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Tracks Blizzard employees across various accounts.

Hearthstone AMA #30 5:30PM - 6:30PM PST Ask me a question about Hearthstone! Or Design! (or anime...) https://t.co/kkTUEgbnQ9

Hearthstone AMA #30 5:30PM - 6:30PM PST Ask me a question about Hearthstone! Or Design! (or anime...) https://t.co/kkTUEgbnQ9

  • Iksar
    Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
    Hearthstone AMA #30 5:30PM - 6:30PM PST Ask me a question about Hearthstone! Or Design! (or anime...) https://t.co/kkTUEgbnQ9

    • Restodroodopz
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS my only anime i've ever watched was a sportsball anime, do you have any recommendations

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @Restodroodopz My recommendation to first time anime people is always Death Note and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. If you don't like either of them you probably just won't like anime. The all-time greats.

    • ZoggHS
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Wow I’m early, hows iksar world?

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @ZoggHS Good! Have a 3-month old baby so I'm pretty tired all the time but could be worse. We have a nice place to live, everyone is healthy, and I get to make games for a living. Can't complain.

    • washinthewind
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Just a “simple” one. What has been your favorite OTK and why is it Mecha’thun?

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @washinthewind Either the weird shadowboxer OTK in wild that we fixed or the molten giant charge otk from way back in the day.

    • Changetipbitme
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Can we have less do "x" play a 1 Mana 6/6 cards in future?

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @Changetipbitme Weird question to answer. We are always going to make cards that require you to jump through some special hoop and reward you if you jump through the hoop with something more powerful than normal. If we didn't, every deck would be full of generically powerful cards.

        • Iksar
          Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
          @Changetipbitme If the question is, can you please try to release cards that you think are balanced, then yes we will try 😭

    • J_Alexander_HS
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Valeera didn’t get a new skin in the latest list. Could she get a cool Halloween skin with a fall/orange theme where she has a dagger held resting on her shoulder and her other hand is holding her own severed head? That’d be pretty slick

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @J_Alexander_HS If we did a Valeera halloween costume it would probably be in a more appropriate costume. Like a pirate outfit!

        • Elocvent1
          Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
          @IksarHS @J_Alexander_HS She already has a portrait as a pirate

          • J_Alexander_HS
            Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
            @Elocvent1 @IksarHS https://t.co/cmU28APH3x

            • Iksar
              Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
              @J_Alexander_HS @Elocvent1 Honestly, though. Rogue players tend to be pretty edgy so we should probably offer more edgy skins. I, too, am edgy boy. https://t.co/K3W6Zbkrsi

    • coolbeansjorge
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS ever thought of making a legendary so crazy, as in “Bring you and Your opponent into a Battlegrounds Match, Whoever lasts longer, Wins!!”, I’d imagine Bartender Bob being the legendary, but just crazy legendaries with crazy twists, Like Silas, or Dungar, I love those cards.

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @coolbeansjorge We had a card at one point that was like, restart the game into another game, if you win, do X thing. A little too crazy for constructed Hearthstone I think. Always looking for the next card that is going to do something you didn't think Hearthstone could do, though.

    • ThatBuddySola
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS So far we've had four versions of quests: The originals in Un'goro, the hero power quests in Uldum, sidequests in Dragon's Descent and Questlines in Stormwind. What design philosophy did you take from one to the next in how you tackled satisfying quests?

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @ThatBuddySola There is a really, really, long answer here but I can try to summarize. For one, quests are successful from our design team's POV, this is why we keep doing them. This doesn't mean they come without downsides.

        • Iksar
          Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
          @ThatBuddySola Quests help with two primary things. A: They give players a powerful goal to look forward to and do a good job of explaining how to get it. B: They are usually very buildaround and create deck styles that are much different from the previous expansions, making the meta feel new.

          • Iksar
            Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
            @ThatBuddySola In Un'goro we tried making the rewards so powerful that if you completed the quest you generally won that game. There are some downsides to that because if you complete your opponent knows their death is imminent and if you don't you didn't get to feel any fun moments.

            • Iksar
              Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
              @ThatBuddySola In Uldum we tried making the quests easier to complete so it felt like you got to do a powerful thing more often, but make the rewards not so powerful that you won on the spot. I think this was more successful.

