Ask Phenteo <Please Read the first post!!>

I couldn't let Bashiok have all the fun...

Depends on what kind of information you'd like me to tell you! Seven monuments may not be enough!

*No guarantees as to the validity or quality of released information.

Touche and Well played good sir!
and here was me hoping that we had a covert agent working for us on the inside..
I guess what I really want to know is:
Are there any plans to record more games for us to watch and drool over?

I can definitely talk with the dev team about recording some more games to post!

Oh' an active post! gotta be quick here! i REALLY like you around here Phenteo! you do feel like a pretty darn awesome fella! please hang around some more!
I have a question or two regarding HS.
1: Will there be a limit on how many booster packs you can buy pr.day/week/month?
or can you use up all your savings, and take a loan in the house to make sure you
have all the epic's? :)
2: Card's going out in the initial release, will they eventually get "buffed" "nerfed" as the game progresses? or will you keep cards as they are no matter what when released? like M:TG they dont just pull back printed cards :p

Thanks! I'm excited to be here!
1. We haven't released any limits on purchases, however, should you want to sell your house in trade for cards we can possibly chat. ;)
2. Our top priority is making a fun and balanced game, and it is thus possible some cards may be adjusted post release if that turns out to be in the best interest of the overall game . We will make every effort and reasonable attempt to minimize these changes though as we want players to feel confident when making the choice to craft a particular card for their collection.*

03/26/2013 05:17 PMPosted by Oppressed

Based on the fact that Shadow Form is a major gameplay/lore skill for the priest class leads me to believe we will always have the same priest hero/skill from this point forward.

Certain cards may have effects that may anot work for your class and others may not, it all depends on how you build your deck from the cards you choose.

*Edit: Updated with direct answer from the devs.

With that in mind, my question about the iPad is why are you not anticipating this being out on release? I understand the idea that perhaps the iPad aspects may not be ready for release, but a release date isn't even set and it's still a long time off, so it seems unlikely that the reason is simply not anticipating that the iPad aspects can be finished in time.

My second question is, how long are you anticipating the iPad version being available after release? The term was "shortly", but are you anticipating weeks or months?

My final question, which I'm sure will not be popular, is would you consider delaying the release of the game until it's ready for iPad?

We're still working out the details for iPad. Unfortunately I cannot give you any specific information right now.

03/27/2013 12:44 PMPosted by Ponzini

Do you guys expect to still have 300 cards by launch? How often do you guys expect to add more? Could we expect double that a year after release?

There are over 300 cards in Hearthstone. As far as the cadence of additional content, we don't have further information we can release. We'll probably be able to answer more questions along these lines as we get closer to beta and launch.

Louisfriend, I'm really amazed about how many cards you've been able to put together! I really wish I could have the list to give to you, maybe once we get closer to beta or during beta!

Never underestimate the power of the player base! =P
This might seem like a personal question Phenteo, but out of the 9 classes that will be available at launch, which one are you looking forward to playing the most?
Oh, And Thank you for taking the time to reply to the chaotic mass that is this forum, I know I appreciate the fact that we have a Forum Blue actively participating... even if you do tease us with how fun the game is!

I've played all the classes and they're all really great. I really like the hunter class, personally as I play a hunter on my main in WoW. ;)

Thanks for the kind words! And, if I didn't tease you, you'd all lose interest and leave me alone in the forums!

Phenteo, thanks for taking the time to chat with us! The game looks awesome, can't wait to play it and your answers just add to my anticipation :).
I don't have a question regarding the game itself atm, so I'll ask you this: Which class seems to be your favourite to play atm and why?

Thank you for being a part of the community! And see above for which one seems to be my fav at the moment.

You are able to create multiple decks for an assigned hero, from the cards you have available.

As far as naming the different decks, I'm still checking on.

EDIT: You can currently change the names of your decks. When you first create a deck it will be automatically named and given a number. E.G. Paladin 1, Paladin 2, and so on.

@Nate, yes. ;)

@Driftlock, Hearthstone is an amazingly simple game to get into, while at PAX East we've had several visitors to our booth that have never played card games or games before. Several of them played several times (and our lines were usually an hour long for Hearthstone).

@LuciousKaine, It’s still too early to discuss our plans for heroes aside from those that are currently available, though the game will continue to evolve over time.

@Meredis, we're targeting this summer for beta!

@Kgg, There are over 300 cards in the game, you don't get them all right away. You get starter decks for the classes you unlock and earn more cards as you play.

