Upcoming Balance Changes with Patch 2.11

In our continued efforts to make playing The Elder Scrolls: Legends as fun as possible, we are making balance changes to several cards in Patch 2.11, which is also bringing our next expansion, Moons of Elsweyr.

The next time you log in to Legends after the release of Moons of Elsweyr, we will credit your account with Soul Gems for each copy of an affected card you own (up to three). The Soul Gems awarded are equal to the difference between the Soul Summon cost and Soul Trap value of the card. In other words: if you choose to Soul Trap the card, you will end up with enough Soul Gems to create any card of the same rarity.

Transitus Shrine

Text now reads, “While you have a creature in each lane, your creatures and actions cost 1 less.”

Disciple of Namira

Text now reads, "At the end of each turn, draw a card for each friendly creature that died in Disciple of Namira’s lane."

One of our goals is to create a wide variety of gameplay experiences, and decks using combinations of cards to do powerful things is very much a part of that. However, the combo decks built around using Disciple of Namira and cost reducers to cycle through their deck full of cheap creatures break a few rules.

First, they are a bit too fast right now - combo decks should require some time to set up. Second, they’re very frustrating to play against and to spectate. Third, they are APM-heavy combo decks that rely on clicking a through different things before the turn timer goes off, which makes them less viable for players on a phone or for some reason or another cannot click at the same speed. We don’t want that to be a deciding factor in Legends, so we’re changing two pieces of the combo (since both the Empire and the Scout versions suffer from similar issues).

Both changes are aimed at hitting the combo decks while maintaining close to the card’s original intended functionality. For Transitus Shrine, it works the same way except it doesn’t reduce the cost of supports and items. This might seem small, since most of the deck is creatures, but having to pay full cost for your future Shrines and Swindler’s Markets as well as the items that draw cards mean the deck requires more setup rather than just playing everything from an empty board.

The Disciple change should have little impact on non-combo decks using the card (like Doomcrag Warrior) while greatly limiting its use as a self-fueling combo machine. There will be a counter on the Disciple to indicate how many cards you’re going to draw at the end of the turn, so you don’t accidentally overdraw.

Lillandril Hexmage

Text now reads, “After you play an action, deal 1 damage to your opponent.”

to your opponent.” Stats changed to 5/4.

The Market Assassin deck that gained popularity after the Alliance War expansion represented a relatively brand-new strategy for TESL. While we’re generally in favor of introducing new strategies, the speed and consistency with which the deck was able to win without much in the way of board presence (and from high life totals) was a concern.

We believe that the deck is enjoyable to play against when it wins is via chip damage and controlling the board. However, games where Lillandril Hexmage deals over 20 damage all at once are more uninteractive than we believe to be healthy. We’ve changed the Hexmage to deal 1 damage per action while increasing its stats to 5/4, which we believe will push the Market Assassin deck towards a healthier style of play involving more board presence.

Cast Into Time

Text now reads, “Banish a creature.”

Cast Into Time was created at a time when discard pile loops - either Paarthunax looping with Soul Tear or Galyn the Shelterer looping with Ordiniran Necromancer – were more prevalent. With the advent of other late-game options, these loops aren’t as common as they once were and Cast into Time’s effect became more of an annoyance than anything else, as players felt like they were being punished simply for playing their cards.

To remedy this, we’re removing the “-and all creatures from your opponent’s deck with the same name” clause from the card. Cast Into Time simply banishes a creature and leaves all the other copies alone. If you’re worried about recursion (or Consuming!) then it’s still a Piercing Javelin alternative that removes the creature from the discard pile, but it should no longer be as frustrating to play against.

Hlaalu Oathman

Stats changed to 1/1.

Hlaalu has emerged as the premier aggro deck in both ladder and tournament play, so we’re making one of the Hlaalu-exclusive cards a little weaker to give other aggressive options a better fighting chance.

Falkreath Defiler

Text now reads, "Slay: Draw a creature from your discard pile.”

If you’re just trying to attack with it, then we think Falkreath Defiler is in a good spot - it’s a vulnerable creature with a big payoff when you manage to pull it off. However, as we have made more cards that enable Slay synergies without endangering the creature itself, it has become too easy to bypass Defiler’s vulnerability and having it kill a creature in the same turn.

Without this vulnerability, we believe that Defiler’s Slay payoff is too big. By changing it to “Draw a creature from your discard pile”, it remains a valuable card but no longer just ends the game in combination with Unstoppable Rage or cheats a 12-drop into play on turn six with Squish the Wimpy.

Archer's Gambit

Magicka cost changed to 3

Archer’s Gambit was originally intentionally undercosted to push building around Lethal creatures. Such strategies have proven to no longer need the help, so we’re bringing Gambit to a more appropriate cost for its effect.

Namira's Shrine

Text now reads, “Ongoing: At the end of your turn, if you played four cards this turn, draw a card.”

Namira’s Shrine is the main card advantage engine of several different decks, and right now we think it’s a little too easy to trigger it every turn by just playing the game, especially since it keeps fueling itself. By moving the effect trigger from three cards to four cards, we’re hoping to make it so that you actually have to make sacrifices in deckbuilding in order to constantly get a card out of it.

Dawnbreaker

Text now reads, “+4/+4, Slay: Banish the slain creature if it’s Undead.”

Most players use Dawnbreaker strictly for the +4/+4 it grants to a creature, but what makes the card extra devastating is if the opponent just happens to have an Undead creature in play.

By turning the “destroy an enemy Undead” clause into “Slay: Banish the slain creature if it’s Undead”, we’re hoping to preserve the Undead-hating flavor of the item while making sure fewer games are decided on the spot by its Summon ability and preserving its primary appeal: the +4/+4 buff.

These changes will go into effect on June 27, with the release of Patch 2.11 and Moons of Elsweyr!