Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft

 PC
User Score
5.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 2373 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,045 out of 2373
  2. Mixed: 527 out of 2373
  3. Negative: 801 out of 2373

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  1. tonytopete1
    Aug 22, 2014
    1
    Garbage. Pay to win, Nuff said. Dont waste your time. You will enjoy the first 2 weeks, then you will be destroyed by retards that spend money in this game and can buy better cards. Dont play this game.
  2. Someonon
    Aug 2, 2014
    0
    Another prime example of the nowadays popular f2p p2w model. Prepare to be disappointed if you want to have fun without spending a penny. Most of your opponents will be players who pay a lot, and that means a HUGE advantage against the non-paying gamers. Skip this game if you want to avoid a headache.
  3. urmomsayharro
    Oct 2, 2014
    0
    Worst **** game on the market right now. They call this "free to play" but the game is completely pay to win . The only way to get good cards is to buy packs. Good luck trying to buy packs with gold because it will taking you **** forever to get something decent. If you have time to waste, then play this game.
  4. Sorril
    Jun 24, 2014
    0
    Completely uneven gameplay, elite cards that you BUY with CASH MONEY are completely unbalanced and beyond what you earn in basic play. Once one of these 'elite' cards is put into play at any point in the game it is over, and no amount of skill or luck will save you. Since card draws are random, you can't even strategize a way around them.
  5. Alsmir
    Jan 5, 2015
    0
    I've watched a video where certain youtuber recommended Heartstone. This game was supposed to be fun, addictive and with decent f2p model. Well, f*** anyone who recommends this.

    Free to play? Cool, lets try it out. I was a bit sceptical. I mean - we're talking about Blizzard - the company that butchered and ruined WoW and Diablo series just for some extra money, but maybe they changed    I've watched a video where certain youtuber recommended Heartstone. This game was supposed to be fun, addictive and with decent f2p model. Well, f*** anyone who recommends this.

    Free to play? Cool, lets try it out.
    I was a bit sceptical. I mean - we're talking about Blizzard - the company that butchered and ruined WoW and Diablo series just for some extra money, but maybe they changed their ways?

    It actually it is free, so anyone can test it.
    The beginnings were quite fine. Couple of battles that teach us basic mechanics, everything looks nice, gameplay is smooth. Then we get access to training battles, we get to unlock new classes (each comes with some class-specific cards), we unlock more basic cards and try to build our own decks.

    First few hours were really enjoyable. I was having fun, playing against AI, playing some battles vs other players. I've completed some "tasks" or "quests" and got some extra cards.

    Then I tried playing training vs expert AI. Turns out it means that AI just uses better cards. I was beaten several times, all those rare/epic cards make a ton of difference. Then I've tried unlocking all the basic cards for all the classes. That was a big mistake.

    It seems like matchmaker rather than looking at your win/loss ratio checks the level of your characters. Try unlocking all the basic cards (which means leveling all the characters till lvl 10) and suddenly you're fcked. I've done all those leveling against AI then I played 10 games versus other players.

    First day of playing I went 6-1. Not bad.
    Second day (after some leveling) I went 0-10. Yes, 10 losses. 9 of those games I've faced opponents who had max ~5 basic cards (out of 30). Better cards give MASSIVE advantage. I've even tried looking for some builds that include just basic cards, but I didn't make any difference. Last fight was quite ok: playing against a guy that only used basic cards - just like me. Close fight, going head to head for 8 rounds. Then he pops 2 legendary cards and I'm done.

    Long story short: I need better cards if I want to have any chance of winning vs other players.
    How do you get them?

    1. Spend $$
    2. Play the single player campaing - which costs $$ to unlock
    3. Grind gold (virtual currency) to buy extra packs

    You can get gold by: winning vs other players (10 gold per 3 wins).
    Completing daily quests: 40-60 gold per quest. 2 quests per day.

    Single pack costs 100 gold. It contains 5 cards, usually 1-2 rare cards in a pack.

    You can't complete quests playing vs AI.

    I can either pay money or grind for weeks, months while getting beaten by everyone because matchmaker sucks.

