Hearthstone is a free-to-play & mind boggling collectible battle card game based on the World Of Warcraft (WoW) franchise by Blizzard Entertainment. Only released on PC and Mac in March 2014, the iPad version is now available on the iOS App Store and the Android version is expected to be released later this year.
Battling with computers, random online players and even your friends, Hearthstone is highly addictive & unpredictable battle card game that will keep your brain rolling as you proceed in battle. You will get to select and customize your battle card decks based on nine WoW job classes, which include Mage, Warrior, Hunter, Shaman, Druid, Rogue, Priest, Paladin and Warlord. Unlike Magic The Gathering which has a more complex & complicated rule interaction, Hearthstone is easy to pick up by anyone even if you have not tried a battle card game before.
In the beginning, you will start the game with a substantial collection of ‘basic’ cards, but can gain rarer and more powerful cards through leveling up your class, purchasing packs of additional cards, or as reward for competing in the Arena. Alternatively, you can disenchant unwanted cards to get arcane dust, which can be used to create new cards. Card packs can be purchased by using real money in the in-game store or with gold, an in-game currency rewarded for completing daily quests, competing in the Arena and winning matches.
After playing for over four days, I feel that there is no need to make in-game purchases for card packs and you can still totally enjoy this game. For beginners, I will recommend job classes like Warrior and Hunter which have simpler card decks that are easy to get the hang of the game and winning battles against veteran players. If you have an existing WoW or Diablo Battle Net account, you can just login with it and start battling with your friends on your Battle Net friend list.
Give your brain a good workout with Hearthstone!
