WoW Insider

Hearthstone's January card back: Marauding Maraad

Alex Ziebart — Thu, 01 Jan 2015 17:00:00 EST

The tenth season of Hearthstone ranked play has begun. This month's card back features a draenei theme -- or more specifically, a Vindicator Maraad theme. It's a beautiful card back and a nice counterpoint to the Iron Horde-themed card back from purchasing the Warlords of Draenor Collector's Edition.

As always, you need only reach rank 20 to earn this card back. You can't lose rank until you've surpassed 20, making it a relatively simple goal.

Hearthstone's January card back: Marauding Maraad originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 01 Jan 2015 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hearthstone now available for Android

Elizabeth Harper — Mon, 15 Dec 2014 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: News items, Hearthstone Insider

Android fans rejoice, for today Blizzard's super-addictive digital card game, Hearthstone, is available for Android tablets. Sure, it's been out on PC and iOS for a while, but it's a newcomer amongst the Android ranks -- and since it's a game that's really designed for the touchscreen experience, that's definitely a tough fact for Android owners to cope with.

The rollout of Hearthstone for Android has already begun, with the game currently available for free on Google Play for players in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. Gamers in other regions still have a bit of time to wait, but Blizzard promises that Hearthstone for Android will be available worldwide in the coming days (including on the Amazon Appstore for Kindle Fire owners). Android players will get to enjoy all of the content the game features elsewhere, including Curse of Naxxramas and Goblins vs Gnomes. Anyone playing a match on Android will also get a free pack of classic cards -- so there's no reason to wait!

Unfortunately, not all Android tablets will be supported: you'll need a tablet with at least a 6" screen and 1GB of RAM that runs Android 4.0 or higher. Check out the system requirements for full details.

Hearthstone now available for Android originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 15 Dec 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hearthstone's Goblins vs Gnomes now live

Alex Ziebart — Mon, 08 Dec 2014 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Hearthstone Insider

Hearthstone's first expansion, Goblins vs Gnomes, is now live. In celebration of the launch, all players who log into the game before December 19 will receive three Goblins vs Gnomes card packs free of charge. In addition, success in the arena will grant Goblins vs Gnomes card packs as rewards. Classic card packs will no longer be available through the arena, but they are still available of purchase with gold.

Of course, this being a Blizzard launch, the Hearthstone servers have been suffering from instability today. Many players have been unable to connect to the game (and other Blizzard titles) this evening. The draw of new cards is strong.

Hearthstone's Goblins vs Gnomes now live originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 08 Dec 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Get an early taste of Goblins vs Gnomes in the Hearthstone arena

Alex Ziebart — Thu, 04 Dec 2014 20:09:00 EST

Filed under: Hearthstone Insider

Though Hearthstone's Goblins vs Gnomes doesn't officially launch until December 8, the new cards are already active -- in the Hearthstone arena. In addition, if you log in between today and December 8, you'll receive one free run at the arena. If you want an early look at Goblins vs Gnomes cards in action, now is your chance.

Get an early taste of Goblins vs Gnomes in the Hearthstone arena originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 04 Dec 2014 20:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hearthstone's Goblins vs Gnomes launches December 8

Alex Ziebart — Tue, 02 Dec 2014 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Hearthstone Insider

Hearthstone's Goblins vs Gnomes, which was announced at BlizzCon, has been slowly trickling out new information about the expansion, such as a selection of its new cards. Today, Blizzard has announced that Goblins vs Gnomes will go live December 8 -- a little less than a week from today. Those in Europe, Korea, Taiwan, and China will need to wait until December 9, however.

Goblins vs Gnomes cards will be acquired through new in-game card packs available for purchase with real money or the in-game gold currency. Goblins vs Gnomes cards can also be crafted with dust like any other card or won via the arena.

Hearthstone's Goblins vs Gnomes launches December 8 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 02 Dec 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hearthstone December ranked play card back

Alex Ziebart — Mon, 01 Dec 2014 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Hearthstone Insider

Hearthstone's December ranked play season has begun, and like every season, brings with it a new card back. In celebration of the impending Goblins vs Gnomes, this month's card back is gnome themed -- actually somewhat disappointing for those who wanted a Winter Veil card. As always, you need only reach rank 20 to earn this card back. A simple task, given you can't lose rank until you've surpassed 20.

