A ko-bold move.
It was only a matter of time. Yes, that’s right, Blizzard’s put together an Auto Chess game mode set in Hearthstone’s universe, and it’s arriving for a week of Early Access on November 5th for those who’ve pre-purchased the Descent of Dragons bundle, BlizzCon Attendees, or BlizzCon Virtual Ticket holders.
After this early access phase ends on the 12th November, it’ll enter Open Beta where everyone will be able to try out the new mode.
If you’ve ever played an Auto Chess game, Hearthstone Battlegrounds will feel somewhat familiar. It’s an eight player mode where everyone has a board which they field minions onto, and at the start of each round they will battle to the death – automatically – until one player emerges victorious. The winner is the player who builds the strongest team composition and outlasts the opposition.
Of course, there’s a Hearthstone twist to it all too. There are 24 heroes, each with their own hero powers and Keywords (Poison, Deathrattle and more) which add an extra layer of complexity to fights.
Blizzard’s addition to the auto battler genre will likely appeal to a great deal of players as it has the polish and accessibility the studio is famed for. However, Teamfight Tactics is currently performing incredibly well for Riot Games, so whether or not Hearthstone Battlegrounds is enticing enough to compete with it remains to be seen.
