Common Sense Media Review
By Marcia Morgan
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Strategy card game is fast-paced, fun for fans.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
The Elder Scrolls: Legends
What's It About?
THE ELDER SCROLLS: LEGENDS is a collectible card game (CCG). Battles are against the computer or another player, and all gameplay is online. Players can take on the full campaign, skirmish mode, or battle foes in solo or versus arenas. Your goal is to create card deck collections based on your gameplay strategy and train them up to increase their power. Turn-based matches begin with three cards played in lanes, with each lane providing defense or an opportunity to attack your opponents' cards. You win when your opponent is out of health. Players can earn extra cards over time by simply playing or by spending real-world money on new virtual card packs. You can also customize your cards by choosing how to upgrade them. New decks unlock along the story mode, which are also customizable based on your personal strategy.
Is It Any Good?
This card game is fast-paced and deep enough for veterans, yet accessible and engaging for newcomers to card games. You can't toss a broadsword these day without hitting some new fantasy-based card game. Elves, dwarves, trolls, and more are stepping off the bloody battlefields to settle things on tabletop. The latest to make that jump is The Elder Scrolls: Legends, a free-to-play virtual collectible card game based on the hit Elder Scrolls video game franchise. Whether you've mastered all that Tamriel has to offer or you can't tell an Argonian from a Dwemer, this game has something to offer. Thanks in no small part to a great tutorial, The Elder Scrolls: Legends is an easily accessible game for players of any skill level. And even though the game is fast-paced, the lack of a timer means you never feel rushed and have plenty of time to calculate your next move. Legends tosses in some fun new additions to the CCG formula, such as the tavern brawl and pirate ships, where players can throw bottles at each other or have their cards blown around the board.
These little things help break up the monotony of a regular card game, but honestly, it's kind of hard not to get that whole "been there done that" feeling after a few games. There's a storyline for the main part of the game, but it's kind of boring, and when added to the repetition of the card game, it's not enough to keep you wanting to come back for more. Sure, there are things like daily quests to help you earn more coins (and buy more cards), but a fan of the Elder Scrolls games might feel like there's not a lot to really draw people in. Still, if you're a CCG fan or into Elder Scrolls, you should give Legends a shuffle -- you may find yourself spending many hours dealing up some digital fun.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the meaning of "the luck of the draw" in card games. This game selects cards at random from your deck, but how much of the game is luck and how much is strategy? How can you use both to succeed?
Discuss keeping your cool in a fast-paced game. What happens if you react without thinking ahead in a strategy game like this? If you keep your composure, it's possible you may still lose, but there is always a chance you can turn things around.
Game Details
- Platforms : Mac , Windows
- Pricing structure : Free
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : Bethesda Softworks
- Release date : March 10, 2017
- Genre : Strategy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures , Pirates
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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