Hit high warlord before the end of the expansion, then you get golden Vann.
Jan11 tally determines the Diamond version we end up with.
So you end up with both golden faction leaders and 1 diamond of the winner. You are safe to disenchant the normal versions you get out of packs. I completed high warlord last week and have both golden versions.
I struggle to believe that this new zone and bounties will be any different from what already exists - a long tree of boring (and relatively easy) battles followed by one boss fight that (at least in Heroic) requires a specific comp to win.
I think the biggest problem with the PvE is that most of your game plan is locked in at the start of a run when you pick your comp. There are some bosses where maybe you add in someone that can get Hunting Party (e.g. King Krush), adding a tiny bit of variety to your game plan for the last battle, but mostly you just do the same moves over and over again until you win. Playing a fire comp? Do a bunch of fire AoE. Playing a holy comp? Do a bunch of holy AoE. Your gear and comp are locked in at the start, so there's very little wiggle room to change what you're going to do throughout the run.
Fixing that probably certainly requires more varied battles that reward you for choosing more mixed or interesting comps at the start, but they also need to add more interesting power-ups along the way so that your choices feel more like they matter. Most of the buffs are just "here's a few extra stats or some bonus spell damage," and they don't push you to think differently about your comp or each run individually. What about a power-up that turns all fire damage into holy damage? Or a power-up that grants abilities some kind of combo effect (e.g. adding Arcane Combo: Summon a 0/1 copy of this merc to an ability or something wild like that)? Or something that lets you change the role or your merc for the duration of a run? Those are things that might actually make you think about changing which mercs get deployed and how you order your abilities to capture the value of those power-ups.
Yes, no mention of ever getting that 4th Diamond card from the "losing" side. Although it could still be a distant possibility. It also depends on whether they might have prepared both Diamond animations ahead of time, as you pointed out, or are only going to work on one after everything is said and done. Notice the wording of that particular announcement: "will receive a Diamond copy [...] in a future update". Does not sound like it might happen instantly on Jan 11.
I expect we'll continue to be given them since most rewards in each bounty are tied to specific trios of mercs, but being given a way to 'dust' them into coins of other mercs feels likely and consistent with how normal HS works. It would probably be at the usual ~25% return, which isn't great but at least we'd then know all coins we get are going somewhere useful. It would also help alleviate the issue of it being more and more difficult to find coins for crafting newly added mercs, since even at 25% return grinding for them in bounties would be much quicker than it is now.
What could an "end game" be? I imagine that the designers want to craft an experience that gives players of all levels something to work towards. And that they don't want to create an experience that feels like "well, I did xyz thing, now Mercenaries is over ".
What does that leave? My imagination is blank here.
I´ve achieved the High Warlord rank a week ago. I´ve just checked my Honor points, I´m close to 10k points now. Quite nice since I don´t play that much apart from doing XP achievements.
it isn't all that much work to get characters to level 30 by sticking them on the bench for a few days while you complete dailies
You underestimate how long it can take to reach level 30 for a casual player. It takes around 1-2 hours for me to reach level 30 if I farm the heroic Nefarian Boss. That alone is quite a lot of time for a casual player who just plays less than 20min per day.
Now Casual players probably won't try to be as efficient as possible, which also increases the needed time by a couple hours. If you now also consider that it's obvious (even to a casual player) that most tasks can easily be done in the earliest bounties, then you can also add extra time since you barely get any xp there.
And now take the total ammount of mercs, divide it by 3 (since you can train them while they are in your bench) and multiply it by the before mentioned time needed.
Does a casual player need every merc at level 30? No
Would it be nice for them to have some alternatives to their main party? Absolutely.
Yes, I was going to say the same thing. Imagine being gatekept from a merc's 3rd equipment (and max stats) because you haven't got the necessary mercs to complete the relevant heroic bounty. Good luck if one of those mercs is a legendary.
Not sure if I like locking equipment under heroic bounties. Some of those are really hard to complete without a dedicated team...this just further lowers the accesability of mercs for casual players.
