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. Timeflows
    Apr 17, 2014
    4
    The game is fairly entertaining for the first hour but then you will find that it's very unbalanced. Classes like Mage, Priest and Warlock are the best and destroy everyone and each other while Classes like Rogue, Druid and Hunter are handicap with cards that aren't even capable of holding there own ground. Comparing the first 3 classes to the next 3 is that the cost of the cards are theThe game is fairly entertaining for the first hour but then you will find that it's very unbalanced. Classes like Mage, Priest and Warlock are the best and destroy everyone and each other while Classes like Rogue, Druid and Hunter are handicap with cards that aren't even capable of holding there own ground. Comparing the first 3 classes to the next 3 is that the cost of the cards are the same, but the first 3 have a large gap in damage and benefits in there cost while the other 3 are utterly weak and have not a large range of abilities. I'd say this game is still incomplete as it's whoever has the better class will usually win and it's certainly unfair for those who want to play with different cards other the being the most powerful.… Expand
  2. Aquila
    Aug 22, 2016
    2
    If you don't misplay, 100% of the games you lose is due to RNG. Its funny watching streams because you don't have to lose to RNG. Even watching streams is getting boring. Playing since late beta and doing your quest 90%+ of the time then you have a somewhat playable collection. But for newer players getting a playable collection feels like a huge mountain to climb and pay2win.
  3. 6oni
    Oct 17, 2018
    0
    even Triple Triad from FF8 is better than this
    another game that only takes advantage of the name warcraft
  4. Shperax
    Nov 2, 2018
    0
    What could be a fun game ruined by unbalanced cards. I'll break down this game very easy.

    Step 1. Go to hearthpwn.com and copy the best prebuilt deck

    Step2. go play with that same deck 4ever cause nothing else is better

    Repeat if you change class.

    Yup boring AF cause nothing else can really be tried with any success
  5. MrSesioM
    Jan 11, 2017
    0
    Un puto juego de mierda sin mas, imposible de jugar tranquilo, todo el mundo con suerte menos tu, juegas el supuesto mazo mejor del juego y no paras de perder y mientras miras como todo el mundo gana sin parar.
  6. Kosma
    Jul 14, 2014
    7
    Great little card game, needs way more frequent updates and new cards from Blizzard though because as is you will get burned out fast seeing the same cards and decks over and over.
  7. madattak
    Oct 30, 2015
    4
    There's a lot to like about Hearthstone. It's very addictive, fun, and good to play with friends. The only problem is, it is completely Pay 2 Win. If you decide to play this game for free don't expect to win against anybody who's been paying. Don't expect to play competitively. There are normally about three decks which are viable to play and have a good chance of winning, and if you don'tThere's a lot to like about Hearthstone. It's very addictive, fun, and good to play with friends. The only problem is, it is completely Pay 2 Win. If you decide to play this game for free don't expect to win against anybody who's been paying. Don't expect to play competitively. There are normally about three decks which are viable to play and have a good chance of winning, and if you don't have the cards required for them you can either grind losing games for hours and hours or pay up.
    Good game in theory, but like almost every other F2P in existence, a good theory is ruined by need to extract money.    … Expand
  8. PcGamer1990
    Oct 24, 2016
    0
    Dont ever bother with this game it is after few levels a big waste of time...Fully unbalanced money grinder...One of the worst games just dont even try it.
  9. Critical-Hit
    Jun 16, 2017
    0
    Enjoy the most f*cked up PAY TO WIN sh*t ever created. Get crushed every single time by AI which is cheating a choosing cards which can't even have. Create your own deck which is useless when you start with 1 mana point and you have 3+ mana cards in the beginning and just watch to get smashed. Then you can finally draw some cards but i doesn't matter, because your opponent has already fullEnjoy the most f*cked up PAY TO WIN sh*t ever created. Get crushed every single time by AI which is cheating a choosing cards which can't even have. Create your own deck which is useless when you start with 1 mana point and you have 3+ mana cards in the beginning and just watch to get smashed. Then you can finally draw some cards but i doesn't matter, because your opponent has already full deck and keeps crushing you like little kids toys. This sh*t game should be called "Pay to win: ALT+F4"… Expand
  10. zanlik301
    Apr 16, 2017
    0
    Sadly only vets can enjoy this game. 1st thing u have to do is pay the game in a free model so u can build a dissent deck and then u have to play hunter for at least a month so u dont have to pay more to buy the adventure and get the essential cards. In other words its a "Free" game that if u dont want to get destroyed all the time because matchmaking WILL match u with ppl that have fullSadly only vets can enjoy this game. 1st thing u have to do is pay the game in a free model so u can build a dissent deck and then u have to play hunter for at least a month so u dont have to pay more to buy the adventure and get the essential cards. In other words its a "Free" game that if u dont want to get destroyed all the time because matchmaking WILL match u with ppl that have full comp decks. So it asks u to invest in it a huge amount of money in a game that u have not invested time in since u are a beginner and for sure play a class that u potentially wont like.… Expand
  11. suede88
    Nov 7, 2018
    8
    + great gameplay
    + warcraft lore
    + superb art and sounds + not p2w, it´s possible to earn 2000 - 4000 dust per month without spending real money, good deck cost about 3000 - 5000 dust..it´s not so bad... + if you love card games, you will love HS, for sure...I´m veteran Magic The Gathering player... - single player is so hard...even for skilled players - sometimes is game bit    + great gameplay
    + warcraft lore
    + superb art and sounds
    + not p2w, it´s possible to earn 2000 - 4000 dust per month without spending real money, good deck cost about 3000 - 5000 dust..it´s not so bad...
    + if you love card games, you will love HS, for sure...I´m veteran Magic The Gathering player...

    - single player is so hard...even for skilled players
    - sometimes is game bit frustrating because of very hard ladder climbing, especially on highest ranks
    - it´s important to check the meta sometimes, new strategies and it´s good to see some pro players how they think about game situations and what decks they builds...so, the game is easy to play, but hard to master. If you´re not so much into card games, then this maybe the reason why not play this game and try f.e. Clash Royale which is much easier to master    … Expand
  12. CarsInTheSky
    Oct 3, 2020
    2
    Game is no longer fun anymore, singleplayer content is mainly the same "play this deck we made for you" or dungeon run.

    There are too many cards to keep up with all the time, requiring regular players to keep buying the next expansion prepurchase megapacks to even have a competitive chance to play with others at the same skill level since every expansion ups the ante of stronger cards.    Game is no longer fun anymore, singleplayer content is mainly the same "play this deck we made for you" or dungeon run.

    There are too many cards to keep up with all the time, requiring regular players to keep buying the next expansion prepurchase megapacks to even have a competitive chance to play with others at the same skill level since every expansion ups the ante of stronger cards.

    Battlegrounds is even worse, considering you have to pay for a pass, each expansion, just to get 2 extra heroes to find at the start when clearly there are heroes with high winrate percentages.

    Been playing this game for 3 years and now its apparent that hearthstone is an easy cashgrab for blizzard while they only do updates when they want to instead of on the spot.

    The game has changed a lot since the start, no longer are you creating decks just for fun and trying things out, everyone is looking for the competitive advantage and will play whatever highest winrate decks appear on vicious syndicate every week.    … Expand
  13. joglow
    May 16, 2022
    8
    It did not fail me to entertain. What else can we expect from this game? You did not marry it, did you?
  14. MissIndica
    Jul 3, 2022
    2
    The only reason this gets a 2/10 is because the artwork and sound are on point for a game like this. However, everything else is just flaming Pay-to-Win garbage.

    If you're not willing to open up your wallet, you aren't going win a single game or have fun. This game will remind you every time you play that you haven't given an appropriate tithe to corporate overlords. Also the game is    The only reason this gets a 2/10 is because the artwork and sound are on point for a game like this. However, everything else is just flaming Pay-to-Win garbage.

    If you're not willing to open up your wallet, you aren't going win a single game or have fun. This game will remind you every time you play that you haven't given an appropriate tithe to corporate overlords. Also the game is horribly unbalanced. You HAVE to have certain cards for certain classes otherwise you're just going to waste your time and sanity. And how do you get those cards? Money, of course!

    Another disgusting practice is this battlepass system that replaced the old daily system. You can't do **** with it if you can't win games, thus you are back to square one of "give us money, now."

    Just save yourself the headache and pass on this. Flushing money down the toilet would be a more thrilling experience than this game.    … Expand
  15. TerryMI
    Sep 4, 2022
    0
    I've been playing since launch.. Love the Duels game mode and Wild. Sometimes I dabble in Standard but not much for it. I just wish balance changes would come out sooner or better.
  16. kdx
    Sep 14, 2022
    8
    If you have extra money and your goal is to kill time, then this timekiller CCG is for you. Random is present in absolutely all moments, and donation does not affect the gameplay only in some branches of the adventure. In other cases, the donation decides. There is nothing to demand from it, because it is built according to the free-to-play scheme. Blizzard uses absolutely the right gameIf you have extra money and your goal is to kill time, then this timekiller CCG is for you. Random is present in absolutely all moments, and donation does not affect the gameplay only in some branches of the adventure. In other cases, the donation decides. There is nothing to demand from it, because it is built according to the free-to-play scheme. Blizzard uses absolutely the right game promotion strategy to make more money.… Expand
  17. Jinxter
    Mar 30, 2014
    3
    I have played this game a LOT, and there is a LOT of depth in this game, however, there is very little in way of strategy to this game. It is an overly simple game that relies upon 'luck of the draw' than anything else. I have taken all of my characters to 20 and a couple to 35. Regardless of what deck you build, what expert you follow, your 'strategy' WILL fall apart when you do NOT getI have played this game a LOT, and there is a LOT of depth in this game, however, there is very little in way of strategy to this game. It is an overly simple game that relies upon 'luck of the draw' than anything else. I have taken all of my characters to 20 and a couple to 35. Regardless of what deck you build, what expert you follow, your 'strategy' WILL fall apart when you do NOT get 'that one card'. I have built decks with only 6 spells, and I HAVE ALWAYS seen the majority of my first 7 or 8 cards to be spells. In a completely random system this CAN happen, but the frequency to which I HAVE seen it tells me that the system is NOT completely random but weighted to spells so as to balance to game out against players with more spells and less minions.

    I wish they would have spent more time on this game and truly developed a strategic system where in people could ACTUALLY USE strategy, but when you have a game where you have to "hope" your card comes up, is NOT hat good a game. There is NOTHING worse than to be at the beginning of a game, you only have 1 mana available and the first card from your deck is 5 mana or higher.

    Due to the current system, they have cards that are literally worthless to have in your deck. Cards that WOULD have strategic use if they used a system of a weighted draws. However, since they allow ANY card to come up, it IS fair, but the decks you will fight against the majority of the time is FULL of cards costing less than 5 mana, and almost ALL decks are a version of a RUSH deck. It makes the game VERY predictable and ultimately BORING. What purpose is there to 'building' a deck, when the cards that you put in there, to FIT the way YOU WANT to play, NEVER show up in your hand until it is past the point that you could use it to ATTEMPT to win.

    Don't believe that hype of people posting "THIS DECK GOT ME TO LEVEL 5!!! I used this build and GOT A 70% WIN percentage." DO NOT believe these people at all. I took one of these so-called Mid-budget 4000+ dust to craft and after 200 games with the deck could do no better than ~50%. I have found, that due to the way the cards hit your hand there is NO WAY that anyone gets more than a 50% percentage win unless they just plain have better luck. The only strategy is in keeping track of how many cards your opponent has that could possibly hurt you, then realizing that you are not getting the cards you need and then losing yet another game.