Hearthstone December ranked play card back originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 01 Dec 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hearthstone's November Ranked Play season ending soon

Alex Ziebart — Fri, 28 Nov 2014 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Hearthstone Insider

If you were hoping to earn the goblin-themed card back above, only two days remain to do it. As the reward for November's ranked play season, you must earn ranked 20 or better before the end of the month. As we've said previously, you can't lose stars (or ranking) until you've surpassed rank 20. Until then, you have nowhere to go but up.

Given the Goblins vs Gnomes expansion launches next month, we're curious to see whether December's card back will follow the tinker theme or if we'll see a Winter Veil aesthetic.

Hearthstone's November Ranked Play season ending soon originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 28 Nov 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Deathrattle in Hearthstone's Goblins vs Gnomes

Alex Ziebart — Thu, 27 Nov 2014 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Hearthstone Insider

The Deathrattle mechanic was a major focus of Hearthstone's Naxxramas adventure pack. While it isn't the central theme of Goblins vs Gnomes, Blizzard's latest look at the upcoming expansion makes it clear there may yet be strong synergy with Deathrattle cards. The expansion preview highlights three cards in particular:

Feign Death Trigger all Deathrattles on your minions.
Lil' Exorcist Taunt. Battlecry: Gain +1/+1 for each enemy Deathrattle minion.
Scarlet Purifier Battlecry: Deal 2 damage to all minions with Deathrattle.

Feign Death (a Hunter card, naturally) has the potential to be extremely powerful -- not only with Naxxramas cards, but also with the Hunter's own Savannah Highmane, which is already a powerhouse unto itself. Savannah Highmane on the field with Baron Rivendare followed by Feign Death would result in a full board of minions. Lil' Exorcist and Scarlet Purifier seem more of a reaction to Naxxramas, a small balance to some of the adventure pack's more powerful cards, though your Scarlet Purifier triggering an opponent's Nerubian Egg might be bad news.

Deathrattle in Hearthstone's Goblins vs Gnomes originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 27 Nov 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More new Hearthstone: Goblins vs Gnomes cards revealed

Alex Ziebart — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Hearthstone Insider

We're all hyped with Warlords of Draenor, but those of us who play Hearthstone are also looking forward to the impending release of Goblins vs Gnomes. Since BlizzCon, the Hearthstone community team has revealed a few more new cards from the expansion set.

First among them is the Illuminator, a 3 mana cost 2/4 minion that restores 4 health at the end of your turn if you control a secret. The Illuminator might provide the mage and hunter decks with new healing capabilities, or give the paladin deck even greater capabilities on that front. Also revealed: Jeeves, which provides both players with continuous card draw, the warrior minion Shieldmaiden with a +armor Battlecry, and the shaman's Ancestor's Call, which puts a random minion from each player's hand on the field.

While the Hearthstone playing field will certainly be altered by the release of this expansion, we're curious to see which of these cards will actually make their way into players' decks. A number of additional cards will be revealed before the expansion's launch, and if you want a say in what will be revealed, head over to the Hearthstone site and cast your vote.

More new Hearthstone: Goblins vs Gnomes cards revealed originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 17 Nov 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hearthstone: Goblins vs. Gnomes cards and mechanics

Alex Ziebart — Fri, 07 Nov 2014 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: BlizzCon, Hearthstone Insider

Hearthstone announcing its expansion, Goblins vs. Gnomes, is no surprise. The fact that it releases in one month is a surprise. At BlizzCon this afternoon, Hearthstone Game Director Eric Dodds discussed some of the expansion's new gameplay developments in their Fireside Chat. You can see all of the newly revealed cards in our gallery embedded at the end of this post or follow along to learn about the new Mech minions, Piloted Mechs, Spare Parts, and new class cards.

Mechs

Goblins vs. Gnomes introduces a new minion type: Mechs. Not only are many of the new minions Mechs, but a number of old minions will be placed in this new category, too. The Harvest Golem was offered as an example along with the Alarm-o-Bot and Mechanical Dragonlings. There are enough new Mechs included in the expansion that you could, if you wanted to, build a full Mech Deck.

Continue reading Hearthstone: Goblins vs. Gnomes cards and mechanics

Hearthstone: Goblins vs. Gnomes cards and mechanics originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 07 Nov 2014 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hearthstone: Goblins vs Gnomes Announced

Adam Holisky — Fri, 07 Nov 2014 13:19:00 EST

Filed under: Hearthstone Insider

Today at BlizzCon 2014, Blizzard announced Hearthstone: Goblins vs Gnomes. This will be the game's first expansion -- the previously release Curse of Naxxramas was just an adventure pack.