    F*** this game.    … Expand
  6. Sirik_Matak
    Sep 8, 2014
    0
    Someone summed this game up with words "digital casino".
    And that's exactly what this game is. Rule-wise it's bare bones and unbalanced beyond comprehension. The only mechanic this game has is **** you I destroy all minions" cards, which are hilarious. It could be fun for a minute, but the problem there is the bussiness model. You can't even buy decks or cards you actually want. You need    Someone summed this game up with words "digital casino".
    And that's exactly what this game is. Rule-wise it's bare bones and unbalanced beyond comprehension. The only mechanic this game has is **** you I destroy all minions" cards, which are hilarious. It could be fun for a minute, but the problem there is the bussiness model. You can't even buy decks or cards you actually want. You need to roll a dice (casino!) and count for the best, but most probably you will open hundreds of packs before you will be able to build an actual working deck. And then all there is gameplay-wise is top-decking counting to get "that" one or two **** you cards" the opponent can do nothing about. I think any other card game out there is better than this, unfortunately. Even the theme can't save it.    … Expand
  7. neemz
    Oct 4, 2014
    0
    This game looks ok but it has a horrible pay-to-win business model. Anyone starting the game now faces a massive disadvantage to players who have invested a great deal of time and money into this game. There is a serious flaw in the inability to trade cards, meaning any dollar spent on this game is extremely wasteful. This cash grab by blizzard should be avoided.
  8. RommoR
    Jul 17, 2014
    0
    By far one of the worst TCG out F2P is jip if you want to get ahead of Zoo stomps or 4 card focus decks your going to have to pay to get it painlessly then do the same as everyone else, for people talking about diveristy of the decks yes lots of cards but most are just rehash fillers with little meaning behind them just more fodder for your mindless clicking, the map is about as shallow asBy far one of the worst TCG out F2P is jip if you want to get ahead of Zoo stomps or 4 card focus decks your going to have to pay to get it painlessly then do the same as everyone else, for people talking about diveristy of the decks yes lots of cards but most are just rehash fillers with little meaning behind them just more fodder for your mindless clicking, the map is about as shallow as the real card selection but it comes with a few click animations that really pads out the life of this game as you spam click the barracks door or the troll icon or spam you emotes at the enemy.… Expand
  9. PenisMan69
    Jun 15, 2014
    0
    Pay to win, pure and simple. The "Arena" game mode isn't pay to win, but has such a ridiculously high entry cost that it takes around 10 hours of playing constructed to play a single Arena run.
  10. kyriores
    Feb 24, 2016
    0
    Very few cards are playable, which leads to monotonous and repetitive gameplay. Also, for some reason both Blizzard and their audience think that this is a TCG and treat is as such. I like to treat it as a videogame, because that's exactly what it is. They don't print cards, you can't trade cards and you shouldn't spend hundreds of dollars for virtual cards that are designed to be bad onVery few cards are playable, which leads to monotonous and repetitive gameplay. Also, for some reason both Blizzard and their audience think that this is a TCG and treat is as such. I like to treat it as a videogame, because that's exactly what it is. They don't print cards, you can't trade cards and you shouldn't spend hundreds of dollars for virtual cards that are designed to be bad on purpose.

    When they stop releasing one expansion after the other and instead try to rework some of the existing cards, I might reinstall the game, but I don't think that's ever gonna happen. Blizzard and greed are synonyms it looks like.    … Expand
  11. Tiorsse
    May 25, 2014
    0
    PAY TO WIN! there is no skill involved. just pay for advantage and luck. the game is a joke
    let me repeat my self:
    PAY TO WIN!
    PAY TO WIN!
    PAY TO WIN!
  12. sviskon
    Apr 13, 2014
    2
    + Its free.

    - Lack of depth makes the game repetative relatively quickly.
    - Luck determines the outcome of a match more often than skill.
    - Only 1v1 game mode, 2vs2 would be a great addition to the game.
  13. Interus
    Mar 16, 2014
    0
    Blizzard under Activision has turned from a company that creates stories and experiences into a company that exploits the worst of the human condition by turning their games into virtual casinos. Hearthstone folows the same formula WoW and the Diablo series, by providing flashy, happy graphics and glittering interfaces interfaces (remind you of a Casino?) for the player to do the sameBlizzard under Activision has turned from a company that creates stories and experiences into a company that exploits the worst of the human condition by turning their games into virtual casinos. Hearthstone folows the same formula WoW and the Diablo series, by providing flashy, happy graphics and glittering interfaces interfaces (remind you of a Casino?) for the player to do the same actions over and over in hopes of a payoff (remind you of a Casino?).