    I had hoped for an actual strategic card game...this is NOT it. If you like it, now worries, but I do NOT think this is a good game. It is actually rather poor.    … Expand
  18. MisterShmi
    Mar 16, 2014
    5
    Being free, I can't complain too much. The game is certainly of high quality and well made, and fun for short relaxing sessions every now and again, but it gets old really fast, especially when you are playing against people who have the money to drop on overpowered cards. Its essentially a pay to win game, which is really unfortunate, because I WANT to like it really bad.
  19. Boblechef
    Jun 15, 2014
    0
    I feel this game is Pay to win. If you don't have the right legendary cards, it's very hard to get enough wins to progress, so grinding is a very frustrating option. Uninstalled.
  20. ZoddTheImmortal
    Apr 27, 2014
    6
    The game itself is fun, but the grind is annoyingly slow, making it hard to keep me interested. You get 10 gold every THREE wins. It costs 100 gold to buy a pack of FIVE new cards. So every 30 wins, you get 5 new cards. I feel like I am playing with the same cards and against the same cards constantly, it just gets a bit boring and lacks the fun of building and customizing new decks, as IThe game itself is fun, but the grind is annoyingly slow, making it hard to keep me interested. You get 10 gold every THREE wins. It costs 100 gold to buy a pack of FIVE new cards. So every 30 wins, you get 5 new cards. I feel like I am playing with the same cards and against the same cards constantly, it just gets a bit boring and lacks the fun of building and customizing new decks, as I feel I have no options to choose from. Of course you can pay to win and just buy a ton of virtual booster packs for a pretty penny, but where's the fun in that? If you got 10 gold for every win, it'd probably keep me hooked, but as of now, I don't plan on playing it anymore.… Expand
  21. Sholman
    Jul 29, 2014
    9
    Before posting my review, I read dozens of other user-submitted reviews and felt that the majority of those who gave Hearthstone ridiculously low ratings either did not have enough time to practice the game, had a negative view of the game because they had trouble winning, or simply disliked the game due to the lack of violence, intense action or a gripping, movie-like storyline. MyBefore posting my review, I read dozens of other user-submitted reviews and felt that the majority of those who gave Hearthstone ridiculously low ratings either did not have enough time to practice the game, had a negative view of the game because they had trouble winning, or simply disliked the game due to the lack of violence, intense action or a gripping, movie-like storyline. My counter to these views, to be frank, is to remember that this is a strategic card game that is based off of the Warcraft series. I understand that this genre does not have the same appeal as violent or action-packed games, but if you play with an open mind, practice different strategies, experiment with hundreds of thousands of possible card combinations, and learn from your mistakes, you will find Hearthstone to be a very deep and creative gameplay experience that is complex enough to be extremely entertaining, while also being simple enough for those who practice to win. All of the angry reviews that say that you have to pay to win in Hearthstone are the biased opinions of those who do not have the patience to practice getting better and do not have the money to satisfy their impatience. Even when I had only played Hearthstone for one or two months of somewhat regular gameplay I could easily win the majority of my matches in casual mode and more than half of the matches in ranked mode with a deck full of basic (free, given) cards. For those people who complain that Hearthstone isn't deep because of its lack of a storyline, I would recommend that they try out any of the Warcraft games or World of Warcraft to satisfy their desire for a deep, detailed and engrossing fantasy storyline. All of the cards and characters in Hearthstone are directly taken from those games, after all. I think that the biggest problem that angry Hearthstone reviewers are experiencing is that they do not play Hearthstone with an open mind. I understand that different people have different opinions, but the fact that there are so many uninformed and, quite frankly, untrue complaints about Hearthstone, I feel that it does the game justice to urge more people to play the game without any untrue beliefs, and to form an informed opinion of the game based on actual gameplay.… Expand
  22. Firemind
    Mar 14, 2014
    6
    Hearthstone is a pretty much 'okay' game but really nothing more. The lack of many gameplay mechanics makes it a linear experience. After the first day when everything feels fresh and is fun I caught myself losing motivation playing it. That's not because it it a bad game there is just not enough variety like in other TCGs.
  23. mei_karma
    Mar 18, 2014
    6
    Rule is very simple and easy to learn. Even if you're a beginner of TCG, you can play this game excitingly with out "learning curve"

    Despite of many fascinating things. but there is a sort of limit to enjoy the game deeply. It depends on "luck" so much than any other card games. and its simpleness made the game less strategic. If you are a person who love TCG like "MTG" or "YUGIOH"    Rule is very simple and easy to learn. Even if you're a beginner of TCG, you can play this game excitingly with out "learning curve"

    Despite of many fascinating things. but there is a sort of limit to enjoy the game deeply. It depends on "luck" so much than any other card games. and its simpleness made the game less strategic.

    If you are a person who love TCG like "MTG" or "YUGIOH" , HearthStone might not able to satisfy you.    … Expand
  24. DelMann2
    Apr 6, 2014
    3
    Casual game for the ever growing casual market.

    RNG based, grindy, if you want to get the cards you need. Arena Fees... Nothing for me, thought it entertained me for a bit.
  25. Blackdragon666
    Mar 19, 2014
    7
    Wonderful concept held down by the pay to win nature of the game.

    The only enjoyable the thing about this game is the Arena, which is pretty well balanced, and loads of fun.
  26. Wheresmyseme
    Apr 29, 2014
    6
    Fine but really it is too shallow to be called a tcg.
    Almost entirely RNG, can use skill but all of your work can be randomly negated by a single card most times.
    I still play it though...
    I hate UTH soooooo much!!!
  27. NecroMnemic
    Mar 16, 2014
    5
    Average game, that is fun for a couple of minutes but gets boring pretty fast. Also even for a TCG it's too depended on luck, making the games a coinflip. Most decisions are also without any alternative making the gameplay itself stale rather quickly.

    Blizzard keeps following the mantra "Easy to learn, easy to master", which again results in a game that just doesn't motivate playing    Average game, that is fun for a couple of minutes but gets boring pretty fast. Also even for a TCG it's too depended on luck, making the games a coinflip. Most decisions are also without any alternative making the gameplay itself stale rather quickly.

    Blizzard keeps following the mantra "Easy to learn, easy to master", which again results in a game that just doesn't motivate playing beyond the duration it's designed for - a couple of hours.    … Expand
  28. wareagle7
    Sep 9, 2014
    0
    Game so baz, my grundmer iz ded cuase of game so bed. 10/10. I areen't even thwe one who was jonkin abbot the one who had as amny skills ans me did.

    0/10
    10/0

    Beast germ N/A
  29. isg1983
    Mar 27, 2014
    8
    A good mix of casual and serious aspects. Everybody should give it a go whether if you're a fan of card games or not, this game should be a good starter for everyone who wants to enter the sweet geeky card game universe.
  30. Lane_Steel
    Mar 22, 2014
    5
    How much you like Hearthstone is going to be dependant upon how casual you like you CCG experience to be, or to restate it, how favorably/unfavorably you view the word "accessibility" in reference to multiplayer games.

    It should be no surprise for a Blizzard entry to focus on producing a highly polished and user-friendly game that allows for players of all ages and skill levels to play.    How much you like Hearthstone is going to be dependant upon how casual you like you CCG experience to be, or to restate it, how favorably/unfavorably you view the word "accessibility" in reference to multiplayer games.

    It should be no surprise for a Blizzard entry to focus on producing a highly polished and user-friendly game that allows for players of all ages and skill levels to play. This is not the easy to learn, but hard to master template, but easy to play, easy to master, with a good deal of luck determining who will win barring glaring errors in judgement.

    It is simple fun, matches are relatively short, and there is a good amount of humorous references to keep WoW players entertained.

    Now if you are looking for something in terms of a CCG challenge to highlight your player's edge, this isn't the real thing.

    For self-proclaimed CCG hardcores - 5 or less (i.e you'll shortly uninstall it)
    For people new to CCG's and/or who want a stress-free, fun way to pass time - 8 or more    … Expand
  31. vunacar
    Mar 15, 2014
    10
    I will be frank, I never really liked WoW. I loved Warcraft 3, and tried to like WoW because it was a continuation of story, but the game was boring and I never played it more than a month.
    With that said, Hearthstone is an exact opposite. I got into beta in november and still love the game. Each match is unique and fun, and the game constantly rewards you with new cards which alter your    I will be frank, I never really liked WoW. I loved Warcraft 3, and tried to like WoW because it was a continuation of story, but the game was boring and I never played it more than a month.
    With that said, Hearthstone is an exact opposite. I got into beta in november and still love the game. Each match is unique and fun, and the game constantly rewards you with new cards which alter your experience.
    The best part of the game is that it is totally playable without spending a cent. In my 5 months of occasional play to complete quests I have unlocked all common cards, 70% of rares, 30% of epics and I have 6 legendary cards. I repeat, I never spent a cent.
    For this fact alone, this game is a 10 in my book. Yes, it is a little light on features, but that will be changed in time. Yes, it has some bugs, it will also be changed in time. What will not change time is an amazing attention to detail, beautiful animations and aesthetics, great balance and a smile on my face when I turn around an already lost match...    … Expand
  32. TitaniumDragon
    Mar 17, 2014
    5
    This game is thoroughly mediocre. Magic has massively more strategic depth than it has; this game is quite shallow, primarily due to its lack of interactivity. You act, then your opponent acts, then you go again, back and forth, and the inability to interact during your opponent's turn, while it is a reasonable decision from the point of view of speeding up the game, really makes the gameThis game is thoroughly mediocre. Magic has massively more strategic depth than it has; this game is quite shallow, primarily due to its lack of interactivity. You act, then your opponent acts, then you go again, back and forth, and the inability to interact during your opponent's turn, while it is a reasonable decision from the point of view of speeding up the game, really makes the game a lot more shallow.

    The net effect is that the game is more of a diversion than something which is actually all that deep; it tries to addict you with various Pavlovian methods, but in the end the lack of interactivity means that while playing against other players rather than the AI makes the game more difficult, it doesn't create a fundamental difference in how fun the game actually is to play, which is to say, a little, but not very.