Goblins vs. Gnomes will launch next month. It is playable from the floor at BlizzCon today.

Hearthstone: Goblins vs Gnomes Announced originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 07 Nov 2014 13:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blizzard teases Hearthstone announcement at BlizzCon

Alex Ziebart — Thu, 06 Nov 2014 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: BlizzCon, Hearthstone Insider

Select Hearthstone fansites and general gaming outlets have received curious mail from Blizzard Entertainment over the course of the last week. BlizzPro, Polygon, TouchArcade, and Hearthstone streamer Noxious have each shared a postcard which presents a blueprint of an in-game gadget and the following text: Making plans for BlizzCon -- I hope you like my invention!

These postcards, combined with recent teasers on the Hearthstone website and November's goblin-themed card back, it seems likely BlizzCon will present an expansion themed around the mechanical side of the Warcraft universe and the long-standing goblin/gnome engineering rivalry. Some Hearthstone fans have even been attempting to read between the lines on Blizzard's on-site teasers, speculating on the addition of new game modes, new creature types, and possible new hero abilities. Given BlizzCon begins in less than 24 hours, it might be best to wait and see.

Blizzard teases Hearthstone announcement at BlizzCon originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 06 Nov 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hearthstone patch notes and November card back

Alex Ziebart — Thu, 30 Oct 2014 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Hearthstone Insider

Hearthstone received a minor patch yesterday -- its major points are the inclusion of new card backs. The October Hallow's End card back was added, as well as the BlizzCon card back, the Warlords of Draenor card back, and November's upcoming goblin-themed card back, which can be seen above.

The patch also includes the following bug fixes for the iPad version of the game:

[iPad] The search field is now properly shown at the top of the screen when the keyboard is present in the Collection Manager.
[iPad] (China only) Login sessions are now preserved when switching between wi-fi points.

Personally, I'm not digging the goblin card back, but they can't all be winners. No doubt, there are people out there who love this one but aren't big fans of, for example, the pirate card back.

Hearthstone patch notes and November card back originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 30 Oct 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hearthstone on Android possible "before the end of the year"

Alex Ziebart — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Hearthstone Insider

Those of you waiting for an Android version of Hearthstone, your wait shouldn't be too much longer. The Hearthstone community team provided an update on the game's mobile development today, stating their aim is to release the Android version before the end of the year. Phone versions of the game, both iPhone and Android flavors, are further off, potentially releasing in early 2015. Hearthstone's desktop and tablet UI don't translate well to the phone, what with the significantly smaller screen size, and will be customized for the phone experience.

It's somewhat surprising that this information was shared via a blog post with BlizzCon right around the corner. Then again, this isn't the biggest news in the world -- we've all known Android and phone versions of the game are on the way, we simply didn't know when. There may be bigger and better things in store for BlizzCon, such as the possible expansion the developers have mentioned in recent months. Or there may be nothing. We'll know in a few weeks.

Hearthstone on Android possible "before the end of the year" originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 22 Oct 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hearthstone's Americas Championship deck builds

Anne Stickney — Sat, 11 Oct 2014 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Hearthstone Insider

If you're a Hearthstone fan, you already know the game is partially strategy, and partially building the right deck of cards to play with. The top players at the recent Americas Championship certainly know all about deck building as well as strategic play, and the official Hearthstone site put together a comprehensive list of decks used in the Championship via Hearthhead. Every playable class has at least one entry, and all cards are laid out clearly so you can see what was used.

Although constructing identical decks won't be an instant win in championship play, browsing through the various builds might help you identify which cards are particularly valuable when it comes to competitive play. Head over to Hearthstone's website for the full list -- even if you're an experienced Hearthstone player, it's worth checking out.

Hearthstone's Americas Championship deck builds originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 11 Oct 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Do we need bigger friend lists?

Matthew Rossi — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Blizzard, Diablo 3, StarCraft 2, Heroes of the Storm, Hearthstone Insider

This is a problem I hear about, but don't actually have, because I'm not a terribly friendly person. Try not to be shocked. But I do have some friends, and a lot of those friends are very friendly people (they'd kind of have to be to be my friends, I suppose) and they often complain that they're full up on friends. I'm not sure how one can possibly manage that many friends, but nevertheless there are folks who have completely used up all one hundred potential friends and want/need more. However, it seems they may have to wait a while. Bashiok had this to say on twitter:

@BulletCatcher02 It's something I hear tale of our http://t.co/OzS6N5CG1E team actively working toward, but it's actually a complex issue.
- Bashiok (@Bashiok) October 8, 2014

This is one of those issues that makes me wonder. For one thing, the battle.net friends list actually extends past World of Warcraft - it has to be coded to work with Diablo III, Starcraft II, Hearthstone and soon Heroes of the Storm. That's a lot of different games with different code, and WoW is certainly the oldest of them. I can imagine the limits of the oldest game holding back the development. Still, for the friendly souls among us, I hope it gets solved soon.

