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Tracks Blizzard employees across various accounts.

Hearthstone AMA #40 4:30PM - 5:30PM PST Ask me a question about Hearthstone! Or Design! (or anime...or elden ring...) https://t.co/KPnm57zkzz

Hearthstone AMA #40 4:30PM - 5:30PM PST Ask me a question about Hearthstone! Or Design! (or anime...or elden ring...) https://t.co/KPnm57zkzz

  • Iksar
    Posted 4 years ago (Source)
    Hearthstone AMA #40 4:30PM - 5:30PM PST Ask me a question about Hearthstone! Or Design! (or anime...or elden ring...) https://t.co/KPnm57zkzz

    • ben_heathstone
      Posted 4 years ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Oh no! Muting “elden ring” making me almost miss a Iksar AMA! 😳🤣 https://t.co/lQ4zVGRTud

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years ago (Source)
        @ben_heathstone how dare you mute elden ring

        • hsdecktech
          Posted 4 years ago (Source)
          @IksarHS @ben_heathstone Some of us just have no interest in gitting gud, Dean.

          • Iksar
            Posted 4 years ago (Source)
            @hsdecktech @ben_heathstone not everyone can be a gud gamer like me, an elden ring expert and professional glintstone pebble caster

    • D0nkeyHS
      Posted 4 years ago (Source)
      @IksarHS What were the reasons behind adding the BGs party disbanded notification (in it's current form)?Interrupting game play by stealing focus and requiring interaction for an unimportant notification like that seems unhearthstoney to me.

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years ago (Source)
        @D0nkeyHS @JohnEvMcIntyre Not familiar, tagging John as a reminder so we can discuss next week if it's something we should suppress.

    • onescoop
      Posted 4 years ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Why do streamers only get to theory craft? Why not open it to public for a day? Just feel like a lot of people don’t like when streamers get to do it because the hype goes away

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years ago (Source)
        @onescoop this won't be a popular thought, but our stance is that there are more people positively impacted by getting some ideas of what they should play than there are people negatively impacted by 'hype-loss'

        • Iksar
          Posted 4 years ago (Source)
          @onescoop There is a thought that the meta is figured out faster because this event exists, but there isn't any evidence of that being true to any meaningful degree.

    • Arkentass
      Posted 4 years ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Without being specific, is there some 'big' things coming Phase 1 of Year 2022 that we don't yet know about ?

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years ago (Source)
        @Arkentass We have an expansion coming out, nothing else I would put in the ‘very big things’ category in Q1

        • Arkentass
          Posted 4 years ago (Source)
          @IksarHS Phase 1 was more like Early April to Early August. Thanks for the answer.

          • Iksar
            Posted 4 years ago (Source)
            @Arkentass Oh PHASE 1. Sorry my business hat interpreted your question to Q1. That is too far out to give spoilers sorry 😢

    • Sethetron
      Posted 4 years ago (Source)
      @IksarHS 1st AMA I ever made on time to! If we get a new hero, (monk per say) would we be introducing them with their own expansion like the demon hunter? Also when can we expect random portraits? I, like a lot of other loyal players, have way too many

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years ago (Source)
        @Sethetron Random options on cosmetics is something we want across every mode and every cosmetic, just not done yet.

        • Iksar
          Posted 4 years ago (Source)
          @Sethetron And yes if we did another class it would very likely be as part of an expansion like DH was.

    • RTwoCTwo
      Posted 4 years ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Do you feel that the 6 set + 6 mini set per rotation is still the sweet spot? Could you envision a period where a set roasted early / layer? Or maybe a set is considerably larger or smaller?

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years ago (Source)
        @RTwoCTwo We have been medium on miniset. Total number of cards feels right, been talking about doing 4 expansions per year and no minisets. We’d have to also adjust our reward structure if expansions just lasted a shorter amount of time.

    • MyntyPhresh
      Posted 4 years ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Which card in HS's history did you think was going to be bustado-bonkers before release but then wasn't?

