Class

Class is the primary determinant of a hero's powers and abilities, and the strongest factor in deck selection. While each hero represents a unique character with their own personality, portrait and sounds, their class determines their Hero Power and which class-specific cards they are able to play. While each hero belongs to only one class, there are often multiple heroes representing each class. However, all heroes of a given class function identically, using the same cards and Hero Powers.

New players start with only the mage class available, and must unlock the others through defeating them in matches in either Practice mode or Play mode. Unlocking all 9 classes also unlocks various other game features: the Arena, adventures, and "Expert" difficulty Practice mode.

Hearthstone's classes mirror those of World of Warcraft. The current selection matches the class list from the original game, with classes added later not included, namely monk, death knight and demon hunter.

Below is a list of the current classes, with a brief description of each class' notable mechanics. For more detailed information, see individual class pages.

At a glance

Druid - Malfurion Stormrage

• Shapeshifting protectors of the wild, with powerful Taunt minions and adaptable Choose One effects, druids are also able to accelerate their rate of mana accumulation, allowing them to access high-mana-cost cards earlier than their opponents. Druids are a versatile class, capable of using the forces of nature and primal rage to crush their enemies or empower their allies.

Hunter - Rexxar or Alleria Windrunner

• Trackers and huntsmen, with a synergy with Beasts, a selection of bows, and a supply of cunning deadly traps, hunters never miss their mark. Whether unleashing their Beasts upon the enemy or sniping them from afar, hunters possess relentless and immediate damage capabilities.

Mage - Jaina Proudmoore, Khadgar or Medivh

• Masters of arcane, fire and frost, mages wield formidable single-target and area of effect damage spells, and can freeze enemies in their tracks. Mages have a strong spell-synergy, capable of turning minor incantations into devastating Fireballs, and can employ a range of magical Secrets to redirect enemy effects, render themselves immune, or stop the deadliest foe or spell in its tracks.

Paladin - Uther Lightbringer, Lady Liadrin or Prince Arthas

• Stalwart champions of the Light, wielding sturdy weapons and gifting the recruits of their order with Divine Shields and a range of powerful Blessings. Paladins can also have a range of spells to heal themselves or smite their enemies, weaken foes, and Secrets to protect vulnerable targets.

Priest - Anduin Wrynn or Tyrande Whisperwind

• Devout healers with powerful restorative abilities, capable of sustaining themselves and their allies while sweeping away enemies, priests boast a range of healing synergies, but can also rely on their darker abilities to manipulate and destroy enemies, peering into or even seizing control of their opponents' minds.

Rogue - Valeera Sanguinar or Maiev Shadowsong

• Subtle and evasive assassins, using flurries of swift sharp strikes to slice and incapacitate enemies, rogues prefer to wield light daggers, laced with deadly poisons. Rogues prefer to assault their opponents in rapid bursts of activity, activating Combos to gain powerful additional effects.

Shaman - Thrall or Morgl the Oracle

• Masters of the elements, shamans command the service of mighty elementals, and even the Elemental Lords themselves. Shamans can Overload their mana in order to rise to the needs of the moment, with their attacks producing varying potency. Shamans can also summon Totems to boost their powers.

Warlock - Gul'dan

• Calling nightmarish Demons to their aid, warlocks are willing to sacrifice their own life, cards, and even their own minions to overwhelm their enemies. Regarding their own lifeblood as nothing more than a currency, warlocks readily trade away their Health to draw additional cards, but must often pay a terrible price for the services of the infernal beings with whom they consort.

Warrior - Garrosh Hellscream or Magni Bronzebeard

• These lords of war use heavy weaponry and deadly attacks to slam and devastate the battlefield. While their skill with armor and shields allows them to soak up the mightiest of blows, their gladiatorial bloodlust brings synergy with Enrage and on-damage effects, sending their minions charging at the enemy.

Death Knight - None

• Due to their falling to the temptation of ultimate power, Death Knights' abilities are far more powerful than that of the other classes and generally have large sacrificial costs to the user.

