back to article Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft – A jolly little war for lunchtime

Hearthstone is a game that I've been a bit obsessed with lately. Hearthstone is a free game from Blizzard for PC and iPad. Free to play to be specific, but there is definitely no requirement to actually pay money – I'll get into why later. Using World of Warcraft themes and art style, it's an online turn-based card game. No, …

COMMENTS

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  1. Rob

    Any word...

    ... on when the Android version is being released?

    1. Neil B

      Re: Any word...

      @Rob "Later this year" along with the iPhone version.

      1. Rob

        Re: Any word...

        Thanks Neil :)

  2. lurker

    Payment Methods

    "On PC, payment is done via Paypal"

    Card payments are also accepted through a card registered to the associated battle.net account. (Like all blizzard games, you need a battle.net account to play).

  3. Kane

    "Finding an opponent is really quick though; it's rare you'll wait more than 20 seconds."

    Unlike the queue for Alterac Valley, eh? Eh?

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Alert

    Magic Realms

    Much as I'd like to, I can't get myself addicted to another one - I've got Magic Realms on my BlackBerry and it's frustratingly addictive, and I know that when I move house next month and get all my stuff out of storage, I'll find my MTG decks and lose even more evenings!

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Just had a game this lunch with the GF. Works well over 3G.

  6. ratfox

    Much better than any card game!

    …The computer does all the calculus involved with figuring out what actually happens without forgetting all the modifiers! Oh sorry, was that a feature?

  7. Elmer Phud

    Familiar?

    "What cards you play, how you play them, and the effects the cards have on the gameplay is what makes Hearthstone so interesting. "

    That sounds a bit like Cosmic Encounters

    1. BongoJoe

      Re: Familiar?

      oooh, now that was a game!

  8. Petrea Mitchell

    What it really sounds like

    It sounds a lot like their early stages of the English-language version of Alteil, which I enjoyed a great deal. Later on Alteil underwent adjustments that made it basically impossible to play for free.

    The deck-building mechanism for the Arena, relying on random cards rather than the ones you've collected, sounds very promising for keeping things balanced for non-paying players. Which is why I'm suspicious that it won't stay that way forever.

    Anyway, this sounds like something I'll probably check out regardless.

  9. Tom_B

    annoying game

    I tried it, and as a casual player it's a very annoying game. You'll simply not get cards that make it anywhere near a fair game. I have 3 decks now and I've unlocked all the base cards for a few classes, it's impossible to win against anyone with more cards unlocked. They'll simply have far more powerful cards and your strategy will be meaningless

    Unless you're willing to invest a lot of time (or money) into the game it really isn't going to be enjoyable as it's simply never a fair game.

    1. AdamFowler_IT

      Re: annoying game

      Don't worry too much about the ranked games if that's how you feel - play casual games for practise and to complete quests - then play the arena where everyone is on the same playing field, and it's based on a mix of luck and what you choose. The cards presented are based on all possible cards, not just the ones you own.

    2. JJ_Maxx

      Re: annoying game

      I understand how you might feel, but this isn't true in reality. There is a popular player, Trump, who is almost at Rank 1 using nothing but the basic cards you get for free. While paying for stacks of decks and rare cards may get you there faster, your decision-making skills will garner you more wins than losses with any deck.

      Here are some tips for new players:

      Save your small damage spells and hero powers to remove enemy minions, instead of going straight for the enemy hero.

      You may think Casual is the choice for new players, this is incorrect. The internal matchmaking works best with Ranked if your new. If you want to play against equal-skilled players, play ranked.

      Don't be afraid of taking damage. If you need to take some damage to your hero to clear a minion, do it.

      Overall, Hearthstone is a great game and there is a lot more extras coming down the pike!

  10. Graham Cobb Silver badge

    Thanks but no thanks

    After I completed the training, they wanted my real name, an email and my age to continue. I won't provide those -- that price is too high for a casual game. If they had just asked for a nick and an email address I would have continued some more.

    Back to Clash of Clans for me.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    Love it

    Ended up playing Hearthstone rather than WoW on a rare weekend when I had some spare time.

    Got the free mount and still playing it, not much more to say, other than I really like it.

    Now, just need the android version.

    .

  12. Mark 75

    "Such medieval, much Warcraft ... "

    What?? That's not even English...

    1. Devils Avocado

      It's a Doge reference, very meta...especially when you're a eSports geek A-lister and watch Fight Night on esgn.tv.

      There, at least I gave you something to Google :)

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