    In Diablo it's killing the same monsters in the same acts over and over in hopes of legendary. in WoW it's going to the raid casino every tuesday and in Hearthstone it's play games in order to buy decks to maybe get the right cards. The thing is that it is an empty, soul sucking, life wasting endeavor.... when you get all your best cards, legendaries or raid loot, what is there to do? What is the payoff?

    They just start the hamster wheel again by introducing better cards/loots/legendaries. Love yourself as a human being and avoid anything made by Activision/Blizzard, they are not game makers, they make 21st century slot machines.    … Expand
  14. HadeEAlder
    May 22, 2014
    4
    If you like Pay 2 Win, you'll love this game. Because Hearthstone is about as pay 2 win as you can get without placing a button that says. "Click to win ($4.99)"

    First the positives. Hearthstone is a functional game that has decent flow to it. It has minimal issues with bugs and runs well on older machines. The game does have a rather kitschy feel to it, as well as a sense of    If you like Pay 2 Win, you'll love this game. Because Hearthstone is about as pay 2 win as you can get without placing a button that says. "Click to win ($4.99)"

    First the positives. Hearthstone is a functional game that has decent flow to it. It has minimal issues with bugs and runs well on older machines. The game does have a rather kitschy feel to it, as well as a sense of self-parody for the WoW mythos. The gameplay is smooth and the interface is easy to navigate.

    Hearthstone falls short in several areas, however. For example, players must either buy boosters or earn them at an extremely slow rate, made slower by the fact that in-game currency is only earned through victories. Players are started out with the same set of basic cards and must grind packs or buy them. There are daily quests, but they usually involve winning matches to gain extra gold. While it is possible to win with the basic set of cards, many of the pack cards far stronger and some are actually game breaking. Which makes a player who pays for packs far more likely to get ahead in the game. Discounting daily quests, booster packs can be obtained with gold for WINNING 30 matches. I emphasize that intentionally, as no gold is gained for a loss, essentially punishing the player who is learning or can't afford to buy cards. Exacerbating this problem is that matchmaking is quite poor, and so called "Casual Matches" are well populated with "noob-stompers" looking for easy gold which slows down the rate which gold and subsequently packs are acquired. Another problem with the game is there is a lack of balance. Priest and Hunter decks have access to cards that swing the game too much, IMO. (Mind Control and Unleash the Hounds being the most infamous.) Other classes also have cards of this type but not nearly as strong or numerous.

    In addition to this is the Arena mode which can be entered for 150 game gold. (Whereas a pack costs 100 gold.) But can be instead accessed with cash, You are given a choice of three random decks and them create a deck from card options given to you. Everything is RNG based. Then you take your deck and play other players must win as many games as you can (up to 9) before losing 3. The mode rewards you with booster packs, gold and dust depending on how well you did. If you did well you will get more, if you did poorly you will get little and possibly not get a pack. Again this feeds into the demand that players win in order to progress.

    There is also a way to craft cards using the aforementioned dust. Although it is not at all efficient, cards can be broken down using dust, but creating one of a certain rank requires the equivalent amount of dust from breaking down 8 cards of the same rank. Like everything in this game it is a slow process, crafted to exasperate the player and make the cash shop more appealing.

    Finally the game deserves criticism for doing little to instruct new players in basic deckbuilding strategies. And has a notably annoying "response" system that many players use to taunt their opponents. It can be disabled, but only for the duration of your current game and must be disabled every single time you play a game. There is also no function for players to trade cards which was omitted simply to push the P2W game system.

    Hearthstone is hardly the worst game out there right now. In fact it could be good, but the P2W model and the frustrations involved with CCG mechanics that are quite faithfully ported over from card games like Magic: the Gathering are front and center without any of the social benefits. A potentially good, game but ruined by the P2W model. Only the most diehard CCG enthusiasts with money to burn will enjoy this game. For everyone else, it's more frustration than actual fun.    … Expand
  15. Zingledot
    Apr 5, 2014
    3
    'A game lacking depth that was put in the rock tumbler so long it came out smooth' is the best way I've seen it described. This very quickly becomes a Pay-to-win game. You'll get some packs and gold from doing the tutorial, and it leads you to believe that you'll actually get a reasonable flow of cards. Nope.