Druid

Hero

• Malfurion Stormrage

Unique mechanics

The druid finds great versatility through the unique Choose One ability, allowing them to choose one of two options when playing certain cards. Druids boast a large range of enchantments with which to enhance their minions, and are known for having some of the biggest class minions in the game, such as Ironbark Protector and Ancient of War. Druids can also use cards such as Innervate and Wild Growth to manipulate and accelerate their mana gain to great effect. Druids also share a bond with Beasts, and can use Jade Golems in their favor. Cards like Tortollan Forager and Giant Anaconda, as well as the ability to manipulate mana, help druids to complete their quest, Jungle Giants.

Hero Power

Shapeshift offers a combination of offensive and defensive benefits. It grants the druid a small but reliable source of Armor, mitigating damage from future attacks; and grants them a temporary point of Attack. The latter allows the hero to directly attack enemies, essentially granting them a weak weapon until the end of the turn. This can be useful for removing enemy minions, trading Health (or Armor) for board control, or simply for chipping away at the enemy hero. A blend of proactive and passive benefits, Shapeshift is a reliable option, even if there is no desirable target to attack.

Alternate Hero Powers

All druids begin with Shapeshift, which can be upgraded to Dire Shapeshift by Justicar Trueheart's Battlecry. Also using hero card Malfurion the Pestilent give Plague Lord

Example cards

Hunter

Heroes

• Rexxar
• Alleria Windrunner

Unique mechanics

Hunters favour Beast type minions, with numerous unique Beasts available to them, and many cards such as Starving Buzzard, Houndmaster and Tundra Rhino offering synergies with them. Hunters have limited access to ranged weapons with which to deal direct damage, while the hunter Hero Power allows them to deal 2 points of unstoppable damage to the enemy hero. Hunters also employ traps in the form of secrets to counter enemy actions. Hunters also have a vast pool of synergy with Deathrattle effects. With a host of faithful beasts at their command, hunters are excellently suited to an aggressive playstyle, with strong single-target removal abilities to sweep aside any opposition. Hunters' many powerful one-cost cards, such as Fiery Bat and Alleycat, come in handy when completing their quest, The Marsh Queen.

Hero Power

Steady Shot is an extremely direct and straight-forward Hero Power - it deals a small but significant amount of damage to the enemy hero. Unlike many other Hero Powers, this does not offer special synergies or boast a range of possible uses, but what it lacks in strategic complexity it makes up for in sheer effectiveness. Without Health or Armor granting effects, Steady Shot can single-handedly destroy the opponent and win the game in just 15 turns. This allows the hunter to rely upon Steady Shot's damage to make steady progress toward victory, regardless of the state of the board. Alternatively, Steamwheedle Sniper can be used to expand its functionality, granting it the ability to target any character, opening up a range of strategic possibilities.

Alternate Hero Powers

All hunters begin with Steady Shot, which can be upgraded to Ballista Shot by Justicar Trueheart's Battlecry. Casting Dinomancy will replace the current Hero Power with Dinomancy.

Example cards

Mage

Heroes

• Jaina Proudmoore
• Khadgar
• Medivh

Unique mechanics

Mages are the undisputed masters of damaging and removal abilities, with an array of spells to cripple enemy minions and damage the opponent, from single target spells such as Pyroblast and Polymorph to multiple target options such as Arcane Explosion and Flamestrike. Mages have access to spells such as Frost Nova and Blizzard which freeze targets, preventing them from attacking for one turn, as well as spells like Fireball and Frostbolt that can be used either to remove minions or to directly damage the enemy hero. The mage can also use secrets that trigger when a certain condition is met. With a range of options to tackle threats, mages are masters of board control, clearing or disabling enemy minions while placing their own. Mages' vast range of removals, and cards like Babbling Book and Primordial Glyph, should stall the opponent long enough for the mage to finish their quest, Open the Waygate.

Hero Power

At first glance, Fireblast can seem underwhelming compared to other Hero Powers, but its true strength lies in its tactical value. By being able to deal damage to almost any target regardless of Taunts or board state, the mage gains the power to enact a range of strategic plans, such as finishing off powerful but weakened minions, allowing for desirable trades, or even activating friendly effects like Acolyte of Pain or Amani Berserker. It can be used to add extra reach to damaging spells or attacks, to efficiently remove early threats like Clockwork Gnome, or simply to slowly chip away at the opponent's Health. Cards like Fallen Hero and Coldarra Drake can be used to power-up this damage.

