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I really love the Elder Scrolls series.
Elder Scrolls games have always been complex RPGs with interesting quests, immersive worlds.
And the series of stories that let's you become the toughest, scariest badass in the known realm.
I've been playing Elder Scrolls games since Dagger Fall, when I was first able to independently work a PC.
When Sky Rim was released I was a university student and every spare second I didn't absolutely have to be else where I was Playing this game.
That's the real world elsewhere, not [UNKNOWN] real elsewhere.
I was even cautiously optimistic about the arrival of Elder Scrolls online but the way its MMO transformation squashed my fantasy of being [UNKNOWN] 's one and only hero Trying to kill the sun for me.
Now we've got the Beta for Elder Scrolls: Legends, a Heartstone-esque online card game, and I'm here to answer the question, does Elder Scrolls: Legends have any appeal to fans of the Elder Scrolls franchise?
I've briefly played Hearthstone and dabbled with Magic: The Gathering, but not since Might & Magic's addictive and excellent Arcomage, has a card game really grabbed my attention.
Here's the basics of the Legends beta.
The matches take place within a couple of lanes on the playing table.
These can be affected by different statuses like wind Which randomly moves the card to another lane at the end of the turn.
You can only attack creatures in the same lane as you or the other player.
There's a room system that gives you cards as you take damage which is sort of an equalizer and you can build decks that range from 50 to 70 cards.
There's also an opportunity to upgrade cards as you go to make them stronger.
But let's talk about the draw cards for Elder Scrolls fans.
Is not totally extended.
To begin with you actually get to pick from ten familiar races when you start.
And the race you pick affects the kind of cards you'll unlock later on.
For example northern will likely pick an incentive card.
You will however collect all sorts of decks from other races as you play.
You'll recognize a bunch of familiar faces on the cards and hear soundbites from the series, including a guard who used to be an adventurer like you.
I used to be an adventurer like you.
There's also familiar foes like Daydra and callbacks to everybody's least
Favorite racist faction the old and merry Dominion.
One of Bethesda's selling points to Elder Scrolls fans has been that the full story mode is framed through the completion of quests.
To this, I'll say, sort of.
What happens is you'll fight each chapter arc Contextualized, a roam in the forest will lead you to facing off against a deck filled with wolf cards, and a confrontation on the high seas will have you battling against pirate cards.
Occasionally legends get closer to the vibes of the main series as your offered a moral choice related to the story.
For example, whether you want to execute or spare a bandit who attacked you.
Where this fails is that you're actually electing which card you want with this choice.
Generally, I choose paragon options, but the card offered up for the kill option was way better.
So bye-bye bandit.
The next time it asks me whether to adopt or abandon a baby wolf, I ignored the good card and I adopted the little bugger because I'm only human, or in this case, dark Elven.
At this stage the choice only appears to have an impact on your deck, and not the way the story progresses The cut scenes between chapters that explain where you're headed next and why enhance the feeling that you're making progress through the plot.
That said, enhancing isn't quite the same as capturing that feeling.
At the end of the day, this is first and foremost a card game, and no amount of Elder Scrolls fandom is going to get you through it If you don't have at least a little love for the digital card game genre.
I personally felt the dialogue to be super cheesy, and the story mildly involving.
But for what it's offering, Legends is the most enjoyable when it capitalizes on its core mechanics, like lanes and tactical decision making.
With minor injections of more complicated features, like status effects and new Card abilities that make you alter your tactics.
It is always satisfying to watch a board turning in your favor.
You will definitely find yourself smirking here and there because you got that reference or remember that character.
But if building decks and engaging in turn based card warfare isn't your thing you may want to hold out until the Elder Scrolls six.
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