Hearthstone: Rise of Shadows Review (PC) - Softpedia News

I don't remember when exactly I lost interested in Hearthstone after being an avid player for 2 years, so it must have happened gradually. Of course, I'm excited for every new expansion Blizzard keeps pushing out, but for some reason I stopped playing after 3-4 weeks. Rise of Shadows is Hearthstone's eleventh expansion and probably one of the most ambitious.

Anyway, if you're like me and you're wondering whether or not it's worth coming back to playing Hearthstone after the launch of Rise of Shadows, the answer is certainly, but perhaps not for the reasons you might think.

Just like the previous expansions, Rise of Shadows adds one keyword (Twinspell) and a new type of minion – Lackey, alongside 135 new collectible cards. A lot of cards have been removed as well, meaning that they are only available in the wild format, a dozen or so have been nerfed. That being said, after playing the new expansion for several weeks, here is what I've learned.

Thank God it's not a bomb warrior … Oh, wait:(

Warrior has become a tedious class with matches against so-called bomb warrior lasting from at least 30 minutes, with matches taking up to one hour when these decks face each other (or until one of the players gives up). These marathon matches may be fun at first but they become a chore rather than something that should be entertaining.

The new Rise of Shadows cards and the removal of many older cards completely changed the meta. While priest and paladin classes have been seriously crippled, rogue, warrior, mage and shaman have received a considerable boost. The same goes for hunter, a class that now has a few viable decks that can be played with decent success on ladder.

Although I'm still playing Rise of Shadows more than a month after its official release, I don't feel that the game is heading in the right direction. I'm on the verge of quitting once again because of the netdecking. Normally, netdecking should be healthy for a game like Hearthstone, but that drastically reduces the fun aspect.

Playing against the same decks over and over again is totally unfun, but I can understand people's desire to win without investing too much time or money in the game. Hearthstone is a free to play game, but if you want to experiment with the new expansion, you'll need to have as many cards as possible in your collection.

Netdecking is a double-edge sword

Since many players prefer to play one deck per class, they prefer to copy tier 1 decks and invest the dust into building cards used for the most viable decks for laddering. I believe Hearthstone is trapped in a vicious circle where players are either too lazy to build their decks or simply can't afford to build competitive decks based on the few cards they receive in the pack.

What I did enjoy is the new single player adventure – The Dalaran Heist, which is split in five chapters that can be bought for 700 gold (in-game currency) or $20 for all four wings since the first one is on the house. It's the same price that people have paid for the previous solo adventures, but I'd say that this one offers much more content and double the fun.

You'll be facing eight bosses with different powers and if you manage to beat them all, you'll receive three Rise of Shadows card packs per wing. The solo adventure has both normal and heroic mode and allows players to choose from three different starting decks and powers. However, these will only unlock after certain requirements are met, like besting 5 or more bosses or drawing 100 cards.

The Dalaran Heist is a rogue-like adventure where you choose how to build your deck as you beat bosses from a predefined set of three cards, each tailored for a specific type of play. There are literally hundreds of viable combinations that you can use, not to mention that over the course of a full run, you'll be able to choose from exceptional cards that can turn the tide of a game.

New from the previous expansion is the addition of the Tavern, a place where you're given two points that can be used to fine-tuned your deck. You can remove a card from your deck, reduce its cost or add more duplicates. Sometimes, you are offered the possibility to add extra cards, chosen randomly by the AI, or boost the stats of one of the cards from your deck. It's an incredibly fun and addictive single-player experience, which I'll probably play for a longer time than I'd like too.

The Good

Great, addictive solo adventure
Some fun deck archetypes (i.e. thief rogue, murloc shaman)
A solid foundation for the next two expansions

The Bad

It doesn't bring the fresh of breath air many players were hoping for
Control / Bomb Warrior is an abomination that shouldn't have happened

Conclusion

Hearthstone: Rise of Shadows doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it does bring some fun to those looking for some single-player action. I had fun trying out many new decks, especially the Thief Rogue archetype, but playing against the same decks on ladder becomes boring after several weeks.

The solo adventure on the other hand is pretty rad, and offers great bang for the buck if you plan to pay for it with real money. The rogue-like elements and the massive deckbuilding options make The Dalaran Heist one of the best solo adventures since the game's original launch.

Of course, if you like laddering and netdecking, Rise of Shadows is just as good as the previous expansions. It buffs some classes, it nerfs others, but overall tries to keep things as balanced as possible.

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