Alternate Hero Powers

All mages begin with Fireblast, which can be upgraded to Fireblast Rank 2 by Justicar Trueheart's Battlecry.

Example cards

Paladin

Heroes

• Uther Lightbringer
• Lady Liadrin
• Prince Arthas

Unique mechanics

The paladin is a well-rounded class which focuses on strong minions and limiting your opponent's ability to use their own. The mechanic Divine Shield is most strongly associated with paladin cards. Paladins can use weapons to attack directly, and can use secrets that trigger when a certain condition is met. Their Hero Power can be used to summon an endless supply of 1/1 minions. With spells that can heal, buff and protect minions, paladins can potentially have some of the strongest minions in the game. Paladins control their opponent's minions and buff their own with cards like Adaptation and Blessing of Might, helping them to complete their quest, The Last Kaleidosaur.

Hero Power

Reinforce provides a reliable stream of 1/1 Silver Hand Recruits. This can be useful for generally swelling the paladin's board presence, and for generating card advantage by trading for the opponent's minions. Effects like Sword of Justice and Raid Leader can be very effective at improving these weak minions, while Quartermaster offers a specific synergy. The constant presence of Recruits on the board also provides the perfect target for powerful buffs like Blessing of Kings, punishing the opponent should they ignore these seemingly weak minions.

Alternate Hero Powers

All paladins begin with Reinforce, which can be upgraded to The Silver Hand by Justicar Trueheart's Battlecry. Playing Vilefin Inquisitor will replace the current Hero Power with The Tidal Hand. Hero card may replace current hero with Uther of the Ebon Blade and The Four Horsemen (Hero Power)

Example cards

Priest

Heroes

• Anduin Wrynn
• Tyrande Whisperwind

Unique mechanics

Priests are masters of healing, and can heal themselves and their minions through their Hero Power and a range of healing spells, as well as boosting minions' health through abilities such as Divine Spirit. Priests' healing theme is reinforced by synergies with spells such as Inner Fire and minions such as Lightspawn and Northshire Cleric. However, these masters of the light also have their shadow side, and priests command a number of darker abilities, including direct damage spells such as Mind Blast and deadly effects like Shadow Word: Pain. The epic card Shadowform allows priests to embrace the shadow, changing into a new form complete with a new direct damage Hero Power; Auchenai Soulpriest provides a similar but non-permanent transformation, allowing the priest to switch from healing to damage dealing and back again. Having access to valuable Deathrattle cards like Shifting Shade and Tortollan Shellraiser, as well as the ability of bringing them back to life, provides priests with many ways to finish their quest, Awaken the Makers.

Hero Power

Lesser Heal is the priest's key healing ability, allowing the priest to consistently restore the Health of their minions or themselves, and opening up a range of strategic and synergistic options. At its simplest, it can allow priests to steadily regain Health, returning from the brink of death to full Health, something which no other class can reliably achieve. This can make priests very hard to kill, and allow them to counter the steady deterioration of their Health from enemy attacks.

Priests have the unique ability to permanently reduce the cost of their Hero Power to 0 via Raza the Chained. This effect also applies to the Hero Powers mentioned below, and Hero Powers acquired by any other means.

Alternate Hero Powers

All priests begin with Lesser Heal, which can be upgraded to Heal by Justicar Trueheart's Battlecry. Casting Shadowform will replace the current Hero Power with Mind Spike. Casting Shadowform for a second time will replace Mind Spike with Mind Shatter.

Example cards

Rogue

Hero

• Valeera Sanguinar
• Maiev Shadowsong

Unique mechanics

Rogues have access to a lot of cheap cards, including several zero-mana cards. This works well with the unique rogue ability combo, with combo cards granting additional effects when another card has already been played that turn. Rogues also can equip weapons to deal direct damage with their hero, and always have a dagger handy. Rogues specialize in utilizing Stealth and Deathrattle effects. Whilst backed-up by Pirates and Jade Golems, rogues also have many ways to access cards from their opponent's class, such as Undercity Huckster and Shaku, the Collector. Possessing ways to duplicate their minions and cards like Shadowstep and Gadgetzan Ferryman to replay those from their hand, rogues don't struggle with completing their quest, The Caverns Below.

