We tried The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle, the Breton part of the MMO according to Zenimax

The Elder Scrolls Online is now in its eighth year. Along the way, it’s been accompanied by expansions and chapters that, despite the entire genre’s recent ups and downs, have enriched it to the point of making it a true reference point for the MMORPG genre.

The Blackwood and Greymoor Chapters have given developers a way to deal with an inappropriate work situation like they experienced during the pandemic and learn a working method that will enable them to solve the problems of this era. The challenge is great, and for The Elder Scrolls Online High Isle, part of Legacy of the Bretons, the guys from Zenimax online wanted to broaden the horizon with a variety of new additions and creative freedom still unexplored in the series.

Let’s explore the new expansion The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle trial.

Past and future milestones of The Elder Scrolls Online

TESO, as explained rich Lambert the creative director of the expansion has reached 20 million players and is already after 21; continues to target a new chapter each year with fourth to fourth updates. This is map after map, the sixth installment of the expansions that make the Tamriel universe limitless. The goal, as always, has been to work in such a way that no player is left behind, from the veteran to the novice not intending to embark on a massive rescue journey. The episodes of The Elder Scrolls Online and the history of the series have amply demonstrated this: There are no level caps, but there are settings, stories and alternative activities the game has to offer that can be undertaken by the player at any time in their adventure. .

In The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle expansion, and more generally with the Legacy of Bretons hat, we are transported to a Breton universe filled with intrigue, betrayal, and a faction that makes politics the main military expression. It’s a different approach from the past, it just doesn’t bring one quantitative increase It will be there, but in addition to other related activities, housing development, the “quest & kill” mechanics that will accompany the release of new comrades Ember and Isobel. First of all, the most appetizing one seems to be Tales of Tribute: an original card game that will give the game a greater profile of diversity.

Exploring the High Isle and Sisters Archipelago

High Isle is, as expected, a challenge for Zenimax Online precisely because it offers unlimited entitlement in terms of environment. No reference information and still unexplored in the series, this Breton “groom” is ready to meet the more than 30 hours of missions the episode carries. The creative spirit of the team came into play from the very first concept of this new environment, bringing a different breath to the production phase. High Island It is the main city of the Systres archipelago. It is a port that tries to maintain a neutral profile despite the factions it belongs to. It is also the meeting place of nobles who want to enjoy and appreciate the natural beauty of this archipelago.

Imagine an Arthurian Las Vegas by the sea. Gonfalon Bay is the nerve center of all island activities and our hub for gaming activities. It’s the perfect profile for a city that should soon meet the High Society’s pinnacle: a sui generis humanitarian organization founded by wealthy philanthropist Bacaro Voloru to help those who suffered and those who wanted and suffered from the Three Banners War. so finish it.

In addition to the High Isle, amenos, the sister island of the latter. It has a lush forest but is also fraught with dangers as it is used as a prison for political criminals and prisoners of war and is also subject to harassment by pirates and bandits. The port is the only safe place in the area, but not the rest.

Causing the mayhem that will be created around the High Isle is a self-negating destructive group. Ascending Order. Their rebellion stems from the shadows of a city that has no time for “little more than armed bandits,” but behind their raids plots far more complex conspiracies to disrupt Tamriel’s political order, thwart peace, and allow anarchy to reign. . At the head of this association are the Soaring Sorcerer and the Rising Lord, who have no definite identity.

High Isle will add not only a narrative expansion, but a new 12-player “experiment” of similar size and breadth to Rockgrove. Dreadsail Reef. The pirates are starting to make themselves more and more present and powerful in the archipelago, and the nobles must intervene and send you and their allies to solve this problem. While the game map may seem limited when placed in absolute relation to the entire scale of Tamriel, it has dimensions similar to those of the other chapters and the amount of content that promises to be in line.

Tales of Tribute, the tavern card game according to TESO

tribute stories is the interpretation of the tavern card game according to TESO. A completely different activity from those that have characterized the game so far. It offers PvE and PvP and has a ranking system as well as a true dedicated storyline. The game starts with going to the house and starting to play, but from then on there will be a lot of quests dedicated to this discipline and you will get everything you can expect from the classic quest system as a reward. The Zenimax guys made it clear to us that this event isn’t just a simple sketch at TESO, although it’s parallel, as with Gwent and The Witcher, with no intention of doing it alone for the time being. For not competing with Legends.

The trial version we played was about a month and a half old and definitely lacked many elements, including graphical assets, adequate AI and bug cleanup. We ran into a lot of problems due to the early setup, but it gave us the opportunity to have fun with a card game that showed its potential.

The basics are pretty simple: there are three decks, one for the player and one for the pub. To set all game mechanics there is a system based on three “currency”: money, prestige and power. There are several cards, they all have a skill that is activated when played, some have one when played together with another card of the same suit. Tavernist cards have a cost that defines the number of coins needed to purchase them and place them in your deck. From the beginning to the end of the game, the tavern places five cards on the table, and each time a card is taken or eliminated, he continues to replace it with another. The table also has a total of 8 different “Boss decks”, but 4 usable per game.

Each deck has about twenty cards with similar characteristics, like the seeds of a thematic deck, accompanied by “Boss Coins”, which describe a set of abilities that can be activated in one turn and give different results depending on the situation. with them (neutral, for or against). Some decks focus on power and allow instant damage, while those in economy develop lots of coins for more overwhelming gameplay.

Starting cards give coins or power up, they can have a user membership that allows them to be used to start combo mechanics. With them, the player can buy other cards or perform operations such as drawing cards, removing a card from the tavern. At the end of the turn, purchased and used cards are placed in the “cooling-off” card pile, which are ready to be shuffled as the main deck when the cards to draw run out. all but cards Contract ActionOnce purchased and performing their actions, they return to the tavern guard deck.

Unused coins are lost while power is converted into prestige points. Some cards give prestige points directly and earning it is enough to reach 40. The player greets the games very dynamically, and the addiction to the tavern’s deck defines an indirect conflict between two contenders fighting each other to develop a strategy. providing him with the highest amount of prestige points. Actually, there is another way to win, which is to win the likes of four Bosses at the same time.

Tales of Tribute, The Elder Scrolls Online card game aims to be great fun, even if the current build, plagued by an as yet immature development state, doesn’t allow us to experience it first hand right now.