The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle Preview - Cosy By The Fire
High Isle is the new Elder Scrolls Online expansion, adding a whole new landmass dedicated entirely to the Bretons and their way of life. If you’ve played an ESO expansion, you’ll know what to expect - more story, more side quests, more NPCs, and familiar faces. But what’s really special about High Isle is the card game, Tales of Tribute. PvP in The Elder Scrolls Online is all about the now. You’re either thrust into a chaotic war against entire armies of players, besieging towns as you roll onto the next, taking fort after fort, or you’re plopped into an arena as an announcer eggs you on. It’s an action-packed frenzy. But High Isle lets you sit by the fireside, warming up with a few strangers over a game of cards.
The systems are pretty simple, even if the tutorial is dragged out and holds your hand for a moment too long. You have gold and power, cards that give you gold and power, and a point counter. Your power translates into points at the end of each turn, while gold can buy you cards from the hand in the middle. The aim is simple - get the most points. The complexity comes in how you spend your gold and use your totems. But it’s a tabletop experience through and through, not just a video game’s take on cards.
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That realistic grounding of Tales of Tribute is what makes it feel so at home in ESO. The games’ PvP has always been baked into the story, whether it’s the ongoing bloody feud at the heart of Tamriel or even the arcade-y arenas that are little more than a Daedra’s pastime. But cards go another step, giving weary adventurers something to do in their downtime. It looks closer at the intimate moments of ESO’s world, the quieter breaks between
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