    Look forward to sitting on your stagnant deck, and if you're good at playing,    'A game lacking depth that was put in the rock tumbler so long it came out smooth' is the best way I've seen it described. This very quickly becomes a Pay-to-win game. You'll get some packs and gold from doing the tutorial, and it leads you to believe that you'll actually get a reasonable flow of cards. Nope.

    Look forward to sitting on your stagnant deck, and if you're good at playing, you eventually hit the wall of people with better cards. Period. Further, because your available cards are based on the class you're playing as, every class plays the same strategy and there is a definite rock-paper-scissors balancing act going on between classes.

    The only reason this game isn't getting a lower rating is because the production is just so good. I tell everyone, if Magic the Gathering had made their computer games look and feel like Hearthstone, they would have been good games. Blizzard setup a great platform, but the game is crap.    … Expand
  16. LD9000
    Mar 28, 2014
    2
    Games like this should be regulated like gambling. If a person under the age of 18 is not allowed to gamble, because their judgement is not considered mature yet, why is Blizzard developing a virtual casino for 9-13 year olds? Sure they will ask their parents or just buy prepaid cards to buy decks. Some will get seriously addicted, as they chase the next "rush" of random battles.

    Arena    Games like this should be regulated like gambling. If a person under the age of 18 is not allowed to gamble, because their judgement is not considered mature yet, why is Blizzard developing a virtual casino for 9-13 year olds? Sure they will ask their parents or just buy prepaid cards to buy decks. Some will get seriously addicted, as they chase the next "rush" of random battles.

    Arena requires you to grind for hours and hours to get a free entry (150 gold to enter, 10 gold per 3 wins, at 50% win rate you need 90 games to get free entry. at 10 minutes per game that's 15 hours of grinding.

    Once you are in the arena, it becomes apparent just how broken it is - the "random" draft lets you stay and fight for long if you have a good deck. But you soon realize that weak decks get eliminated quickly, and you are left fighting players who are either using OP builds, or just have a bunch of OP orange cards in their decks (ex: Ragnaros).

    Introducing PVP is the driver of the pay to win system. Once you see how many people at low ranks have rare and legendary cards in their decks, the feeling of "unfair" will make you buy decks. Once you buy decks, you realize that because they give you cards for all 9 classes, and lots of common cards, you need A WHOLE LOAD of decks to get your favorite class on par with the rest of the players.

    Or you can build one of the rush decks and just overwhelm the enemy. Got frothing berserker? Got void horror? Got buzzard, hyena and unleash the hounds?

    After a while, this game made me sick to my stomach because of how such flashy and seemingly user friendly game exploits the human brain.    … Expand
  17. MaxPay
    Mar 16, 2014
    0
    Free2Grind for 100s and 100s of hours to build some good decks? Or just Pay2Win from the start? Both actually, this game has something for everybody that likes those things. I am however left disappointed.
  18. IGNsus
    Mar 25, 2014
    0
    Hearthstone is casual at first glance, second glance, third glance, fourth.... You get the idea.

    There is actually very little strategy involved in Hearthstone. You have RNG in Arena, RNG in what cards you draw, and RNG in what the cards do when you play them. I laugh at anyone who uses the word "depth" to describe Hearthstone without the phrase "a lack of" preceding it. An    Hearthstone is casual at first glance, second glance, third glance, fourth.... You get the idea.

    There is actually very little strategy involved in Hearthstone. You have RNG in Arena, RNG in what cards you draw, and RNG in what the cards do when you play them.

