How Mercenaries Became Hearthstone's BIGGEST FAILURE

Today we take a look back at Mercenaries and discuss what went wrong & how this flawed game mode became Hearthstone's biggest failure.
Blizzard recently announced that they will no longer be supporting the mode, and will basically be relegated to "Heroes of the Storm" status aka the mode is dead:
hearthstone.blizzard.com/en-u...
I guess they all can't be Battlegrounds xD
Coin Concede Episode 333: • 333 - Coin Concede "Be...
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Hearthstone Mercenaries

[@SuperiorDavid]

I will die on the hill that Mercenaries PvP was incredible, and anyone who disagrees is inferior 😎

[@1975Toyman]

The PvP was excellent, the dice rolls and coin flips kept players from trying out and discovering new comps, and that is where it failed for me.

[@mst4705]

You sais it yourself, it was like chess, and chess is boring. Are you going to die on a hill that chess is fun too? Yes, you are better at chess the smarter you are, but is it more fun? No.

[@SuperiorDavid]

​@@mst4705 This response is so dumb that I think I incurred brain damage reading it

[@ChanGardeningToolPark]

@Superior David bro you tripping HARD and your response shows you did not play mercs at all. This is exactly how ladder went down. 50/50 flip simulator. Bro you a clown, copying rarran's content style and talking about mercs like you actually played it.

[@SuperiorDavid]

@@ChanGardeningToolPark LOL Rarran's a great dude, but this kind of documentary style of content where you talk over B-roll is not something he invented. You see this style of content in literally every other niche on KZbin. It's not unique, and to attribute this style to a single creator shows that you don't know what you're talking about. In addition, I was super into Mercenaries when it first dropped. You can even go back and see the videos I made in the mode's early days

[@johnleimgruber2978]

Mercenaries is my favorite game mode. I just maxed my last Merc yesterday. It is much easier to max out a Merc now that you can run 6 tasks at a time. I hope to see more people in pvp.

[@omega23music]

Maybe you can help me out. If i want to complete a task, do i need to have the team in a special order with the named mercenaries or do need all survive the bounty? Since i did 2 times what a task said and it didn't got completed and i dont unterstand why

[@dommysenpai6950]

​​@@omega23musichello, probably late for this answer, maybe you already figured out, you need the hero that gives you the quest and also the heroes that are "included" in the group as the text says on the quest

[@bossekungen5401]

I wish that the support didn't end on it. I didn't like it in the release but now it's my favorite game mode in Heartstone.

[@sheda111]

if it was a slay the spire hearthstone skin It'd be my main gamemode They just threw the worst of mobile games and called it a day

[@bireland2012]

My biggest issue with mercenaries is just how slow it was. The loading screens and animations made it a chore to play. Add on to that the rng rewards, it’s no wonder the mode flopped. I think they should have made it a mode centred around pvp that gave players access to every hero and let them build whatever teams they wanted and monetised through cosmetics like Battlegrounds.

[@adamn7777]

It's clearly a big failure but it's such an interesting failure. It is like a crash course in how not to build a game so much that it's kinda impressive in that regard. Every good idea that went into it came with a "but..." and there's no way to build up hype for a game when every good idea has a drawback to it. - The PvP was great but you needed to excessively grind the PvE to get there - Getting rid of the air elemental mysterious stranger farming was a good idea because that play pattern is stupid but it just got replaced by farming the easiest bounty that did give mysterious strangers - It's the only mode in the game where you can realistically get everything for free but opening packs had a massive diminishing returns and no pity timer - Diamond portraits are really cool but you can open hundreds of packs and never see one and they're not really usable in PvE because the voice lines slow you down - Getting rid of the task farming was good but now you always had to have the merc whose tasks you wanted to do in the party - Switching to big drops of mercs over small clusters of 5 made pack opening better but still no pity timer and it started by leaving the game without balance changes for 2 whole months - They added in tasks after you've completed the entire chain for a merc but you only get 2 per day and they can be for mercs that were already maxed out - They finally give an excess coin solution but it's needlessly locked behind two currency conversions one of which is a 2 or less per day random task - The art for the mercenaries is beautiful but you can't see it on their website - Finally they're giving a PvE endgame but the mode won't get any support after that There was so much needless timegating and grinding for no discernable reason. It's like they were so concerned about being pay to win that they made spending money on the game so bad that there's no way anyone would ever do it