@OverlordKane
1) I don't have any information on deck caps, currently.
2) Can you go into futher detail about what you expect multiplayer to be? Because you can play against the AI and other players already.
3) I'll see what I can do. Of course, I'll only release games in which I galantly destroy my opponents. ;)
4) For additional cards, heroes, or classes; we're not ready to talk about additional content at this point... We're not even in beta!!
5) We do have internships and you can check them out here: http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/company/careers/university-relations/internships.html

As far as CCG specific roles, I couldn't say for next year.

@Jinstikal, It may seem that way before playing the game, but believe me, it's really nice not having to worry about pricing and trading cards.

@Zlash, as we get closer to beta and launch we can talk about customizations. I don't have any information, currently, about cross-platform saving.

@Bisha, Hopefully Soon™! We're targeting summer for beta and launch later this year.

@Squeak, Beta this summer. You purchase card packs that you can open and add to your decks or earn cards and card packs through gameplay. I'm fresh out of muffins with cherries on top!

@Meepro, I've been asked not to spoil too many features of the game before beta! ;)

@Bullit, All cards found in a pack have a chance to be upgraded to a Golden Card when the pack is opened. The upgrade affects the appearance of the card but not its power. That being said, I am unsure if you can craft a card and have it be upgraded to a Golden card.

04/01/2013 02:05 PMPosted by DeAdLiNe

Hello, Phenteo! Thank you for answering to the community. I would like to know do you plan on sharing more information on the game and more fireside duels in the near future, or there will be a hiatus before you get closer to beta?

We're planning on releasing some more information as we get closer to beta. :)

@Zann, I try to answer questions whenever possible. But because of how early on, most answers will be that information will be coming. Right now, the devs are making sure the game is as fun and polished as possible right out of the gate!

@Mortis, Haha, I like my new avatar as well. Though I was quite fond of the Hearthstone one for Blues.

@Ickabob, thanks!

@Noxious, aww shucks. I'm sure you will all get bored of me sooner or later. ;)

@OverlordKane, right now, it's just 1v1. If that changes, we'll definitely announce that later on.

@DeAdLiNe, your name is all jumbled, why so many capitals?! The devs are making some awesome videos and hopefully Ben Brode will be awesome enough to shoutcast. So, stay tuned!

@Nom, I think you know the answer to that question. ;)

@RedHair, we want to make this an extremely fun digital strategy card game that anyone can enjoy. That being said, we will have to wait to see what the needs of the community are as we get into beta and launch.

@Phenteo I appreciate how you are responding to everyone. That is much appreciated by all of us I am certain. I haven't been able to go to sleep without looking to see if there are new wiki updates since you announced this game. Well anyways here are my questions:

Which classes can equip the Gorehowl or even weapons in general? Why do most weapons have such low durability? Is there any way to destroy a weapon once it is equipped?

Thanks in advance =).

Gorehowl is for warrior class. Other classes have weapons that you can equip. The reason why you may find certain stats on cards is due to balancing. Being able to attack for 7 damage is huge!

@PaJaMaJaM, if the first minion you go to play on your turn is originally 2 mana cost or lower, yes, pint-sized summoner would reduce the mana cost to zero.

@Wind, I don't have a specific beta-launch plan I can discuss at the moment, but the North American beta will launch first and we hope to launch a beta test in other game regions after.

@Zann, If you're asking if Non-US residents can get into the North American beta, I cannot comment as I do not know the specifics.

@lynalia, the specific number of class cards for each class might change from how it is in Alpha, as such I don't want to promise a certain number before beta/launch. ;)

@Topless, we never stated that there will not be an open beta, nor have we discussed plans about one. Stay tuned!

@Dontftw, Hearthstone is free-to-play with the optional purchase of card packs.

@finsane, there is a limit to 30 cards to a deck. You can have any number of expert cards in your collection, though only two of any common, rare, or epic card, and one of any legendary card, can be placed in a deck. Your hand limit is 10 cards and 8 minions on the table, as Cherry stated.

@AshTray, as you play and win and get different metal ranks (which reset weekly) you will get an expert card pack when you win and rank up. Remember, as this game is still pre-beta, many game aspects may change.

@Polco, We haven't discussed any plan on integration with affecting the gameplay in WoW or vice versa.

@CurseofChaos, see the answer to AshTray above.

@Lanoitakude, Phenteo is pro-nounced as fen-tay-oh.

Edit: added Lanoitakude's question.

04/03/2013 10:08 PMPosted by Horde

Phenteo, do you have any strategies for any classes? (Hoping to see a strategy for Warlock)

I can't share my strategies! Next thing I know, everyone is gonna use it against me! ;)

@Sondai, I can't give out too many secrets before beta!

