Hearthstone is simply too expensive for many fans. Furthermore, this time so many cards are being removed as never before.
The year 2019 for Hearthstone will be exciting. Because the card game is inevitably facing some major changes that will not only bring joy to the players.
Hearthstone has never lost so many cards
With the release of the first expansion in 2019, Hearthstone will lose the expansions from 2017. This means that cards from “Knights of the Frozen Throne”, “Goblins & Gnomes” as well as “Journey to Un’goro” will no longer be playable in Standard mode. They will only be available in the “wild” game mode.
Players of Hearthstone are losing so many cards at once like never before in the history of the game. So far, in addition to the “big” expansions, smaller adventures have always been removed, which included fewer cards and were comparatively cheaper to acquire.
2017 is the first year in which three pure “card expansions” are being retired – a pool of 405 cards. Not all of them have been frequently played, but anyone who has built up a proud collection in recent years is now losing nearly a third of all their playable cards.
This now annual feeling of loss is sobering and not a pleasant experience for players.
Change is important, but the price is too high
While the change in Standard format is indeed necessary to keep the game mode fresh, Blizzard does not present this annual new beginning convincingly. Because no matter how you turn it, at the beginning of each year there is not only the anticipation of new cards and deck possibilities, but also the ever-increasing price.
If you want to have a good portion of the cards from a new set to build decks and have some leeway for crafting cards, you have to spend at least 100€ – and that every 4 months, as expansions with over 130 new cards come out that frequently.
With the abolition of adventures, which were usually around 20€, the “recovery phase” in a year is missing. Basically, you are asked to pay every 3 months. Because if you don’t buy 80 or more packs, you will hardly be able to keep up in the first weeks and months. Playing with “old” cards and using outdated decks while being crushed by the new, cool cards is simply not fun.
Of course, there is a small percentage of players who manage to go completely “Free2Play” and simply collect 5000 to 7000 Gold between expansions to buy their packs “for free”.
But this does not apply to many players who only play Hearthstone occasionally. Sometimes on the train, sometimes after a lecture, or maybe two rounds in the evening at the PC. These players are finding it increasingly difficult to find joy that doesn’t need to be bought expensively. And if the base game does not provide a minimum level of fun, motivation to invest money is low.
Or to put it dramatically: In its current state, even a subscription model, where you simply get all current cards temporarily for 15€ per month would be a better offer than the current sales practices.
Hearthstone is not necessarily “Pay2Win”, but has certainly taken a significant step towards “Pay4Fun” in recent years – a path that many players will surely not follow.
What do you think of this problem? Do you also find Hearthstone too expensive and can understand why more and more players are losing interest? Or is it logical that one has to pay regularly for a Free2Play game? Or do you collect all cards only with Gold?
