Hearthstone

Hearthstone is a free to play game introduced in 2014 that requires strategy and a little luck to win. This online collectible card game is developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment and is available for the Microsoft Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android platforms. It offers cross platform play which means players on any device can compete against each other.

Just like any physical card game, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft allows you to customize your deck of cards to use against your opponent. This collectible card game is played between two players who must use their mana crystals to summon creatures or spells to attack the opponent. The aim is to reduce the life of your opponent to zero.

Blizzard Entertainment Hearthstone Heroes of Warcraft Review

The very first collectible card game, also called as trading card games, was introduced by Richard Garfield in 1993. Magic: The Gathering allowed players to play with a pre-made starter deck with the option of customizing it with the use of booster packs. With so many cards available, a lot of playing styles and strategies were developed, making the game fun to play.

Unlike physical card games, Hearthstone Heroes of Warcraft, is played mainly using a computer or mobile device. Playing this game feels like playing an actual physical card game thanks to its great interface. The best part about this Blizzard game is that you can play it in your home on your computer or on the go using your mobile device. You will be pleasantly surprised at the way the game is played. There is enough depth to keep you entertained for a long time.

Hearthstone Heroes of Warcraft is set within the Warcraft universe. Most of its characters, spells, weapons, and even locations are drawn from World of Warcraft. You don’t have to play World of Warcraft to enjoy Hearthstone as this is an entirely different game.

How to play Hearthstone Heroes of Warcraft

In order to play Hearthstone Heroes of Warcraft you will need to download it first. You will also need a Battle.net account so make sure to create one. Once the game has been installed in your preferred device you will be treated to an informative tutorial which explains everything about the game.

Although this is a free to play game that is playable in a casual gameplay you will need to acquire certain legendary cards to create competitive decks for use in a ranked game. To get new cards you will need to buy packs which contain random cards. This is why some players are saying that the game might be free to play but it is pay to win since you have to spend money to buy booster packs in order to create a good deck.

A Hearthstone game is played on a 1v1 battle between two opposing hero. It is a turn based game with each player taking turns playing their cards available in their hand. A player is represented by a hero, which is usually an important character in Warcraft lore. Each hero has its own specific class and unique abilities. A hero will have 30 health points and when this goes down to zero he is destroyed and the controlling player will lose the game.

During the start of your turn you draw a new card from your deck. You can use a pre-assembled deck or your own custom deck. Take note that certain cards will only work with certain hero classes so you should consider this when creating a custom deck.

You start the game with one mana crystal and gain an additional mana every turn until the maximum 10 mana is reached. To play a card, you must fulfill its mana requirements. Any unspent mana at the end of your turn does not carry over to the next.

The goal of the game is to reduce your opponent’s hero life to zero. You can do this by attacking using your cards.

Here are the conditions that needs to be met in order for the match to end.

• One of the players’ heroes reaches zero Health (or below) and is destroyed. The remaining player wins.
• Uther of the Ebon Blade can summon The Four Horsemen minions, four of which destroy the opponent, ending the game.
• Mecha’thun, if its Deathrattle is triggered correctly, will destroy the enemy hero.
• The Purified Shard will destroy the enemy hero.
• A player concedes or leaves the game. The remaining player wins.
• Both heroes’ health reaches zero at the same time. This causes a draw.
• At the beginning of the 90th turn (round 44.5), the game will end in a draw although both players will see the Defeat screen.

Playable classes in Hearthstone

Playing a particular hero type allows you to create powerful cards designed to work with their class. It’s therefore a good idea to get to know the classes available in order to know if they work well with your play style.

Demon Hunter

• Demon Hunters are disciples of Illidan Stormrage and wield demonically charged warblades in battle and call upon demonic energies to augment their formidable combat skills. Demon Claws, is the class’ Hero Power which is a one mana-cost boost to the Demon Hunter’s Attack. Some of the heroes under this class are Illidan Stormrage, Aranna Starseeker, and Kurtrus.

Druid

• Druids tap on the vast powers of nature to preserve balance and protect life. They can unleash nature’s raw energy against their enemies or use their power to heal wounds and restore life to allies. As master shapeshifters, druids can take on the forms of a variety of beasts, morphing with ease. Shapeshift is the class hero power which grants the druid a +1 Attack for that turn, and +1 Armor. Some of the heroes under this class are Malfurion Stormrage, Elise Starseeker, Dame Hazelbark, Hamuul Runetotem, Guff Runetotem, and Xuen.