[@kevinfernando9052]

I actually love the mode but the longer you play it gets boring quickly. What I would change is giving the autoplay button for grinding the bounties that are already finished. Fix the PvP and cut the tedious task to quickly max the mercs characters. Give the lore for each character and bounty locations.

[@R2C2_]

No comment on the PvP, because I never played it, but the PvE really did get better as new zones were added. New mercenaries meant new PvE comps were payable. I’ve completely maxed all 116 Merc, grinding an unknown number of hours, and don’t regret it. At the same time, I’m not really going to miss the mode. It was a fun distraction to pass the time. I liked seeing the numbers go up. But I wouldn’t call it “engaging” gameplay.

[@nicholaskinkaid]

"meant new PvE comps were payable" Freudian slip? 🤣

[@AdriatheBwitch]

I think what people forget about is also the events that were introduced that asked you to play different comp and different mechanics to get coins, skins and new mercs for free like the old gods event which gave you 4 mercs for free.

[@HWHY]

It's no simple coincidence that Blizzard pulled the plug on Merchenaries at the very same time they were ousted from China. Cool video. I'm looking forward to more structured, evergreen content from you.

[@Killuaaz]

Man, I came back to Hearthstone after years, and the only thing I enjoyed was Mercenaries PvE (could be less grindy, sure). But seeing this video and knowing how people don't like this mode surprises me. I think the mode had by far the most potential but got ruined by Blizzard's bad marketing and predatory practices.

[@AdriatheBwitch]

In my opnion, duel mode was an even bigger failure than mercenaries, because duel mode did not even go past the beta version... I think people were too harsh with mercenaries and just did not understand the concept.

[@LoucaoHop]

I used to play Hearthstone back in the days, specially right after the beta which I took part, I stopped playing in 2015 and came back yesterday, I saw the mercenaries mode and gave it a try, I am really enjoying it! It seems that it will eventually lead to a bad end-game state but up until now I have been finding the mode really fun actually!

[@afasia2341]

The good old f2p days... It's gotten worse and worse in that aspect. I used to go infinite in Arena. I love the new game modes though. I mostly play BG and Mercs now. Duels is nice too but again, it's too p2w.

[@dannykavanagh7615]

It went wrong from the get go with the absolutely terrible presentation video from Blizzard which was soooooo confusing

[@SuperiorDavid]

Agree! That's why I mentioned in the video ;)

[@Kamikazeray]

If mercs had been released like what it is today than it would have been a great mode. Blizz just wanted a new game mode without investing much that could give it the maximum money possible.

[@user-bt5ns2nc9x]

i like mercenaries mode. Played this mode 2-3 weeks. 50-60 hours of intresting gameplay for free. It`s better than 90% games today when you leave it after 20 hours of gameplay.

[@alejandrom.]

It's a very fun gamemode, but there are still A LOT OF BUGS that are not fixed yet, specially with equipments that nobody use in PVP but that a new playeres could use in PVE as they max that mercenarie.

[@Mercuriak]

Mercenaries is currently where I play the most. I also play battlegrounds and ranked-standard. Out of all of them I would say battlegrounds is my favorite but I really like mercenaries. When I want to chill and have no clocks or timers, I farm coins in mercenaries.

[@1975Toyman]

I want to know if we will be getting back some or all of our gold that was invested upgrading the various parts of the mode that could have been given for free.

