'Elder Scrolls: Legends' is a thoughtful extension of the RPG world

When Bethesda announced it would host its first press conference at last year’s E3, fans of the studio knew that it meant big things were in the works. The announcement of a planned digital collectible card game, however, was not what many expected.

This year, though, demos of The Elder Scrolls: Legends playable on the E3 show floor proved that Bethesda didn’t create a mere me-too game. Legends has great mechanics and new ideas for what a digital CCG can be, and it’s likely to attract interest from fans of both this genre and this game universe when it comes out later this year.

When an RPG meets a CCG

Part of the appeal of the Elder Scrolls universe is the role-playing, the building of your particular character’s skills and play style. With cards and deckbuilding, Legends has honored that approach with a nod to the system that powers Magic: The Gathering.

Cards in Legends are assigned one of five attributes, each corresponding to a color, and decks are composed of two primary attributes. This turns into a direct correlation to the RPG-style choices of Elder Scrolls games. So Strength and Agility decks are dubbed the Archer class, while Mages combine Intelligence and Willpower. It’s a nice tie-in with both the genres meeting in this title.

The best part, though, is just seeing the Elder Scrolls world translated into card form. One of the enemy AI decks was Khajiit-centric, and both the names and powers for many of the cards reflected the mercantile and not-always-trustworthy nature of the cat people.

Double your lanes, more than double your options

Legends introduces some innovative developments on the mechanics front. First, and most obviously visible, is the two-lane board. Cards can only attack other creatures in that same lane, although the players themselves can take hits from either side.

In the E3 demo, the left lane played out in typical card game fashion, but the right was a Shadow Lane. Playing a card on that side grants it one turn of Cover, meaning it couldn't be attacked. That update alone presents an additional layer of choice in game strategy. Bethesda’s blog updates about Legends revealed that other segments of the campaign and the Arena may put different rules into play on the lanes. Those alternative rules are likely to yield funny moments and YouTube worthy clips after launch.

Other changes include a rune system. Each player avatar has five runes surrounding it, and when you lose five health, one of them breaks. When that happens, you draw a card. If that card has a Prophecy ability, you’ll be able to play it immediately and potentially swing the game back in your favor.

Again, this adds a layer of complexity to game strategy. How many Prophecy cards should go into a strong deck? Do you want to risk making that last minion attack your opponent directly on this turn or should you hold off?

It’s not a Hearthstone clone

The big question for any game entering the digital CCG space now is bound to be: how does it stack up to Hearthstone? Blizzard Entertainment drew millions of fans to its beginner-friendly take on the genre, and Hearthstone remains both immensely popular and successful for that company.

Although Bethesda’s official materials promise that Legends is a game for all skill levels, it really isn’t the most newbie-friendly. That’s just because of the complexity. Compared with the basic Hearthstone cards, Legends already has more variety in card mechanics that might feel overwhelming for a brand new player. But Bethesda isn’t a studio that’s targeting the casual gaming audience. Players of Elder Scrolls games have sunk hundreds of hours into past titles, so the idea of spending some time to hone a strategy won’t faze those fans.

For those who are experienced card-slingers, Legends is bringing some cool ideas to the table. If Hearthstone felt too light, then Legends should have more to sink your teeth into. And obviously, for the gamers who have loved this universe since the days of Morrowind and Daggerfall, Legends can help help tide you over until Elder Scrolls VI happens. 

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