| Hearthstone | |||
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| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | Pre-Order & DLC | Review |
Hearthstone is a turn-based, digital strategy card game where players fight in 1-on-1 card battles across different modes. Read on to learn everything we know about the game, including gameplay and story information.
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Hearthstone Gameplay
Hearthstone's gameplay varies depending on the selected mode, with Hearthstone (Play Mode), Battlegrounds, Arena, Tavern Brawl, and Mercenaries currently available.
In Hearthstone (Play Mode), players engage in classic 1-on-1 matches using constructed decks. The game features three primary formats: Standard, which includes only the Core Set and the last two years of expansions; Wild, which allows cards from any expansion; and Twist, which rotates unique card pools and deck-building restrictions. Each format offers Ranked and Casual modes, where players compete for rewards or play in a non-competitive setting.
Classic Hearthstone
Classic Hearthstone matches take place between two players, each using a 30-card deck and starting with 30 health. Players draw an opening hand of five cards (or six, plus The Coin, for the second player) and spend mana, which increases each turn up to a maximum of 10, to play cards. These cards include Spells, which trigger effects immediately; Minions, which remain on the board and can attack; and Locations, which activate abilities with cooldowns. The goal is to reduce the opponent's health to 0 or fulfill another win condition.
Battlegrounds
Hearthstone Battlegrounds is an auto-battler where up to eight players compete in rounds. Each game begins with players selecting a Battlegrounds hero, each with unique abilities. The game alternates between Tavern Phases, where players buy, sell, and upgrade minions, and Battle Phases, where their minions automatically fight against another player’s. The objective is to optimize minions and abilities while outlasting opponents in battle.
Arena
Arena Mode follows a draft-based format, where players build a deck from randomly presented cards instead of using pre-constructed ones. Players earn increasing rewards based on their win count, with a maximum of 12 wins. An Arena run ends after accumulating three losses.
Mercenaries
Mercenaries is another auto-battler, where players control unique Mercenary units in a turn-based system. Instead of buying minions, players recruit warbands and embark on PvE missions, choosing abilities based on an initiative system rather than random combat.
Solo Adventures
Solo Adventures offer expansion-specific campaigns, where players battle against AI opponents using pre-constructed or self-built decks. These adventures introduce unique mechanics and narratives tied to their respective expansions.
Hearthstone Story Plot
Hearthstone's storytelling approach is distinctive, incorporating both a framing narrative for its core card-based gameplay and self-contained story elements introduced through its expansions.
The base game's narrative presents Hearthstone as a popular card game played within Azeroth, the primary setting of World of Warcraft. Players are depicted as in-universe participants, with each hero representing the character they assume during a match.
Expansions introduce additional narrative layers through cards, single-player campaigns, and limited-time game modes. These stories exist independently within their respective expansions, such as with the game's latest announced expansion, Into the Emerald Dream, which covers the Old Gods' incursion upon Azeroth's parallel dimension ruled by Ysera, the titular Emerald Dream
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