              • Iksar
                Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
                @ThatBuddySola We also had a sub-goal of your deck still had to do something to win the game after you completed the quest. The Druid quest for example was very powerful, it didn't win the game on it's own. You still needed lots of choose one cards.

                • Iksar
                  Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
                  @ThatBuddySola This is different than cards like Deathstalker Rexxar that can just win games on their own without any interaction from the rest of your deck.

                  • Iksar
                    Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
                    @ThatBuddySola In stormwind we generally followed the path we made for ourselves in uldum, but with more moments of power along the way. In theory, the quest player could still have a satisfying game this way even if they didn't complete their quest completely.

                    • Iksar
                      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
                      @ThatBuddySola The big downside of quests as a whole is that we ask you to build your deck a very specific way to get this big piece of power. The reward has to feel epic to motivate you to build a sub-optimal deck.

                      • Iksar
                        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
                        @ThatBuddySola That reward has to be powerful enough to win the game in most cases, otherwise why build an entirely new deck in order to get it?

                        • Iksar
                          Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
                          @ThatBuddySola If the reward is that powerful, then it can sometimes feel helpless for the player watching it happen. Decks that depend on stripping their opponent of resources are less likely to win in formats with quests because quests aren't designed to be easily outvalued.

                          • Iksar
                            Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
                            @ThatBuddySola So, all in all, I think quest formats have value. They are polarizing for sure, but not every meta is supposed to be the same. We'll be sitting in the same timeline next expansion talking about another style of deck and how some people love it and others hate it.

    • ggahSoO
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Hi Dean, have you seen mushishi and if so how did you like it? It is my favorite anime ☺️

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @ggahSoO I haven't, what is it about?

    • Cora
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS What should Bea be for Halloween this year?

      • Chadd Nervigg
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @Songbird_HS @IksarHS Target has butterfly costumes that would fit her. Source: I just bought one for Mams.

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @Songbird_HS she reminds me of the little doofus among us characters that run around all fast running into shit https://t.co/V1wOZNsoFa

        • Cora
          Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
          @IksarHS Yeah that checks out

    • WardrumHS
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS For a time, there was a really neat UI feature that displayed XP gained at the bottom of the screen in green text after each match. Why was it removed, and how much cool anime swag must I send you in order to have it back?

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @WardrumHS I would have to check, but I think this is just a bug.

        • WardrumHS
          Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
          @IksarHS Would be awesome to have it back for certain.

          • Chadd Nervigg
            Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
            @WardrumHS @IksarHS It caused a bug with blocking clicks in the middle of your screen during your next game. We disabled it temporarily until we can fix it in the next(?) patch.

            • WardrumHS
              Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
              @Celestalon @IksarHS That makes sense, thanks for the quick update! Do you mean Tuesday's patch, or later? (Either way, knowing it's a fixable bug is excellent)

              • Chadd Nervigg
                Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
                @WardrumHS @IksarHS I'm not sure whether the fix made it into this next patch, or if it had to wait for the one after (thus the (?)).

    • RidiculousHat
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS at this point in your career, would you consider yourself a designer who manages or a manager who designs? if you were to move to another project, team, or company, would you have your eyes on design roles or management ones? how much of lead design is secretly management anyway?

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @RidiculousHat Subjective, but I think designer who manages. If you are ultimately responsible for design decisions you should be a designer. If I were to go to another team (scoff), I'd probably be looking for a director level role. In my opinion that role is still designer-first.

    • Tacticalian
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Are there any factors beyond Rank/MMR that are taken into account for matchmaking? E.g. Player Proximity, whether they're using a tracker, device they're using? Thanks as always Dean!

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @Tacticalian Not for ranked, that's it. For arena we have some very light protection for new players but it's mostly all current-run record based.

    • SuperiorDavidHS
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Are there plans to bring back the Battle Ready decks? They seemed like a good way to help new players get into the game

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @SuperiorDavidHS yes!

    • blisterguy
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Has parenting changed your view on how game design works at all? And do you think your experience in game design is helping you as a dad?

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @blisterguy I think it's been helpful in setting healthy boundaries with work. Before having a kid it's easy to just keep working. After having a kid it's the only time in my life where there is something very clearly and obviously more important than whatever task I could be working on.

        • Iksar
          Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
          @blisterguy I think I will be influenced more as a parent/designer over time but honestly I'm so new to parenting that I still have no idea wtf is going on

    • Arkentass
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Now that BG cosmetics are more and more, do you have any update about them coming back later for gold like constructed cosmetics ? With the exclusivity period in mind.