[@SuperiorDavid]

Nah Blizzard put all that gold into Dogecoin

[@franciscoadasilvajr4514]

I get sad with Mercenaries. Sound like a game that, if it take a more months to developed, to stay in the beta for a longer time (like Battlegrounds) it could evolve into something greater Polishing the visuals and the whole style, to avoid feeling bland Even developing the PVE style more, I really enjoyed the idea of playing through the "vanilla wow" maps and maybe seeing Merc stories and missions. Developing the PVP aspect to being more accessible from the start Truly a sad end

[@LarsOfLegends]

Actually the pvp and monitization made me neglect this mode. I felt like i am playing the pve for no reason, bc little of the grind matters compared to rhe coins from packs and discovering team comps etc. Also didnt make sense bc people playing pvp already discovered which comps to play

[@billd7120]

I want the few hundred hours of my life that I wasted on this mode back.

[@fade2black878]

Very superior video. Mercs made me sad. I thought it was a cool mode, but just fell flat in the long run.

[@SuperiorDavid]

Thanks man! I share those thoughts for sure

[@quinlantravis]

I still play mercs every day

[@haillenarte]

ah... i- i kinda liked mercenaries mode. i played for the first time because i wanted the rat mount for world of warcraft, but i stayed because i was having fun. i am sad to see this mode die.

[@keulengnomdererste2850]

So we have to spend coins to upgrade buildings if we want to play the mode but the mode itself is dead already? sadge

[@Bynx_Plays]

This was fantastic!

[@SuperiorDavid]

Oh snap! Thanks dude 🤙

[@rajkanishu]

Nah, I disagree on the take that Blizzard misunderstood its audience, if mercenaries wasn't stuck in a f2p game with outstandingly bad monetization and was a genuinely good single player roguelike game WITHOUT gacha elements that costed like 15 bucks to buy it would've made them more money than Hearthstone ever did

[@icebergslim1872]

Never even did the tutorial.

[@Jakiegrox]

*shrug* I **hate** PvP and am glad for mercenaries giving me something to do. Too bad they fumbled it.

[@MrBnnashton]

The preorders for Mercs mode were wild. I just never had fun with the gameplay to be honest. Glad I didn't pay any money.

[@SuperiorDavid]

Absolutely! They were pushing bundle codes for creators pretty hard too. Legit gave me like 20 to giveaway 😂

[@rumblebars]

Mercs came out at a time where I was thinking about deleting my Blizzard account. I had given up playing HS proper many years before and was only occasionally playing some of the free solo content. Mercenaries was a new PVE solo content... definitely NOT Hearthstone but using a lot of its design and programming elements. PVP was never a consideration for me. I feel it's almost a different game. Am I happy or sad to see it's "over" now? Hard to say. I'm OK with it though. I am almost done maxing out my final 6 Mercs. Then I'll tackle the Boss Rush stuff. After that, will I flush Blizzard down the tubes? Maybe. Time is money, they say, and I've spent a shitload of time on this, but very little actual cash. Wasted though? Well it kept me amused (and bored).

[@ZombiesGoNomNom]

Very superior video

[@SuperiorDavid]

Thanks! Means a lot from a superior Mercs player such as yourself

[@lukadr2697]

Now the fun really starts

[@Thing-vc2qm]

I didn't even know there were actual irl people who played this garbage. I guess to each their own.

[@SenzoTanaka]

It's terribly designed. They have more money than talent.

[@holyapple9145]

I liked the PVE *shrugs*

[@ZarrocLP]

I am shocked by how long it took for the excess coin issue to be fixed :O Like do they not like money?

[@SuperiorDavid]

I know! Apparently not 😂

[@xen.7140]

​@@SuperiorDavid Meanwhile in the video you compared the mode to Raid: Shadow Legends and basically called it a cash grab, while at the same time pointing out that spending money doesn't give you a competitive advantage because you really have to grind PvE and not open packs. So which is it?? It's obvious that Mercenaries was under monetized and that's why it failed. They weren't making any money from it and decided to cut it.