Hero Power

Dagger Mastery equips a 1/2 Wicked Knife, providing the rogue with an ever-ready (if very weak) weapon. This can be useful for dispatching minions and maintaining control of the board, and can work with effects like Deadly Poison and Blade Flurry to even greater effect. Poisoned Blade is an option for rogues that often use their Hero Power.

Alternate Hero Powers

All rogues begin with Dagger Mastery, which can be upgraded to Poisoned Daggers by Justicar Trueheart's Battlecry.

Example cards

Shaman

Heroes

• Thrall
• Morgl the Oracle

Unique mechanics

Shamans can use Totemic Call to call Totems to their aid, a type of minions exclusive to shamans. With some handy utility effects, Totems can be helpful for survival or for aggressive play. Most Totems start with 0 Attack but cards like Bloodlust can turn a board of weak Totems into a force to be reckoned with. The shaman also has access to cards with Overload. Overload allows powerful spells to be cast for a low mana cost, but reduces the number of available Mana Crystals available the next turn. This allows the shaman to deal great burst damage. Jade Golems and Elementals are also part of Shaman's arsenal. Shamans also has a number of weapons, as well as Attack buffs like Bloodlust and Rockbiter Weapon. While clearing their opponent's board early on, shamans fill their own with Murlocs using cards like Call in the Finishers and Primalfin Totem, essentially finishing their quest, Unite the Murlocs.

Hero Power

Every time you use the shaman Hero Power one of 4 different Totems will be summoned at random. You cannot summon a totem that is already on the board, therefore the only way to have more than one of a specific totem is to utilize cards with effects similar to Youthful Brewmaster or Ancient Brewmaster, or with the improved version of this Hero Power through Justicar Trueheart. The 4 totems are:

Totemic Call is useful for reliably supplying extra minions for the board, and in potentially providing critical utility, in the form of a Taunt, Spell Damage, or healing. While most Totems have 0 Attack and therefore cannot be used to attack, various spells and effects such as Flametongue Totem or Bloodlust can be used to grant them additional Attack (and Health), or allow them to be used in other ways.

Alternate Hero Powers

All shamans begin with Totemic Call, which can be upgraded to Totemic Slam by Justicar Trueheart's Battlecry. Successfully activating Charged Hammer's Deathrattle will replace the current Hero Power with Lightning Jolt.

Totemic Slam produces the same Totems as Totemic Call, but of your choosing.

Example cards

Warlock

Hero

• Gul'dan

Unique mechanics

Warlocks are notable for their ability to summon demons. These underpriced minions generally come with a battlecry that is negative for the warlock (e.g. discard cards or deal damage to the warlock) balancing their unusually low cost. Specialising in sucking the soul from their enemies, warlocks also have a number of dark direct damage spells at their disposal. The warlock legendary Lord Jaraxxus summons a mighty eredar lord to destroy and replace the warlock, resetting their Health to 15 and gaining a powerful new weapon and Hero Power. Warlocks turn the loss of discarded cards to their advantage with cards like Darkshire Librarian and Silverware Golem, allowing a more bearable completion of their quest, Lakkari Sacrifice.

Probably the most iconic of all warlock abilities is their Hero Power Life Tap, which allows them to sacrifice their own health in order to draw an additional card from their deck. This means that warlocks will rarely suffer an empty hand - so long as they are willing to pay the price.

Hero Power

Life Tap is a powerful tactical Hero Power, allowing the warlock to draw a card, in exchange for both 2 mana and 2 Health. This can be very effective for both early game and late game decks, allowing Handlocks to quickly build a large hand of cards, or an aggressive Zoolock to consistently flood the board with cheaper minions.