    I laugh at anyone who uses the word "depth" to describe Hearthstone without the phrase "a lack of" preceding it. An absolutely abysmal, shameless cash grab by an Activision owned developer.    … Expand
  19. Polarthief
    Mar 16, 2014
    3
    Critics give it way too much praise. Most (good) decks are composed of about 90-95% of the same cards (excluding class cards, which are the same among the decks of those classes), so every match comes down to "who drew what first". I know most card games use luck as a factor, but skill can usually overcome that. In this game, no such level of complexity exists. Decks are too small, no wayCritics give it way too much praise. Most (good) decks are composed of about 90-95% of the same cards (excluding class cards, which are the same among the decks of those classes), so every match comes down to "who drew what first". I know most card games use luck as a factor, but skill can usually overcome that. In this game, no such level of complexity exists. Decks are too small, no way to counterattack unless you're one of the few classes with Secrets (trap cards), it's a total crapshoot! If you enjoy games of little to no skill in a fun, casual, Warcraft theme, then this is definitely for you.

    Aside from giving the gameplay an absolute 0, the sound effects, music, graphics, and overall theme, however, are very delightful. For the few months that I played, it was definitely fun, until I realized how luck was everything. Still, outside of the gameplay, it's pleasant, but sadly, games without good gameplay get scores such as these, if not worse. If it ever comes to smartphones (and not just the iPad), I'd vote it a 6 or 7 as a Mobile game, but for a PC game, it doesn't deserve the ridiculous praise people are giving it.    … Expand
  20. Cornwheat
    Mar 16, 2014
    0
    Let me get this straight. Blizzard now has a luck based card game. They then add a random number generator to this luck based game. Then they add possibly the worst card collecting system in CCG history in which 5 very likely crap cards cost a total of 2 bucks (so each virtual card costs 40 cents ea.) OR you have to grind for AT LEAST 3 hours (Each pack costs 100. 10 gold every 3 wins. 30Let me get this straight. Blizzard now has a luck based card game. They then add a random number generator to this luck based game. Then they add possibly the worst card collecting system in CCG history in which 5 very likely crap cards cost a total of 2 bucks (so each virtual card costs 40 cents ea.) OR you have to grind for AT LEAST 3 hours (Each pack costs 100. 10 gold every 3 wins. 30 wins for one deck. ~60 games assuming you're lucky enough to win half. 60 * about 10 minutes per game = 600 minutes. THAT'S 10 HOURS FOLKS. You've got daily quests which if you're lucky take off about 6 hours from the grind. Then they give people , legendaries meaning the win rate for a grinder drops down to 30%. Then you got the fact that some classes will hands down destroy your deck. They expect you to plan for everything and your mother in 30 cards.
    Bout the only thing going for this game are it's aesthetics. OOoooo shiny colors and explosions Ahhhh *watches as 2 flame strikes, 2 arcane explosions, (insert aoe and/or removal spell(s))*
    In terms of gameplay, there is none. Figuratively. Literally. You draw cards. You play what you can since the number of options in this game is extremely limited. You hope your opponent doesn't have that card. He does. You curse at the computer and a terrible chat system (maybe it was intentional) that doesn't allow any communication between you or your opponent between 6 generic phrases. The end. I understand how card games are supposed to be luck based but the main problem is this game is too luck based and too damn simplified. The main crux being there is absolutely no counter play. None. They picked up counter play and threw it out of a 10 story window. You got what you can do on your turn and then you watch as your opponent does what he does. If that happens to be the complete destruction of your side of the field from a card he just drew from the top of his deck; well too bad (justification from hearthstone fanatics: should've planned for that). Magic allows you to choose what creature you want defending. Yu Gi Oh has trap cards. Even the damn Blizzard World of Warcraft card game had counter play. What's that you say? Secrets? You mean the "trap" cards only 3/9 of the classes have and that there are only 3 of? You can literally google "Mage Traps Hearthstone" and it'll show you the whopping list of 5 possible traps (2 of which are crap that a mage should never have) allowing you to easily sidestep these token cards.
    Which leads me to the next point. Hearthstone has 465 playable cards; about 30 of them are legendaries basically making them unaccesible for anyone but the lucky or the pay-to-win. Furthermore of these cards about 80 are useful. Why? It's the meta. All of the rest are useless. They're situational, inefficient, or just downright bad. One of the fun things typical card games do is allow you to experiment; in Hearthstone if you experiment you lose. That simple. Of course unless you go against someone else who doesn't get the meta.
    But back to the legendary issue. They are the meta breakers simply because they're rare. Rare and downright unbalanced; Now I do have to give Blizzard props, they tried to balance this. Unfortunately the way they tried to balance it is figuratively mentally retarded. They added removal cards. As in if you don't like a card you pick it out and say gtfo. Now I'm all for arbitrary death but seriously...in an already luck base card game. Now as if getting lucky wasn't enough you can get really lucky or more likely unlikely as in that card you finally managed to get out and buffed for the win now gets destroyed cause the other guy top decks a "kill-anything-you-feel-like-card". Well done except that took literally no skill. It also means that the luck based level of the game has now dropped down to the point that a 2 year old with the same cards as a professional player can now beat that player. Good job blizzard. All in all excellent work on the balance and luck issues. I do have to give it a one thought because the graphics are nice and the game is mind-numbingly simplistic. Also at least it wasn't Diablo 3 Blizzard. At least it wasn't.