Unhealthy much, but it was actually not even that difficult: 7200 / 8 / ((40 + 20 + 10) / 3) = 39. So, if you play about 39 games daily with a modest 50% winrate you could complete the Honor achievement. Considering most people played inefficient decks in the first few days and apparently there are more Alliance loyalists out there, it took me even less games in reality. I estimate about 275 games in total which is still a lot though, I know.
The prices are often ridiculous, but it's the inconsistency that really befuddles me. Right now I have the shop offering me a skin and 5 packs for Diablo and the Lich King, at the same price as just a skin for Anduin. Just, why?
On January 11, all Honor will be tallied and the winning faction’s accomplishment will be forever enshrined in Hearthstone, because every player will receive a Diamond copy of the winning faction’s leader card (Drek’Thar or Vanndar) as the third Diamond card for the set in a future update!
So regardless of whose wins, we'll get both Diamond versions at some point
"...The moment of truth has come! We reach out to the North America servers and check for a pulse! Are you dead or alive? Don't feel bad if there is no participation! We will come back and revive you sometime in the future! There is still time though! Visit the Hearthstone Class Master tournament North America website and enjoy our charming environment and read more! Register for one of the Shaman bogs of your timeframe liking as they open for the first time where you live! We even treat you like kings, creating 8 groups for your convenience only! 4 groups for the east coast and another 4 for the west coast! We even dare to set them at your time!!
EAST COAST BOGS:
BOG A (OPEN 0/4) 12:00
BOG B (OPEN 0/4) 16:00
BOG C (OPEN 0/4) 20:00
BOG D (OPEN 0/4) 23:00
WEST COAST BOGS:
BOG A (OPEN 0/4) 12:00
BOG B (OPEN 0/4) 16:00
BOG C (OPEN 0/4) 20:00
BOG D (OPEN 0/4) 23:00
Any players playing on North America servers residing anywhere in the Americas, you're eligible to register! Please do not forget to choose you country's flag when registering in the 121gameon.com website so we know what country you represent! These bogs are (for the first time) password protected! Who would have thought that technology could reach as far as to secure... BOGS!? Your password is shamanNA
The Druids have also been announcedon the Hearthstone Class Master website but they open next Sunday 09/01/22! Well... That's it! Let's see if we'll be rolling this with a blast or pack our things and leave like strays!!
P.S Please keep in mind that due to the fact of opening for the first time NA you might deal with several issues. We apologize and ask for your understanding. Thank you very much."
THE HEARTHSTONE CLASS MASTER TOURNAMENT test runs (EU) are OVER!
CLASS MASTERS SHOWDOWN OPEN!
"...It's been a blast! We hope everyone had a great time playing in the Class Master tournament and we thank you very much for honoring us with your participation! Worry not, the European Class Master tournament will come back stronger next season! Meanwhile the "Class Masters showdown" is now OPEN!
What is the Class Master Showdown?
In the first round of our Tournament, we seek to find the best of each class and we award them with the title of the Class Master
In the second round we bring those Class Masters together to compete for the best Class Master of all! This is the "Class Masters showdown."
What are the rules of the Showdown?
Have from one up to three wild decks available and switch between them whenever you want (even during a game)
It's a best of three format (first to win 2 rounds wins the game)
It's a league! Everyone plays with everyone!
Victory awards 2 points, loss awards 0 points and tie awards 1 point to each player!
What happens if a player is the Class Master of multiple classes?
That player won't play against the classes they are already a Class Master
That player is awarded 2 points for each class they are already a Class Master, starting with an advantage that will place them at the top of the league's leader board!
...And there are more special rules, titles and achievements earned for your performance there but that's not for now. Make sure to pay a daily visit on our European and North America websites to get more info and fully understand the beauty of our Championship to be, as we gather information and get bit by bit closer to its opening!
Our beloved Creator and organizer Dimitris Giordas is working constantly on improving the graphical environment of the websites aiming to also improve your experience with the Class Master tournament. The work load is heavy but he is determine to deliver!
