We played Elder Scrolls Online: The High Isle - Early

It's been almost 30 years since The Elder Scrolls appeared on the gaming scene. TES: Arena has set the direction that major Elder Scrolls games will follow in the future: an open world full of adventure, many factions to join, a variety of activities… The title that came after the Arena tried to expand that formula in many ways, and The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) switched it to the MMORPG genre format.

It’s been eight years since ESO saw the light of day, and during that time it has received a host of expansions, and High Isle is the latest expansion to arrive in early June. We could have played it a bit earlier so now we reveal to you what awaits you in this island expansion.

The High Isle has prepared two new, large islands: the title High Isle and Amenos. High Isle is home to Breton - bureaucrats, wealthy individuals, and their families. Every place on the island is inspired by the most beautiful aspects of the Middle Ages, from castles to sunflower fields - and everything is completely subordinated to the idyll. Amenos Island, on the other hand, is the complete opposite of High Isle, a place inhabited by political refugees and criminals, while the jungle worries that those who do not succumb to that rule will disappear.

The social order of Breton and the dynamics between the two islands will come to the fore during the main quest as it will focus on political intrigue. This is a welcome change from previous expansions, where the threat has always been some overwhelming force that wants to destroy the world. Along with the main quest, I spent six hours during which the game managed to tell the political battle between Steadfast and the Ascendant Order, where it was not always clear who were the positives and who were the negatives. Of course, in addition to the main quest, there are also a bunch of new side quests that will complete the expansion.

Exploring new islands you will be able to come across two new companions and their quests. The first is the mischievous Khajit sorceress Ember, whom you will help clean up the mess she made with her spells. The other is Isobel Velois, a knight whom you help to complete three tasks so that one of her wishes can be fulfilled. This expansion brings something new for players who want to play with the whole society. For them, it is intended to clean volcanic valves filled with lava creatures, which range from fire lizards to giant lava. With High Isle comes a new trail for 12 players in which we attack the island of the pirate queen intending to remove her from the throne, and her companions will try to stop us. The trail will have three main enemies, and each will require a different approach.

The main star of The High Isle expansion will be a new card game called Tales of Tribute. Every card game involves collecting cards, and often such a process is time-consuming or difficult. But ESO has taken a different approach - only collecting environmental research will be needed to collect tickets, which is the main thing of the game anyway, and finding tickets shouldn't take too much time. Once you’ve collected the cards, the best part comes: sitting at a table, choosing a deck, and playing cards.

At the beginning of each round, four sponsors are selected who will be able to be activated once per move during the game. The opponent and your deck mix and go to the middle, leaving you with only basic cards that give you only one of two springs, coins, and power. Only then are five basic cards drawn, and the first move can begin.

If you have enough resources, you can buy midfield tickets or activate one of the four sponsors during your move. Purchased and used tickets then, go to the cooldown pile, and at the end of the turn, go back to your deck so that they can be used again later. Each card also has a certain color through which it will be able to earn additional bonuses for example if you discard three blue cards in one move you get bonus coins.

Certain cards will give you prestige points that will be key to winning. They don't do anything by themselves, but once one of the players reaches 40 prestige points - the victory is his. To make the situation even more interesting, Tales of Tribute has another way to win. Each of the sponsors will have a reputation for both players, which is neutral for both at the beginning of the game. When one player uses the power of a sponsor, his reputation with that sponsor becomes higher while the other player decreases. If a player uses the power of a sponsor with whom he has a bad reputation, it will return to neutral for both players. When one of the players has a good reputation with all four sponsors - he wins.

All of this over text may seem complicated, but it’s very intuitive, and a marked board will ensure that learning goes as smoothly as possible. Tales of Tribute will have something for everyone: fans of PvE gaming will be able to play cards against many NPCs around the world, while slightly more competitive players will be able to fight each other for their place on the table. Honestly, it amazes me that this kind of idea hasn’t been implemented in multiple MMORPGs because it can fit into almost any world.

It seems to us that The High Isle will be an interesting addition for existing Elder Scrolls Online fans. Although this is the sixth expansion in a row, in addition to the expected content, it will bring some nice additions that we did not expect, and for the first time, it will allow fans to get to know Breton and their culture better. On top of all that there are the Tales of Tribute, for which it will be interesting to see what reactions it will get once the expansion becomes available, June 6 for PC and June 21 for consoles.