    Not worth your time, and certainly not worth your money; if you like Magic, you'll find this a disappointingly shallow imitation which is a lot less fun; if you don't like Magic, then you certainly won't like a disappointingly shallow imitation. Yes, it is ostensibly free (and really, you can play it for free if you're patient enough), but the amount of time you spend on it in favor of something else is a real cost, and that time you'll never get back.    … Expand
  33. verglia
    Mar 28, 2014
    5
    Since it comes from blizzard and it's free,and they dumbed down all their games in last 5-10 years,you should try it.Cards are fun to play,game is pay to win,but i still had some fun with it.Only 500 cards,the game needs at least 2500 to be competitive,after some time it gets boring cause of this.If they reduce price for packs,or allow players to get more gold i'll gladly come back,but forSince it comes from blizzard and it's free,and they dumbed down all their games in last 5-10 years,you should try it.Cards are fun to play,game is pay to win,but i still had some fun with it.Only 500 cards,the game needs at least 2500 to be competitive,after some time it gets boring cause of this.If they reduce price for packs,or allow players to get more gold i'll gladly come back,but for now,it's just waste of time...… Expand
  34. Swimming_Steve
    May 10, 2014
    9
    I HATED card games, but now i have seen this, i am astounded, it is based on the world of Warcraft genre. Even if you don't like world of Warcraft this game will not be a disappointment. A free, 2GB game packed with action, many players, and engrossing graphics and atmosphere. You can either play casual, or ranked. Choose to buy packs, or play for free. The choice is yours. But, what i canI HATED card games, but now i have seen this, i am astounded, it is based on the world of Warcraft genre. Even if you don't like world of Warcraft this game will not be a disappointment. A free, 2GB game packed with action, many players, and engrossing graphics and atmosphere. You can either play casual, or ranked. Choose to buy packs, or play for free. The choice is yours. But, what i can promise, is that this game is "Easy to learn, hard to master."… Expand
  35. Foff
    Jan 2, 2015
    0
    Absolutely Horrible...this game is a pure 100% jacked up program. Not only can they not fix simple bugs and glitches that have been around since the start of the game, they also try to blame the user and or the internet. I have and do play many games like this and if they have or find a bug it is fixed within weeks worse case. Then after the frustration of game killing time wastingAbsolutely Horrible...this game is a pure 100% jacked up program. Not only can they not fix simple bugs and glitches that have been around since the start of the game, they also try to blame the user and or the internet. I have and do play many games like this and if they have or find a bug it is fixed within weeks worse case. Then after the frustration of game killing time wasting fixable bugs it is purely pay to win. People rant and rave when you say this (mostly the payers). They c;aim you can win with the basic cards, but that seems to only hold true if you have all the basic set, which you have to pay in order to get or spend 100s of hours grinding for tiny amounts of gold in hopes that the packs you buy are not simple copies of the cards you have but are new ones. They have no real way to report a bug, the forum is open to all and if you report a bug the other players attack you because you did not search and find that Blizzard has already blamed that bug on the players or the internet or the low quality of the equipment that the users are playing with. I would even bet that Blizzard does not even monitor the forum any longer as I have seen a couple of posts that are mean spirited personal attacks and break the language rules.… Expand
  36. MadclownJack
    Apr 21, 2015
    5
    Yeah, it's severely luck based, very much pay to win, and lacking in strategic value. But for casual gamers it's a nice time waster. Though if you're planning to get far ahead without months of grinding for cards, you're just fooling yourself. As with any P2W title, the game will give you enough line to get you hooked before it starts punishing you by pairing you up with paying customersYeah, it's severely luck based, very much pay to win, and lacking in strategic value. But for casual gamers it's a nice time waster. Though if you're planning to get far ahead without months of grinding for cards, you're just fooling yourself. As with any P2W title, the game will give you enough line to get you hooked before it starts punishing you by pairing you up with paying customers while whoring itself every step of the way. And to be frank, there's no logic in paying for cards either, unless the decks sold come with luck attached.… Expand
  37. vabulden
    Aug 17, 2015
    6
    This game isn't p2w, but it's rather pay to compete.

    You can play with basic decks (google them) and do fine. Hell, you can even win against some decks with legendaries. But you'll be limited to your cards, which (if you will not start paying for the boosters) will get pretty boring. The chance of win is based on: - deck - 80%. If you're not a pro player, you can use already made    This game isn't p2w, but it's rather pay to compete.

    You can play with basic decks (google them) and do fine. Hell, you can even win against some decks with legendaries. But you'll be limited to your cards, which (if you will not start paying for the boosters) will get pretty boring.

    The chance of win is based on:
    - deck - 80%. If you're not a pro player, you can use already made decks. You can have all epics, but if your deck isn't balanced, you're doomed.
    - rng - 10%. Matchmaking is ridiculous. As far as I know, it's based on K/D ratio - so sometimes you'll get cheap defeats, fighting people with better decks. Starting hand is also vital, but I rarely had times, when I failed just because I didn't get the cards that I needed.
    - actual skill - 10%. The gameplay is pretty simple. But at the same it's disappointing. Because both yours and opponents cards are random - you don't have to plan the game up to the end. When you're making decisions - you focus on the current situation and 2-3 steps ahead.

    I liked arena - it's the most 'fair' mode of the game. You and enemy have the same chances. Despite that building deck in the arena is the most random thing in the game.

    So I quit the game w/o spending a single dollar. I had some fun, but in the end it was a waste of time.
    Also, if you want to spend money, you must understand, that it doesn't guarantee anything. Even fighting bosses from adventures requires more than just basic cards.    … Expand
  38. Trystanm
    Mar 31, 2015
    9
    I swear all of these people who are calling this pay to win obviously haven't played more than a couple ranked games. Of course you aren't going to know the strategies, or what cards to play (which are good or bad) when you start. I remember thinking certain cards were OP until realizing they were trash. This game has an amazing community, with several streamers and tutorials. If youI swear all of these people who are calling this pay to win obviously haven't played more than a couple ranked games. Of course you aren't going to know the strategies, or what cards to play (which are good or bad) when you start. I remember thinking certain cards were OP until realizing they were trash. This game has an amazing community, with several streamers and tutorials. If you give this game a chance you will realize its not a game about endless grinding or paying to win.… Expand
  39. VladiMiagk
    May 15, 2018
    10
    Лучшая на данный момент карточная игра! Все очень красиво и интересно. Соревнования очень увлекающие!
  40. Fany000
    Nov 4, 2018
    9
    I played HS till its release but after two years the game was not fun anymore. I came back to the hearthstone before six months, found out a very different game, with new mechanics, plenty of new cards and now I think it is more suitable for begginers. Blizzard take care about HS as much as they can and they are doing just grest. The best card game nowadays.
  41. shostakn
    Oct 15, 2020
    4
    Summary: Hearthstone is a free-to-play digital strategy card game that anyone can enjoy. Players choose one of nine epic Warcraft heroes to play as, and then take turns playing cards from their customizable decks to cast potent spells, use heroic weapons or abilities, or summon powerful characters to crush their opponent.
  42. SauceBox6
    Nov 26, 2022
    5
    10 - Masterpiece
    9 - Amazing
    8 - Great
    7 - Good
    6 - Okay
    5 - Mediocre
    4 - Bad
    3 - Awful
    2 - Painful
    1 - Unbearable
  43. TwisterRK
    Mar 14, 2014
    9
    Don't pay attention to the negative reviews. This game is amazing. If you're any good at it. The thing is, the community is terrible. In the Beta, things have been nerfed that didn't deserve nerfing because all the bad players didn't know how to counter them. This will probable still go on forever. Don't pay attention to complaints about RNG, it's a Card Game, there is always gonna be RNG.Don't pay attention to the negative reviews. This game is amazing. If you're any good at it. The thing is, the community is terrible. In the Beta, things have been nerfed that didn't deserve nerfing because all the bad players didn't know how to counter them. This will probable still go on forever. Don't pay attention to complaints about RNG, it's a Card Game, there is always gonna be RNG. Bottom line; this game is a perfectly executed with great potential for expansions and more. Too bad the community are pretty mindless at times.… Expand
  44. AoEKiller
    Apr 6, 2014
    0
    First, never trust any critics review on this site because all of them are specious. Then avoid any games directed by Jay Wilson at all cost. Paying for virtual cards is lame because this game is luck oriented and the gameplay is boring as usual from blizzard and repetitive. ZERO ZERO ZERO is my score on a scale of 1000.
  45. vorph
    Apr 22, 2014
    6
    As fun it is, some decks are definitely overpowered compared to others. There are certain other drawbacks, like the game is not rewarding enough for your efforts, card gains are limited if you don't pay for anything. We know that Blizzard has a taste to charge people for extras but that system just blew up with D3 Auction House. I wonder why they still create a "pay to win" style gameAs fun it is, some decks are definitely overpowered compared to others. There are certain other drawbacks, like the game is not rewarding enough for your efforts, card gains are limited if you don't pay for anything. We know that Blizzard has a taste to charge people for extras but that system just blew up with D3 Auction House. I wonder why they still create a "pay to win" style game while their experiences should have urged them otherwise.… Expand
  46. Natnl
    Apr 22, 2014
    0
    In my opinion , hearthstone is the number 1 time consuming game , it is challenging , won't make you regret the time played , i suggest that if you need to burn time on your hours long bus home , waiting rooms , or need to reset your sleep cycle , this game is the cure to your problems , just a different perspective on a life consuming and addicting game that is crowd destination is pay toIn my opinion , hearthstone is the number 1 time consuming game , it is challenging , won't make you regret the time played , i suggest that if you need to burn time on your hours long bus home , waiting rooms , or need to reset your sleep cycle , this game is the cure to your problems , just a different perspective on a life consuming and addicting game that is crowd destination is pay to win player , as a game it self it gets barely a 6 but because it is free , and because my rich pass experience with extreme time consuming games , i pick this one as my favorite .… Expand
  47. Durge
    Apr 25, 2014
    5
    The game is definitely pay to win and quite a grind if you don't. It's frustrating to play a lengthy, evenly matched game and the other player starts dropping huge legendaries on you. I've bought about 30 packs with gold and rm. I've gotten 1 legendary out of all that, and not a useful one. So either other people are spending a fortune or I've got really bad luck. You'll also realize thatThe game is definitely pay to win and quite a grind if you don't. It's frustrating to play a lengthy, evenly matched game and the other player starts dropping huge legendaries on you. I've bought about 30 packs with gold and rm. I've gotten 1 legendary out of all that, and not a useful one. So either other people are spending a fortune or I've got really bad luck. You'll also realize that once you reach rank 18 it get's extremely difficult to advance unless you buy cards. The regular cards you earn through play just don't cut it.… Expand
  48. nedellis
    Mar 12, 2014
    6
    It's fun for just few hours until you realize that you need thousand of hours of grindfest to have decent cards.
    It's both for casual and enthusiast player, and this it's not a real advantage because it could be very frustrating at the beginning.
    Grindfest or credit card to have fun. Not for me thanks.
  49. effervescing
    Mar 15, 2014
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Hearthstone is the most deceptively balanced game i have ever played. Hearthstone starts you off by giving a simple and fun tutorial, then gradually puts you through the games own personal quests that reward you with points to buy card packs in the shop to further increase your card library. Then Hearthstone introduces online play against other players, ranked or not depending on your choice, then faces you against other players somewhat equivalent to your level. This is where the game begins to be even more fun then it is. Eventually as you progress though battles and levels you will soon start to realize that there are certain overpowered cards within the game that simply destroy every possible strategy conceived to the human mind just by paying a mana cost of seven or less, in which most games don't end until both yours and your foes mana count is at at least 9 or to the limit of 10. you will soon find yourself in an array of multiple poorly beginning hands which is drawn by random and cards drawn by your personally customized or game built deck, which is also randomly picked. It is only a matter of time until you figure out that you must pour actual dollar after dollar in the game just to buy the card packs to hope to get these overpowered cards and hope to win which really comes down to more luck than skill at a certain point. What the developers tried to do was well worth it in my opinion, from the hero getting points and equipment, to the automatic upgrading mana system, but that simply does not save the game from the anathmatizing and unmagnanimous balancing flaws from luck obtaining the cards from the bought card packs, or the cards drawn during the game.… Expand
  50. praXis
    May 5, 2014
    5
    Fun card game with gameplay that relies on luck as much as skill, and gives a massive advantage to those that are willing to pay for the most powerful cards or play for a huge number of hours and hope for a lucky drop. A very shrewd P2W business model that is no doubt benefiting Blizzard nicely. However, I view it as dishonest and exploitative that sours the play experience.
  51. demonphoenix
    Apr 18, 2014
    9
    I've played since closed beta and I have to say Hearthstone is a very good game. You can play it casually or very in depth, but luck still plays a huge factor.
    Some say it's pay to win. This is not true, people went to rank 1 without spending any money. And every big card can be shut down with basic cards.
    Some say some classes are overpowered. This is also not true, it's only because    I've played since closed beta and I have to say Hearthstone is a very good game. You can play it casually or very in depth, but luck still plays a huge factor.
    Some say it's pay to win. This is not true, people went to rank 1 without spending any money. And every big card can be shut down with basic cards.
    Some say some classes are overpowered. This is also not true, it's only because how the metagame is shifting. Every class has been called overpowered.
    Some say blizzard changes the game too much. In beta they changed a lot, yes. That's because it was a beta.
    Some say it's weird you can't trade cards. Well, it's a card game, not a Trading card game. They put in a feature that allows you to create cards, which has a lot of bonuses in itself.
    Also, their arena mode is very solid. You have interesting matches and the reward almost always pays for the arena cost. The only time you really need to spend money is if you want to buy tons of cards. But it stays your choice. You could spend a lot of money and be unlucky with the opening of packs or spend nothing and be very lucky and get the cards you want.    … Expand
  52. ethanwelborn
    Jul 30, 2014
    9
    Hearthstone is a great experience for someone who enjoys the Warcraft universe. It really is a casual way to get yourself into the universe, if WoW feels too heavy. The sound engineering is fantastic, the graphics are light and fun, and the game play is engaging.

