With the upcoming launch of The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road and Update 42 (arriving on PC/Mac June 3 and June 18 for Xbox and PlayStation consoles), an all-new patron is joining the roster in Tales of Tribute: Saint Alessia. We reached out to one of the developers of Tamriel’s popular card game, Senior Systems Designer John Carlson, to learn more about the design and mechanics of this latest set.
Hello, John! What kind of experience might a player expect while playing the new Alessia deck?
John: With Alessia, players should look forward to piloting a deck composed almost entirely of agents with “Choice” abilities. This should result in a strategic play experience with lots of incremental advantages.
Priestess of the Eight
Could you break down the features and mechanics being introduced with the new Saint Alessia cards?
John: Saint Alessia introduces the first-of-their-kind agent cards with Choice abilities to the game. Each turn an agent remains in play, you may pick from one of two different abilities.
To ensure that Alessia’s opponents aren’t completely overwhelmed against an onslaught of agents, we’ve also included a new ability titled “Knock Out All” which, as its name implies, KOs all agents currently in play. Be warned: this will also include your own!
Ayleid Defector
This patron offers an abundance of choice for various scenarios. What would you say your design goals were when approaching this new set?
John: We wanted to provide players with more varieties of agent cards that weren’t “KO-on-sight” level threats. Many agents from other patron decks must be removed the turn they are played to prevent falling behind.
Most of Saint Alessia’s agents are easier to remove and have smaller effects. As the player gradually amasses several agents together, the army begins to pose a significant threat.
Whitestrake Ascendant
Aha, this deck’s strength lies in numbers! Tell us, throughout playtesting, which patrons have you found to be Saint Alessia’s strongest and weakest matchups? Additionally, are there any patrons she pairs particularly well with?
John: Like I said, Alessia’s agents are easy to pick off one at a time, so patrons with excessive amounts of power such as Saint Pelin and Hermaeus Mora can take them out while racing ahead.
To compensate for this shortcoming, Saint Alessia players might consider tagging in Rajhin for some durable agents with taunt. I also recommend teaming up with Druid King to make use of their agents with trigger abilities to clench out the win.
Morihaus, the Archer
What was it about Saint Alessia that made her the perfect choice for this new deck’s patron?
John: Saint Alessia has long been a fan favorite, and with the latest Chapter taking place in the southern region of Cyrodiil known as West Weald, we felt this was the perfect opportunity to show the Mother of the Empire the love she deserves.
Soldier of the Empire
Before we part ways, can you remind players how they might acquire the full Tales of Tribute set?
John: Players must fully explore the new West Weald zone and combine all five fragments to unlock the complete deck. Good luck!
We’d like to thank John for taking the time to discuss this forthcoming update to Tales of Tribute! As John mentioned, you can come across scattered fragments of the new Saint Alessia set by adventuring throughout the bountiful countryside of West Weald during the upcoming Gold Road Chapter.
Are you prepared to build up your army of agents and overwhelm opponents with the Queen of Stars’ righteous might? Let us know via X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook!
The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road arrives for PC/Mac on June 3, 2024, and for Xbox and PlayStation consoles on June 18, 2024. Pre-purchase Gold Road now to receive unique bonus rewards at launch and immediate access to the Welkyndstone Ruins Wolf mount.
