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ESO Tales of Tribute Guide is for players looking for card game basics and strategies. It helps to understand ESO ToT and its mechanics.
What is ESO Tales of Tribute?
Tales of Tribute is a two-player deck-building Collectible Card Game in The Elder Scrolls Online. The game was released with the High Isle chapter in June 2022. The game offers a single-player storyline, PvE matches and PvP ranked matches with seasonal leader boards. Tales of Tribute focuses on resource building and features a shared pool of cards, which players can use to enhance their decks.
Tales of Tribute Intro quests guide
Where to start?
The first thing you will need to do when you want to start the card game, is to make sure you own the High Isle DLC. Once you’ve obtained this, you will want to make your way to the Gonfalon Square Wayshrine in the centre of Gonfalon Bay. The main city in the High Isles. If you’re standing at the Wayshrine, you can look south over the harbour, and you will see our destination. There is a bridge over to a small island, which is where we’ll find the Gonfalon Gaming Hall.
First Quest
Cross the bridge and you will find an NPC to talk to, they will give you the first quest to start you on your Tales of Tribute journey.
Brahgas will now help you through your first game of Tales of Tribute! Remember you can go through this first game at your own pace, so take the time to follow all of Brahgas’ instructions.
Congratulations! You’ve won your first Tales of Tribute game! You’re now well on your way to becoming a Rubedite Master!
Second Quest
Once you’ve finished this first introductory quest, you’ll be directed to the next quest on the main Tales of Tribute questline (after this quest you’ll unlock the Tales of Tribute repeatable dailies, but more on that later).
After picking up the quest, your next challenge will be to defeat a Novice NPC in a competitive Tales of Tribute game! Don’t worry though, this isn’t as scary as it might sound, and if we fail the first time, we have as many tries as we like to defeat the Novice NPC.
If this is your first character going through the Tales of Tribute questline, you’ll only have 4 of the decks unlocked, these are as follows: Saint Pelin (red), Duke of Crows (purple), Grandmaster Delmene Hlaalu (yellow) and Psijic Loremaster Celarus (blue). Read below about our detailed deck guide for more on each of these decks!
For this 1st game, let’s use those four decks. In NPC games, the NPC will pick the first two decks, and you will pick the last two decks. In games against players, Player 1 will pick the first and last deck, and Player 2 will pick the second and third decks.
Win conditions
There are two different methods of winning a Tales of Tribute game. You can make all of the Patrons “face” you (by using their unique powers in the game – but remember, you can only use one per turn unless you have a card that gives you an extra use of a Patron) A Patron victory is instant, and you will win on your turn should you make all Patrons face you. The other way to win is with Prestige. Once you reach 40 Prestige, your opponent must overtake your score on their turn, otherwise, you will win. If you manage to reach 80 Prestige. However, you will win automatically and not give your opponent a chance to play their turn.
Board
- Tavern Discard Pile
- The Tavern
- A Patron
- End Turn
- Draw Pile
- Active Agents
- Your Hand
- Played Cards (moved to Cooldown pile at the end of your turn)
- Cooldown Pile
- Coin
- Prestige
- Power
The Decks
Neutral
Neutral cards are all the colourless cards. In your starting hand, you’ll notice you will have lots of “Coin” cards. They have no associated colour with them and won’t contribute towards combos. Additionally, you’ll find Neutral “Contract” cards, appearing in the Tavern occasionally. They include, for example, effects like drawing cards, destroying Tavern cards, destroying agents, etc.
Patreon bonuses:
- NEUTRAL – Pay 2 Coin, Sacrifice 1 card from your hand or your played cards: Create 1 Writ of Coin card and place it in your cooldown pile.
Saint Pelin (Red)
Saint Pelin combos are focused on generating Power and Coin! There is also a heavy focus on agents, which are the cards that we can place in front of us and use every turn. The Saint Pelin agents also have the “taunt” ability, which means that once you’ve placed them down, if your opponent has any power left in their pool at the end of their turn, they will have to use it to attack your agents, instead of transferring the power directly to prestige.