@Briffy, I am having a blast. The T5 devs are amazing and extremely passionate about our community. Thank! I like my little Oracle too. ;)

@Thaysula, You can get a chance of finding epic and legendary cards in the Forge.

@Assassincap1, Make sure to have a Battle.Net account and opted-in for beta!

@Япошка, 1) Can you clarify what you mean by titles? 2) The length of time you will have to play is largely dependent on your skill. If you're extremely good, you can earn them pretty quickly. 3.) The initial time you use it you get a dagger that will attack for one with 2 durability. Each time you play that spell you add onto your weapon attack damage, but not durability.

@ChiaLike, I can't spoil the surprise of Dream cards yet. ;)

@Meromero, I'm sorry, but I don't understand your question.

@Xalaeac, I don't have further information at this time, other than we're looking into many various functionalities.

Sylvannas-card say: Battlecry: Discard your hand. Draw five 3/3 Skeletons.
this "DRAW" would be equivalent to "put in your hand?"

That would be correct.

Firelord Ragnaros, the - Can not Attack. At the end of your turn, deal 8 damage to a random enemy.
if I use the card "Conceal" to give stealth to Ragnaros, when the ability activate, breaking stealth or not?

The ability should not break stealth until you attack with the card. But I am not fully sure of this, I will see if I can get further information.

@Япошка, Unfortunately I don't have any details, at this time, for title. Sorry!

@fr0d0b0ls0n, I can't touch upon all the ways to earn card packs yet, but you will be able to play and win games for card packs in both regular play and the forge.

@Cherry, I haven't heard of any changes yet. ;) We're trying to work on getting a fireside duel ASAP.

@SgtSilock, Compared to other games, the announcement actually wasn't that far from beta. It has become a necessity for companies to announce games with ample time to build anticipation and awareness. We want to make sure we get a large enough reception. On a side note, I had been eager with working directly with the community, so this was a great opportunity to start building one.

@AshTag, The extent of the crafting system hasn't been released yet. As we enter beta we can chat more!

@bonesoul, I think this would be better suited as we get closer to beta, in regards to an API. I'll ask the devs for information! For tokens, are you talking about minions that get created from abilities?

@Wirhl, correct!

@Blayze, Unfortunately I cannot talk too much about what is going to happen in the future, but I do know that they are concentrating on these 9 heroes/classes for right now.

@Hollowninja, that is a good question. I'll have to double-check with the devs as I am not totally sure on that.

@Hostile, You do not, in Forge mode.

@Deth, The devs said that not in the beginning, but if the community really wants it, we can potentially add that functionality. But they really wanted to support iconic characters, as well as the strategy you would use when fighting against a certain deck type. If you see another player's character, you may not always connect what they are and how to play against them. But you have the opportunity to really build a deck of your own and customize yourself there.

@Garrthos, Oh freddled gruntbuggly, thy micturations are to me; As plurdled gabbleblotchits on a lurgid bee.

@Lonertee, A taunt/stealth card would be defeatest. You can't attack a stealthed card until it reveals itself. So you could just ignore the taunt until the character attacks.

@DeAdLiNe, If correct, Galthran explained it pretty well. I am still going to check with the devs to make sure.

@Thought, Battlecry is generally an action that will happen when that card is played. Stealth makes your character not attackable directly by your opponents minion until that stealthed minion attacks. Also, stealthed minions cannot be targeted directly, but are affected by AOE spells. For golden cards, you get a chance at a card going golden when opening card packs. As far as crafting, I have to save some mystery till we have beta.

@Mantis, We haven't released the specific number of cards for each deck.

@OverlordKane, Not from what I have seen initially, but many things have a potential for after launch. If a minion is destroyed, you still keep your weapon.

04/08/2013 03:13 PMPosted by Galthran

A taunt/stealth card would be defeatest. You can't attack a stealthed card until it reveals itself. So you could just ignore the taunt until the character attacks.

I knew it, it just didn't make sense (sorry guys, no mama fat joke from the shadow) :P

Thanks phenteo :)

Also Phenteo i was wondering if you seen my thread
http://us.battle.net/hearthstone/en/forum/topic/8518302268
and if you did, did you showed this to anyone from team 5?

The dev team is well aware of that thread, as well as PR. ;)

04/08/2013 03:38 PMPosted by soulzek

I would like clarification on the following bolded parts, if possible please.

Card Packs: Purchase card packs containing five random cards using your Battle.net Balance or a variety of supported payment methods. One of the cards will always be of “rare” rarity or greater; in some cases, you may find that one or more additional cards has also “upgraded” to a higher tier of rarity.

