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Review: Legends of Norrath
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Legends of Norrath is an online trading card game based on the Everquest and Everquest 2 universes. The game is playable as a standalone card game, but also integrates very well with the Everquest MMORPGs. For most of the review I will refer to Everquest 2, since that is the game we used to test out these items. If you are an Everquest player, just ignore the '2' - loot cards, etc. are available for classic Everquest as well.
Legends of Norrath is a free download, much like the other Sony Online Entertainment card game offerings, such as the Stargate Trading Card Game. You can get started with a small starter deck for free, but if you want to take part in tournaments, or enjoy the advanced features of the game, you will need to buy a few cards.
If you're the kind of person who enjoys offline TCGs such as Magic: The Gathering, then you will enjoy the whole stable of SOE card games - Stargate was a little trimmed down rule wise, but Legends of Norrath is much more in depth. Newcomers to the TCG genre will also find that the game has a lot to offer, as the tutorial campaign takes you through everything from the basics of the rules to in-depth strategies, and has you enjoying a full game in no time.
The game is very easy to learn, and as you play, valid cards are highlighted, and it is always clear what phase you are in, so it's easy to figure out what's going on.
A game of Legends of Norrath is in many ways a lot like an Everquest or Everquest 2 play session. Each player has an Avatar - a main character, that belongs to one of the major archetypes (for example a Fighter or a Mage) - each archetype has access to different cards, and has their own strengths and weaknesses.
You can go on quests, or attack your opponents avatar. The game is played on an alternating, turn based system - each player can perform certain actions depending on the phase, then gives control to the other player. The game can be won by defeating the opposing avatar, or being the first to complete four quests.
The cards are all very well themed – with lots of references to Everquest and Everquest 2 Lore. Just like a physical trading card, the cards have some lovely illustrations on them, and quotes relating to what the card does. It's quite easy to get distracted when browsing through your hand, and end up just reading each of the cards - especially if you're a player of the MMOs, and interested in the lore behind them.
The game is divided into several phases - the 'ready phase' is where the computer resets all the cards you have in play but have used, or 'exerted', as it is called in this game. After this is the quest phase – each quest has a difficulty level, and to beat the quest you have to play ability cards that match that level = you don't have to play all those cards in one go, though, you can do it over the course of several turns = so if you are attempting a level four quest, you can play two sets of level two abilities on the quest in order to defeat it.
There is also the 'main' phase, where you can use 'unit' cards to attack your opponent's avatar, or to attack units your opponent has in play. You play these cards on to the play field for a particular quest, and your opponent can send their own units on to that field to attack your units. Each unit has an attack rating, and a defence rating, as well as a health bar. Equipment, such as swords and shields, can add to the attack or defence ratings of those units. You can exert more than one unit at a time, and if the combined attack rating of any units you are exerting, plus the equipment you are using, adds up to more than the defence rating of the other player's units and equipment, then you win the combat, and can do damage to your opponent. When a unit runs out of health, it is destroyed.
Both players can be attempting a quest at the same time, but when one player completes a quest, it is removed from the board, and replaced by a new quest. Ability points that were counted towards an old quest do not carry over, so it is wise to save your abilities if you don't think you can beat your opponent to completing a particular quest.
The build of your deck is very important - everyone gets a basic starter deck, and you can build up your deck with booster packs.
You can play casual games against players, or you can practice against an AI opponent. There are also single player scenarios that have their own story lines and a variety of enemies with specially designed decks. I enjoy playing through the scenarios 'in the background' while I'm working - there is no time limit for turns in the single player games, so you can just take a turn when you have some free time - it's a good way to get your Everquest fix during the day.
The real stroke of genius with this game isn't the cards, or the quests, it's the way the two games interact. Inside Everquest 2, you can challenge other players to a game of Legends of Norrath, the game will launch and take you to a match lobby, while your avatar remains in Everquest 2 itself. When you leave the card game, you're returned straight to your Everquest 2 character. Sometimes launching the card game from within Everquest 2 is a little flaky and the game fails to connect to the server - I'm not sure if that's a common issue, but it's only a minor inconvenience, and if you launch the game manually and then try to join up with the other player it works fine.
You can loot booster packs for Legends of Norrath inside Everquest 2 - they are fairly rare, but there are opportunities to loot them at a wide range of levels, with people claiming to have seen them drop from almost anything in the game. It's theoretically possible to build an entire custom deck for free, if you're willing to spend the time looking for them. If you aren't that patient, you can buy booster packs for real life money - a pack of 15 random cards is GBP1.99, so it's easy to get started building your digital deck.
As well as looting booster packs in Everquest 2, you can get 'loot cards' in Legends of Norrath that can be redeemed inside Everquest 2. These cards range from experience boosting potions, to house decorations, clothing, and shapeshifting items. Even the more common loot cards are still a great conversation starter. They're in high demand, so if you don't fancy one of the in-game items, you can probably trade it inside Legends of Norrath for some extra cards to make a nice powerful deck.
The items you loot in each game are tied to your Sony Station account, so redeeming items is effortless - redeeming a loot card, for example is just a matter of selecting it in your collection, clicking 'redeem', then logging in the Everquest 2 character you would like to have that item, and typing /claim.
The Legends of Norrath trading card game is a very good game, and it is easy for a new player to get started if they sit through the tutorial - it does take some time to learn - I had to play the tutorial, play the first scenario, then go through the tutorial again to fully understand the game, and I speak as someone who has spent a lot of time playing traditional TCGs. That said, there's plenty of offline options - the scenarios introduce you to lots of different kinds of decks - ones designed for questing exclusively, or killing avatars, or just defending and winning by attrition, for example. If you play through all the scenarios, you should have a strong understanding of the game.
Building a deck is a little daunting, but I think that's down to the computer interface rather than any flaw with the game. Your cards are laid out in a nice collection that you can page through to see what you have, and mark out which cards you want more of, and as you build your deck you can filter your collection – to see only 'Ability' cards, or 'Quest' cards, for example. The deck builder doesn't give you too much guidance, however, so it can take a while to figure out what goes in to a strong deck.
Raid play, and tournament play is something that a new player may struggle in at first - there are many people with huge collections of cards and carefully designed decks - a starter deck up against those would struggle, but that is true of everything - would you go to Realm vs Realm combat in Camelot with quest gear, or the arena in World of Warcraft in random greens? The same answer should apply here - you need to build a good deck, and practice a little, before facing other players.
So, in conclusion, Legends of Norrath is one of those 'fairly quick to learn, a lifetime to master' games. As a stand alone card game it has a lot going for it, and the structured scenarios are very satisfying to complete, and when you're ready for a real challenge, there are lots of tournaments, with nice prizes for the winners. Trading card game fans, and Everquest fans, will both find a lot of enjoyment from this game.
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