Last but not least, The Shamans will open registrations for the North America servers this Sunday 02/01/21, we hope to see you there! Much love and appreciation,
It would be a pity if their artists have already completed the diamond artwork for the losing side and never get to show it. Hopefully there will be some way to get it, say on the next rewards track with the tavern pass.
Definetely, I'm hitting a consistent 30s que time. It may not sound like a lot, but you have to consider that the vast majority of players focus on pve and maybe get the first daily pvp chest.
Hearthstone's Battle for Alterac Valley Event Has Entered Its Final Honor Phase - Will the Alliance Hold Steady, or Can the Horde Still Prevail?
So you picked horde, you get golden Drek.
Hit high warlord before the end of the expansion, then you get golden Vann.
Jan11 tally determines the Diamond version we end up with.
So you end up with both golden faction leaders and 1 diamond of the winner. You are safe to disenchant the normal versions you get out of packs. I completed high warlord last week and have both golden versions.
Hearthstone's Battle for Alterac Valley Event Has Entered Its Final Honor Phase - Will the Alliance Hold Steady, or Can the Horde Still Prevail?
Not mine:
https://twitter.com/PoisonFang009/status/1478792781615276033
I think that 100k will be hit long before the end of the expansion.
Big Mercenaries Updates Coming Soon - New Zone, Bounties, Equipment Change, and Training Grounds
I struggle to believe that this new zone and bounties will be any different from what already exists - a long tree of boring (and relatively easy) battles followed by one boss fight that (at least in Heroic) requires a specific comp to win.
I think the biggest problem with the PvE is that most of your game plan is locked in at the start of a run when you pick your comp. There are some bosses where maybe you add in someone that can get Hunting Party (e.g. King Krush), adding a tiny bit of variety to your game plan for the last battle, but mostly you just do the same moves over and over again until you win. Playing a fire comp? Do a bunch of fire AoE. Playing a holy comp? Do a bunch of holy AoE. Your gear and comp are locked in at the start, so there's very little wiggle room to change what you're going to do throughout the run.
Fixing that probably certainly requires more varied battles that reward you for choosing more mixed or interesting comps at the start, but they also need to add more interesting power-ups along the way so that your choices feel more like they matter. Most of the buffs are just "here's a few extra stats or some bonus spell damage," and they don't push you to think differently about your comp or each run individually. What about a power-up that turns all fire damage into holy damage? Or a power-up that grants abilities some kind of combo effect (e.g. adding Arcane Combo: Summon a 0/1 copy of this merc to an ability or something wild like that)? Or something that lets you change the role or your merc for the duration of a run? Those are things that might actually make you think about changing which mercs get deployed and how you order your abilities to capture the value of those power-ups.
Hearthstone's Battle for Alterac Valley Event Has Entered Its Final Honor Phase - Will the Alliance Hold Steady, or Can the Horde Still Prevail?
Yes, no mention of ever getting that 4th Diamond card from the "losing" side. Although it could still be a distant possibility. It also depends on whether they might have prepared both Diamond animations ahead of time, as you pointed out, or are only going to work on one after everything is said and done. Notice the wording of that particular announcement: "will receive a Diamond copy [...] in a future update". Does not sound like it might happen instantly on Jan 11.
Big Mercenaries Updates Coming Soon - New Zone, Bounties, Equipment Change, and Training Grounds
I expect we'll continue to be given them since most rewards in each bounty are tied to specific trios of mercs, but being given a way to 'dust' them into coins of other mercs feels likely and consistent with how normal HS works. It would probably be at the usual ~25% return, which isn't great but at least we'd then know all coins we get are going somewhere useful. It would also help alleviate the issue of it being more and more difficult to find coins for crafting newly added mercs, since even at 25% return grinding for them in bounties would be much quicker than it is now.
Big Mercenaries Updates Coming Soon - New Zone, Bounties, Equipment Change, and Training Grounds
Maybe something like Ascension levels in other games. Something Like:
Tier 1: Enemies have more health
Tier 2: Enemies have more health and attack
Tier 3: Enemies have more health and attack and elite encounters are more common
Tier 4: Enemies have more health and attack and elite encounters are more common and Bosses have new moves
etc.