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @Arkentass We have some larger scale plans for bg cosmetics. We'd like for you to earn some limited amount for free and be able to unlock more through things like perks or even be able to craft cosmetics through earned currency. We'll still in the infancy of BG cosmetics.

    • PautzPlays
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Have there ever been considerations to introduce a set-rotation-mode to traditional Hearthstone, similar to what we currently have in Arena/Duels?

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @PautzPlays Enough people mention it that I think it's worth real consideration. Our thoughts previously were that the audience for something like this would be very small. You'd have to own lots of old cards, or get excited about the idea of crafting old cards that could then rotate again.

        • Iksar
          Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
          @PautzPlays It shouldn't be an extremely heavy-cost thing to implement, though. So even if the interest was moderate it might be worth it.

          • Iksar
            Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
            @PautzPlays My personal opinion was that the idea wouldn't stick, I remember @joemag_games pitched this way back in the day but we were mostly skeptical. Coming around... Still, no update. Just reconsidering.

    • corbettgames
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Sure this might have been answered previously, but still: THE DISCOVER BONUS (!) - Is this something the team might ever bring back or change (even if it's not the full 4x multiplier bonus)?

      • corbettgames
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @IksarHS Understand the potential balance concerns around it with small discover pools and changing power levels as these pools rotate, but feel like a lot of the discover cards (particularly neutrals) are so bad without it and makes them feel less unique to each class.

        • Iksar
          Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
          @corbettgames I haven't gone back to think about this as a success or failure yet. @GW_Alec or @Chakki_HS might have thoughts, though. I don't know if Keaton even uses twitter anymore we should get him back out here...

    • Seba_SN
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Hope you are having a nice Friday Iksar! Which non-main character from HS is your favourite?

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @Seba_SN GARROSH MAIN DR. BOOM SUB-MAIN GUFF SUB-SUB MAIN

    • Tesdey
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Why is HxH the best anime ever? And mercenary leaks don't have the final card designs correct? https://t.co/nROzZiq9qy

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @Tesdey It is top 5 for me, and no comment on secondary, you'll see soon enough.

    • lamri247
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Have you ever seen any of Makoto Shinkai Anime movies? If so which one is your favorite? If not, I highly recommend watching them! https://t.co/qr9cxEhNPt

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @lamri247 Your Name one of the best movies ever

    • CN_Soda
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Have you (or your team) consider more bonus for high legend player? For example, top 200 finisher can get limited skin or cardback, more packages and cards at the end of month. I'd like to know your opinions on this one. Thanks a lot!

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @CN_Soda We have another legend card-back style I think I'd like to reserve only for players that achieve rank 1 at any moment. We just need to build tech to trigger an achievement based on what rank you are, don't currently have it.

    • MyntyPhresh
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS What should I have for dinner?

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @MyntyPhresh hmm chicken maison if you want some chicken pizza 900 if you want some pizza el pollo loco if you want something fast n cheap

    • VillalobosChamp
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Since we're quite close to the next Standard year, has the team already though which cards will rotate out of the Core set? Either for being quite powerful and/or polarizing in deckbuilding, or the opposite, as quite weak a don't make the cut for modern times

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @VillalobosChamp Not fully decided but on our way to deciding. Have some ideas on what buildarounds to add.

    • TruGeno
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS What are your current personnal thoughts on Classic ? Also has there been satisfying population across less prevalent modes since barrens's big changes ?

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @TruGeno Was a cool moment that became less popular fairly quickly. We expected that. Want to add Naxxramas but we're still settling on when is the right time to do that.

    • jrhsk8
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Will there be a Wild Open this year or next?

      • sipiwi94
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @jrhsk8 @IksarHS He wont answer. I have asked about Wild Open every AMA and also in other ways. I think they decided in communication that the best call was to never talk about it again

        • Iksar
          Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
          @sipiwi94 @jrhsk8 I forward people to esports basically every week. I don't work in esports and therefore am not someone who can speak on behalf of esports.

          • sipiwi94
            Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
            @IksarHS @jrhsk8 Thanks for answering. Do you know who or where I can get more knowledge about if Wild Opens are only away temporarily or for good?

            • Iksar
              Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
              @sipiwi94 @jrhsk8 @Abar_HS is your best bet
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