    They recently released Curse of Naxxramas, which to me was fun, but slightly underwhelming, which is why I gave it a 9    Hearthstone is a great experience for someone who enjoys the Warcraft universe. It really is a casual way to get yourself into the universe, if WoW feels too heavy. The sound engineering is fantastic, the graphics are light and fun, and the game play is engaging.

    They recently released Curse of Naxxramas, which to me was fun, but slightly underwhelming, which is why I gave it a 9 instead of a 10.

    Overall, it's a great game, and worth giving a shot. I've built probably 4 or 5 decks for my Pally, and finally come across a deck that works for my play style. A game that is that flexible and contains that amount of depth deserves a look or two.    … Expand
  53. JohnJackson
    Mar 14, 2014
    10
    I never played a digital CCG before, and i have to say i am having a blast. It is like most Blizz titles easy to learn, but hard to master. I was hesitant to try it out, when open beta started, but i did, and i'm glad i did it. It is the game i spent the most time playing this year, and it's free! The graphics are beautiful for a card game, and the gameplay is nothing but fun. And theI never played a digital CCG before, and i have to say i am having a blast. It is like most Blizz titles easy to learn, but hard to master. I was hesitant to try it out, when open beta started, but i did, and i'm glad i did it. It is the game i spent the most time playing this year, and it's free! The graphics are beautiful for a card game, and the gameplay is nothing but fun. And the best thing is, you don't have to spend any money on it. Various players have proven, that it is possible to reach even the highest rank with absolutely no money spent.

    Go and try it out, you have nothing to lose, but be warned, it is highly addictive!    … Expand
  54. RealmCopier
    Mar 14, 2014
    10
    Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft was not a game I first expected to enjoy, since I have not enjoyed any of Blizzard's other games. However, Hearthstone was an immensely fun game and I put at least 20 hours in during my first week of play. I really like the uniqueness of the cards as well as the way your plays get better each turn.

    Over all I give it 10/10 because it is an incredibly fun    Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft was not a game I first expected to enjoy, since I have not enjoyed any of Blizzard's other games. However, Hearthstone was an immensely fun game and I put at least 20 hours in during my first week of play. I really like the uniqueness of the cards as well as the way your plays get better each turn.

    Over all I give it 10/10 because it is an incredibly fun game, and adds a certain uniqueness, never achieved before, to the CCG Genre.    … Expand
  55. Alturis
    Apr 1, 2014
    10
    Frankly I don't see how this game could be any better. When compared to any other digital card game it just puts everything else to shame. It's not Magic, it's not Call of Duty, but it is simply the best digital collectible card game you will find anywhere. Give it time to expand and it will give Magic a run for its money.
  56. whatever523
    Mar 4, 2016
    6
    Hearthstone can be entertaining, but after only a year they are out of ideas and are introducing power creep which absolutely sucks for casual players. Some of the cards are ridiculously overpowered and of course you can get all those awesome cards much faster when you pay money.
  57. Mrandom
    Mar 13, 2014
    7
    Hearhstone is pretty fun and has the potential to be one of the most popular multi-player games like Dota2 or LOL. Of course it is a CCG, but its professional art design and well-balanced gameplay really shows it is a Blizzard game, like the classic WOW, Starcraft and Warcraft 3.
    However, like what they said in the ads, the game is "deceptively" simple. Yeah, it looks simple, but it is    Hearhstone is pretty fun and has the potential to be one of the most popular multi-player games like Dota2 or LOL. Of course it is a CCG, but its professional art design and well-balanced gameplay really shows it is a Blizzard game, like the classic WOW, Starcraft and Warcraft 3.
    However, like what they said in the ads, the game is "deceptively" simple. Yeah, it looks simple, but it is not. It is extremely hard for new players who just enter the game. I started playing the game around closed Beta, even back then I lost 9 of my first 10 games. Now it is even worse. More and more players have large card collections, the newbies are gonna suffer for a long time. Of course it is possible to play extremely well with limited card collection like what Trump did, but you'll need to spend a huge amount of time in the Arena before being able to do so. For a new player, it is impossible to play well without spending money on overpriced cards. This is what they call "pay to win".
    The game is also pretty time consuming. Yeah each game is short indeed, but you'll need to spend hundreds of hours to master it.
    All of these above sounds pretty much like Dota, right? Unlike LOL or WOW, both Hearthstone and Dota has steep learning curves. However, unlike Dota, Hearthstone is too luck-based. Sometimes your just can't draw the right cards in the first few rounds, and can only watch your opponent plays all his/her combo. Sometimes you just keeps getting duplicated cards from opening decks. Too much time is wasted on bad luck. Players can rarely feel they deserve the bad draw/lose game. Even worse, some of these unlucky situations happened because of the bugs in game mechanic. e.g. Nat Pagle used to only have 25% chance to draw a card.
    All in all, do not think this is a simple and not-time-consuming game. It can be casual and pretty fun, but be prepared to spend time and money if you want to play well or try those legendary cards.    … Expand
  58. Raidriar
    Apr 5, 2014
    10
    Hearthstone is the best online CCG currently available on the market. It's a game that's VERY easy to get into yet as you get more cards it gradually builds upon it's self.

    First off I would like to point out that anyone who is calling this game pay to win is someone you should not listen too. It is entirely possible to get every card in the game without paying a single cent. And it is    Hearthstone is the best online CCG currently available on the market. It's a game that's VERY easy to get into yet as you get more cards it gradually builds upon it's self.

    First off I would like to point out that anyone who is calling this game pay to win is someone you should not listen too. It is entirely possible to get every card in the game without paying a single cent. And it is entirely possible to get to legendary rank using free cards. Now many people will claim that you can just buy a bunch of packs and get a bunch of legendaries. But pretty much every legendary is highly situational, so just having 10 legendaries doesn't actually help you, and in fact it's rather counter productive.

    Now that that's out of the way we can get to the rest of the game. I would like to first start off by saying that Hearthstone just oozes polish. Everything about the impact of a high attack creature slamming into an enemy hero to the glorious effects of the spells. You can just see the effort that was put into the game.
    The next thing I would like to commend the game on is it's resource system. Instead of having manna cards that you draw in a game like magic, you simply get one manna per turn until you reach 10. This get's rid of some of the RNG that plagues many card games, but of course it still has some RNG...because well...it's a card game. But it's still a great improvement. Hearthstone also has a very deep meta. As I stated hearthstone starts off relatively simple and then gradually becomes more complex. Due to the unique play style of all the classes you see a lot of diversity and meta shifting which adds a lot to the game's longevity. And with more cards coming i our future, I see Hearthstone being around for a while.

    All in all hearthstone is fantastic and I highly recommend giving it a download. And even if you end up not liking it for whatever reason, it's free! So there's no reason to not give it a try.    … Expand
  59. JustAThrowAway
    May 3, 2014
    5
    I played Magic: The Gathering for nearly 10 years when I was a bit younger, and decided to give Hearthstone a try. After 3 months or so, here's my opinion - make of it what you will: It's a mediocre card game with great art that locks off the best parts of the game to encourage you to spend money.

    There are 3 Game Modes (and no plans to implement more anytime soon - so says the Devs):    I played Magic: The Gathering for nearly 10 years when I was a bit younger, and decided to give Hearthstone a try. After 3 months or so, here's my opinion - make of it what you will: It's a mediocre card game with great art that locks off the best parts of the game to encourage you to spend money.

    There are 3 Game Modes (and no plans to implement more anytime soon - so says the Devs):

    Arena - Basic draft. Choose random cards to build a deck and face off against the same. Fun, good mental exercise. This mode requires 150 Gold or some cash to enter, though, and can't be played every day by Free players.

    Casual - Build a deck from your collection, face off against random people who've done the same. Good for testing out new ideas.

    Ranked - Build a deck from your collection, face off against random people of the same rank. Unfortunately, since you earn Gold in all 3 and there's no punishment for down-ranking (by instantly conceding) in "Ranked" play - that does mean that once you pop into the "real world" against more mature decks at Rank 20 ( >20 you're facing off against other newbies exclusively) you're likely to be pounded right into the ground from much more experienced players Farming newbies to get gold. This is a problem, and has remained unaddressed.

    The card diversity is severely lacking for having 9 Classes. At this time, with the Naxx adventure (which hasn't been released), the card library hovers around 420. In comparison, at the same point in its public life, MtG (Magic: the Gathering) had 850+ spread amongst 5 classes.

    The deck requirement is 30. No more, no less. When combined with the lack of card diversity, the 30 card deck makes for quick games - but also very, very predictable decks (and thus, predictable games) in Ranked play as each class strives to be the most efficient with its deck slots.

    The efficiency issue involves the pretty notorious "Legendary" issue. That is, the card ranks (Common / Uncommon / Rare / Epic / Legendary / Class-specific) don't always reflect how efficient they are, but in general Legendaries are better than their same-costing counterparts. They either affect the game in a major way, have a high Attack/Defense stat for their cost, or usually both. Thus, for a given card slot, a Legendary is usually the most efficient card you can have. Legendary cards are not a "WIN" button, and mature decks without them can usually hand 2-3 Legendaries without much fuss - but at higher ranks the efficiency problem really becomes apparent when both decks are mature and both people are excellent at their decision making.

    This wouldn't be such an issue if the Crafting mechanics were better (or you could just outright buy specific cards - you can't), but as-is to Craft a Legendary/Epic/Rare/Uncommon it takes 1600/400/100/40. The same cards would also "Disenchant" for 400/100/20/5 Dust, and you cannot trade cards with other players.

    So at this point you're probably wondering why I say it's "Mediocre" instead of "Terrible". Where are the up-sides?

    Well, the art (as par for the course for Blizzard) is great. It's enjoyable to "play" for your senses.

    The game is simple enough to pick up and play. Within a few days you've seen every ability, and can look through all the cards via the Crafting Mode anytime you want.

    For the most part, it's pretty balanced at the newbie ranks until probably Rank 10 or so - barring the Newbie Farmers.

    Unfortunately those don't make it a good game. A visually appealing game, yes. An initially fun game, yes. But it's not a deep game. It's not something that REMAINS fun unless you pay for it. And you're probably saying, "Well it's F2P anyways - what's wrong with paying for it?"

