Speaking as someone who has gone on "Hearthstone hiatus" several times, and as someone who understands that nothing happens overnight at Blizzard, I'm willing to hang on for a few more weeks until the mini-set, which I will purchase with gold (assuming that's still an option). Blizzard's actions in the meantime will determine how I proceed after that. They know they are on thin ice, and their actions in the near future will determine the fate of the game. If they aren't willing to make some very big changes, they will never be able to find enough whales to keep them afloat.
(For reference, I'm a dolphin -- I spend enough to collect every card, but I stopped buying their overpriced cosmetic garbage long ago.)
The one key change I'm looking at is the reversal of the quest changes. Anything short of full reversal will constitute actual fraud in my eyes, to the extent that I think they will have opened themselves up to a class action lawsuit. People who purchased the Battle Pass did so with certain expectations of what it would take to complete the track and the amount of extra gold they could expect to accumulate from the XP bonus. Changing the rules without warning a couple of weeks after accepting money for the pass is a clear-cut case of bait-and-switch.
Quitting the game right now won't change anything since there's no money changing hands until the next expansion comes out. I can bide my time. However, if and when I do quit the game again, it will be the very last time. After the over-the-top Montgomery Burns-level antics they've been getting away with lately (itemized quite thoroughly and accurately in this article), I'm fully resolved to put the game behind me forever if Blizzard doesn't change their tune. (And let's face it -- we all know they won't.)
On that note, are there any new card games worth playing? I loved the bones of Magic Spellslingers, but it receieved no support and died. I hate Magic: the Gathering and its ridiculously outdated mana system. I've tried and bounced off of Runeterra, Gwent, Shadowverse, Faeria, Eternal, and Elder Scrolls Legends -- either for being too gimmicky or for chronic balance problems (or both). And I will absolutely NEVER play a game based on NFTs. Have I eliminated everythiing?
I guess OutOf has given up on reporting actual Hearthstone news. The quest drama is the biggest Hearthstone story so far this year, but all we see is the trickle of uninteresting non-news spoonfed to the site by Blizzard.
Really? In this day and age, you think a 3-mana 6/5 is the biggest problem? In a time when people have been joking about the overblown uproar over a 4-mana 7/7 in days of yore?
No, I'm pretty sure it's the massive discounted demons with ridiculously powerful effects that come afterWindow Shopper ... twice. And then two more times.
Don't believe me? Play some DH and just hold on to the demons you get from Window Shopper. Never play them. See how far your 3-mana 6/5 actually takes you. (I guess you can't really do that anymore on turn 4, but still ... imagine it.)
Just take Magtheridon out of Window Shopper's pool. Maybe even specify that it can't discover any Legendary. Even make it a random Demon to increase the number of bad discovers.
I got both bundles and spent all my gold, so something like 170 packs. I probably did not need the smaller bundle in retrospect. Upon reaching level 50 on the Reward Track, I received my final Legendary (Raza) and the chocololate Coin. I think I crafted exactly one Legendary with dust along the way, and I have a lot of dust left over.
10 mana would not be a harsh nerf for a rest-of-game effect that nearly ensures inevitability and has no other prerequisites. I wish they could do more, but I don't think they will.
We're losing some of the stronger divine shield cards with rotation, so idk. Definitely something to keep an eye on for alter expacs though.
Cards that are already strong don't benefit from the buff as much as smaller minions. I'd often rather bump a 2/3 up to 4/6 than make an 8/8 into a 10/11. The big guy was already killing anything it might fight, but the little guy is now an actual threat where it wasn't before.
These days, there are more potential handbuff/deckbuff targets than ever. Cheating this out is a worthwhile goal, but I'm pretty sure you'll be happy to play it at full Cost in many cases -- assuming you built your deck correctly.
Indeed, I was glad to see them after taking a break for most of 2023, but I definitely got too many. I was only missing two out of the five expansions involved, so I ended up with a LOT of duplicates. On the bright side, I got a lot dust, great for grabbing the legendaries and epics I wanted but lacked the luck to find.
In the end, I probably spent almost as much money as I would have if I'd stuck around and played all year. A big part of that comes from not having earned quest gold or weekly brawl packs, but I'm sure I could have done a bit better if I'd spent less on Catch-up Packs.
Also! It's extremely important to know that the shop will offer you big discounts on expansion packs over the course of your first couple of weeks as a returner or newbie. Don't try to do all your catching up on the first day. Wait for Blizzard to get impatient and send you better offers.
I just realized that the XP bonus is the only reward I care about. (I really hate premium cards, especially signatures.) But I'll get it for the XP bonus anyway.
Also, why is it always Scabbs? SCABBS SCABBS SCABBS! So sick of Scabbs skins.
Speaking as someone who has gone on "Hearthstone hiatus" several times, and as someone who understands that nothing happens overnight at Blizzard, I'm willing to hang on for a few more weeks until the mini-set, which I will purchase with gold (assuming that's still an option). Blizzard's actions in the meantime will determine how I proceed after that. They know they are on thin ice, and their actions in the near future will determine the fate of the game. If they aren't willing to make some very big changes, they will never be able to find enough whales to keep them afloat.
(For reference, I'm a dolphin -- I spend enough to collect every card, but I stopped buying their overpriced cosmetic garbage long ago.)