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years ago (Source)
        @MyntyPhresh Honestly in every set I ever worked on if I thought a card was going to be too busted we would change it 😂 Maybe the Druid DK, I thought we should nerf it but I was outnumbered.

    • MaxwellPerlman
      Posted 4 years ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Elden Ring inspired PVE mode when?

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years ago (Source)
        @MaxwellPerlman I try to avoid being the design lead that plays a game over the weekend and changes our direction as a result… But maybe…..

    • ChaosOS_59
      Posted 4 years ago (Source)
      @IksarHS How do you and/or the team feel the other-blizzard-IP-crossover content went?

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years ago (Source)
        @ChaosOS_59 Haven’t talked to the team about that retrospectively, a good reminder. I personally think just ok. We were so light on it that it’s hard to tell if we should do it again. I am positive enough on it that next time I think we should go harder on the impact.

    • jorr1313
      Posted 4 years ago (Source)
      @IksarHS What has been the toughest Elden Ring boss for you so far?

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years ago (Source)
        @jorr1313 Last boss, though I still have not faced malenia.

    • AJz77x
      Posted 4 years ago (Source)
      @IksarHS For the amount of times you've "Beaten" the game, how much new stuff are you still finding in Elden Ring? Like, items or mini dungeons you missed the first time through, etc.

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years ago (Source)
        @AJz77x Almost none, but mostly because my 2nd, 3rd, and 4th playthrough had very little exploration. My 3rd playthrough only took 4 hours.

    • KyoyaSSBU
      Posted 4 years ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Are there any plans to make any of the BGs cosmetics obtainable with gold? It’s the only mode I play anymore and it feels bad to have nothing to spend gold on anymore.

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years ago (Source)
        @KyoyaSSBU No plans for that, unlikely to ever happen. Sorry!

    • theocannamela
      Posted 4 years ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Are colossal minions the new card type that was teased, or is something even bigger coming, pun intended

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years ago (Source)
        @theocannamela It’s the only new type of card in this expansion, we have some very cool stuff coming in the 2nd and 3rd expansions of the year tho

    • NautThatMeta
      Posted 4 years ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Has playing Elden Ring changed anything about the way you view game design?

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years ago (Source)
        @NautThatMeta Yes-ish. All great games (and some bad ones) modify how I view game design. I don’t think there was some great realization, though. The ‘ubisoft vs from’ discussion about how hand-holdy you should be with players is not a new discussion.

    • MayplesVR
      Posted 4 years ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Designer question. During iteration phases of breaking mechanics into playables from proto to digestible stackable mechanics, do you find balancing these with a card game that’s digital more analog feeling (pen/paper board design) or does it follow more towards digital?

      • MayplesVR
        Posted 4 years ago (Source)
        @IksarHS Kind of deeper clarification: testing a physical requires a full play through to figure out if it works, digital being we can run test suites, iterations and have software check it.

        • Iksar
          Posted 4 years ago (Source)
          @MayplesVR Digital? We still obviously do testing in a wide variety of ways but as a digital product we take advantage of things like automation to a degree that wouldn’t be possible in something like paper magic.

          • Iksar
            Posted 4 years ago (Source)
            @MayplesVR But if the question is purely about busted card combos and game balance there is basically zero automation that helps us catch that. It’s all human testing the same way a player would.

          • MayplesVR
            Posted 4 years ago (Source)
            @IksarHS I kind botched my wording. I meant to ask do you find balancing a traditionally physical based design in the digital world harder compared to that of a board game. (Trying to not make it HS agnostic but about creating that engagement of a physical card game in digital)

            • Iksar
              Posted 4 years ago (Source)
              @MayplesVR Complexity of game is the variable that probably matters the most. I’d say digital easier still do to the fact that digital play testing is usually much faster and easier.

    • slizzle466
      Posted 4 years ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Which card you think has the cutest art from the Sunken City expansion?