When you open a card pack, as you reveal the card it can be upgraded to a gold card automatically. (An animation will start and you will see the card being upgraded to a gold version.)

Each pack comes with five random cards. Your chance to receive a particular card depends on its rarity: common (white), rare (blue), epic (purple), or legendary (orange). You’re guaranteed to receive at least one card of rare or better quality per pack. Each card in the pack also has a chance to upgrade to a “Golden” version of the same card.

Same answer as above.

@AiurAdun, There are currently no tools that are official that you can share built decks. But I see several fansites already compiling card databases where you can build a deck and therefore can potentially share from them. This is definitely something we can look into though. :)

@Teachix, The number of free card packs you can get in a week hasn't be set or shared yet. But, if you're winning games I don't see a limit.

@Nephets, You get a lovely screen saying defeat, when you lose a match. You will be able to challenge your Battle.Net friends.

@Wirhl, I do not think that we can force players to change their decks.

@Paedric, All status effects and damage is reset when returned to your hand. The Auchenai soul priest only goes for heals, not adding health. You're excited, I'm excited, we're all excited!!!

@Anzoul, Good question. I'll have to ask the devs about disconnects.

@Xtazz, If your Alarm-O-Bot swaps with a card that has battlecry, battlecry does not have be resolved. Therefore, Pit Lord wouldn't damage you, but he's a really strong card.

@PuNi, The devs will be more than happy to add elements to the game for eSports should this become a huge request and we can see that this would help our players. We haven't released pricing details yet. Sorry!

@bonesoul, I applaud you for scavenging through the matrix of code! However, a secret is something that certain heroes can do in game to play on the board, which will go off if you or your opponent satisfy the requirements.

@Dragonfabri, Hearthstone is a stand alone game, though several players have asked if they could play from within WoW and the devs are aware. :)

Edit: Updated Xtazz's response.

@Tihealy

1) hopefully, there gonna be a Open Beta, because a closed Beta would be unfair for some people, and we know it

2) is tehre an established chance to get example

9/1 common
1/1 uncommon
0.5/1 rare
0.1/1 epic
0.01/1 legendary ?

As we get closer to closed beta, and into closed beta, we can talk about if and when there will be an open beta. I can't release the percent chance at getting rare cards. ;)

@PuNi

Do you know if there's a division between USA/Europe/Asia also in Hearthstone (as it is in Diablo/Wow)??

Edit with a new question (probably obvious but have to ask):
-Will we know when we face an opponent his nickname & rank?

I am not too sure if the regions will be divided or if everyone will get to play globally against each other. I'll have to ask the devs! And yes, you should be able to see who you're playing against.

@Teachix

Dear Phenteo i have two questions for you today :)

1) Is it possible to win golden card in the forge(by that i mean to have golden cards when you pick your deck)

2)Sorry if this one looks dumb but i couldn't grasp the difference between expert cards and the rest of the cards :/ could you explain it to me ?

You win card packs from the forge, when you open cards you have a chance at them being upgraded to a golden card. Expert cards are different from basic cards.

@Anzoul

04/11/2013 03:01 PMPosted by Anzoul

So can u give us a litte status update and to do list ?

I can't speak too much as to what the devs are working on and the timeline, but they are hard at work ensuring that Hearthstone will be an extremely polished and amazingly fun game.

@Sisk

Dear Phenteo

I was wondering about the forge where you are presented with random cards to pick.
If you are given the option to pick the same card more than twice will you be able to play with say 3 in your forge deck, or is it designed so you will simply never see the same card more then twice, or maybe even more than once?

I am not 100% sure on this, but I do not think you will get forced to select a card that you would otherwise be unable to choose because you already selected the same card before.

On a side note, I edited an original post after getting further clarification from Ben Brode!

http://us.battle.net/hearthstone/en/forum/topic/8481388394?page=12#222

@Xtazz, If your Alarm-O-Bot swaps with a card that has battlecry, battlecry does not have be resolved. Therefore, Pit Lord wouldn't damage you, but he's a really strong card.

I had stated that battlecry would have to be resolved, as I had thought this happened to me in a past battle. Sorry about that! Luckily our devs are awesome!

@DeAdLiNe

04/12/2013 02:09 AMPosted by DeAdLiNe

Phenteo, next week we get to see a new fireside duel? :P

Soon™!

@Leizerg

From what I see there is no chat option right now- and probably wont be as the game is adressed for iPad users aswell. But I cant stop wondering about the community side of the game- some kind of chat lobbys, anything like that? I tried to find an anwser on the website but failed.