    Well, in theory, nothing. I'm sure there are people out there who've spent $100 on packs and gotten $100 worth of enjoyment out of Hearthstone. For me, though, it always feels like Hearthstone is reaching towards my wallet every time I open it, and for a surprisingly shallow card game... it's just sort of the icing on the cake that has made me lose interesting. Not when they could simply charge for cosmetic changes (ask Valve how profitable that is) or permanent access to special modes of play.

    Don't let the pretty visuals and Blizzard name fool you. This is a fairly shallow card game draped over a cash shop. It might be worth paying for in two years or so at the rate Blizzard is going, but not at the moment. Not to me.    … Expand
  60. The_Ommadawn
    Jun 7, 2014
    10
    Simple, fun, time vampire, complex, well made, highly entertaining and this from a card game virgin. I cannot fault this game at all and see much future potential. It's something (for me) very different from the usual games I play. Yes there's a shop and yes it's expensive, but no one has to buy anything! As you play you earn in game currency which can be used to buy card packs. IfSimple, fun, time vampire, complex, well made, highly entertaining and this from a card game virgin. I cannot fault this game at all and see much future potential. It's something (for me) very different from the usual games I play. Yes there's a shop and yes it's expensive, but no one has to buy anything! As you play you earn in game currency which can be used to buy card packs. If you have the time, it's a simple trade off. There's zero grind as the game is fun to play and you're learning as you go. Oh, and it's FREE to play!!!… Expand
  61. Ceridwen8
    Jun 1, 2014
    5
    Ok, given the ridiculously high 'critic review' score, I *have* to review this one. I dutifully played this with my son - and it's painfully bad. I cannot imagine who anyone could give it more than 5, if they were in a generous mood.

    First, you have a weirdly limited set of cards (which you can buy with real money, basically - that's nothing new, but let's not say Blizzard is above    Ok, given the ridiculously high 'critic review' score, I *have* to review this one. I dutifully played this with my son - and it's painfully bad. I cannot imagine who anyone could give it more than 5, if they were in a generous mood.

    First, you have a weirdly limited set of cards (which you can buy with real money, basically - that's nothing new, but let's not say Blizzard is above micro-transactions anymore, please) You have the potential for class strategy, which is undercut by the limited nature of the game mechanics.

    It's a lesser Magic/ Yu-Gi-Oh, without the strategy & fun. I guess it's there to be simple & mindless, and it's dependent on PvP. You can't play against friends (for progress - you can for - no good reason)

    It's just annoying to see critics lauding something that *really* doesn't deserve it.    … Expand
  62. wishanem
    Feb 18, 2015
    9
    I've never loved collectible card games, but I've always dabbled with them. My frustration with Magic: The Gathering was always the cost and the way that matches could drag on interminably. Hearthstone addresses both of those issues very well.

    It is an easy game to learn and play, with enough randomness to keep the matches from feeling too one-sided. It takes longer than I'd like to    I've never loved collectible card games, but I've always dabbled with them. My frustration with Magic: The Gathering was always the cost and the way that matches could drag on interminably. Hearthstone addresses both of those issues very well.

    It is an easy game to learn and play, with enough randomness to keep the matches from feeling too one-sided. It takes longer than I'd like to unlock new cards if one isn't spending money on the game, and there's no mechanism for trading cards with other players.

    My favorite thing about the game is that is gives the a new "quest" every day (up to 3 simultaneously), which sets an arbitrary goal of some kind (winning matches with a particular class, playing a set number of expensive cards, etc.) and provides a reward for completing it. This encourages occasional play, and the player has the option to scrap a quest and free up a slot for a new one if they get one they don't like. I really enjoy having little goals and markers for when I might want to stop playing.    … Expand
  63. LpSilent
    May 3, 2014
    8
    Hearthstone is casual at best and will drive you into its hands, it's a slightly addictive game that'll make you play for hours & hours on hand and you'll most likely never get bored of it, blizzard's turn in a card game has attracted more then enough attention for it to be called ''A classic''.. the game deserves more then enough attention for it to be an outstanding game, but.. for me toHearthstone is casual at best and will drive you into its hands, it's a slightly addictive game that'll make you play for hours & hours on hand and you'll most likely never get bored of it, blizzard's turn in a card game has attracted more then enough attention for it to be called ''A classic''.. the game deserves more then enough attention for it to be an outstanding game, but.. for me to write a review like this you'll probably think ''Oh, you're one of those lovers that'll protect blizzard'', well I'm here to tell you that you're completely wrong, I'm here to speak the truth and that's that, I'll rate games based on the ''Score'' they deserve and I'll stand by it.

    Now I'm on to the problems with this game.. ''ARENA'', its completely unbalanced and will mash you in with the highest leveled people you'll find in the game, mainly Priests who will constantly heal themselves and not even give you a sporting chance (Even knowing none of that happens), its an annoying issue which disappoints me and others I'm sure, which lowers the current score from an '8' to a '7', it could have done better, but there're issues that Blizzard won't bother to fix..    … Expand
  64. IHadASega32x
    Feb 25, 2015
    10
    I've been playing Hearthstone for almost a year and a half now, with almost the same passion I had for it when I first started playing the beta. The game has continued to stay fresh, with the additions of new cards and expansions that have added more to the experience. The added ability to be mobile with it on an iPad has provided levity to the boring parts of my life like sitting at theI've been playing Hearthstone for almost a year and a half now, with almost the same passion I had for it when I first started playing the beta. The game has continued to stay fresh, with the additions of new cards and expansions that have added more to the experience. The added ability to be mobile with it on an iPad has provided levity to the boring parts of my life like sitting at the airport waiting for a delayed flight, or using the bathroom! (yeah, i went there)

    Reading through some of the user reviews, I don't really understand the negativity towards the in-game purchases for this game. I look at this game with the same eyes i used to play Magic: The gathering with. Growing up i was never able to play Magic for free and to be able to play this game for free is AMAZING. Kicking down money into something I enjoy not only helps my decks but it helps the developers that made the game. I don't see a problem with that. In fact I think it's a great model for a game like this. Growing up I spent hundreds on booster packs for magic without the ability to work towards "free packs." On Hearthstone I can, and that's infinity better for my wallet :)

    Hearthstone is a great game. It's provided me with countless hours of fun, and it's worth every penny I've put into it since beta (which includes another $20 I just put into it last night). It's crazy to me that a game this polished, and this well rounded could be given away for FREE and still have to deal with unwarranted negativity.

    Congrats to Blizzard. They make good games, Hearthstone is by far my favorite.    … Expand
  65. Sn0r
    Oct 5, 2016
    10
    There is definetely no other game that still keeps me entertained after years. You can just play a few rounds for half an hour whenever you like. Its casual and its fun. What else would you want more from a videogame ?
  66. Avadon
    Mar 14, 2014
    8
    As a recreational MtG player for the last 14 years, I find Hearthstone a welcome distraction. It's cute, colorful, not very complex (which means you can play it well enough while sleep deprived or intoxicated) and very, very fast (an average ranked game between experienced players probably won't last more than 4 minutes). It features tiny 30-card decks, which is fine if the game is builtAs a recreational MtG player for the last 14 years, I find Hearthstone a welcome distraction. It's cute, colorful, not very complex (which means you can play it well enough while sleep deprived or intoxicated) and very, very fast (an average ranked game between experienced players probably won't last more than 4 minutes). It features tiny 30-card decks, which is fine if the game is built around them, and it also means you can suddenly have a deck concept and proceed to build it and test it within seconds. It also feels amazing to be able to disenchant cards that you don't need and turn them into ones that you do need.

    Is it pay-to-win? Well, assuming 2 players of equal skill and experience, the guy who has spent 200$ will of course be able to make more powerful and varied decks and will win a higher percentage of games than the guy who has spent 0$. However, as opposed to MtG, you don't really have to do that in Hearthstone. Starting out as a new player can be a bit bumpy, but paying 50$ once will give you enough cards and dust to be able to make several good decks. Alternatively, if you don't want to pay anything, you can play Paladin or Mage, who have strong basic decks, and farm some money to do Arenas. I was able to get to about rank 10 in constructed with a basic Paladin late-curve deck, which is pretty amazing.

    Is it "balanced"? Well, card games are never really "surgically" balanced, because the luck factor tends to considerably influence the win rates. However, in Hearthstone the luck factor is significantly lower than in MtG, mostly because you can mulligan without consequences. In constructed the game seems to be in a good place to my experience. There are decks from all classes that can (and have) done well if played properly. Druids are probably a little too versatile and don't have any striking weaknesses, but that's all. As for arena, things obviously vary wildly according to your draft and your ability to make the best plays with it, and it's also really hard to play around cards as you would in constructed. Mages definitely seem too strong due to basic/common rarity hard removals and board wipes, which are often impossible to play around, so make sure you play them yourself when you get the chance.

    All in all, for a launch product, Hearthstone is really good, and as all card games it will get much better as more cards and features are added to it. It's definitely worth installing, and keeping it installed for a very long time.    … Expand
  67. Kryptoxin
    Apr 30, 2014
    10
    I don't usually play virtual games, but this one is really casual yet enjoyable.

    It is really easy to catch on the way people play Hearthstone. 250 dollars and 200 expert packs later, I imitated the decks most professionals use together and their playstyles on reddit, giving me a smooth sail up the ranks. After a point, the game is simply a coin flip as most decks and playstyles are    I don't usually play virtual games, but this one is really casual yet enjoyable.

    It is really easy to catch on the way people play Hearthstone. 250 dollars and 200 expert packs later, I imitated the decks most professionals use together and their playstyles on reddit, giving me a smooth sail up the ranks. After a point, the game is simply a coin flip as most decks and playstyles are similar, making it more based on luck. However, I still enjoy playing with professional gamers and having the game recognize me as one of their kind.

    All in all, if you'd like to excel in games without spending too much time, this is highly recommended.    … Expand
  68. Mudget
    Apr 5, 2014
    10
    Every 5 years or so a game comes along that addicts me in a way I find both exciting and scary. Hearthstone is currently that game for me. I should say that I was already a big CCG (computer card game) fan, having eaten through hours of the various incarnations of Magic: The Gathering, Spectromancer, M&M Duel of Champions, and the like. I'd always gotten at least a little addicted toEvery 5 years or so a game comes along that addicts me in a way I find both exciting and scary. Hearthstone is currently that game for me. I should say that I was already a big CCG (computer card game) fan, having eaten through hours of the various incarnations of Magic: The Gathering, Spectromancer, M&M Duel of Champions, and the like. I'd always gotten at least a little addicted to most of those, so I figured I should try this one out, despite not exactly being a WoW fan for many years. What I first noticed in beta was how clean and crisp the game was - a real looker - and coupled with the gameplay itself, I discovered a super highly-polished game, the likes we've come to expect from Blizzard.

    I do think this is the CCG that can make people not familiar with the genre fans. It's less complex and much more user-friendly and intuitive than any of its counterparts, with a good tutorial that eases the player into the experience. By the time you've been eased, you're likely to be hooked, and that's when it's time to take the fight to other real online players.

    This is where I think the game shines. In a way, players are somewhat disconnected from each other. There's no chatting unless you're already friends, and there are a limited number of emote choices ("Greetings", "Sorry", "Well Played", etc.). This means you're not instantly assailed by trolls out smear themselves across a good experience - you just have to play and play your best, and I appreciate this being the focus, rather than a social experience. There are plenty of other venues and games for that.

    Gameplay is fairly straightforward, and in this Hearthstone lacks the depth found in other CCGs. But what it has that other CCGs don't are sounds and animated visuals for each of the cards' unique abilities. There are several 'tiers' of cards, too, so unlocking (by winning arena battles and acquiring new decks, or buying them in the store) rare and legendary cards is fun not just because they add a new layer of strategy to your game, but bring along with them interesting sounds and visuals unique to those specific cards.