The Saint Pelin deck is a very direct, uncomplicated way to play, and if you can get some early combos with Rally, The Armory or Archers Volley / Siege Weapon Volley, you can rush your way to victory before your opponent can catch up. The unique Patron ability for the Saint Pelin deck aligns with Saint Pelin’s focus on agents, and allows us to return one of our agents to the top of our deck, from our cooldown pile, for the cost of 2 power. This means you can quickly recycle your strongest agents, either as soon as you’ve bought them from the tavern, or after your opponent knocks them out and they are placed into your cooldown pile.
Patreon bonuses:
- FAVORED
Pay 2 Power, Have 1 agent card in your cooldown pile: Refresh-Return up to 1 agent card from your cooldown pile to the top of your play deck. - NEUTRAL
Pay 2 Power, Have 1 agent card in your cooldown pile: Refresh-Return up to 1 agent card from your cooldown pile to the top of your play deck. This Patron now FAVORS you. - UNFAVORED
Pay 2 Power, Have 1 agent card in your cooldown pile: Refresh-Return up to 1 agent card from your cooldown pile to the top of your play deck. This Patron is now NEUTRAL.
How to obtain the Saint Pelin Patron Deck
This is one of the decks given to you from the start.
Grandmaster Delmene Hlaalu (Yellow)
Grandmaster Delmene Hlaalu is all about that gold! If you’re looking to build up your gold quickly – Hlaalu is the way to go. Despite not having any cards that provide Power or Prestige, this deck will compliment almost every other deck, and allow you to afford a lot more cards to help build those combos. Many of the cards provide a lot of gold, and some cards also allow you to purchase cards from the Tavern, up to a certain cost, for free!
The unique ability of the Hlaalu Patron allows you to sacrifice one of your cards, in exchange for Power, equal to the cost of the card. This can be incredibly useful especially in the later stages of the game where you’re happy to burn your expensive cards to rush to victory!
Patreon bonuses:
- FAVORED
Sacrifice 1 card you own in play that cost 1 or more Coin: Gain Prestige equal to the card’s cost minus 1. - NEUTRAL
Sacrifice 1 card you own in play that cost 1 or more Coin: Gain Prestige equal to the card’s cost minus 1. This Patron now FAVORS you. - UNFAVORED
Sacrifice 1 card you own in play that cost 1 or more Coin: Gain Prestige equal to the card’s cost minus 1. This Patron is now NEUTRAL.
How to obtain the Grandmaster Delmene Hlaalu Patron Deck
This is one of the decks given to you from the start.
Duke of Crows (Purple)
The combos for the Duke of Crows deck are arguably the strongest of any deck, especially amongst the four beginner decks. These cards often have a “draw 1 card” bonus, meaning you can essentially chain together an infinite combo, should you keep managing to draw more Duke of Crows cards that have this “draw 1 card” bonus. Not only this, but many of the combos also include gold and power. As a result, creating these lengthy combos, you are steadily increasing your score and you’ll also have enough gold to buy more cards from the Tavern.
The Duke of Crows deck requires a certain amount of luck to be successful, you’re essentially relying on Duke of Crows cards, first of all, coming up in the tavern, and then not being purchased by your opponent. Every non-Duke of Crows card you acquire is essentially lessening your chances of chaining a long combo together.
The Patron ability of Duke of Crows allows you to exchange all your current coin into power. However beware, because once this Patron is facing you, you are unable to use it again. You can use this to your advantage though. If your opponent has a strong coin economy going, and the Duke of Crows is already facing them, it might be worth not using this Patron ability yourself because your opponent can no longer use it while it’s facing them!
Patreon bonuses:
- FAVORED
Unusable: No benefit - NEUTRAL
Pay all your Coin: Gain Power equal to Coin paid minus 1. This Patron now FAVORS you. - UNFAVORED
Pay all your Coin: Gain Power equal to Coin paid minus 1. This Patron is now NEUTRAL.
How to obtain the Duke of Crows Patron Deck
This is one of the decks given to you from the start.
Psijic Loremaster Celarus (Blue)
Psijic Loremaster Celarus is a support-focused deck. It helps you skip past the undesirable cards in your deck, as result allowing you to create better combos. The majority of the cards have the “Toss” effect, which allows you to look at the next X cards of your draw pile, and choose which you want to move directly to your cooldown pile. Whilst this won’t necessarily get you a victory, many of the cards also include gold. However, they help you to purchase more of your preferred deck!