Also, out of curiosity, will there be an option to trade cards with other players? Seeing as this is quite popular (or at least I think it is) among "analog" TCGs, it would seem a good idea to allow players to trade cards. Probably not all of them, based on rarity etc.

You can chat with your Battle.Net friends, no chatting in a battle, but there are emotes! There will be no trading, but you can disenchant cards and collect the arcane dust for crafting new ones.

@Freedom

My question is like that:
Will there be any statistics available, for example:

We're looking into the possibility, we will definitely see how things progress through beta and launch.

I love the new video with constructed decks and that you spoil a few cards at a time, but I'm very much interested in the forge and it seems to be all the talk on the forums these days.

Will we maybe be treated with a video of someone demonstrating how they enter and make a deck and plays something like a single game against another forge player pretty please? *puppy eyes*

We will be making at least one forge video, I'm sure!

04/12/2013 05:38 PMPosted by Galthran

Speaking of beta I heard that it will be out next week.

Confirm or confirm?

so i guess it's a confirm? lol..

Huh? That's news to me!!

04/12/2013 06:00 PMPosted by slifer

Phenteo, is it possible for Hearthstone to play offline? or only can play it online?

You cannot, currently play against others offline. For practice, that hasn't been set yet as we're still in Alpha, many things could change.

Hey Phenteo:

Could we get a screenshot of a board where both players have 5 or 6 cards and 8 minions each in play?

It would really give a good idea of how the board will look with maximum filled space.

It'd be a good way to show off some more new cards as well. ;)

Thank you,

I'll see what I can do!

Also Phenteo, quick Secret question.

If I'm a Rogue and I have Snipe up, and my Warlock opponent plays Jarraxus. Will Jarraxsus take the 4 damage hit before replacing the Warlock hero?

Thanks

I'm double-checking into this. He should take 4 damage before turning into a hero, but I am having a QA guy chat with our designers. :)

04/16/2013 09:13 AMPosted by Ebynfel

1) Will we see any sort of Day i nthe Life of the devs, so we can see what goes int othe making of the game? Being as this will be a downloadable format, it seems like something we'd see in a collector's edition type deal if it werent, and would be cool.

I definitely think that when we are in beta or launch, we can do a piece of behind-the-scenes. For the Collector's Edition, I don't have any information on that, I think it is too soon to discuss that topic.

04/16/2013 09:13 AMPosted by Ebynfel

2) Is there a possibility of seeign a "Beat the Devs" challenge when beta hits for forum bragging rights? xD

I would definitely like to have the Devs play against players, maybe even at BlizzCon! That will depend on the full time CM for Hearthstone and the devs!

04/16/2013 09:13 AMPosted by Ebynfel

3) Does having a Legendary minion, such as say, Cairne Bloodhoof, preclude him from ever being a hero?(Seriously, axe Garrosh and give us Cairne in the warrior slot :))

We are only concentrating on the 9 heroes initially. After launch we can add more, so many things are fair game.

On a side note, I edited finsane's answer when I got further clarification. http://us.battle.net/hearthstone/en/forum/topic/8481388394?page=5#97

Sorry for not being able to be around much and answer questions, I've been busy running around! Thank you to those who are also helping to answer questions, it makes it faster for me to get to the unanswered ones. :)

@Phenteo we have two versions of Deathwing circulating on the web you could confirm what is the current right?

10 mc, 8/8. battlecry: destroy all other criatures

10 mc, 12/12 battlecry: destroy all other criatures, discard your hand

I sent an email out to a dev asking for his input.

Hey Phenteo
in which format will u comeback with the answers to the questions u said "i will check - and get back"?
should we expect a thread/announcement from u or ask u again same question when u have more answers for them?

I'll respond to the thread with an updated answer (if possible).

04/17/2013 07:49 PMPosted by Kamelas

Is it possible for a game to end in a draw?

Just like the spoon, there is no draw. Both players would lose if they went below 1 health on the same turn.

Dear Phenteo,

I'm left with some gameplay questions to which I can't find the answer, and the community isn't sure either:

1. Will Silence prevent Deathrattle from taking place? (And will Polymorph prevent Deathrattle?)
2. It was stated that getting a Battlecry unit on the field via Alarm-o-Bot would not trigger it's Battlecry. Will it have summoning sickness at all then if summoned via Alarm-o-Bot?
3. If I play Ancestral Spirit on a unit with Deathrattle, will the Deathrattle effect play out before returning my minion to the battlefield?
4. Will said minion in question 3 have summoning sickness from returning to the battlefield? (More or less: if I suicide run my minion with Ancestral Spirit into an enemy minion and it returns to the battlefield, am I able to attack with it again?)