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years ago (Source)
        @slizzle466 The colorful fishy tokens

    • eduardomendezr2
      Posted 4 years ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Have you watched monster? If so, what do ya think of it? https://t.co/niJNsKImZk

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years ago (Source)
        @eduardomendezr2 I feel almost embarrassed by this because it’s such a classic but…. I got 20-30 episodes in and just stopped. Got bored.

    • lamri247
      Posted 4 years ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Did you watch the new Halo Tv series? If so, did you like it? I think it’s different and I’m hopeful for the future of the show!

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years ago (Source)
        @lamri247 I didn’t but now I’m excited to! I forgot it came out

    • J_Alexander_HS
      Posted 4 years ago (Source)
      @IksarHS I know all the int didn’t help with the maidenless thing, but if you want I can play the role of maiden

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years ago (Source)
        @J_Alexander_HS My last maiden burned herself to death so I’m not sure if I’d offer myself up if I was you

    • UchihaMiek
      Posted 4 years ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Looking at MTGs recent secret lair sets, what needs to happen for these sort of events to come to HS? For most live service games cross promotions are super prevalent, is it more a question of when they happen rather than if? Or finding the right IP?

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years ago (Source)
        @UchihaMiek Cross promotion costs a lot of money, usually X million minimum guarantee + %ofrevenue. Hard to sell a product that makes sense for us unless it’s an expansion and I’m not sure the team is excited by the idea of doing a non-Warcraft IP main expansion.

        • Iksar
          Posted 4 years ago (Source)
          @UchihaMiek We’ve looked into it and didn’t shut the door, so never say never….

    • ZombiesGoNomNom
      Posted 4 years ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Are character nerfs on the table for mercenaries? I understand it takes longer to level a character so they won’t be frequent but 1 or 2 characters rn seem to be warping the game around them hard (val and lok) and it worries me for the future. Also who’s your fav merc?

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years ago (Source)
        @ZombiesGoNomNom I am a baron geddon fan… he’s just such a loyal guy and rag doesn’t treat him right 😤

        • Iksar
          Posted 4 years ago (Source)
          @ZombiesGoNomNom And yes, on the table. We’d rather solve through meta change but would step in with balance change if necessary.

    • BionicDoor
      Posted 4 years ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Has the team reconsidered the idea of having alternate hero power art for hero portraits. I recall it being a no in the past, but I’m wondering/hoping maybe it’s been reconsidered. I’ve already thought it’d be a cool addition to help tie hero skin’s hero power to their character.

      • BionicDoor
        Posted 4 years ago (Source)
        @IksarHS Also had this idea of having different Silver Hand Recruit art. Maybe 3 different recruits, and different Paladin heroes could add a special themed silver hand recruit art. For example maybe Arthas could have a recruit that isn’t so happy with his current assignment…

        • jakewait98
          Posted 4 years ago (Source)
          @BionicDoor @IksarHS I would also like this to be reconsidered. Maybe it’s an animation that changes the base hero power to one of the same affect that has better theming. like Azshara right now is a “Firebolt” that’s a watery animation, we’re getting Shadow Xyrella with a glowy yellow HP, etc…

          • Iksar
            Posted 4 years ago (Source)
            @jakewait98 @BionicDoor Just a question of bandwidth we have to create new things. We have higher-complexity, higher-coolness type of hero skin in development that will have different hero power treatment but will likely preserve the simpler hero skins with limited new stuff.

            • Iksar
              Posted 4 years ago (Source)
              @jakewait98 @BionicDoor The more features we add to cosmetics the cooler they get (usually) but also the slower we can make them and the less of them we make. We like having a solution of sometimes we make cosmetics with a wide feature set and sometimes we don’t and price lower.

    • gn_karl
      Posted 4 years ago (Source)
      @IksarHS First time i made it to one of these in time :D, First of all. Thanks for hosting these. Came back to HS around a year ago and since Fireside gatherings cant be hosted atm, is there any chance you could add the Nemsy Hero portrait for ingame gold? or to the shop again Cheers!

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years ago (Source)
        @gn_karl Will look into it, generally if a hero skin is obtainable through a particular method we make it unavailable other places. If Nemsy is a long-term unavailable skin due to other problems we should just make it available.

