How to get started in the Hearthstone Mercenaries game mode

The Hearthstone Mercenaries game mode is now live, allowing players to access and experience the new in-game content.

Hearthstone Mercenaries features rogue-like elements, progression and beloved characters. Players can form a party of up to six characters to either complete a bounty or battle in the fighting pit.

How combat works

When players go into the fighting pit to engage in battle within Hearthstone Mercenaries, they can put up to three active mercenaries into the fray. The other three mercenaries are benched until an active character is defeated.

During the command phase, players dictate each character’s moves and abilities. When it’s time for the combat phase, players watch these mercenaries automatically duke it out against each other.

Since there is no “face” in this game mode, a player wins once they wipe out their opponent’s entire team.

Roles in Hearthstone Mercenaries

Players can take advantage of the different roles as well. Fighters are identified by their green frames, casters are blue and protectors have red frames.

While fighters do double the damage to casters, casters deal twice the damage to protectors. This means protectors deal double the damage to fighters.

Each character has attack and health stats plus a set of unique abilities that can summon, heal, buff or deal damage. Abilities have a speed value, which determines the order of action on the battlefield. The lower the number is, the sooner the action takes place.

How to create a party

To create a party in Hearthstone Mercenaries, players must visit the tavern area. This is also where players can choose and upgrade the their characters’ abilities and equipment. A new character gets one ability to begin, with the next ones unlocking at levels five and 15.

Players can unlock abilities and get upgradable equipment via bounties and tasks, which reward Mercenary Coins. Each character gets their own type of coin, which can be used to craft that character or upgrade that character’s equipment and abilities.

Navigating the Mercenaries Village

In addition to the fighting pit and the tavern, the new Hearthstone Mercenaries game mode has a workshop. This is where players can upgrade their village’s appearance and functionalities.

Meanwhile, the travel point area is where players can find bounties for some PvE action. As for the merchant chart, it is the in-game shop.

The mailbox area is where players can read announcements. To see a list of tasks and complete them for rewards, players can visit the campfire area.

Bonuses, Twitch Drops and more

When players complete the Hearthstone Mercenaries tutorial and introductory missions, they will receive eight characters for free. Login rewards are also available alongside a Legendary Quest chain that awards six Mercenaries Packs.

As for Twitch Drops, viewers who watch two hours of a Hearthstone broadcast between 10 a.m. on Oct. 15 and 10 p.m. on Oct. 17 will receive a free Mercenaries Pack. Viewers can earn another pack after watching two more hours.