Really hoping you will have the time to answer some of these questions! Thx in advance.

1.) Silence just removes the text from a card (so yes, it would). Polymorph changes the card (permanently) into a sheep.
2.) It will have summoning sickness, yes.
3.) Yes, it will!
4.) Yes, it will. You’ll be able to attack again if it had Charge, though.

Dear Phenteo,

I know it is a bit early to ask but...

Will Blizzard be showing Hearthstone at the "gamescom" convention in Cologne, Germany? (21st August - 25th August)
(Will Blizzard be there at all???^^)

If you are showing Hearthstone (maybe even playable??) it would GREATLY increase my interest of going there this year (since i'm native german and live i germany)

And will you be there??? - If so, I may consider buying a custom made "Phenteos Hearthling Shirt" and wearing it (and even bring some shinies if i could get a live duel against you :D)

We have been talking about Gamescom, but I do not have any update. I would love to go, but I haven't heard if I would be going. I appreciate the Phenteo Hearthlings Shirt, but you're going to get a dedicate CM and I won't be very relevant. LOL

04/18/2013 08:59 AMPosted by Wren

Hey Phenteo, I may have missed this, but is there a way you could give us a basic gist of whats included in a 'starter' deck, if thats what everyone starts out with, is it a champion of your choice with x amount of class appropriate cards and random non class specific abilities and 'creature cards'?

You get basic starter cards that are general basic cards. Then you play as a mage to unlock another class while getting mage specific basic cards.

Hi. Thanks for a great thread.

Are there going to be cards in Hearthstone that gives damage over time?
Something like the fireball from wow tcg which has a burn DoT effect that is being applied after the initial damage. If I remember correct it deals one damage each turn until dispelled. Just thought it a cool gamemechanic.

Are there going to be items which you can equip besides weapons? Could be armor or +healing wands.

Just curious :)

We have Demolisher, Ragnaros, and other cards that deal damage each turn. Are you talking about things like Warlock Curses? The answer (for now) is no.

Another Question: Will Spellpower buff Example Malygos +5 - Healspells: (Healing Touch)
or warrior spells like Mortal Strike
(Deal 4 damage. If your hero has 12 or less Health, deal 8 damage instead.)
if so will it change to
(Deal 9 damage. If your hero has 12 or less Health, deal 13 damage instead)???

Only minions that increase spell power can increase the damage dealt. If you add spell power for healing, it will not affect the amount of damage you do.

To Dear Phenteo

hum...I'm hungry.

You should eat pizza or sushi!

@Pheteo
1.we miss you

2.Would be the "dream cards" a kind of copy of a card random from your deck such as the fireballs generated by Antonidas?(sorry if this has already been answered I did not find)

3.You could give the idea for the developers do a kind of "devs diary" a short video each week, for example explaining how a particular skill works like silence, battlecry, steath, etc..?

4.The next fireside duel is close?

1.) I miss you guys too! Business trips keep me away from the forums. :(

2.) It’s a special type of card that Ysera will give you. She has her own deck that you get to draw from while she’s on the battlefield.

3.) We are working on creating videos with the devs to talk about the game and various aspects. As we are not even in Beta yet, there are pieces of content that we'd like to talk about, but feel would be more relevant around beta time. If you'd like to start a thread on asking players what content matter they'd like to see in a dev diary (blog or video) and keep track of the tally, I can show that thread to them. ;)

4.) It is coming! ;)

This game may be my salvation. I'm looking forward to convincing some friends and family that don't have the time for a digital game like WoW, but have enjoyed playing some of the simpler physical fantasy card games, that this is their chance to enjoy some Blizzard entertainment.
In fact, the only thing keeping me away from current Blizzard games is the fact that I can't easily recruit my RL companions to games with a relatively steep learning curve and investment of time. Are there plans to make it easy to challenge those near and dear to us? If my wife, my neighbor, and a friend from across town can all get together for some dinner and a few rounds of Hearthstone on the laptops, I can imagine Blizzard gaming occupying a whole new role in my life.

You will be able to challenge your BattleNet friends. This game is simple enough to jump into, but has enough depth to make it difficult to master.

To Phenteo:
- Can You clarify Edwin VanCleef combo ability?
Stealth. Combo: Gain +2/+2 for each other card played this turn.

Does Edwin get +2/+2 also from cards that were played BEFORE him this turn? Or only from those played AFTER?

Combo happens if you’ve already played a card this turn. So if you play a card, then play Edwin, he starts with +2/+2. Cards you play after him won’t make him any stronger.
Combo on minions works like Battlecry (except that you need to have played a card first).

