hit this and you’re instantly declared victory! ”
Choice has always been a core pillar of ESO, and in Tales of Tribute, how you play and how you win is entirely up to you.
Casual or competitive, it’s up to you
Make no mistake, High Isle will have no shortage of opponents to challenge you and your strategic deck building skills. To get started, however, all you need is access to the High Isle Chapter and complete the tutorial quest.
“You can fight anyone from the High Isle Chapter who has completed the Tales of Tribute tutorial with at least one character on their account,” Irenio said. “You will be able to challenge them to a match from your friends list, clan list, or directly via a new option on the interactive wheel. There are also plenty of NPCs around the world that can be challenged…though some won’t simply wait for a friendly match at the local pub. ”
Like Tamriel herself, your Tales of Tribute collection will grow as you adventure in the High Isle and as new content is added to the game.
“Additional decks are earned by participating in a variety of activities including quests, public dungeons, world bosses, and regional events,” explains Garrett. “You can also upgrade specific cards in each deck by leveling up your Tribute rank, completing specific achievements, and gaining clues that help you locate the hidden Tribute in the world. ”
In addition to earning new decks and upgrading your cards, you can receive exclusive rewards for winning games, completing decks, raising your Tribute rank, and questing through the story – including Includes crafting materials, gold, transformation crystals, home furnishings, pets, protective gear, emojis, and more!
Going to a pub near you
In the first installment to The Elder Scrolls Online, the upcoming High Isle Chapter will let you explore a brand new in-game card game. With an incredible variety of decks, cards and gameplay, Tales of Tamriel promises to be a tactical yet accessible experience for veteran card game enthusiasts as well as casual players. often.
The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle launches on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on June 21. Additionally, as part of The Elder Scrolls Online Free-Play Event – now available – you can download and play Free ESO base game until April 26 at 7am PT / 3pm BST. With access to the base game, you can play the High Isle Prologue quest line and begin your yearlong adventure Legacy of the Bretons. We can’t wait to see how the community embraces and plays this new game within the game.
See the concept art gallery for the upcoming Tales of Tribute card game below:
