For a few weeks now, all players can enjoy the open beta version of “Hearthstone – Heroes of Warcraft”. Since the developers state that no further major features will be added before the final release, it is time to dedicate a thorough test to Blizzard’s card game.
The direct entry is very easy, but we will not delve into it in detail, as it has already been thoroughly described here along with basic questions. It should be said: The tutorial is excellently staged and offers a seamless introduction to the gameplay.
Scope – Size Does Matter
For a card game, the scope is of course one of the core points. At this time, Hearthstone consists of just over 350 different cards, but each player starts their career with around 130 basic cards in double copies. Since each player deck can hold up to 30 cards, with each card appearing a maximum of 2 times, there are already nearly endless combinations possible with just the standard cards.
Additionally, there are 9 different classes, each equipped with its own hero ability and exclusive cards not available to any other class. The mage “Jaina Proudmoore” can, for example, deal one damage with a fire spell, whereas the priest “Anduin Wrynn” can heal two damage from any card.
Of course, this number of cards is very low compared to real-world counterparts like “Magic – The Gathering” or “Yu-Gi-Oh!”, but the developers promise constant replenishment in the form of expansions of 100-200 cards each – only after release.
One must also remember that cards must be subjected to extensive balancing tests, whereas in physical card games, overly powerful cards are often excluded from tournaments – something the developers want to avoid at all costs in Hearthstone.
Different Game Modes
Currently, the game features 3 game modes: In “Practice”, you can prove your skills against the “Innkeeper” and choose any of the nine classes as opponents, either on the “Normal” or “Expert” difficulty setting, with the AI in the latter not being smarter, but simply having a better card deck. Disappointingly, the Innkeeper plays exceptionally poorly. Many moves leave even newcomers puzzled, and one often wonders:
[pull_quote_center]Why did he sacrifice all three minions when he only needed to use one?[/pull_quote_center]
To internalize the basic principles of the game, this mode is definitely more helpful, but one should not memorize too many moves – many are simply not a good choice.
In the “Play” mode, you will spend most of your time, here you compete against other human players in either ranked or unranked matches. In both variations, the “Battle.net matchmaking” attempts to assign you opponents who are approximately matched to your own strength – solid, as you would expect from other Blizzard games. Why this can sometimes lead to frustration will be explained further below.
“The Arena” is the last game mode and the entry must be purchased anew for each round, either for 150 gold coins or real money; currently, one round costs €1.79.
Unlike the previously mentioned modes, you get a random selection of three heroes to choose from. Once that is done, you are presented with 30 sets of 3 cards, from which you select one each time until your deck is complete. The conventional limits do not apply here; if the game gives you the same card three, four, or even five times, you can pick it without hesitation – your opponents will surely be surprised.
After that, you’ll play against other Arena visitors until you either win 12 times or lose 3 times – with good performance, you even get your entry fee back in gold, and with a very good performance (9 wins or more), you even get multiple times that amount; in any case, you will receive at least one pack, even with no wins.
Collectible Card Game?
Unlike “Trading Card Games”, Hearthstone is a “Collectible Card Game”. Ultimately, this difference only means that cards cannot be traded with other players; therefore, only you can expand your collection, and if you receive a rare card for the third time, then unfortunately that’s just bad luck and you have to keep it – or disenchant it.
The decision to bind all cards to the player is certainly also related to the fact that it is a free-to-play game, and if cards were tradeable, then all players would probably quickly have all cards – who would still think to use the shop? Furthermore, the satisfaction factor is much higher when you finally pull the legendary “Sylvanas Windrunner” from a pack than if a good friend simply gave it to you.
The Ranking System – A Troubling Matter
Blizzard has decided to introduce a ranking system. All players start at rank 25 (“Leper Gnome”) and can work their way up to rank 0 (“Legend”). With each win, you earn a star, and each loss costs one, so a positive win rate must be maintained to rank up. This system currently has more disadvantages than advantages.
Many players achieve a good rank and then decide, out of fear of demotion, not to play for the rest of the season. But speaking of seasons: At the beginning of each month, your performance is reset, and all players start again at rank 25 – completely independent of whether they were previously at “Legend” or never made it past the lowest rank.
Unfortunately, this leads to the situation where, at the beginning of a new month, professionals play against complete beginners, which becomes a frustrating experience for both sides. Newcomers might be completely discouraged at the start of each season since no one likes to keep losing right after they have just been released from the tutorial. Therefore, anyone looking to get into the game should at least wait until the 10th of the month – or have a thick skin.
Pay2Win?
It cannot be denied that as a newcomer, one can gain a massive theoretical advantage by investing a lot of money in card purchases right at the beginning, as one then has a larger card pool and can recreate many familiar decks. At the same time, it is also true that experience and skill make up a large part of winning chances, and players who do not invest any money can open a pack every 1-2 days – with a bit of skill in the Arena, even significantly more.
If you play intensively for two to three weeks, you will catch up to most players and begin to record significant success on your own. We created a new account for this purpose and played; after about nine days, we are at rank 12 and have already acquired 2 legendary cards and opened 17 packs – without spending a cent.
Therefore, it can be said: Especially at the beginning, one can indeed have an advantage by buying cards, but with increasing playtime, that advantage becomes smaller. Moreover, the perceived value of a card is certainly much higher when you worked hard to earn it.
Conclusion – Lots of Fun
Hearthstone benefits from many different aspects. On one hand, it can be played on tablets and, soon, on some smartphones; on the other hand, a round typically lasts no longer than 15 minutes, so a game can easily be fit into a streetcar ride – or in a boring lecture.
In addition, there is a high long-term motivation due to many unlockable cards and the typical “Warcraft” atmosphere, which can really be found at every corner – even the different game boards are full of gimmicks and funny allusions. We will, of course, report on additional game modes, such as the announced “Adventures”, as soon as new information becomes available.
[pull_quote_center]If you haven’t taken a look yet, you should do so urgently, as there is currently no better pastime, both for short breaks and for long, sleepless nights.
The game can be downloaded for free and played in English here: http://eu.battle.net/hearthstone/en/