    Things to make it bearable: In ranked, before a match begins allow people to see what class they're up against and allow them to build a deck. Use a removal card to remove the removal cards from this game completely permanently. Nerf the legends. This isn't league. Set the cards so a random number generator doesn't determine whether you live or die.

    p.s. It's quite sad when the signature game mode (which you have to pay to play) is Arena Mode. When literally your entire deck is composed of RANDOM cards.    … Expand
  21. sniperfoxdls
    Mar 18, 2014
    0
    No idea how the critics rated it this high unless they only played for the first hour. The first hour or two is fun, because it's against computers who don't have decks full of 90% rares & legendaries. Once you hit your first few PvP battles, you'll quickly realize that this is just a P2W (Pay To Win) money grab.

    Is it as obscene at the new Dungeon Keeper on Android? No. Do you have    No idea how the critics rated it this high unless they only played for the first hour. The first hour or two is fun, because it's against computers who don't have decks full of 90% rares & legendaries. Once you hit your first few PvP battles, you'll quickly realize that this is just a P2W (Pay To Win) money grab.

    Is it as obscene at the new Dungeon Keeper on Android? No. Do you have a chance at winning this game without out PAYing your opponents? No.

    TL;DR - Do NOT believe the Blizzard fanboy 10/10 ratings. Avoid this game and play ACTUAL free to play games like DotA 2 / Team Fortress / League of Legends instead.    … Expand
  22. Psyga
    Mar 17, 2014
    0
    The game is fun only for first several weeks, after that you will realize how stupid and toxic this game is.

    In constructed, almost everyone is net-decking some kind of low-budget cheesy rush or legendary heavy control because this game has no depth, so you will have to face same decks over and over again if you want to climb up the ladder, also, you get almost nothing upon losing, only    The game is fun only for first several weeks, after that you will realize how stupid and toxic this game is.

    In constructed, almost everyone is net-decking some kind of low-budget cheesy rush or legendary heavy control because this game has no depth, so you will have to face same decks over and over again if you want to climb up the ladder, also, you get almost nothing upon losing, only some slight exp gain which is required to unlock foil cards/hero portraits.

    The arena is absurdly unbalanced, totally dominated by AoE heavy Mages who have bunch of board clear spells to win, some say it's fun but I found it toxic after playing like a month, not even competitive thanks to RNG hell.

    Please remind that The Blizzard already stated they won't be touching much balancing issue after the release, which means this game is as good as dead.

    If you want to try you luck, just play some online-poker, and never pay a dime into this game.    … Expand
  23. maxsmiley
    Mar 17, 2014
    4
    The animations and mechanics are extremely satisfying. The voice acting is as good as Blizzard has always delivered, and makes you reminisce about what made WC3 so great. But this game is plain and simple a pay to accelerate to drain the pockets of preteens. Not worth anyones time.
  24. Stardom
    Jun 8, 2014
    0
    Although the game has potential, it is ruined by the repulsive business model. It's pay to win (constructed) or pay to play (arena), otherwise your options are to grind endlessly for ridiculously low gold rewards (3.3 gold for a win), or limit playing and wait for the daily quests. The daily quests provide more gold, but they're only once a day and a 40 gold quest is the most common questAlthough the game has potential, it is ruined by the repulsive business model. It's pay to win (constructed) or pay to play (arena), otherwise your options are to grind endlessly for ridiculously low gold rewards (3.3 gold for a win), or limit playing and wait for the daily quests. The daily quests provide more gold, but they're only once a day and a 40 gold quest is the most common quest by far.