    • Shmilia
      Posted 4 years ago (Source)
      @IksarHS i think the latest balance updates were not as impactful as before, is that intended or is it something in particular with this meta? What I mean by impactful is that, questlock, for example, got multiple nerfs and stayed playable.

      • Shmilia
        Posted 4 years ago (Source)
        @IksarHS I could be wrong tho, but idk. happened with mozaki mage too " incanter's flow cost 4 now, mozaki mage is de- oh wait".

        • Iksar
          Posted 4 years ago (Source)
          @Shmilia We try and nerf with a lighter touch these days so that people that truly love the decks still feel like they can queue up. Sometimes we miss and are too light, but the goal is a good one if executed correctly. The opposite is something like Warsong Commander.

          • Iksar
            Posted 4 years ago (Source)
            @Shmilia Like most things, just about the execution. We never intend to nerf things multiple times, but mistakes have and will always happen.

    • Impact_onfire
      Posted 4 years ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Have you guys ever thought about doing a Hearthstones Greatest Hits year? Like some of the most loved cards of all time in Standard as a core set and expansions revisiting worlds we loved etc, maybe for Hearthstone’s 10th anniversary? Thoughts 💭

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years ago (Source)
        @Impact_onfire I like it. Lately we’ve been brainstorming having events that bring back some old favorites for a limited time in standard. Like if naxx invaded the whole game for a month, what does that mean? But yeah, core set hopefully will hit on some of that.

    • LeBruce
      Posted 4 years ago (Source)
      @IksarHS I’m getting married in 13 hours, any top tips?!

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years ago (Source)
        @LeBruce You will remember this time the rest of your life, so try and soak it in and create some good memories. It’ll be over in a flash, so enjoy it :)

    • ZeddyHS
      Posted 4 years ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Have you completed the mystery achievement in Alterac Valley yet?

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years ago (Source)
        @ZeddyHS No… you crushed my desire to hunt for achievements thanks a lot

    • RidiculousHat
      Posted 4 years ago (Source)
      @IksarHS should i try attacking ahead

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years ago (Source)
        @RidiculousHat You don’t have the right

    • kirayamatoXV
      Posted 4 years ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Have you considered implementing a 10pack simultaneous opening? I am having a very difficult time with new expansions taking up more than 2hours of my time every time they are implemented I believe that the time taken to open packs is also contributing to a decrease in purchasing

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years ago (Source)
        @kirayamatoXV Mass pack opening on our todo list but still a ways out

    • lil_robitussin1
      Posted 4 years ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Howdy Dean! Can you please provide some insight as to why the core set hasn’t been announced yet? Last year it was announced the day after FiTB was shown. Not the biggest deal to wait but it definitely would add to the excitement of card reveals. Thanks for your time 😃

      • lil_robitussin1
        Posted 4 years ago (Source)
        @IksarHS Dang no tease this time I can’t complain I’ve been lucky with getting responses haha

        • Iksar
          Posted 4 years ago (Source)
          @lil_robitussin1 I like spacing them out, personally. Gives each its own moment for discussion rather than blurring the message. Upsides to both, though. More context can be nice as you mentioned.

    • CN_Soda
      Posted 4 years ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Question about the puzzle, will there be any puzzle in future and any reversable plan about it? Tbh most of Chinese player think the puzzle this time is too difficult and don't like it. Well I guess I should ask @Celestalon about this one...

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years ago (Source)
        @CN_Soda @Celestalon @Celestalon is puzzle master

        • Chadd Nervigg
          Posted 4 years ago (Source)
          @IksarHS @CN_Soda I think having a variety of puzzles is a good thing. These ones were very high on individual solving and time investment. The next ones (if there are any), might be more difficult for the group to solve and then easy per person.

    • kilmarnok1285
      Posted 4 years ago (Source)
      @IksarHS What’s a quality you like to foster in people you mentor?

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years ago (Source)
        @kilmarnok1285 Effective context switching Learning to be a great listener How to pitch your idea
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