Alternate Hero Powers

All Warlocks begin with Life Tap, which can be upgraded to Soul Tap by Justicar Trueheart's Battlecry. Playing and transforming to Lord Jaraxxus will replace the current Hero Power with INFERNO!. Hero card Bloodreaver Gul'dan give user Siphon Life

Example cards

Warrior

Heroes

• Garrosh Hellscream
• Magni Bronzebeard

Unique mechanics

The warrior can equip a range of weapons to attack his foes directly. Armor can also be easily gained from his Hero Power to protect himself. Warrior cards feature an emphasis on direct damage, Enrage, instant destruction of minions, and minions with Charge, as well as a theme of weapons, Armor and Attack buffs. Warriors are a class of opposites — possibly building themselves the most defensive or offensive decks of all, the latter usually by employing minions like Pirates or Dragons. Sturdy Taunt minions like Alley Armorsmith and Tar Lord, as well as the easy gain of armor, should protect warriors long enough for them to finish their quest, Fire Plume's Heart.

Hero Power

Armor Up! allows the warrior to build a substantial stack of defensive Armor, acting as an extra barrier to enemy attacks. In contrast to Health, Armor can be stacked indefinitely. Armor Up! is a reliable option, effectively healing the warrior for 2 Health, but allowing the hero's combined defensive value to far exceed the maximum Health limit of 30. Shield Slam can even allow Armor to be used offensively.

Alternate Hero Powers

All warriors begin with Armor Up!, which can be upgraded to Tank Up! by Justicar Trueheart's Battlecry. Completing Fire Plume's Heart and equipping Sulfuras will replace the current Hero Power with DIE, INSECT!. Succumb to darknest and play hero card Scourgelord Garrosh change current Hero Power to Bladestorm

Example cards

Death Knight

Heroes

• None

Unique mechanics

The Death Knight is a special class unique to a small set of uncollectible cards. It has no associated heroes, Hero Powers, or collectible cards; instead, Death Knight cards are generated by The Lich King and Arfus.

Example cards

Related cards

For Wild format listings, see Class-related/Wild format

While the accessibility of all class cards and Hero Powers is determined by the hero's class, the following cards have effects that are specifically dependent on class.

Name / Desc	Rarity	Type	Subtype	Class	Cost	Atk	HP	Description
Hallucination	Common	Spell		Rogue	1			Discover a card from your opponent's class. It's the good kind of hallucination.
Shimmering Tempest	Common	Minion	Elemental	Mage	2	2	1	Deathrattle: Add a random Mage spell to your hand. HATES being summoned for Kirin Tor party lighting.
Swashburglar	Common	Minion	Pirate	Rogue	1	1	1	Battlecry: Add a random class card to your hand (from your opponent's class). Was almost named "Swashb-AAAARRHHH-gler"
Babbling Book	Rare	Minion	General	Mage	1	1	1	Battlecry: Add a random Mage spell to your hand. His idol is the Green Hills of Stranglethorn, and he won't shut up about it.
Ethereal Peddler	Rare	Minion	General	Rogue	5	5	6	Battlecry: If you're holding any non-Rogue class cards, reduce their Cost by (2). Yeah, sure. That Ragnaros "fell off the back of a truck".
Obsidian Shard	Rare	Weapon		Rogue	4	3	3	Costs (1) less for each card you've played from another class. You know you’re a Rogue when a sharp rock makes you go “Ooh! Dagger!”
Undercity Huckster	Rare	Minion	General	Rogue	2	2	2	Deathrattle: Add a random class card to your hand (from your opponent's class). Psst! Wanna buy a random class card (from your opponent's class)?
Cabalist's Tome	Epic	Spell		Mage	5			Add 3 random Mage spells to your hand. What's in there? I bet it's cookie recipes!
Renounce Darkness	Epic	Spell		Warlock	2			Replace your Hero Power and Warlock cards with another class's. The cards cost (1) less. SEE YA DARKNESS!
Lilian Voss	Legendary	Minion	General	Rogue	4	4	5	Battlecry: Replace spells in your hand with random spells (from your opponent's class). She doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And she absolutely will not stop... ever, until all necromancers are dead.
Lyra the Sunshard	Legendary	Minion	Elemental	Priest	5	3	5	Whenever you cast a spell, add a random Priest spell to your hand. Arise, fair sun, and kill my envious foes. They don't have a legendary as beautiful as you.
Prince Malchezaar	Legendary	Minion	Demon	Any	5	5	6	When the game starts, add 5 extra Legendary minions to your deck. He was super excited to acquire Gorehowl at a garage sale! Then super disappointed to find out it was a foam reproduction.
Professor Putricide	Legendary	Minion	General	Hunter	4	5	4	After you play a Secret, put another random Hunter Secret into the battlefield. Among his more notable inventions: A tentacle-groomer, a plague that would wipe out all life on Azeroth, and a fidget spinner.
Shaku, the Collector	Legendary	Minion	General	Rogue	3	2	3	Stealth. Whenever this minions attacks, add a random card to your hand (from your opponent's class). Aya even staged an intervention once, but Shaku still insists that he is not a hoarder.
Showing all 14 cards