    The arena is the most fun game mode, but it's expensive to play and too random and luck based (depending on the cards you get draft from). Also, you can get ridiculous streaks like playing several times in a row against the same class and taking the second turn. The arena rewards have also been downgraded. It's very possible get crappy cards and dust as rewards even though performing reasonably well in the arena.

    Updated observations:

    - The overall balance is pretty bad and Blizzard does little to improve things. In arena and constructed certain classes are clearly better than others.
    - There are few truly viable strategies for each class.
    - At the beginning it's possible to play for a while with basic, common and rare cards, but eventually you'll hit the wall without epic and legendary cards.
    - Unless you invest real money, it takes forever to get the good legendary cards.
    - The more you play Hearthstone, the more you feel like it's another Blizzard grinding game.
    - It's a card game, but you cannot trade the cards with your friends. Absurd.
    - After a while it becomes obvious that the game lacks depth.
    - It's 2014 and there's no chat. All you have is six lousy premade emotes.
    - Statistics are practically non-existent, although they would be useful in this kind of game.
    - Certain UI bugs persist patch after patch.    … Expand
  25. Texhnolyze
    Apr 3, 2014
    0
    P2P + P2W. Unenjoyable for F2P
    #01This is a TCG.
    You are ment to spend money in order to get cards. If you are not OK with that idea you will spend time getting wasted in the ranking plays by decks that compose mostly of epics and legendaries. Which will lead to you getting angry, irritated and feeling suffocated. And that will lead you to write a 0/10 review. I got to rank 14. That was    P2P + P2W. Unenjoyable for F2P
    #01This is a TCG.
    You are ment to spend money in order to get cards. If you are not OK with that idea you will spend time getting wasted in the ranking plays by decks that compose mostly of epics and legendaries. Which will lead to you getting angry, irritated and feeling suffocated. And that will lead you to write a 0/10 review. I got to rank 14. That was at the end of the month. Now at the start of the month i see decks packed with 4~5 legendaries on ranks 20~18...

    #02 But why does the game system match F2P players that don't have any epics and legendaries in their decks against P2W players whose decks are packed with them?!
    Here comes out the awful truth. F2P players are just cannon fodder for the players that pay for the cards.
    I don't have any of those. Had to deal with an enemy that played Ragnaros, then on the next turn Ysera and in the end Grommash...Does that seem to you like something to be enjoyable for me if i don't have any epics on rares myself?

    #03 The only chance for me to get epics and legends is opening packs. Which cost gold. Which you get from daily quests...Sorry. Quest
    ONE FOR EACH DAY...Only 40~60 GOLD a DAY. On average a F2P player will squeeze out 2 packs every 3 days.That clearly hits you in the face about Blizzards intentions.
    #04 Arena. Probably the best instalment of Hearthstone. Watched all TotalBiscuit's arena episodes. Played it once myself. Got a **** draft. Ended 5-3. From what i saw it's 45% that you get a great draft, 45% that you get a great hand and follow up and 10% that you won't make any stupid mistake. It's a great gambleSo addictive. And the 2$ entry fee isn't that high right? Just think about it. If every day hundreds of thousands people play several times 2$...AWESOME
    #05 Why P2P? If you haven't figured it out by now then lol. Because if you really want to compete then you have to pay money, silly!

    I told my friend that I'm gonna give this a 0/10. He told me not do it. Give it something betwen 1~3 but not 0. I seem to enjoy it...His words unfortunately confirmed me in my judgement. I don't enjoy it.
    Secondly a 0/10 is controversial and will lure more people to reading a review like this. This game clearly does not deserve an 88 from critics...Yeah I'm gonna bet on that one. I'm a little afraid of stagnation in Hearthstone. How will this game evolve. Are they considering inserting discard cards? That would ruin the game.
    In the end this game is clearly intended for people who are ready to throw money at it. It will be a great game for those people. Especially arena runs. You will buy cards, construct decks that are most popular in the top circles. Test them out on ranked. Disenchant unwanted cards, make golden ones. The illustrations are beautiful. The mechanics is original. The cards have many combinations to test out. Lot's of fun. great but not a 9/10...Blizzard keeps nerfing some cards. Defias got nerfed. Didn't see any rogues on Fight Night(am at S03e03). Shaman totem doesn't heal the hero anymore...That makes sense...