Big Mercenaries Updates Coming Soon - New Zone, Bounties, Equipment Change, and Training Grounds
What could an "end game" be? I imagine that the designers want to craft an experience that gives players of all levels something to work towards. And that they don't want to create an experience that feels like "well, I did xyz thing, now Mercenaries is over ".
What does that leave? My imagination is blank here.
Big Mercenaries Updates Coming Soon - New Zone, Bounties, Equipment Change, and Training Grounds
The task 7 change is very good. I haven't played Mercenaries in a few weeks as I'm sure a lot of people also hasn't. Happy to see some updates.
Hearthstone's Battle for Alterac Valley Event Has Entered Its Final Honor Phase - Will the Alliance Hold Steady, or Can the Horde Still Prevail?
I´ve achieved the High Warlord rank a week ago. I´ve just checked my Honor points, I´m close to 10k points now. Quite nice since I don´t play that much apart from doing XP achievements.
Big Mercenaries Updates Coming Soon - New Zone, Bounties, Equipment Change, and Training Grounds
You underestimate how long it can take to reach level 30 for a casual player. It takes around 1-2 hours for me to reach level 30 if I farm the heroic Nefarian Boss. That alone is quite a lot of time for a casual player who just plays less than 20min per day.
Now Casual players probably won't try to be as efficient as possible, which also increases the needed time by a couple hours. If you now also consider that it's obvious (even to a casual player) that most tasks can easily be done in the earliest bounties, then you can also add extra time since you barely get any xp there.
And now take the total ammount of mercs, divide it by 3 (since you can train them while they are in your bench) and multiply it by the before mentioned time needed.
Does a casual player need every merc at level 30? No
Would it be nice for them to have some alternatives to their main party? Absolutely.
Big Mercenaries Updates Coming Soon - New Zone, Bounties, Equipment Change, and Training Grounds
Yes, I was going to say the same thing. Imagine being gatekept from a merc's 3rd equipment (and max stats) because you haven't got the necessary mercs to complete the relevant heroic bounty. Good luck if one of those mercs is a legendary.
Big Mercenaries Updates Coming Soon - New Zone, Bounties, Equipment Change, and Training Grounds
Yes, god please make them coins not XP
Big Mercenaries Updates Coming Soon - New Zone, Bounties, Equipment Change, and Training Grounds
Not sure if I like locking equipment under heroic bounties. Some of those are really hard to complete without a dedicated team...this just further lowers the accesability of mercs for casual players.
Hearthstone's Battle for Alterac Valley Event Has Entered Its Final Honor Phase - Will the Alliance Hold Steady, or Can the Horde Still Prevail?
Unhealthy much, but it was actually not even that difficult: 7200 / 8 / ((40 + 20 + 10) / 3) = 39. So, if you play about 39 games daily with a modest 50% winrate you could complete the Honor achievement. Considering most people played inefficient decks in the first few days and apparently there are more Alliance loyalists out there, it took me even less games in reality. I estimate about 275 games in total which is still a lot though, I know.
Hearthstone's Battle for Alterac Valley Event Has Entered Its Final Honor Phase - Will the Alliance Hold Steady, or Can the Horde Still Prevail?
That's my understanding of that statement too. There is no mention of the diamond version of the losing faction's leader card.
Hearthstone's Battle for Alterac Valley Event Has Entered Its Final Honor Phase - Will the Alliance Hold Steady, or Can the Horde Still Prevail?
Don't we get only 1?
The way I understood it we usually get 2 diamond cards per expansion. But for Alterac Valley we get 3:
1. The tavern pass reward - Korrak the Bloodrager for Alterac Valley
2. The collection reward - Balinda Stonehearth for Alterac Valley
So our third will either be Drek’Thar or Vanndar, depending on which side wins.
Big Mercenaries Updates Coming Soon - New Zone, Bounties, Equipment Change, and Training Grounds
The prices are often ridiculous, but it's the inconsistency that really befuddles me. Right now I have the shop offering me a skin and 5 packs for Diablo and the Lich King, at the same price as just a skin for Anduin. Just, why?