    The WoW universe is very present here, and most of those audio and visual cues are taken straight from it, of course. The characters are all pulled from the MMORPG and each deck matches one of nine playable character classes from that game (Cleric, Paladin, Rogue, Warrior, Warlock, Shaman, Priest, Mage, Druid). Each has its own set of special cards reserved only for that particular class, and each of the classes seems pretty well-balanced.

    In the end, this is a casual time-waster and you could do SO much worse for a free-to-play game. In fact, I'd argue it's the best FTP game I've played in ages, maybe ever. The pay-for-decks aspect isn't in your face at all, and you can earn decks just by playing arena battles (battles where you and your opponent are given a random selection of cards from the start). So a player could certainly climb the ranks and earn levels and decks endlessly without ever spending a dime. Those folks who do spend cash for cards don't particularly have an advantage, either. This is still a card game, after all, so even though someone else may have several amazing legendary cards in their decks, it certainly doesn't guarantee them a victory. And in time, you'll be getting those epic cards without spending money in any case because of the reward system, and being able to spend gold for new decks, or arcane dust to purchase individual cards. Once you've been playing a while and start getting the maximum two cards of each type, you can turn those excess and unnecessary cards into arcane dust. Once you have enough dust you can actually craft even the most legendary of cards. It's not a quick process, getting to that point, but it's a really rewarding one.

    All in all Hearthstone is a fantastic FTP CCG, as polished as any Blizzard game, and as addicting as any CCG. It might lack a bit of the depth or breadth of a longstanding game like Magic the Gathering, but it's a refreshing new spin and one that will likely be more appealing to a larger number of people. Final word: It's 100% free to play. Give it a spin.    … Expand
  69. Wodenborn
    Mar 14, 2014
    10
    A masterclass in game design, Hearthstone creates endless hours of top level competitive strategy gaming for the everyone to enjoy. Every time I have sat down to play a competitive game, I have always been frustrated by the natural barrier created by manual dexterity, reaction times, and age. I will never be a world warrior in Street Fighter, no one will ever call me "gosu" in Starcraft,A masterclass in game design, Hearthstone creates endless hours of top level competitive strategy gaming for the everyone to enjoy. Every time I have sat down to play a competitive game, I have always been frustrated by the natural barrier created by manual dexterity, reaction times, and age. I will never be a world warrior in Street Fighter, no one will ever call me "gosu" in Starcraft, and I'll never get a quintuple kill in DOTA2, but at least when I loose in Hearthstone, I know for a fact that the only thing holding me back from tournament level greatness is my intellect, the one thing I am tirelessly interested in improving, no matter what I do.

    The rules of the game couldn't be simpler, and yet the tiniest choices you make in building your deck or playing your cards have tremendous importance and consequences. Great players are able to realize all the effects of class choice, board position, deck style and composition, and how to make calculated risks or punish careless opponents. It is the most meticulously balanced competitive game I've ever played and the more you learn, the better you are. It's as simple as that. Hearthstone is not only a great game - it makes me want to be a better gamer.    … Expand
  70. mijxero
    Mar 15, 2014
    9
    I used to be an avid Magic the Gathering player so when I played Hearthstone I was amazed at how fun, strategic and most of all quick the matches can be. I can win or lose a match in 5 minutes or less and that makes it really fun. The sounds, visuals, and overall play style is just very fun and somewhat casual with a deeper strategy hiding beneath. Their free to play model is very goodI used to be an avid Magic the Gathering player so when I played Hearthstone I was amazed at how fun, strategic and most of all quick the matches can be. I can win or lose a match in 5 minutes or less and that makes it really fun. The sounds, visuals, and overall play style is just very fun and somewhat casual with a deeper strategy hiding beneath. Their free to play model is very good as well. You can earn a pack of cards by playing 2-3 days worth of simple quests like "Win 2 matches" or "kill 20 minions". You can spend real money to get more cards but I wouldn't say its pay to win really. Highly suggest.… Expand
  71. Chamallow
    Apr 28, 2014
    10
    The game is extremely polished and addictive. Between its friendly design and its flexible approach to a free-to-play economy, Hearthstone has pulled me into a genre that I didn't care about in the past, but also managed to keep me interested longer than any games I've played during the past years.
  72. TwirlingFern
    Apr 30, 2014
    10
    This game is amazing. I've been playing since October regularly. The arena is fun where you pick 30 cards- 1 at a time from a choice of 3. Constructed is very good too where you build your deck from your card library. You can either pay cash for additional cards and arena or if you spend time instead of money you can acquire most of the cards that you want. Personally I have not spentThis game is amazing. I've been playing since October regularly. The arena is fun where you pick 30 cards- 1 at a time from a choice of 3. Constructed is very good too where you build your deck from your card library. You can either pay cash for additional cards and arena or if you spend time instead of money you can acquire most of the cards that you want. Personally I have not spent anything and have most of the cards, but I have spent many hours enjoying the game.

    The tutorial at the beginning is very nice at introducing players to the concepts. Now available on ipad. They have been slow at first to introduce additional cards because they don't want to introduce a bunch of new cards since the game just came out in ipad. But a new pve expansion with 30 cards is coming out this summer, and expansions to follow later after that.

    Overall amazing ccg, fully playable for free. No trading is allowed in the game so there's no bots.    … Expand
  73. Tastycakes
    Jul 17, 2014
    8
    A tremendous base game with the price of 0 dollars, it's of course worth playing. This game is addictive, fun and competitive. There are two main problems with it, but the game is free so it's not like they should keep you away from trying it.

    The game is very empty. There are very few cards and even less that actually matter. Playing well means playing one of two decks at most for a    A tremendous base game with the price of 0 dollars, it's of course worth playing. This game is addictive, fun and competitive. There are two main problems with it, but the game is free so it's not like they should keep you away from trying it.

    The game is very empty. There are very few cards and even less that actually matter. Playing well means playing one of two decks at most for a class, and if you are a fan of Priests or Warriors, just not playing the class at all.

    Updates. This game does not update. Getting bored? Guess the game is over, because don't expect new cards more than once every year, and even then it's a very small amount. Also, if the game has bugs, gameplay issues or anything, do no expect an update. It is a free game after all.    … Expand
  74. blubberguts
    Mar 19, 2014
    7
    At lot of fun ..at first. Especially against the computer players.

    Then you reach PVP and it's pay to win. I remember I had cards that cost 2 mana and did 1 damage .. others had cards that cost 1 mana and did 3 damage. No matter what you do, unless you pay, you aren't going to win. It's a shame. Graphically, I really like the game, it has loads of style. The cards look good, the    At lot of fun ..at first. Especially against the computer players.

    Then you reach PVP and it's pay to win. I remember I had cards that cost 2 mana and did 1 damage .. others had cards that cost 1 mana and did 3 damage. No matter what you do, unless you pay, you aren't going to win.

    It's a shame. Graphically, I really like the game, it has loads of style. The cards look good, the colours are clear and bright, the animations are great. The voices and sounds are good too. As you'd expect, coming from the creators of WOW, it's a work of quality. I really enjoyed playing ..until I got to PVP.

    I have a suggestion for Blizzard. TWO sets of leagues. One league for "skill" players only. There are no cards or advantages you can buy, the winner is determined by sheer skill (And luck in the draw, of course, but that averages out the more games you play.) This will draw in a huge number of people and generate buzz.

    The other league for players who bought cards.

    Both sets of gamers could be happy!

    If you do this, I will go back to playing again. Until then, no more for me.

    7/10 for this. Would have been 9 or 10, except for the pay-to-win. Apart from that, it's an excellent game. I recommend people try it anyway; until you get to pvp, it's the best card battle game I ever played.    … Expand
  75. fusion_13
    Oct 12, 2015
    8
    It's easy to describe Hearthstone the same way Blizzard does, fun and simple. It's very easy to learn while the mechanics are also deep and you seem to learn new things all the time. It's fun and easy to play with friends, the classes are unique and the artwork is great too. My negatives are that while it's fun, it can get repetitive, so i recommend Hearthstone in short bursts. TheIt's easy to describe Hearthstone the same way Blizzard does, fun and simple. It's very easy to learn while the mechanics are also deep and you seem to learn new things all the time. It's fun and easy to play with friends, the classes are unique and the artwork is great too. My negatives are that while it's fun, it can get repetitive, so i recommend Hearthstone in short bursts. The expansion prices are ridiculous and it costs a few bucks to get new packs unless you earn them by coins (takes a while) or through daily quests (which those cards aren't even good). So in a way, it IS pay to win. But it is still a fun game to play if you need to kill some time.… Expand
  76. cpyz
    May 7, 2014
    5
    This game is quite fun to play at first,but after a few days playing,it just turn out to be a really shallow game.Strategics are useless in playing hearthstone,as the card drawing system is COMPLETELY random.So, no matter how much time and effort spent in building your deck,it just comes down to luck when you are actually playing.

    It is not a typical P2W game as you must invest a vast    This game is quite fun to play at first,but after a few days playing,it just turn out to be a really shallow game.Strategics are useless in playing hearthstone,as the card drawing system is COMPLETELY random.So, no matter how much time and effort spent in building your deck,it just comes down to luck when you are actually playing.

    It is not a typical P2W game as you must invest a vast amount of money to make the difference and i believe only a minority of players are willing to pay a lump sum.This is because this game is based purely on luck.You can have 3 LEGENDARY cards, but they may all be lying right at the bottom of your deck so you may not even see them when you are being crushed and gang bang by your opponents minion.Based on my own experience(i have 1 lvl 16 hero and 5 other >lvl 10 heroes),players with legendary cards are very rare,only about 1 in 10 players possess legendary cards.

    What makes this card game bad is the lack of strategies,all you need is LUCK LUCK LUCK.Anyway, i think this is a fixable problem and Blizzard should make modifications to its game-playing mechanisms,or many players will leave this game after a few weeks of playing as it is getting boring.