Hunter

• Hunters have the ability to disappear like ghosts through the trees and lay traps for their enemies. They are one of the best marksmen that can easily stop enemies in their tracks with their bow, crossbow or rifle. They have ability to wield two weapons simultaneously allowing them to unleash a flurry of blows against anyone in combat. Steady Shot is the hunter’s Hero Power, dealing 2 damage direct to the enemy hero. Some of the heroes under this class Rexxar and Sylvanas Windrunner.

Mage

• Mages wield arcane magic and have a high amount of skill and power. They can clear entire boards of minions, deal a lot of damage directly to the enemy, or summon creatures of pure energy to do their bidding. The mage Hero Power Fireblast can be used to deal 1 damage to any target, Some of the heroes under this class are Jaina Proudmoore, Medivh, Kel’Thuzad, and Khadgar.

Paladin

• A Paladin is a holy knight that uses minions, holy spells, and divine shields to stand against the enemy. The Paladin Hero Power is Reinforce, which summons a 1/1 Silver Hand Recruit. The default hero of Paladin is Uther Lightbringer.

Priest

• Priests are heroes of righteousness that have unmatched healing potential. They can not only bestow enchantments on minions buy also tap on the shadows to manipulate the minds of their enemies. The Priest Hero Power is Lesser Heal, a p healing option which can be used on heroes or minions to restore Health. The default hero of Priest is Anduin Wrynn.

Rogue

• Rogues are mercenaries that rely on brutal and efficient tactics. These assassins are masters of stealth and can approach their enemies from behind killing then then disappearing in the shadows. Their weapons are often dipped in certain poisons that render their enemies paralyzed. Their unique power allows you to destroy 1 health minions. The default hero of the Rogue class is Valeera Sanguinar.

Shaman

• A Shaman is a master of the primal elements, able to manipulate the forces of nature. They can summon healing rains, torrents of lava, or conjure spiritual allies. Their unique power is that they can randomly summon 1 of 4 possible Totem minions: Healing Totem, Stoneclaw Totem, Searing Totem, or Strength Totem. The default hero of the Shaman class is Thrall.

Warlock

• A Warlock is a practitioner of the Fel arts. They can unleash curses, reckless demons, or violent waves of hellfire on their enemies. Their unique power is Life Tap, allowing them to sacrifice 2 Health (and 2 mana) in order to draw a card. The default hero of the Warlock class is Gul’dan.

Warrior

• The Warrior class is a hero that has unparalleled power. They have a high mastery of weapons and armor allowing them to be quite deadly in combat at the same time hard to kill. Their unique power is Armor Up! which allows them to gain 2 Armor. The default Warrior hero is Garrosh Hellscream.

Card sets available in Hearthstone

In order for the collectible card games to be exciting, card sets are being released yearly. Card sets determine how collectible cards can be obtained and whether these cards can be used in Standard format.

The Standard format only allows cards from the first two Standard years to be used in deck building. A card set rotation occurs every year in which the card set from the oldest Standard year is being removed from Standard play. The only way you will be able to use these removed cards is in Wild format. Take note that some of the most powerful cards in this game are found in older card sets.

These are the card sets that can be played in Standard format.

Ashes of Outland (Ashes)

• Release type: Expansion
• Release date: April 7, 2020

Scholomance Academy (Scholomance)

• Release type: Expansion
• Release date: August 6, 2020

Madness at the Darkmoon Faire with Darkmoon Races

• Release type: Expansion
• Release date: November 17, 2020

Core 2021 (Core)

• Release type: Core
• Release date: March 30, 2021

Forged in the Barrens with Wailing Caverns

• Release type: Expansion
• Release date: March 30, 2021

United in Stormwind with Deadmines

• Release type: Expansion
• Release date: August 3, 2021

Fractured in Alterac Valley with Onyxia’s Lair

• Release type: Expansion
• Release date: December 7, 2021

Game modes available in Hearthstone

The normal way to play Hearthstone is through a one on one match against a randomly selected human opponent. In this type of gameplay there is the Standard mode which uses cards from the core set along with expansion cards of the last two years. There is also the wild game which allows the use of all cards.

The Standard and Wild game mode can further be divided into Casual and Ranked matches. Casual mode allows for a more relaxed gaming atmosphere while Ranked mode allows you to climb the ranking system.

Some of the other multiplayer modes are as follows:

• Arena: Players draft a deck of thirty cards from choices of three cards over several rounds. Players continue to use this deck against other Arena decks until they win or loses a number of matches, after which the deck is retired and players gain in-game rewards based on their record.
• Tavern Brawls: These are challenges that change weekly and may impose unusual deck-building guidelines.
• Battlegrounds: This is based on the auto battler genre, allowing eight players to compete in each match by recruiting minions over several rounds.
• Duel: This is a multiplayer version of Hearthstone’s single player “Dungeon Run” game mode. Players start with a 15-card deck they assemble themselves, and battle other players until they win or lose a number of matches
• Classic mode: This mode uses a mirror of the player’s library of all cards that were in the game as of the June 2014 effectively representing the game’s start at the time of its release.
• Mercenaries: Focuses on a party-based combat system with roguelike mechanics.