The one key change I'm looking at is the reversal of the quest changes. Anything short of full reversal will constitute actual fraud in my eyes, to the extent that I think they will have opened themselves up to a class action lawsuit. People who purchased the Battle Pass did so with certain expectations of what it would take to complete the track and the amount of extra gold they could expect to accumulate from the XP bonus. Changing the rules without warning a couple of weeks after accepting money for the pass is a clear-cut case of bait-and-switch.
Quitting the game right now won't change anything since there's no money changing hands until the next expansion comes out. I can bide my time. However, if and when I do quit the game again, it will be the very last time. After the over-the-top Montgomery Burns-level antics they've been getting away with lately (itemized quite thoroughly and accurately in this article), I'm fully resolved to put the game behind me forever if Blizzard doesn't change their tune. (And let's face it -- we all know they won't.)
On that note, are there any new card games worth playing? I loved the bones of Magic Spellslingers, but it receieved no support and died. I hate Magic: the Gathering and its ridiculously outdated mana system. I've tried and bounced off of Runeterra, Gwent, Shadowverse, Faeria, Eternal, and Elder Scrolls Legends -- either for being too gimmicky or for chronic balance problems (or both). And I will absolutely NEVER play a game based on NFTs. Have I eliminated everythiing?
I guess OutOf has given up on reporting actual Hearthstone news. The quest drama is the biggest Hearthstone story so far this year, but all we see is the trickle of uninteresting non-news spoonfed to the site by Blizzard.
So glad we aren't "strongly encouraged" to play Battlegrounds for the Event. I guess they finally realized they can't force people to like it.
Really? In this day and age, you think a 3-mana 6/5 is the biggest problem? In a time when people have been joking about the overblown uproar over a 4-mana 7/7 in days of yore?
No, I'm pretty sure it's the massive discounted demons with ridiculously powerful effects that come after Window Shopper ... twice. And then two more times.
Don't believe me? Play some DH and just hold on to the demons you get from Window Shopper. Never play them. See how far your 3-mana 6/5 actually takes you. (I guess you can't really do that anymore on turn 4, but still ... imagine it.)
Just take Magtheridon out of Window Shopper's pool. Maybe even specify that it can't discover any Legendary. Even make it a random Demon to increase the number of bad discovers.
Unicorn Overlord is probably going to be my Game of the Year. I was expecting a slightly deeper Fire Emblem, but it's so much more! I love it.
I got both bundles and spent all my gold, so something like 170 packs. I probably did not need the smaller bundle in retrospect. Upon reaching level 50 on the Reward Track, I received my final Legendary (Raza) and the chocololate Coin. I think I crafted exactly one Legendary with dust along the way, and I have a lot of dust left over.
Aww, the climb from Diamond 5 to Legend is going to be so much harder now!
(Bronze to Diamond is never hard if you have stars.)
I know it's a joke, but I would gladly trade all of my Garrosh skins for the Boulderfist skin.
Not sure why they bother buffing Aviana. It will never be a good card.
Deputization Aura should have been nerfed ages ago. It has been holding Paladin at the top of the meta ever since it entered the game.
I love Shroomscavate, but I'm more than willing to admit it's way too cheap.
For Thrall's Gift, I'm guessing they would just change which spells it offers? A Cost change would be weird.
Aftershocks should just be 3 mana, period, no reduction. Control Warrior casts a spell nearly every turn anyway.
I'm a little surprised at Awakening Tremors. Will it make 3/1 worms, or fewer worms?
10 mana would not be a harsh nerf for a rest-of-game effect that nearly ensures inevitability and has no other prerequisites. I wish they could do more, but I don't think they will.
Cards that are already strong don't benefit from the buff as much as smaller minions. I'd often rather bump a 2/3 up to 4/6 than make an 8/8 into a 10/11. The big guy was already killing anything it might fight, but the little guy is now an actual threat where it wasn't before.
Can't wait to see the n00bs wasting the Battlecry on the mini. (Spoiler: It won't do anything.)
Fantastic value when played just before Wish Upon a Star, but still quite good without it.
I love Locations, and I especially love Locations that draw cards. Now we have one that can tutor?! This is an absolute game-changer.
I have a feeling 10 damage is going to feel very small and pitiful in the coming year, especially if you're counting on this as a full clear.
These days, there are more potential handbuff/deckbuff targets than ever. Cheating this out is a worthwhile goal, but I'm pretty sure you'll be happy to play it at full Cost in many cases -- assuming you built your deck correctly.
Indeed, I was glad to see them after taking a break for most of 2023, but I definitely got too many. I was only missing two out of the five expansions involved, so I ended up with a LOT of duplicates. On the bright side, I got a lot dust, great for grabbing the legendaries and epics I wanted but lacked the luck to find.
In the end, I probably spent almost as much money as I would have if I'd stuck around and played all year. A big part of that comes from not having earned quest gold or weekly brawl packs, but I'm sure I could have done a bit better if I'd spent less on Catch-up Packs.
Also! It's extremely important to know that the shop will offer you big discounts on expansion packs over the course of your first couple of weeks as a returner or newbie. Don't try to do all your catching up on the first day. Wait for Blizzard to get impatient and send you better offers.
I just realized that the XP bonus is the only reward I care about. (I really hate premium cards, especially signatures.) But I'll get it for the XP bonus anyway.
Also, why is it always Scabbs? SCABBS SCABBS SCABBS! So sick of Scabbs skins.