Deceptively simple in design but epically engaging, Hearthstone will be instantly accessible to players regardless of their familiarity with Warcraft or collectible card games. Whether players prefer to wield magic or arms in battle, strike from the shadows or head on—or have never given any of that much thought—they’ll be able to jump right in, create a deck, and get in on the card-slinging action.

In addition to honing their skills in practice matches against the computer and taking on their buddies via their Battle.net friends list, players can challenge each other in two competitive game modes. “Play Mode” features traditional head-to-head battles, with players facing off for a chance to increase their medal ranking and earn card packs along the way. And for a different type of challenge, players can enter “The Forge,” where they start each match by building a deck from a new set of cards, and then use that deck to duel other Forge participants. Aside from winning new cards, players will be able to round out their collections by purchasing new card packs or disenchanting some of their existing cards to craft the ones they’re missing.

With hundreds of cards to choose from, featuring a wide range of colorful Warcraft spells, weapons, and characters, players will have limitless possibilities for developing and fine-tuning their deck-building strategies.

Battlegrounds is a game mode where eight players face off in 1v1 rounds, with the goal to be the last player standing. Each round consists of two phases. The Recruit Phase lets players purchase and sell minions, upgrade the tavern, use their hero power, and rearrange their minions' attack order. Combat Phase has minions automatically attacking the opponents' until one player (or both) has no minions remaining, at which point the victor attacks the loser.

The taverns across Azeroth are abuzz with elation and all are invited to join in the celebration as Hearthstone celebrates its 10th anniversary! 

To mark this momentous occasion and kick off our year of Warcraft, a universe celebrating its own 30th anniversary later this year, players can enjoy a variety of activities and rewards to commemorate the card-flinging staple of Warcraft across our games. 

In Hearthstone:

In case you missed it, many of Hearthstone’s 10th anniversary offerings are already available to players and include:

• 12 Special Cards that include a “gift” card for each class as well as one extra special card: Harth Stonebrew!
• A special in-game rewards track to earn golden versions of the 12 gifted cards and even a special Birthday Coin

Starting today, players can also begin their in-game quests to earn a special 10-year Anniversary Card Back!

Additionally, players are now able to enjoy the first installment of Music from the Tavern, 30 in-game tracks now available to stream on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube with two more planned installments coming later this year.

In World of Warcraft:

A variety of rewards and activities await WoW players wanting to join the celebration and include:

• Fiery Hearthsteed mount: Starting today and until May 14, players can try their hand at Hearthstone to earn this mount, an homage to the original Hearthsteed mount that was available to earn when Hearthstone first launched. Players will need to have finished the Hearthstone tutorial to be eligible to receive this mount and players that have already done so will simply need to log into Hearthstone. 
• Take part in Hearthstone tournament events: Starting today through March 18, these in-game events will take place in Stormwind Harbor, Durotar (outside Orgrimmar) and Valdrakken where players will be able to play a round of Hearthstone within WoW! Stick around long enough during the tournaments, and players will see a special encounter with Whizbang (similar to the Treasure Goblin Diablo IV launch event) in which additional special rewards can be earned, such as:
• Compass Rose Mount
• Sarge Pet
• Hearthstone Game Table Toy
• Collector’s Carryall 32-Slot Bag
• The Tavern’s Tabard
• Hearthstone: Stone of the Hearth
• Taverner’s Belt transmog

Hearthstone is available for Android, iOS and PC.