Troubleshooting Hearthstone issues on your Windows computer

When playing Hearthstone on your computer you will usually experience certain issues such as the game freezing, lagging, or crashing. We have listed the troubleshooting steps you need to perform in case you experience any of these problems.

Making sure that your computer meets at least the minimum system requirements to play the game will eliminate most of the issues you are experiencing.

Minimum system requirements:

• Operating System: Windows 7 / Windows 8 / Windows 10
• Processor: Intel Pentium D or AMD Athlon 64 X2
• Video: NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT or ATI™ Radeon HD 2600XT or better
• Memory: 3 GB RAM
• Storage: 3 GB available HD space
• Internet: Broadband Internet connection
• Input: Keyboard and mouse, or touchscreen
• Resolution: 1024 x 768 minimum display resolution

Recommended system requirements:

• Operating System: Windows 10 64-bit
• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.2 GHz) or AMD Athlon 64 X2 (2.6 GHz) or better
• Video: NVIDIA GeForce 240 GT or ATI Radeon HD 4850 or better
• Memory: 4 GB RAM
• Storage: 3 GB available HD space
• Internet: Broadband Internet connection
• Input: Keyboard and mouse, or touchscreen
• Resolution: 1024 x 768 minimum display resolution

Fix Hearthstone keeps lagging problem

Does your Hearthstone game keep lagging? This could be due to a corrupted game file or outdated drivers. Here’s what you need to do to fix this.

Update your graphics card

• Right click on the Start button.
• Click on Device Manager.
• Click the arrow before Display adapters.
• Right click on the selected graphics card then choose Update driver.
• Select Search automatically for drivers.

After the latest update has been installed you should restart your computer then check if the Hearthstone lagging issue still occurs.

Scan and Repair your Hearthstone game

• Click the Hearthstone icon found on top of the app.
• Click the the cogwheel next to the Play button and select Scan and Repair.
• Click Begin Scan.
• Wait for the repair to finish.

Run the game then check if the lagging problem still occurs.

Reinstall Hearthstone

Uninstall

• Open the Battle.net desktop app.
• Click the Hearthstone icon found on top of the app.
• Click the the cogwheel next to the Play button and select uninstall.
• Click Yes, Uninstall.

Install

• Open the Battle.net desktop app.
• Click the Hearthstone icon found on top of the app.
• Click Install.

Fix Hearthstone disconnected from server

Sometimes you will get disconnected from the game while playing it. Here’s what you need to do to fix this.

Check the server status

The first thing you need to do is to make sure that that there is no issue with the game server You can do this by visiting the Blizzard CS Twitter page as announcements regarding down time or maintenance will be posted here.

Restart your networking equipment

Sometimes the problem can be caused by your local network connection. To fix this you need to restart your equipment.

• Turn off your computer.
• Unplug your Modem and Router from the power source.
• Wait for a minute then plug your modem and router back into the power source.
• Wait until the lights turn back on.
• Turn on your computer.
• Reconnect your computer to the internet.

Fix Hearthstone keeps crashing problem

If your game keeps crashing then here’s what you need to do.

Run Hearthstone as an administrator

• Right click on the Hearthstone application from the Hearthstone folder.
• Select Properties.
• Click on the Compatibility tab.
• Make sure to place a check mark on the Run this program as an administrator box.
• Click on Apply then Ok.

Try checking if the crashing issue still occurs.

Free up system resources

• Right click on the Start button then click on Task Manager.
• Make sure to click on More details found at the bottom left part of the window if it appears.
• Click on the Processes tab.
• Right click on the apps running and select End task. Do this for all apps except Hearthstone.

Update Microsoft Windows

• Right click the Start button.
• Click Settings.
• Click Windows Update found on the bottom left side of the new window that appears.
• Click Check for updates.
• If new updates are found then click on the Install now button.

If the issue persists then you should try to repair the game or reinstall it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How To Fix Hearthstone FPS Is Low Issue

How To Fix Hearthstone Keeps Lagging Issue

How To Fix Hearthstone Disconnected From Server Issue

How To Fix Hearthstone Won’t Update On Computer Issue

Fixing Hearthstone Keeps Crashing Issue and Getting the Game Running Smoothly