[@khaoss9992]

No support and charged to much.

[@cosmolosys]

I like mercenaries every now and then. I can really get into it for a couple of days occasionally. I have never even maxed out a character though even though I spent HOURS playing it. edit: DAYS

[@RawDollar]

They didnt misunderstand their audience. They designed the mode around monetization rather than fun.

[@SuperiorDavid]

From what we know from the HS devs, the people who design the game and the people who figure out how to monetize are separate groups. So based on this fact alone, what you're saying is objectively wrong because the people designing the game don't even consider the monetization during the process. Their job is to just make a good game. Regardless as I discussed in the video, Mercenaries monetization was nonsensical and literally deincentivized players from spending money on the mode. Meaning if anything, the mode was actually NOT designed around the monetization. So much so that it hurt Mercenaries ability to monetize well

[@smokinggun8418]

Wow. Year ago it was my favorite, giving me a lot of food for mind. Mercenaries took best and worst of online gaming. For maxing heroes one would need about 300 hours by my calculations if done smart. Which is not much for a way to the top if we compare to others. It' has a slow paste, with PVE allowing to pause any time. If you don't use stupid Fire Comp all the time (which author and most people did) - PVE will be enjoyable puzzle collection. PVP is the worst. It should have been a motivation for maxing heroes, but become too random (if you happen to get an equal opponent), demanding new heroes (and so you need to spend a lot of time on them alone) and most importantly some combos just busted, unstoppable and best you can do is hope that your opponent play deck you actually have chances against. It's cool when you can create so many cool combos but balancing them is impossible. So PVP is dead. Very sad.

[@Ramysunray]

Mercenaries is a free xp farm for me 🤣

[@viniciuszanotello1467]

I enjoyed mercenarie, but it should be way better… now they are including a PVE mode that maybe will be cool, but no new stuff? I’ll leave it… Also in PVP the comps were always the same, that was annoying…

[@stiffler69420]

I think Mercs is super fun and with a little tlc they really could bring the game back

[@schneeluchsalpha2966]

Should we call you SuperiorRarran now? /jk

[@bigmaw369]

I like it.

[@vinnythewebsurfer]

I really disagree with the notion that having pve game modes was the problem and it has more to do with that PvE sabotaged in order to accommodate the monetization schemes. Also. It’s funny to act like pvp is what drives the game when at the time of mercenaries release, the actual meta across pvp modes were utter dogshit and Mercenaries failing to take advantage of people playing other modes like it to escape the horrible meta.

[@markerrett4132]

I think it also just turned into Math Simulator! Some of the calculations were just wild, then having to remember type weaknesses on top just made it not fun to play

[@SuperiorDavid]

Life is just one big Math Simulator

[@christopherczarnecki8717]

I feel like at every turn they had the opportunity to make this mode a success, especially if they would have just listened to the player base as the game unfolded. Instead people started to leave in droves as they turned into a gatekeeping experience. The coin exchange let down was the last straw, afterwards I bailed completely and will never look back.

[@marshall5912]

I still don’t know who Mercenaries was supposed to be for. The PvE seemed like a really, really bad ripoff of Slay the Spire, and you couldn’t even play the PvP, as you pointed out. The mode was just badly designed from the outset, which is something that normally doesn’t happen in Hearthstone.

[@malangope]

It was way to complicated to get into for a casual player like me and the mode was like its own separate game with no resemblance whatsoever to the standard hearthstone mode. When you start up Hearthstone you expect to be playing a card game with familiar cards that you can use in every mode. Mercenaries should have been released as a standalone separate game.

[@aaronzheng9772]

Joke

[@shaftlamer]

Hope they remove the tab now at last

[@juliuscasar7202]

is anyone suprised lol? That Mode was forced shit upon beginning

[@husnuvesaire7972]

It's so boring to do same PvE stuff to get something