Do we need bigger friend lists? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 08 Oct 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blizzard highlights Hearthstone crafts

Anne Stickney — Sun, 05 Oct 2014 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arts and Crafts, Hearthstone Insider

Hearthstone's Community team has come out with a new feature that highlights arts and crafts among the Hearthstone community. There are those among the players that are enthusiastic about the online card game who are not only having fun playing the game, but are ridiculously talented, turning their creative energies to crafting all sorts of fun items after the game they love to play. This is the first of what I hope is many posts featuring the Hearthstone community's creative efforts -- and man, are these some incredible projects.

Two different recipes are highlighted in the video, a Hearthstone-themed roll cake, and some incredibly cute caramel-filled Hearthstone chocolates. What I love is that both recipes are actually tutorial videos, so those of you that want to try your hand at making these at home can do so. I've never actually made a roll cake before because they always seemed to be pretty complicated, but the video certainly has me wanting to try. Chocolates, on the other hand, are pretty easy to work with in comparison. If you're looking for creative holiday gift ideas for your gamer friends, you might want to check that video out.

Also highlighted in the post are three absolutely gorgeous crafted items. There's a Heartstone in a box, as well as the lovely candle-holder shown in the header image above. The third is a jaw-dropping reconstruction of the Hearthstone box featured when you begin the game. To check out all of the arts and crafts, head to the official site. If you've got any creative Hearthstone crafts of your own that you'd like to share, be sure to post on the official forums and show them off.

Blizzard highlights Hearthstone crafts originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 05 Oct 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hearthstone's October 2014 Ranked Play Season ushers in Hallow's End

Alex Ziebart — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Hearthstone Insider

It's a new month, which means a new season of Hearthstone ranked play is upon us -- and a new card back. This month's theme is Hallow's End. These card backs seem to get consistently better, evolving from glorified palette swaps to artwork with far more detail.

To earn the card back, you must reach rank 20 in ranked play before the end of the month. If you're an inexperienced Hearthstone player, we would advise waiting a few days before giving it a shot. A new season of ranked play means a ranking reset. Much more experienced players will be aggressively working their way up the ranks to their usual place and are apt to stomp you if you get in their way up the ladder.

Hearthstone's October 2014 Ranked Play Season ushers in Hallow's End originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 01 Oct 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hearthstone season 6 ending soon

Alex Ziebart — Fri, 26 Sep 2014 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Hearthstone Insider

If you count today, there are only 5 days remaining in the current season of Hearthstone ranked play -- and thus only 5 days remaining to earn your pirate-themed card back. You need only reach rank 20 to earn the card back. As we've mentioned many times before, that isn't too difficult a task. You can't lose stars (or ranking) until you've surpassed rank 20. Until then, you have nowhere to go but up. The impending weekend is a good opportunity to do it.

Hearthstone season 6 ending soon originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 26 Sep 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Most Hearthstone players don't surpass rank 15

Alex Ziebart — Fri, 19 Sep 2014 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Hearthstone Insider

If you follow any number of prominent Hearthstone players, your perception of ranked play might be a little skewed. Being above rank 10 -- or even top 5 -- seems perfectly standard. When you play the game yourself, frustration mounts quickly because you can barely make it into the teens. However, Blizzard has recently stated you may be better than you think. According to the stats they've released, 75% of players are between rank 15 and 25. Only 2% of players are in the top 5 ranks, with only 0.5% of the playerbase at the Legend rank.

While Hearthstone had no difficulty hitting 20 million registered players, I often wonder if competitive games based on ranked played have issues with retention. When ranked play is the central game option, the simple nature of the beast means the majority of your players will sit at the lowest rungs of the ladder. The truly dedicated will invest significant time and energy into overcoming that hurdle, but certainly not everyone. The answer isn't to give people free victories, but is there another way to keep them engaged?

If you're interested in the full infographic, it can be found below or on Battle.net.

Continue reading Most Hearthstone players don't surpass rank 15

Most Hearthstone players don't surpass rank 15 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 19 Sep 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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