Elder Scrolls: Legends Return to Clockwork City - New Cards And Mechanics Detailed
Learn more about the new cards and card mechanics introduced in the Return to Clockwork City story expansion.
It's been a few months since the release of Heroes of Skyrim, the biggest expansion yet made to Bethesda and Dire Wolf Digital's popular computer card game The Elder Scrolls: Legends. In that time, players have had ample opportunity to pick up the new cards and get used to the Shout and Beast Form mechanics that were introduced in the Heroes update, both of which having since become welcome additions for players of all preferred classes. Now, TESL fans have another set of cards based on new creatures as well as all-new card mechanics to look forward to in Bethesda's recently-announced Return to Clockwork City story expansion.
Like with the Fall of the Dark Brotherhood expansion that released back in March, the Return to Clockwork City expansion will introduce a selection of fresh story-based missions — 35 of them, in fact. And along with those new quests comes the opportunity to earn new cards, of which Dire Wolf has included over 55, including some that make use of the game's new Treasure Hunt and Assembled mechanics. Taking to the official Elder Scrolls Legends blog, Bethesda and Dire Wolf have given fans some first details of these new cards and mechanics, and it looks like we can look forward to some potent new play options.
New Cards In The Elder Scrolls Legends: Return to Clockwork City Expansion
Of all of the cards added in Return to Clockwork City, just a few will be based on the expansion's new creatures. These include the Dwemer-based Factotums as well as the all-new Fabricants, a bio-mechanical line creatures crafted by the god Sitha Sil. Bethesda has already revealed six of these cards over on the game's official blog: among the revealed cards is the 5-cost Hulking Fabricant, a 5/5 Endurance card that gains +3/+3 in the presence of a neutral card. Also teased is the Kagouti Fabricant, a 4-cost Willpower card sporting 3/3 stats that summons another copy of itself if the player has a neutral card in play. These are cards that reward the small number of players who like to focus on powerful Neutral creatures, and it's great to see their abilities help bolster Neutral-minded decks.
Bethesda has also teased the upcoming availability of the Unique Dark Elf Laaneth, a 9-cost 6/6 Intelligence card that draws an additional card when summoned, and an alternate art card for Swims-at-Night, the Unique Argonian Agility card that will serve as a prize for players willing to complete the Return to Clockwork City expansion on Master-level difficulty.
New Card Mechanics In Return to Clockwork City — Treasure Hunt and Assemble
Even better than a selection of new cards is the addition of two new card mechanics. The Return to Clockwork City expansion introduces both the Treasure Hunt mechanic as well as the Assembled mechanic. Treasure Hunt is something that will reward forward-thinking players, as Treasure Hunt-focused cards can provide buffs to cards drawn after being put into play. For example, the Relic Hunter, a 2-cost 3/2 Strength card, is able to buff the first drawn weapon with +1/+1. The new Ratway Prospector works similarly — it's a 1-cost 1/2 Strength Card that is able to buff itself to 6/7 after the player draws a Support, an Item, and an Action. And, in the case that the Ratway Prospector needs time to fulfill those needs, it's also been given the ability to gain Cover after it attacks.
Though these mechanics might seem complicated at first, it's worth mentioning that many cards, like the Crown Quartermaster or Ayrenn, are able to draw cards that trigger Treasure Hunt mechanics whenever they are played, giving smart players the chance to quickly make use of their new abilities.
Also new to the Return to Clockwork City expansion is the Assemble mechanic, and this one is a doozie. Cards that make use of Assemble give players the chance to choose their buffs — and not only do they correspond to the card just played, they also buff every other Factotum card in the player's hand and deck. For example, the 3-cost Assembled Sanitizer is a 1/2 Neutral Factocum card that can use Assemble to buff itself by +2/0 or gain the Lethal keyword. Once played, the chosen buff applies to all other Factotum cards for the rest of the game, meaning the third Assembled Sanitizer played could potentially become a 3-cost 7/2 powerhouse.
Elder Scrolls Legends: Return to Clockwork City Release Date And Price
Bethesda and Dire Wolf Digital have revealed that players will be able to get a hold of the new Return to Clockwork City expansion in an update that will be doled out to players on November 30. In the time between now and then, players will also be able to keep tuned to Twitch streams and the official Elder Scrolls: Legends blog in order to stay on top of new card reveals. And, as a bonus, any player who has yet to pick up the game can pre-order the bundle in order to gain the exclusive title of The Relic Hunter.
As for pricing, Return to Clockwork City will follow the same pricing model as the Fall of the Dark Brotherhood story expansion that came before it. This means that each of the three available acts will be made available for purchase using 1,000 in-game gold, and for those players who don't mind spending real-world cash, the entire expansion can be purchased for a one-time cost of $19.99.
