So you want to open up your card packs. Here's how you go about doing it by creating a Private Fireside Gathering!

• Please note that public Fireside Gatherings are cancelled indefinitely due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Wash yo' hands!
• You can only open your pre-order packs during a Fireside Gathering pre-release. You cannot buy packs with money or gold.

Too Long; Didn't Read

Rude! Just kidding. Here's the quick version of this guide.

• Visit the Create a Fireside Gathering page.
• Fill in all the details of your Gathering. Make sure it runs anywhere from July 28 at 10 AM PT (4 PM UTC) to July 31 at 10 AM PT.
• Ensure you use the "Unlisted" option for your Gathering.
• Success! Good luck with your pack openings.

For a more thorough adventure in creating a Fireside Gathering, keep reading!

Creating your Private Fireside Gathering

We're going to assume that you already have your Battle.net account and that you've played Hearthstone before. Since we've got that taken care of, it's time to head on over to the official Fireside Gathering site! If you aren't logged in, hit up that top bar to do so.

We won't be able to Find a Gathering anymore since they've been disabled due to Coronavirus, but that's okay! The option we want to hit up is Host a Gathering. Upon going to the Host a Gathering page, we're now able to put in our event details!

It doesn't matter what you call your event, the only important thing here is the starting date and the duration. As long as you host your Tavern during the weekend that is designated for pre-release, you're good to go! Your event duration can be anywhere from an hour to eight hours, though I always choose the maximum just in case.

We're good to go!

Next up is the Venue Details. Now, this is where things should feel funny - safety is important. Should I really be putting my address on this website? As long as you are on FiresideGatherings.com, you're on Blizzard's site which means they should be taking care of this information - plus it should already be on your Battle.net account anyway so there's nothing to lose. You'll want to give your Venue a name, which doesn't matter, and then you're going to want to input your address.

• An accurate location ensures you'll get your gathering setup correctly.
• Do not use a public location. Social distancing!
• Your events must be created at least two hours before they are scheduled to start.

We've done it! Ignore the red box, that means we've entered a bad address. One day...

Now, the most important piece of the puzzle, so pay attention. You have two options here; a public event and an unlisted event. Tick the Unlisted Event box. If you were to create a public event, your Fireside Gathering would show up on the internet for everyone to see. It would be a little awkward when nearby patrons showed up at your house. Upon clicking the private option, you'll have to confirm again to make it private.

"Correct, please do not list this event publicly" is what you want to click.

Congratulations, that's all the setup we needed to do! Now just click the create event button and if you filled everything in correctly, you're good to go! You'll be taken to a webpage that shows you the details of your event and where it is located on a map.

If you haven't yet earned the Fireside Brawl card back, you can do so at your Gathering.
Be sure that this event says it is Unlisted in the banner! Ignore my early date =)

Good luck with your pack openings. Keep in mind you can't use the cards on regular games until the expansion launches, but this does let you start theorycrafting the decks you want to play.

What to do at Your Private Fireside Gathering

• Open your card packs early during "pre-release".
• Play a special Fireside Brawl with other players at your gathering.