    I really hope that Blizzard can make some improvements because this can be one of the best online CCG.I am not giving it a negative score just because the graphics and gameplay are really nice.The cards are also well-designed.    … Expand
  77. adamovic
    Jun 20, 2016
    9
    Pros:
    - this game is very varied in strategies and requires skill (best streamers get in average 7 win per arena (Kripp, Adwecta) comparing to average 3), there are many classes which means many strategies (at least 4-5 classes good for arena and I'm meeting various classes in standard battles)
    - you can play as a free player and if you are really good you can reach a legendary level    Pros:
    - this game is very varied in strategies and requires skill (best streamers get in average 7 win per arena (Kripp, Adwecta) comparing to average 3), there are many classes which means many strategies (at least 4-5 classes good for arena and I'm meeting various classes in standard battles)
    - you can play as a free player and if you are really good you can reach a legendary level over time (since with avg 7 arena you effectively earn by playing arena)
    - great animations and sound makes it more enjoyable
    - also not too slow comparing to many CCG (this is a huge advantage comparing to mtg clones)

    Cons:
    - sometimes feeling nothing that day to play to enjoy in the game
    - sometimes feeling high imbalance even on same player lvl
    - no really free quest (requires high amount of tokens for a free to play)
    - even paid quest feels sometimes not enjoyable at all

    But in overall there is not better digital CCG at the market in my opinion and I've tried dozens    … Expand
  78. Galipoli
    Apr 18, 2016
    0
    Pay to win

    OOOOOOohhhhhhhhhhhh another legendary op **** and another and another and another
    matches the company capitalistic **** not a fair gameplay
  79. WryMouth
    Aug 25, 2014
    4
    Same as all games the game is "free" unless you want to spend real money in the game...optional "spending". Decent game, not as good as Magic card game but its cute. Mostly made for eSports gamers that get donations to buy decks etc etc. Overall one major issues, as most battle.net games is their network. Game lags, sometimes you cant log in at all, even when you play vs computerSame as all games the game is "free" unless you want to spend real money in the game...optional "spending". Decent game, not as good as Magic card game but its cute. Mostly made for eSports gamers that get donations to buy decks etc etc. Overall one major issues, as most battle.net games is their network. Game lags, sometimes you cant log in at all, even when you play vs computer sometimes it takes them 2 to 5 minutes to make a move or pick a card.… Expand
  80. RaiKoi
    Apr 30, 2014
    10
    As someone who would never think to play a CCG, Hearthstone has taken me by surprise! It's easy to access game-play was a downside to me at first but the more I played it (at first just with friends), the more I started to enjoy it for it's depth. Not to mention the amazing artwork that's in the game, from the spell-animations to the sound effects, the golden card-animations and more. NowAs someone who would never think to play a CCG, Hearthstone has taken me by surprise! It's easy to access game-play was a downside to me at first but the more I played it (at first just with friends), the more I started to enjoy it for it's depth. Not to mention the amazing artwork that's in the game, from the spell-animations to the sound effects, the golden card-animations and more. Now that Hearthstone is really getting bigger in the competitive scene I'm only looking forward more and more to what it will have to offer as an e-sport.… Expand
  81. ThatBrayKid
    Apr 19, 2014
    9
    Many reviewers seem to be trashing the game simply because they aren't very good at it, and don't understand the mechanics. That's too bad, because the game itself is fantastic. There's a lot to do with constructive play and arena play. Ranked and casual matches as well. The classes are initially very balanced, with strengths and weaknesses for each class. However, skilled playersMany reviewers seem to be trashing the game simply because they aren't very good at it, and don't understand the mechanics. That's too bad, because the game itself is fantastic. There's a lot to do with constructive play and arena play. Ranked and casual matches as well. The classes are initially very balanced, with strengths and weaknesses for each class. However, skilled players will understand card synergy and use this knowledge to crush unskilled players. If those unskilled players would just play and practice, thinking about their mistakes, they would realize the game is much better than what they initially thought. That's what happened to me. Hearthstone is a fantastic, deep card game, with a large amount of replay-ability, and a solid community based around it. Give it a shot, you'll probably be hooked.… Expand
  82. Raskol
    Mar 26, 2014
    9
    Love this game, its short fast fun, Blizzard made a nice thing here, lets hope they keep it. While easy to learn it is complex, ive got many of my friends in to this game, even my parrents, and there over 60.
  83. Adzi
    Apr 30, 2014
    10
    I'll start off by saying I never liked card games, I was never interested in them and I thought they were a waste of time, but I decided to give this game a go because it's interface looked gorgeous.

    I tried it for a couple of games and here I am, a couple of months later still playing it, still climbing to legend. This game is amazing, if it wasn't for the glitches and issues with    I'll start off by saying I never liked card games, I was never interested in them and I thought they were a waste of time, but I decided to give this game a go because it's interface looked gorgeous.

    I tried it for a couple of games and here I am, a couple of months later still playing it, still climbing to legend.

    This game is amazing, if it wasn't for the glitches and issues with EU servers I'd saw it's flawless.

    Cards are pretty balanced aside from about 15% of the cards, these 15% don't get used in the current meta for obvious reasons but if you try to make them work, they WILL work.

    Classes are so beautifully designed. The meta keeps turning around and every single time you see a class at the bottom of the winrates you can expect that by the end of the month it will for some reason make it to the top again.

    I never spent a penny and I managed to get all the core cards for most of the decks in just the first couple of days, due to the insane headstart that the game gives you with all the packs and the arena ticket and such.

    You can get all the cards in the game without spending a penny by simply being decent at the arena. Grinding gold becomes absolutely no problem if you just spend some effort into learning the mechanics and the game.
    I'd definitely recommend this game to anyone who likes card games or is remotely interested in them. Everything about it will hook you into it. It will end up being really difficult NOT to spend money on it not because it requires grinding, but because it's so beautifully designed you will not be able to wait to get the cards.    … Expand
  84. Davidesol
    May 5, 2014
    9
    Great and fun game, the problem is luck determinant in a lot of matches, and also opening packs, but well, is a card game so i guess it should be ok.
    The second problem i found is the game needs something else to keep me playing it, i just log in do my dailies and quit.
  85. FogCityRoller
    Mar 3, 2017
    1
    My original review of this game was almost 3 years ago, and I was far too nice to it but in my defense the game was in its infancy and it was a much better game than it is now. That review was pre-GvG. Ever since the release of GvG, Hearthstone has continued on a downward spiral to its current state of being a glorified slot machine mobile app. The levels of RNG added to the cards isMy original review of this game was almost 3 years ago, and I was far too nice to it but in my defense the game was in its infancy and it was a much better game than it is now. That review was pre-GvG. Ever since the release of GvG, Hearthstone has continued on a downward spiral to its current state of being a glorified slot machine mobile app. The levels of RNG added to the cards is inexcusable for any game that tries to pass itself off as being skill-based. They have completely destroyed arena, which has turned into a game of "who can get luckier while curving out" because reactionary play has been mitigated to the extreme.

    The only thing I can say about this game is that Whispers of the Old Gods was actually a really fun, innovative expansion. However that did not last, and every one since then has been a disaster. Even with sets rotating out, they leave a mark that is terrible from a business point of view.
    *GvG=permanently destroyed constructed play by making it COMPLETELY about RNG.
    *The Grand Tournament=managed to be worse than GvG and single-handedly destroyed arena...in a million years I didn't think this would have been possible.
    *Whispers=as I said, the only great one and probably forever.
    *Mean Streets=reintroduced unbelievably broken 1-drops that made constructed AND arena intolerable.

    Blizzard is one sh*t company these days, it's actually depressing because I grew up obsessed with their classics. Oh how the mighty have fallen.    … Expand
  86. atro
    Oct 25, 2016
    10
    Really fun strategy game with a lot of depth. A lot of people are calling it pay2win, which is partially true, but not necessarily. You get quests everyday which get you currency, more than enough so that you can be a top tier player if you grind and try, for completely free
  87. DonutTyrant
    Mar 18, 2014
    10
    Arena mode gives players random cards to build a deck with before having us go head to head. Cannot buy cards for arena, only player skill matters there. This is where the fun is at so do yourself the service of playing this amazing free to play game. You have nothing to lose but your time.
  88. ThaCandymann
    May 29, 2014
    10
    Hearthstone is absolutely wonderful. You can either be in a very fast paced game with a lot of attacking, Or you could be in a very defensive game where a lot of health cards and taunt cards are played. Its also about the strategies and the good thing about Hearthstone is that it allows you to use all the class that are available and all the class have their strengths and weakness. It allHearthstone is absolutely wonderful. You can either be in a very fast paced game with a lot of attacking, Or you could be in a very defensive game where a lot of health cards and taunt cards are played. Its also about the strategies and the good thing about Hearthstone is that it allows you to use all the class that are available and all the class have their strengths and weakness. It all comes down to your strategies and how you use your good cards and how you use your not so good ones.… Expand
  89. NebbishD
    Apr 4, 2014
    9
    I enjoy games with a good amount of depth to them, and generally shy away from any games "casual" in nature, so it's a significant statement to say I've continued playing the game since the early days of the closed beta.

    Rather than re-state everything good about the game that has already been said, I'd rather debunk a lot of the (false) assertions made in some of the mixed and negative    I enjoy games with a good amount of depth to them, and generally shy away from any games "casual" in nature, so it's a significant statement to say I've continued playing the game since the early days of the closed beta.

    Rather than re-state everything good about the game that has already been said, I'd rather debunk a lot of the (false) assertions made in some of the mixed and negative reviews.

    The three most common complaints:

    1. "It's pay to win; the only way you can get a good deck is if you pour tons of money or grinding hours into opening hundreds of packs to get the legendary cards." My stance: In general I hate the microtransaction model in any game, but it's very well developed and is in no way pay to win in HS. There are plenty of testimonials of players who have poured literally hundreds of dollars into the game who still find themselves flagging on ladder. Many pros and streamers have demonstrated "budget" decks with few or no rare cards that have made it to the highest levels of constructed ladder. I mostly play arena, and I've never had to pay to enter; the daily gold quests and arena winnings have given me a steady surplus of gold. To date I haven't had to grind OR pay to win a lot and have fun. To be fair, I've got a high win/loss ratio, so the majority of players (especially new players) will indeed have to either play constructed ladder in between arena runs to earn money from quests or occasionally pay the $2 for an arena entry. But, the system rewards skill; if you play well and make the right decisions, you make a profit on your arena-ing. That potential alone makes the microtransaction model palatable to me. (Naturally, I'm biased, but still; I wouldn't mind paying for the occasional arena entry if I knew it were possible for me to become skilled enough to play for free).

    2. "It's imbalanced; X class is OP". There are inevitably going to be some differences in balance when there are nine classes to choose from and only 200 cards in total. But, there is no class that is completely discounted in constructed; in the most popular set of 14 or so deck lists in the legend (read: highest) ladder, every class is represented at least once. In arena, hunter is decidedly weaker, and mage perhaps a bit better than others, but the "luck of the draw" style of arena balances (or at least mitigates) the power factor of any given race. I've reached 12 wins in arena (the best you can do in an arena run) with 4 classes at this point, including some classes I originally thought would be very difficult to accomplish this with.

    3. "It's too casual and simplistic". Although (after putting many hours into the game) I'm indeed finding myself wanting a bit more depth, it's got enough strategic relevance to compel professional gamers to divert considerable careers to Hearthstone (consider Day[9], Kripparian, and Artosis, to name a few). If this were truly the flappy birds of Card Carrying Games, these players wouldn't have looked twice at the Hearthstone experience.

    It's not a perfect game, and they're still working out some of the bugs, but they've made a lot of progress over the past few months. And on the whole, it does a better job at merging the accessibility of a casual game with the depth and persistence of a big title than any other game I've seen to date.

    I was a bit surprised to find so many (essentially misinformed/wrong)    … Expand
  90. Aukerai
    Apr 28, 2014
    8
    So... This is Blizzard's implementation of a DTCG, or Digital Trading Card Game. Let me first off, state that "Free to Play" is a highly inappropriate name for *ANY* (YES, ANY) trading card game. Why? Because at the end of the day, you can buy booster packs to get more cards, and in turn, improve your deck.

    This is a FACT that permeates EVERY trading card game, be it Magic, YGO, Shadow    So... This is Blizzard's implementation of a DTCG, or Digital Trading Card Game. Let me first off, state that "Free to Play" is a highly inappropriate name for *ANY* (YES, ANY) trading card game. Why? Because at the end of the day, you can buy booster packs to get more cards, and in turn, improve your deck.

    This is a FACT that permeates EVERY trading card game, be it Magic, YGO, Shadow Era, HEX etc etc etc.

    Now, I've been playing trading card games for a few years, and went to a few regional competitions for some of the above TCGs, so I do have some experience with TCG business models. So how does Hearthstones stack up?

