First thing on the second day of BlizzCon we got to sit down at the Hearthstone Fireside chat. Taking place on the main stage things look rather empty at first. Only one Blizzard developer, Mike Donais, was visible to kick off this Hearthstone specific panel. However, despite the lack of back up, Mike was able to give us some awesome information about the game; specifically the brand new Fireside Tavern Brawls. In fact, his entire time on stage was spent promoting this new feature. Take a look at the some of the information we took away from Mike:

Fireside Tavern Brawls

Fireside Tavern Brawls were designed with three very steadfast goals in mind:

  • Release Weekly
  • Fun!
  • Variety

Basically, the development team wanted to put something together that appealed to players who weren't satisfied sitting around waiting for monthly content to release. They wanted to design something that players would play and come back and play just because they enjoyed them so much; despite the rewards.

Every Brawl is designed to keep things fresh with variety and offer something that different types of players will enjoy. These Brawls offer up ways for players to enjoy cards they don't have, try cards they will never have, encourage camaraderie, feel like they want to replay them, and potentially perceive themselves as more powerful than ever before. Currently there are 21 different types of Brawls, with the most popular being Randomonium, and there are many more in the works.

Fireside Chat Question and Answer

After Mike lead us through the overview of Fireside Tavern Brawls, more developers took the stage. In true Fireside Chat form, the floor was opened up for a question and answer session that was very insightful, with fans asking questions about the future and current state of the game. Of course, more than a little fun showed up in the mix. Check out some of our favorite revelations from the Q&A below:

New Players

One fan expressed concern with the current state of the game and how unfriendly it felt to new players. While a system is in place to not throw these newbies into the mix right away, they are pretty quickly placed up against players who have spent a significantly larger amount of time deck building. The developers know about this problem and consider it to be one of the biggest facing Hearthstone today.

To combat this issue there is a team member in place to specifically combat this issue. Hearthstone is indeed not as accessible to new players as when it launched and they are doing everything they can to fix it. While no specifics were given, we can probably expect some developments on this front in the coming months.

Golden Cards

Who doesn't love Golden Cards? I know I do. Players who have these cards have worked pretty hard to obtain them. So why aren't they available in Arena? Shouldn't we be able to see these mementos of our achievements no matter what game type we are playing? Developers are on the same page, however, it really isn't a priority for them. With so many other bigger things on the list, Golden Cards in Arena mode has taken a back seat. However, that doesn't mean we should totally write it off. Your Golden Cards may be available everywhere in game sometime in the future.

Mech and Murloc Love

Two fans asked two questions about seeing more Mechs and Murlocs (and potentially other tribes) in the game. Developers agree that these cards are super cool, but they like to keep things fresh. We may see more or less of these in the future. We may even see them totally vanish for awhile. What we do know is that Hearthstone is all about variety and there is a good chance we will never be bored.

Fireside Tournaments

One fan specifically asked about the potential for tournaments that would pit one player against the other. It would also potentially allow for spectators that could place bets on the competitors. Developers liked the idea, but they were pretty clear that the word tournament was a pretty broad generalization. However, they hinted that perhaps we would be seeing something tournament like in the Fireside Tavern Brawls in the future.

UI and Quality of Life

Finally, a question was asked concerning quality of life and UI changes. This question specifically centered around viewing quests, more deck slots, and being able to view more in the collection manager. Excitingly enough, two of these three wishes will be fulfilled. More deck slots are coming and some UI feature will be added so that backing out of games to check your quest log is no longer needed. However, the collection manager will remain as is for the time being.


To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft Game Page.

Last Updated: Mar 29, 2016

About The Author

Amunet, also fondly known as Memtron, is an organic life form best known for its ongoing obsession with Blizzard Entertainment's numerous properties. To that end, Amu has authored hundreds (thousands?) of the most popular World of Warcraft guides, editorials, and Top 10 lists on the planet. When not gaming and writing, Amu is busy chasing after her three children in a perpetual loop of ongoing disaster.

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