This Patron’s unique power allows you to knock out 1 of your opponent’s agent cards, for a cost of 4 coins. The strength of this varies greatly on the strength of the opponent’s agent cards – the stronger the card you are knocking out, the better value you will get from using Celarus’ Patron ability.
Patreon bonuses:
- FAVORED
Opponent has 1 agent card in their active agents, Pay 4 Coin: Knock Out-Place 1 of your opponent’s active agents into their cooldown pile. - NEUTRAL
Opponent has 1 agent card in their active agents, Pay 4 Coin: Knock Out-Place 1 of your opponent’s active agents into their cooldown pile. FAVORS you. - UNFAVORED
Opponent has 1 agent card in their active agents, Pay 4 Coin: Knock Out-Place 1 of your opponent’s active agents into their cooldown pile. This Patron is now NEUTRAL.
How to obtain the Psijic Loremaster Celarus Patron Deck
This is one of the decks given to you from the start.
Ansei Frandar Hunding (Green)
Ansei Frandar Hunding is one of the first decks you are likely to unlock after playing in High Isle – The card fragments drop in a very similar way to the antiquity system, and are unlocked from sources all over High Isle.
The Hunding deck is quite a strong deck, in that it gives you lots of Power, should you choose it. The unique part about Hunding cards, is that they all give you a choice between two options. For example, the “Warrior Wave” card gives you the choice of receiving 3 Power, or acquiring a card from the Tavern with a cost of up to 4. Hundings cards are focused on building power, acquiring cards from the Tavern for free, or “Refreshing”, which is taking a card from your cooldown pile and placing it on the top of your draw.
The Patron power of Hunding’s deck is that when Hunding is facing you, you’ll receive 1 coin on your turn. Beware however, because purchasing Hunding’s power will immediately make him face you, even if he was previously facing your opponent
Patreon bonuses:
- FAVORED
Hold this patron’s favor until the start of your turn: Gain 1 Coin at the start of your turn. - NEUTRAL
Pay 2 Power: Gain 1 Coin. This Patron now FAVORS you. - UNFAVORED
Pay 2 Power: Gain 1 Coin. This Patron now FAVORS you.
How to obtain the Ansei Frandar Hunding Patron Deck
You need five fragments in the Ansei Frandar Hunding Patron Deck:
| Delver’s Ansei Deck Fragment | From killing monsters in delves on High Isle and Amenos |
| Diplomat’s Ansei Deck Fragment | Complete the quest “A Chance for Peace” on High Isle |
| Geomancer’s Ansei Deck Fragment | Complete the world event called Volcanic Vents on High Isle and the fragment has a chance to form a chest |
| Hero’s Ansei Deck Fragment | From killing bosses in public dungeons on High Isle and Amenos |
| Slayer’s Ansei Deck Fragment | From killing world bosses on High Isle and Amenos |
Red Eagle, King of the Reach (Black)
Red Eagle, King of the Reach is one of the more advanced decks. These black cards are mostly focused on destroying your own cards, and building Power along the way. Many of the cards are also “Contract” cards, meaning they are single-use only. This deck might initially seem intimidating. However, it can help you build combos with your other decks faster. For example, if you’re building a Duke of Crows combo, but you keep drawing 1 coin-cards, the King of the Reach cards will help you destroy these. As a result, making it more likely for you to draw Duke of Crows cards.
King of the Reach’s Patron power is simple yet effective. To clarify, for a cost of 2 power, you can draw another card from your deck. However, if you didn’t get the card you want, this patron will help you destroy the cards you don’t need. Very useful if you’re trying to chain together a combo. You are also able to use the King of the Reach’s Patron power even if they are already facing you.
Patreon bonuses:
- FAVORED
Pay 2 Power: Draw 1 card. - NEUTRAL
Pay 2 Power: Draw 1 card. This Patron now FAVORS you. - UNFAVORED
Pay 2 Power: Draw 1 card. This Patron is now NEUTRAL.