    At $2 at pack, it slams right in the middle. It's not as cheap as Shadow Era (at $1 a pack), it's the same price as HEX ($2), cheaper than YGO ($4-5) and MUCH cheaper than Magic ($6 a pack). As a matter of fact, this lands it in the lower end of pack pricing, and this is a plus. HOWEVER, this game does NOT have any form of trading system (any physical TCG, and most DTCGs), nor does it allow you to sell your cards for currency (ie. Shadow Era) to buy new ones. In it's place is crafting.

    Crafting is vastly inferior to all of these options, and does make it harder to acquire cards for free than other options. Keep in mind though, that if you intend to play a TCG, you MUST be willing to pay at least some amount of money in order to be able to be competitive. This has ALWAYS been a part of TCGs, and it can not / will not change with the TCG business model.

    --------------------------------------

    Now onto the game itself.

    Hearthstone is a very pretty, smooth and polished experience as far as turn structure and flow goes. There are no spell chains, which means there's no turn priority. Either it's your turn, or it's not. This means that initially, this game may come off as overly simplified, and to some extent, you would be right. However, in comparison to traditional TCGs, where you have to play around the knowledge of counters and cards in your turn, you are presented with another, more interesting conundrum. You have to figure out what's in your opponents hand based on their play-style, and figure out how to effectively trade against their board presence, while dealing damage to the player themselves. This is somewhat alleviated by the class system, but you definitely need to think about your moves before you make them.

    As always, luck is a constant factor in ALL TCGs, but Hearthstone is a little more offensive, with RNG spells such as Arcane Bolts, and other luck based cards. This does detract from the skill ceiling, but at the same time, it can be a good bit of fun, and does open up the game a bit for the casual players.

    In conclusion, the business model comes as NO surprise (it's a TCG... TCGs have always and will always cost some form of money), the graphics are fast, fluid and polished, the turn structures is interesting and games take a fairly short amount of time. The game itself is simultaneously complex and simple, which is both a good and a bad thing.

    I knocked 2 points from the score for the total lack of a trading system, with none on the road-map, and a (currently) poorly implemented crafting system.

    Off the record, I'm knocking an additional 0.5 off the score for the RNG elements, but that's a personal preference.

    This is a great game to play, while your in between other games, or only have 10-15 minutes available. Drop $20-30 on the game, and you'll mainly skip the poor crafting system, and have a very competitive deck.    … Expand
  91. Leap8
    Mar 19, 2014
    10
    For starters do not listen to the people who say that this game is pay to win. Players have reached the top of the rankings in the game without paying a penny and indeed some have reached very high just using the basic decks given to the player at the start of the game. This game can feel unfair sometimes and i believe that is what these players are feeling. However this is due to theFor starters do not listen to the people who say that this game is pay to win. Players have reached the top of the rankings in the game without paying a penny and indeed some have reached very high just using the basic decks given to the player at the start of the game. This game can feel unfair sometimes and i believe that is what these players are feeling. However this is due to the random nature of some of the cards and the very real aspect of luck involved in drafting the right cards for the right situation. Although this leads to some seemingly unfair games it does tend to balance itself out the more games you play. Anyway now the good and the bad. (Also please remember that this game is free and every card in the game can be earned without paying a penny!)

    Good:
    Brilliant and addictive card game. The sounds and animations are both extremely satisfying and the graphics are very reminiscent of WoW which gives it a nostalgic feel. As mentioned above the payment method is rather moot depending on how you wish to play the game. If you want to jump into the game and be able to play every deck then and there you will have to sink in some money to buy packs of cards. However this is not how the game is meant to be played and is much more suited to a slow progression doing quests and arena runs (its the journey people). Not to mention skilled players have reached the top of the rankings just days after starting a new free account.

    Bad:
    So far everything has been quite positive but like every game it is not perfect (which is not what a 10 indicates fyi). The game does still even after release suffer from some annoying card swapping and overlapping bugs, these can be a real pain and even cost you games. The game is also very lacking in playing modes. Only two currently exist at launch, constructed and arena. This problem is likely to be addressed in later expansion packs or DLC but for the moment the area is lacking.
    Certain cards in the game are just simply stronger versions of others and are almost a 100% pick every time in a deck, this can make match ups very repetitive as you are bound to see these certain cards in every game. Unfortunately most of these cards are legendary (which are very rare) which often leads people to believe the game is pay to win (even though these cards are fully achievable through free means).    … Expand
  92. 8fortime
    Mar 31, 2014
    9
    Hearthstone is casually addictive and fun. The soothing music and the nice feel to the aesthetic make you sit there for hours. It has a nice depth in the gameplay and easy to get into.
  93. jlplatten
    Mar 17, 2014
    10
    This game is addictivelyfun!

    Those scoring this game extremely low don't have a valid argument as to why they don't like the game. First off, the game is FREE! Those complaining they can't easily get a good deck when they paid nothing for the game are ridiculous. Blizzard has to make some kind of money on their products, or else they wouldn't produce any. View the download of this game    This game is addictivelyfun!

    Those scoring this game extremely low don't have a valid argument as to why they don't like the game. First off, the game is FREE! Those complaining they can't easily get a good deck when they paid nothing for the game are ridiculous. Blizzard has to make some kind of money on their products, or else they wouldn't produce any. View the download of this game as a free trial. You can play through some fun tutorials with basic cards, unlock everything you can with the free decks you can get, and then when ready to take on online opponents, be prepared to get whooped... which is still fun, because you get to see the various deck strategies others have put together, and gives you ideas on your own. I'm having so much fun with this game, I decided to pay $50 for more cards, which is really the price of a normal game nowadays anyways. Second, when you play ranked games, your rank fluctuates up and down based on games you win/lose, so more times than not you are playing up against equally ranked opponents with similarly powerful decks.

    I wish Blizzard had a whiner-detector to prevent the complainers from downloading their free game.    … Expand
  94. Tikicobra
    Mar 14, 2014
    9
    As someone who isn't a huge card game fan, I find this game to be insanely fun and addictive. The gameplay is simple and easy to pick up, but it's full of hidden depth and strategy. The look is charming, the card art is amazing, the music is delightful, and the matchmaking is great about pitting you against players of your own level. The freemium elements are brilliantly implemented, and IAs someone who isn't a huge card game fan, I find this game to be insanely fun and addictive. The gameplay is simple and easy to pick up, but it's full of hidden depth and strategy. The look is charming, the card art is amazing, the music is delightful, and the matchmaking is great about pitting you against players of your own level. The freemium elements are brilliantly implemented, and I don't feel at all like they're being forced down my throat or as if they're necessary.

    The game is free, guys. Get it.    … Expand
  95. Qwerto227
    May 1, 2014
    10
    Just need to provide a quick response to all those people who are calling it P2W. there are a huge amount of examples of decent players getting to legendary rank using only common cards (most of which you start with and the rest of which are really cheap and you will most likely get them in packs without paying anything quite quickly) the only reason you think it is P2W is because you areJust need to provide a quick response to all those people who are calling it P2W. there are a huge amount of examples of decent players getting to legendary rank using only common cards (most of which you start with and the rest of which are really cheap and you will most likely get them in packs without paying anything quite quickly) the only reason you think it is P2W is because you are bad at the game and need to find something to blame. If you are looking for examples of getting to legendary with commons just search "Trump" on youtube. Anyway the game is really fun and a lot deeper than it seems at first.… Expand
  96. Hossimo
    Apr 30, 2014
    10
    Since the beta my new favorite card game. I have played a small amount of MTG Online and while this is not the same game it is far more approachable and entertaining.
  97. Iluvatar21
    May 20, 2014
    7
    HOW I RATE: 10-9 score: perfect or near-perfect don't exist; 8 score: one of the best games ever. Top score; 7-6 score: great but not one of the best; 5-below score: serious flaws.
    ===========
    An awesome card game. Warcraft universe. Gets boring eventually.
  98. MikeMaximus
    Apr 24, 2014
    7
    Hearthstone is a fun card game to play every few days, complete any daily quests you have built up and earn a few new cards. If you want something hardcore to spend thousands of hours on i'd look elsewhere, unless of course you wanna spend a ton of money buying card packs.

    I'd call it Magic: The Gathering lite, it has enough depth to keep it interesting and strategic but also simple    Hearthstone is a fun card game to play every few days, complete any daily quests you have built up and earn a few new cards. If you want something hardcore to spend thousands of hours on i'd look elsewhere, unless of course you wanna spend a ton of money buying card packs.

    I'd call it Magic: The Gathering lite, it has enough depth to keep it interesting and strategic but also simple enough to keep the rounds quick and easy to play. It's actually quite a feat and they should be proud of it. The lack of a standard chat interface during matches is also genius, you can communicate via simple emotes and that's all. This keeps matches quick and clean with a lack of what would likely be useless or offensive chatter that is standard in most competitive online games.

    Understandably it has issues with balance as ALL these types of games do, but Blizzard has never really been good with balance. That alone for me doesn't make it viable to spend a dime on it or compete in ranked matches.    … Expand
  99. Metalsand
    Mar 17, 2014
    8
    A fun game of card-chess for anyone to play, not just serious card game players. It takes all the convoluted, and unnecessary rules within most card games and throws them out the window in favor of easy to learn, hard to master gameplay. The only card-game I've ever truly had fun with and had some strategics thought of with.

    One of the oddest parts is the F2P element, which is somehow    A fun game of card-chess for anyone to play, not just serious card game players. It takes all the convoluted, and unnecessary rules within most card games and throws them out the window in favor of easy to learn, hard to master gameplay. The only card-game I've ever truly had fun with and had some strategics thought of with.

    One of the oddest parts is the F2P element, which is somehow fit into the game. Decks are based on a few token cards that you include in nearly any deck you can, but some of these token cards are night impossible to obtain unless you play 100 hours+ or pump over $100 into the game.

    Overall though, I really like it a lot. A good player can win with a bad deck, and a bad player can lose with the best deck, it really is up to the person itself just as much as it is with the deck they make.    … Expand
  100. Not_Disclosed
    Mar 18, 2014
    7
    The game is very deceptive. First of all, do not expect to be competitive in ranked play for a long time, unless you want to spend real money. If you do spend money, you will not be truly competitive anyway, but you will manage to get some wins just because you have better cards.

    For a long time, I thought that cards are everything, but actually there is quite a lot of strategy    The game is very deceptive. First of all, do not expect to be competitive in ranked play for a long time, unless you want to spend real money. If you do spend money, you will not be truly competitive anyway, but you will manage to get some wins just because you have better cards.

    For a long time, I thought that cards are everything, but actually there is quite a lot of strategy involved. As a new player, you will need to do daily quests. I do not recommend playing any more than for dailies, as when you play against much better decks, you will feel that it is unfair and pay - for - win. As such, I recommend not buying the decks straight away, but spend the gold in arena. Yes, you will be losing a lot at the beginning - but also you will learn to play and to choose cards. Make a spreadsheet of your arena wins so you can see your progress in time. Initially you will think that 'it is all luck' and that 'opponents were lucky at draw and play' but after some time (a couple of months for me) you will realise that actually how you play and way you choose cards affect your performance in Arena immensely, and that having few very good cards in a badly chosen deck does not make wonders. To play constructed competitively, as long as you do not want to pay, expect 3-6 months of doing dailies and spending your gold on Arena runs.

    Constructed has many issues currently, but the game is getting better, and even though maybe at the moment is not as good as competition, given Blizzard determination (and pushing it as an e-sport) it is very likely to be the best in maybe a year time.

    However, building your skill to be competitive in the game (and Arena) will take time. You can buy your way to be competitive early, but with all the cards you can imagine, you will still not achieve top ranks without skill.    … Expand
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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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