    .I want to to uninstall it...But maybe I'll just keep with doing dailies. Just to get a kick out of opening "Expert packs". One every second, third day...In the end for me Hearthstone is a game i enjoy watching being played like TotalBiscuit's videos or Fight Night.
    BUT IF YOU ARE A F2P THEN STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM IT!    … Expand
  26. CoffeeGuy22
    Apr 2, 2014
    3
    This is a F2P you can't enjoy without paying, first f*cking mistake. It has so many balance problems that it's unplayable (you'd think that would be easy considering it doesn't have a lot of cards), second **** mistake. But the biggest problem with this game is the fact that it's too simple, it has no **** depth whatsoever compared to other card games making it mostly luck-based because ofThis is a F2P you can't enjoy without paying, first f*cking mistake. It has so many balance problems that it's unplayable (you'd think that would be easy considering it doesn't have a lot of cards), second **** mistake. But the biggest problem with this game is the fact that it's too simple, it has no **** depth whatsoever compared to other card games making it mostly luck-based because of the lack of strategy needed so you'll be better of buying Duels of the Planeswalkers or any other digital card game that doesn't have a pay to win model... Can you tell I was dissapointed?… Expand
  27. kitano123
    Mar 14, 2014
    0
    Full pay2win game, my second match against another player and most of there cards where epic/legendary making it impossible to win. You'd be a complete fool to play this "game" as the only challenge is the size of your bank account. Avoid if you enjoy fair and competitive play.
  28. Servasky
    Mar 16, 2014
    0
    This game is rubbish. Pay to win and luck, you dont need anymore. You can turn your brain off and win win win win (paying first of course :D). Dont waste your time here.
  29. spyke2009
    Mar 12, 2014
    3
    Negative reviews sum it up, this is basically the warcraft CCG that they released a while back as a flop. Overly simplified gameplay which would be a bonus if they didn't break the golden rule of F2P models

    "NEVER, SELL POWER" Perhaps if they hadn't been so filled with greed and hubris this would have been a real contender with the other F2P titles on the market, but right now it's    Negative reviews sum it up, this is basically the warcraft CCG that they released a while back as a flop. Overly simplified gameplay which would be a bonus if they didn't break the golden rule of F2P models

    "NEVER, SELL POWER"

    Perhaps if they hadn't been so filled with greed and hubris this would have been a real contender with the other F2P titles on the market, but right now it's not competing and doesn't deserve a good review.
    They can do better.

    Alongside the financial model issues is the heavy reliance on RNG in their card design, a problem which alongside the cost was noted by many of my friends on the actual CCG's release.

    Overall due to the fact there are many documented bugs and flaws, and the fact they've had an active cash shop for months now while still being a "beta" product, I cannot in good conscience give this any higher than a 3, worth some time if you don't take it seriously, but a monumental let down in terms of potential... YgoPro etc won't be quaking in their boots from this "official" release.    … Expand
  30. DishBish
    Mar 12, 2014
    0
    So you like PW2 card games?
    Sure go ahead and play this game.
    It's fun at beginning, I mean the only fun party is tutorial. When you get into multiplayer your oppents dish out **** legendaries over your common cards, which is you can't do **** about it.

    0/10 would not play again.
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Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Best PC Game of 2014
7
#7 Most Discussed PC Game of 2014
41
#41 Most Shared PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 42 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 42 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 42
  3. Negative: 0 out of 42
  1. Hardcore Gamer
    Jul 6, 2014
    90
    When Blizzard announced they were making a digital CCG, we all expected it to look and sound beautiful, and there was little doubt that it would be well-balanced, but I don’t think anyone anticipated this level of sophistication and subtle brilliance.
    Read full review
  2. CD-Action
    Jun 28, 2014
    85
    Simple rules, high production values, low system requirements and huge tactical freedom make Hearthstone one of the best card games available. And if you take into account the free-to-play model – it’s the best one. [05/2014, p.62]
  3. GameOver.gr
    Jun 7, 2014
    85
    A fine example of a great free-to-play game. Hearthstone is not only an addictive and well designed card game, but absolutely fair with gamers that do not wish to spend money on it.
    Read full review
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