The panel was presented by Lead Designer Eric Dodds and Technical Designer Ben Brode.
Writer: Space Monkey
Editor: Nydra
- Over 1 million invites have been sent for the closed beta since its launch in August and it’s very likely that open beta will come in in December. Good news!
- According to Blizzard’s statistics, about 44% of the players ranked three-star master haven’t spent any money on the game – a testament that skill and knowledge is rewarded and that the game is not exclusively pay to win as the community expected.
- While the +1 crystal coin and the extra card that the player starting second gets are considered major assets, Blizzard’s stats show that it’s still better to play first.
Despite the 51.3% percent win-rate for playing first, however, I still think getting the coin and the extra card are among the biggest advantages in the game. The coin is essential not only to strong turn two decks such as the Rogue and his Defias Ringleader but also to the reactive control decks like Priests and Mages. Some combo decks – looking at the Unleash the Hounds Hunters – also value the extra crystal highly which allows them to hasten their one-turn kill by casting an extra beast.
Still, the last paragraph shouldn’t be taken as a tirade against the power of the coin. The extra mana it provides is indeed necessary for the player going second. In fact, the card’s only problem might be that it is counted as a spell, which apart from setting up Rogue combo cards also helps Mages’ Mana Wyrm to grow even bigger.
- The meta-game is constantly shifting and there is no deck or class that is able to remain on the top of the win percentage table for long. The screenshot below shows the class win-rates from three different days in October and indicate aforementioned meta-game shift.
Aside from each day being dominated by a different class, we notice a massive rises and drops in several of classes’ performances. One example is the Shaman who sees a 14% rise between days two and three. Another curious occurrence is the collapse of Hunters and Rogues – rulers of days one and two respectively – who drop by almost 10% as the meta-game finds a way to battle their combo techniques.
The information most relevant to current Hearthstone players is that balance changes will be coming in the next patch, aimed at nerfing Priest controls and Hunter combos.
- Mind Control will have its cost increased to 10 mana, up from 8.
While it’s always a two-for-one spell and being on the receiving end of it is not very pleasant, increasing its mana cost is likely not the way to fix it. At 10 mana, Mind Control will be almost unplayable, especially now that the meta has settled and that players have learned how to fight Priests effectively. An arguably more suitable change is to make Mind Control an “enchant” and have it be negated by silence, allowing for the player to get his minion back.
- Starving Buzzar
d will have its health decreased to 1
?This will change how the Hunters play their early game. Previously, Hunter decks would often opt to drop their Buzzard early as to draw extra cards or bait a removal from their opponent. Having their Buzzard’s health reduced to 1, however, will make them think twice against certain decks, such as Mages and Druids who can ping away the Buzzard through their hero power or Paladins who can trade it for an initiate. The change will likely have Hunters go back to the playstyle where they try to cast everything in one turn and deal a single killing blow around turn 8-9.
- Unleash the Hounds is going to be changed but there’s no information on how exactly
For some time now, Unleash the Hounds has been one of Hunters’ core combo cards, cast at the end of a long chain of one-mana beasts and setting up the aforementioned turn 8-9 kills. While there’s still no confirmation on how the card will be altered, my guess is that the +1 attack bonus will be removed. This will be an adequate way to balance it and make it a little bit harder for Hunters to achieve the one-turn kills.
The other big news dropped was the reworking of the ranked play mode. The system is going to be completely changed. There are going to be 25 new ranks, each of them represented by a minion from Hearthstone, starting at Angry Chicken. The players will go up in the ladder as they accumulate wins, each giving a star. When the star meter is filled, the player will go up a rank.
Additionally, losses will start to matter more with this new system. Instead of just affecting the hidden matchmaking rating, scoring a loss will remove one of your stars and it’ll be possible to drop down a rank if you losses too many games in a row. This, in turn will be a good indicator for your average stats. The ranked seasons will be one month long, as opposed to the longer ones in other Blizzard titles such as StarCraft 2 or World of WarCraft and each new month will begin with a ladder reset.
The very pinnacle of the Hearthstone rankings will be the Legend division. Unlike the other ranks, players who have achieved a “legend” status will not be able to drop out and will also get daily updates on their exact ladder position in their region.
Having a tangible idea on where you’re placed in the ladder will not be the only incentive of the new ranked play. Seasonal rewards will also be available depending on your placements in the previous season, a few of them being:
- Unlockable ranked play card backs. New ones will be released every month and you’ll be able to change between styles whenever you want
- Golden animated heroes to go with your #swag. Unlocked when you hit 500 ranked victories with a class
All of this is likely the best Hearthstone change. Even without the reward system, having a revamped ranking experience will give you something to play for. It will make constructed play similar to when you enter the arena in the sense that you’ll have a target to beat each time you enter a match.
Speaking of The Arena, three more keys will be added to this play-mode, making it possible to go up to 12 wins in one run. The new keys are named Molten (10 wins), Frostborn (11 wins) and Lightforged (12 wins).
- Expansions. While we know what to expect from that – namely new cards for our decks and collections – we don’t know how often they will be released. I personally hope to see at least two a year.
- Adventures, which are designed to be single player PvE experience. The adventures will include a series of bosses, the beating of which will earn the player solid cards for constructed. Each adventure will have 20-30 cards associated with it.
- Going mobile. iOS and Android versions are in development, the latter most likely coming in the second half of 2014.
- Working on reconnect option. Another great piece of news! This will solve a lot of irritating issues like disconnecting – and losing – an important arena match and I’ll hope we can see this implemented in the next patch or two.
- Making a big entrance. The legendary cards will get new visual effects.