Sorry for the delayed replies! I was about 2,500 miles away from the office attending a conference for work. On a side note, you can reach me on twitter @CM_Phenteo ( http://www.twitter.com/CM_Phenteo ) if you'd like to ask me questions there too. But do try to keep the questions in the forums and send me a link, that would be best!

Updated response about Deathwing:

http://us.battle.net/hearthstone/en/forum/topic/8481388394?page=18#347

12/12 - Battlecry: Destroy all other minions and discard your hand.

@Phenteo,

When will be open forums for other languages?

For the time being, the forums will be in English. No eta on when other language forums will be supported.

Hi there,

The card Dark Command allows you to take control of an enemy minion until the end of the turn, does this mean that when you attack another enemy minion with it, the second enemy minion will attack back?

Yes, whenever minions attack, they both deal damage to each other.

Hey Phenteo, I had a couple of questions I think you might have missed(not worried, you had a huge backlog getting back to work)

About Animal Companion

1. When you summon from animal companion, does it randomly grab a beast from your deck?

2. Or does it summon a card from thin air? Such as a potential Misha, Rexxar's bear friend, among the other possible 4 animal companions Rexxar has been known to call upon?

3. Also, do the beast cards(Such as starving buzzard) give you their bonus off of summoning the beast from Animal companion, or is it more a matter of them being cheated into play(as in, not played as the card from your hand)not allow you to draw the card?

thank you.

I got Ben Brode to answer these!!!
1.) It randomly summons a beast, not one from your deck.
2.) One of the random beasts is Misha. :)
3.) Yes, summoning a beast and playing a beast are the same thing in Hearthstone.

@Phenteo

Did hp can't more than mana except have a special abilities?

I think Archmage Antonidas need buff hp to 8 from 7.

There is no skill to increase the amount of health your hero has over 30, but you can have a power that provides a temporary shield.

Hi Phenteo,

Do you personally play WoW TCG? What about others in the office?

I do not personally play WoW TCG, though I love the people who do make it. I do play other TCGs. ;) There are many employees to play WoWTCG and other TCGs too! I find cards on the devs’ desks all the time!

Sorry if this has been asked already. I did scour this thread and couldn't find it, so...

Is there any way to incorporate a "Practice Forge"? For example, let's say I am what you might refer to as a "poor peasant", and don't have the money to purchase card packs on a regular basis, and I am royally horrible at the beginning of this game so I can't win packs through other methods. It would make it difficult to play Forge without spending money. But perhaps there could be a practice forge where you go through the process of putting a deck together, everything is the same, except you play on a practice ladder and you don't keep the cards. This way you can practice the whole forging thing without having to pay?

This may not be an issue depending on how frequently you can win card packs on "ladder" or something but it was just a thought.

Just an idea

There is no practice forge, but you should be able to earn three packs without paying and being able to enter the forge. You can practice creating decks and play against the AI in practice mode. This is probably a better option as it will allow you to get used to creating a deck and knowing which cards best fit your play needs. The forge gives you random options of cards to use in your deck, so you may not get exposure to more cards.

Hello Phenteo,

i don't speak english very well so I will try to be clear ;)

In the beta I will be able to buy pack of cards. At the released (official launch), the pack of cards I bought will be credited back to me in the form of new unopened card packs.

My question is : If I bought pack cards to test the Forge and I used them (3 or more to access one or more times to the Forge), they will be credited back at launch ?

The action of "loosing" pack cards to access to the Forge at the beta would have a consequence in the number of pack cards credited back in launch ?

It could be important to be sure of that ;)

Thanks a lot from a little frenchie ;p

You will get the equivalent amount of packs based on the amount of money you spent during beta! Meaning, if you spend $50.00 you will get $50.00 worth of packs when the game launches. On a side note, you will also get a special thank you award for beta testing Hearthstone!

@ Phenteo If we built a Forge Simulator on http://www.arcanedust.com would that be againts the TOS? We want players to be able to get the general feeling of forging before they have to use their hard earned / bought packs. There would be no actual playtesting of the decks... just picking out cards and seeing their final deck list.

Thanks!

I do not think it would be against the TOS, if you ensure that you place our trademark on all creative properties that Blizzard owns. Also, you cannot sell the Forge simulator.

Phenteo, sir, you rock! Though, think I may be able to ask you or Ben one more potential little spoil? Since we know Misha is going to be summoned from Animal Companion, does that mean we will also see Haratha, huffer, Spirit, and or Leokk?