Building The Best Sun Disc List
I have a question. What makes/made people so ecstatic when playing this deck? I don't see much excitement from leveling the disk nor Deep.
Big Mercenaries Updates Coming Soon - New Zone, Bounties, Equipment Change, and Training Grounds
YES! end game PvE, what I was waiting for.
There needs to be something to grind towards, not just PvP.
Hearthstone's Battle for Alterac Valley Event Has Entered Its Final Honor Phase - Will the Alliance Hold Steady, or Can the Horde Still Prevail?
From Blizzard themselves:
So regardless of whose wins, we'll get both Diamond versions at some point
The Hearthstone Class Master Championship (tournament test runs)
SHAMAN OPENS NORTH AMERICA SERVERS!
"...The moment of truth has come! We reach out to the North America servers and check for a pulse! Are you dead or alive? Don't feel bad if there is no participation! We will come back and revive you sometime in the future! There is still time though! Visit the Hearthstone Class Master tournament North America website and enjoy our charming environment and read more! Register for one of the Shaman bogs of your timeframe liking as they open for the first time where you live! We even treat you like kings, creating 8 groups for your convenience only! 4 groups for the east coast and another 4 for the west coast! We even dare to set them at your time!!
EAST COAST BOGS:
WEST COAST BOGS:
Any players playing on North America servers residing anywhere in the Americas, you're eligible to register! Please do not forget to choose you country's flag when registering in the 121gameon.com website so we know what country you represent! These bogs are (for the first time) password protected! Who would have thought that technology could reach as far as to secure... BOGS!? Your password is shamanNA
The Druids have also been announced on the Hearthstone Class Master website but they open next Sunday 09/01/22! Well... That's it! Let's see if we'll be rolling this with a blast or pack our things and leave like strays!!
P.S Please keep in mind that due to the fact of opening for the first time NA you might deal with several issues. We apologize and ask for your understanding. Thank you very much."
The Hearthstone Class Master Championship (tournament test runs)
THE HEARTHSTONE CLASS MASTER TOURNAMENT test runs (EU) are OVER!
CLASS MASTERS SHOWDOWN OPEN!
"...It's been a blast! We hope everyone had a great time playing in the Class Master tournament and we thank you very much for honoring us with your participation! Worry not, the European Class Master tournament will come back stronger next season! Meanwhile the "Class Masters showdown" is now OPEN!
What is the Class Master Showdown?
What are the rules of the Showdown?
What happens if a player is the Class Master of multiple classes?
...And there are more special rules, titles and achievements earned for your performance there but that's not for now. Make sure to pay a daily visit on our European and North America websites to get more info and fully understand the beauty of our Championship to be, as we gather information and get bit by bit closer to its opening!
Our beloved Creator and organizer Dimitris Giordas is working constantly on improving the graphical environment of the websites aiming to also improve your experience with the Class Master tournament. The work load is heavy but he is determine to deliver!
Last but not least, The Shamans will open registrations for the North America servers this Sunday 02/01/21, we hope to see you there! Much love and appreciation,
the invisible Class Master tournament team!"
Hearthstone's Battle for Alterac Valley Event Has Entered Its Final Honor Phase - Will the Alliance Hold Steady, or Can the Horde Still Prevail?
It would be a pity if their artists have already completed the diamond artwork for the losing side and never get to show it. Hopefully there will be some way to get it, say on the next rewards track with the tavern pass.
Big Mercenaries Updates Coming Soon - New Zone, Bounties, Equipment Change, and Training Grounds
Definetely, I'm hitting a consistent 30s que time. It may not sound like a lot, but you have to consider that the vast majority of players focus on pve and maybe get the first daily pvp chest.
Hearthstone's Battle for Alterac Valley Event Has Entered Its Final Honor Phase - Will the Alliance Hold Steady, or Can the Horde Still Prevail?
How much HS do you play in a day to finish the honor quest line in 8 days? 😱 You're definitely one of those mad men Aesan was talking about 🤣