Design

• One rule for the developers in class design is to make sure that each of the classes "feels very strongly like its World of Warcraft class." This encourages the maintenance of constraints such as which classes have access to weapons and Secrets.

• As of Goblins vs Gnomes, adding specific minion type "themes" to classes is one "fun" way in which the designers aim to "make each class feel distinct and have its own flavor".

• Along with Hero Powers, class-specific cards are the main way of creating distinct playing styles and experiences for the different classes. However, in some cases effects allow players to use cards belonging to another class, such as Unstable Portal, Piloted Shredder or Grand Crusader. When a class starts imitating a behaviour specific to another class, this is known as "class bleed". In many cases, a small amount of class bleed can be fun and interesting, but too much can cause the classes to lose their sense of uniqueness or even their identity. As a result the developers try to maintain "the right amount" of class bleed in the game. For example, when designing the Discover keyword, the developers intentionally restricted the effect to class and neutral cards, as the keyword's initial ability to draw cards of any class added too much class bleed to the game.

• While class power is something the designers constantly struggle to balance, ultimately they feel having all classes precisely balanced is less important than ensuring that each has a time to shine.

In development

• The only World of Warcraft classes currently missing from Hearthstone are death knight, monk and more recently demon hunter. As of February 2017 the developers are not planning on adding new classes to Hearthstone. In August 2014 Yong Woo stated, "the fact of the matter is that we already have 9 classes, and we feel there already is a ton of diversity and we frankly think that it has enough complexity right now for most people to sink their teeth into. So currently, we have no plans to add additional classes." In December 2014 Ben Brode stated "There are pros and cons [to adding a new class] and we have to figure out when, if ever, the right time would be." Brode elaborated: "A good design exercise is to think: "How many classes is too many?" My sense is that it's closer to 9 than to 20." In July 2017, Blizzard announced the Knights of the Frozen Throne expansion, which would feature the brand new hero card type, allowing Hearthstone's nine classic heroes to transform into death knight versions of themselves. When asked if this implementation of death knights had killed the possibility of whole new classes ever coming to the game, Mike Donais replied that "We’ve always said that we like the nine classes we have. We work really hard to try to give some class identity to those nine classes, and it’s tough, because nine is a lot. Adding a tenth or eleventh class isn’t something we’re interested in. It’s too hard to make class identity exist when there are that many different classes. So yeah, we’re not excited about the idea of making new classes."

• More alternate heroes are planned for development in the future.

Trivia

• The class colours in Hearthstone are notable for not always matching the traditional colours for those classes from World of Warcraft. Specifically, the rogue in World of Warcraft uses yellow, while in Hearthstone it uses black; the paladin uses pink, while in Hearthstone it uses gold; the warrior uses brown, while in Hearthstone it uses red; and the druid uses orange, while in Hearthstone it uses brown. There are also numerous differences in shade, such as the hunter, which uses a deep green as opposed to its traditional avocado-like shade. According to Lead Artist Ben Thompson, this is because the colours in World of Warcraft were chosen largely based on suitability for use in the game's chat interface; with Hearthstone the developers therefore decided to choose in some cases new colours that they felt better suited the classes.
• In August 2016 Ben Brode stated that of all the classes he felt the team had the hardest time designing warlock spells, stating "We need to carve out more design space for them."
• At one point during the game's initial development there were two heroes for each class, one representing the Alliance and one representing the Horde. For details on early choices for each class, see Design and development of Hearthstone.