*Edit* Also, Ben Brode, many thanks for supplying Phenteo with the previous answers on Animal Companion. it is greatly appreciated and has alleviated a lot of woes in the community about a 2 or 3 Legendary beast Hunter Deck dropping bombs on turn 3. Also, as a thank you, for at least Misha, from an old school Warcraft fan:)

We can’t spoil the other cards. ;) We’re just talking about Misha!

Phenteo,

I have a pretty critical question regarding the Stealth mechanic. If a stealthed enemy unit is on the battlefield, and I play an AoE damage spell card, does it remove that unit's stealth? If you don't know the answer then I kindly request the next duel show a Rogue using Conceal and Master of Disguise so we can find out. Thanks!

Stealthed units can get hit by AoE, stealth will not be removed until they attack.

Dear Phenteo,

I have a question concerning the rules of Hearthstone. Will we see a post or some other form of release of the rules (or manual) of the game before it hits beta?

I do understand that there is a lovely thread started by fr0d0b0ls0n, but I was hoping for something more official and less speculation. I am reading that post, though, and learning what I can from it.

Oh, I can't just ask a question without offering appeasement. So here is a little gift for you. :)

http://mirokumotto.deviantart.com/art/Phenteo-Spots-a-Shiny-368145084

Thanks in advance.
~~~Cammy Bear

Edit: By the way, I'm not trying to say I'm an expert artist. In fact, I'm still struggling with certain things, especially shading... But I hope you like it.

Edit2: Erm, I'll just tweet it...

Awesome shiny, love the drawing!!! It’s much better for what I can do. During beta we may release the official rules. I need to work with the dev team on that topic. :)

Scenario:

I cast Mirror Entity and pass the turn. My opponent has a Succubus in play and casts Power Overwhelming on it, and then proceeds to attack with it. Will I get a 4/4 , an 8/8 that dies at end of turn, or an 8/8 that sticks around?

Dev clarification: It should be an 8/8 that dies end of turn, since copy effects were changed to copy everything about the original.

Hey Phenteo,

Quick question as I've seen differing statements in different threads.

Is the rogue hero ability a 1/2 dagger or a 2/1 dagger initially?

Thanks

1/2 dagger. But you can keep adding onto the damage each turn with the ability. If the weapon is equipped, the rogues' ability will add 1 damage to the weapon, and it will remain at the same durability.

Hey,

What's with a Telecom Payment Option to buy some packs?

Sry for bad english, i am german ;-)

Bye

We haven't released what payment options will be available for Hearthstone yet. Sorry!

Edit: Added dev clarification for Falcon's question.

04/29/2013 12:27 PMPosted by Shadow

1/2 dagger. But you can keep adding onto the damage each turn with the ability. If the weapon is equipped, the rogues' ability will add 1 damage to the weapon, and it will remain at the same durability.

What if I have an equiped dagger like say Perditions Blade that has an attack of 3 and say its dura is at 2

And I use my rogue power

Will Perditions Blade become 4/2 then?

Also is the incentive for the rogue skill to continually power up the dagger untill you find that one moment to strike?

You add +1 damage to your equipped weapon, so yes. ;)

As far as incentive to power up your weapon, then strike, it all depends on how you want to play.

04/30/2013 08:19 PMPosted by EmraldArcher

Are there ways to win the game besides getting your opponent to 0 health?

Short answer is no. The longer answer goes into depth about other aspects that we are saving for when we go into beta. ;)

05/02/2013 10:54 AMPosted by Meromero

Phenteo is possible to use Crazy Alchemist in my own creatures?

You choose which character you want to use the battlecry ability on.

05/01/2013 09:05 PMPosted by Endaskus

Hey, there's one factor about the metal system I'm curious about. If you're 95% of the way through a rank, and the weekly reset hits, does it throw you back down to 0?

That's currently how things are working, no matter where you are, after the weekly reset, you start over the medal ranking again.

will there eventually be faction cards?
for example if i want to play warrior will there be an option to choose between an alliance or a horde general. and there be specific cards available only to such faction.. (generic as well as class specific).

also this question http://us.battle.net/hearthstone/en/forum/topic/8728754219
about ancestral spirit and polymorph. do i get a sheep back on the board or the original creature?

I will ask the devs about faction cards, but I have not seen any. I think they're concentrating on the heroes more than the factions.

As far as the polymorph question goes, you'd get a dead sheep and nothing returned to you.

is it within the realm of possibility that Paladin Arthas will
one day become a Hero and, say...have some sort
of SUPER bubble as his special?

Nothing is out of the realm of possibility, but that is currently not on the planning board. ;)