How to obtain the Red Eagle, King of the Reach Patron Deck
You can only unlock the Red Eagle, King of Reach Patron Deck after you reach at least rank 7 in the Tales of Tribute card game. Next, you need to complete the quests from Master Razhamad located in the main city Gonfalon Bay in the High Isle zone.
| The Roister’s Roost Fragment | Complete the Tales of Tribute Quest: “A new Venture” in the High Isle zone |
| Novice No More Fragment | Complete the Tales of Tribute Quest: “The Tournament Begins” in the High Isle zone |
| A Friend Indeed Fragment | Complete the Tales of Tribute Quest: “Challenges of the Past” in the High Isle zone |
| The Tribute Champion Fragment | Complete the Tales of Tribute Quest: “The Final Round” in the High Isle zone |
Sorcerer-King Orgnum (Teal)
Sorcerer-King Orgnum is a very unique deck to play. This deck is all about collecting as many cards as possible. It’s the only deck that directly gives you Prestige rather than Power. Therefore, if your opponent is stacking Agents with the “Taunt” ability, you’ll be able to straight build your Prestige.
The Patron power of Sorcerer-King Orgnum is powerful, and the direction that it’s facing can often dictate the entire game. For 3 gold, you can unlock one of three abilities. Firstly, if the Patron is facing away from you, you will gain 2 power. Secondly, if the Patron is neutral, you gain 1 power for every 6 cards that you own. However, if the Patron is already facing you and you purchase its ability again, you’ll gain 1 power for every 4 cards you own. Additionally, you’ll receive 1 Maormer Boarding Party card, which is an Action card giving you 2 Prestige.
Patreon bonuses:
- FAVORED
Pay 3 Coin: Gain 1 Power for every 4 cards you own, rounded down. Create 1 Maormer Boarding Party card and place it in your cooldown pile. - NEUTRAL
Pay 3 Coin: Gain 1 Power for every 6 cards that you own, rounded down. This Patron now FAVORS you. - UNFAVORED
Pay 3 Coin: Gain 2 Power. This Patron is now NEUTRAL.
How to obtain the Sorcerer-King Orgnum Patron Deck
You can only unlock the Red Eagle, King of Reach Patron Deck after you reach at least rank 10, a Master in the Tales of Tribute card game. Then you’ll need to find five founded of Tales of Tribute and win with them to earn five fragments in the Sorcerer-King Orgnum Patron Deck.
| Fillia’s Maormer Deck Fragment | Founder on the Map (click) |
| Linyia’s Maormer Deck Fragment | Founder on the Map (click) |
| Murzaga’s Maormer Deck Fragment | Founder on the Map (click) |
| Nhorhim’s Maormer Deck Fragment | Founder on the Map (click) |
| Author’s Maormer Deck Fragment | Founder on the Map (click) |
Rajhin, the Purring Liar (Orange)
Rajhin, the Purring Liar is an interesting deck, designed primarily to set back your opponents. This deck includes lots of Agent cards which have combos to remove Prestige from your opponents. This deck also includes agent knockouts, Tavern discards, Draw cards, Coin, and Opponent Discard cards.
Whilst it won’t help you advance your own score, Rajhin can be a useful secondary deck to keep your opponent at bay. Especially when you use the Patron power to create a “Bewilderment card” to place in your opponent’s deck. This card is worthless and goes immediately to your opponent’s cooldown pile when they draw it. This is useful when your opponent has lots of cards of the same colour, and you want to ruin their combos!
Patreon bonuses:
- FAVORED
Pay 3 Coin: Create 1 Bewilderment card and place it in your opponent’s cooldown pile. - NEUTRAL
Pay 3 Coin: Create 1 Bewilderment card and place it in your opponent’s cooldown pile. This Patron now FAVORS you. - UNFAVORED
Pay 3 Coin: Create 1 Bewilderment card and place it in your opponent’s cooldown pile. This Patron is now NEUTRAL.
How to obtain the Rajhin, the Purring Liar Deck
- Complete the quest “Tournament of the Heart” in the High Isle zone
- Complete the quest “Race for Honor” in the High Isle zone
- Complete the quest “The All Flags Curse” in the High Isle zone
- Complete the quest “An Experiment with Peace” in the High Isle zone
- Complete the quest “Blood, Books, and Steel” in the High Isle zone
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