Hearthstone: Understanding How Weapons Work

Hearthstone

Hearthstone

Not being able to get rid of enemy weapons can be troublesome in Hearthstone, the free-to-play card game. That’s why it’s never wrong to keep at least one Acidic Swamp Ooze in your deck at all times - even if you are up against someone who doesn’t have weapons at his or her disposal, it’s still a 3/2 minion for only two mana crystals. If you want to climb the Hearthstone ranks, one thing is absolutely essential… and that is to keep in mind that there’s a variety of minions who will work great in combination with weapons.

Just take the Bloodsail Raider or the Spiteful Smith, for instance. They're okay cards on their own, but with a weapon? Amazing. Legendary collectors will also look for Harrison Jones or Captain Greenskin for that little bit of extra damage or card draw. If all of that sounds foreign to you, let’s start with the basics: Some Hearthstone heroes call upon the power of magic weapons that - more often than not - bring a valuable battlecry or enchantment to the battlefield.

Paladin Weapons

Uther Lightbringer currently has three weapons to choose from. While Light’s Justice helps getting rid of low cost minions at the start of a match, the Truesilver Champion is a good way of killing off midrange monsters without losing too much health, as it always heals two hit points before it strikes. Make sure to use the weapon to its fullest potential by only using it after you have lost hit points - otherwise its healing ability will poof into thin air. Last but certainly not least we have the Sword of Justice. This is a relatively low cost weapon which will in most cases not be used to actually hit anything, but rather to boost the next five minions the Paladin puts on the battlefield. If you manage to get a hold of the legendary Tirion Fordring, prepare to equip an Ashbringer (5/3) upon its death.

Warrior Weapons

If there's one hero that has mastered all weapons, it’s Garrosh Hellscream. The Warrior class has access to four weapons in total: the Fiery War Axe (an excellent early game weapon to get rid of pesky Faerie Dragons, Knife Jugglers or Hunter beasts), the Arcanite Reaper (high damage, low durability) or Gorehowl (to clear the board or finish off heroes that are low on health). The fourth weapon doesn’t have its own card, but can be summoned by playing the Arathi Weaponsmith.

Hunter Weapons

Some Hearthstone fans believe Rexxar doesn’t need to rely on weapons to win a game. We here at browsergamez.com, however, say that additional bows are always good to have when playing the Hunter in this free-to-play card game made by Blizzard. The Eaglehorn Bow works like a charm in secret-heavy decks and the Gladiator’s Longbow protects you from retaliation damage when attacking minions, allowing you to clear the board of nasty minions like the Chillwind Yeti or Lord of the Arena.

Shaman Weapons

Thrall might primarily control the four elements to aid him in battle, but that doesn’t mean that weapons aren’t helpful when it comes to winning against other heroes. While there is nothing really special about the Stormforged Axe, the Doomhammer is imbued with one of the most powerful abilities in the entire game. Windfury allows the Shaman to attack twice each turn, giving the Doomhammer a damage potential of 16. That’s quite the sum, considering that it can be played on turn five.

Rogue Weapons

It’s very likely that you will die by the hands of a weapon-wielding Rogue when trying out one of the various game modes Hearthstone has to offer. Valeera Sanguinar only has two weapon cards available to her, but let’s not forget her hero power that equips a 1/2 weapon in exchange for two mana crystals. We recommend playing the Perdition’s Blade only when you can make full use of its combo attack, whereas the Assassin’s Blade should be whipped out whenever possible. Remember to put at least one Deadly Poison in your deck as well!