Master the Strategy: Playing Hearthstone with Hearthstone Access

Hello there! Have you ever wanted to challenge your friends, family members, or even strangers to a thrilling and strategic card game?

Or perhaps you've thought to yourself, "Even though I'm blind, I can still be a skilled gamer!"

If so, join me as we step into the exciting world of Hearthstone through this guide. With Hearthstone Access, this legendary card game becomes an incredible experience for everyone, regardless of visual ability. Let’s dive in and discover how you can master the art of strategy and outwit your opponents!

What is Hearthstone?

Hearthstone is a free-to-play online collectible card game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. Released in March 2014, it has become one of the most popular digital card games worldwide, known for its strategic gameplay, imaginative cards, and vibrant visual style.

Hearthstone is a turn-based game where two players compete using decks of cards that include characters, spells, and abilities. The goal is to reduce your opponent’s health to zero by playing cards strategically and adapting to the flow of the game.

Gameplay Basics

At its core, Hearthstone is designed around building decks, strategic decision-making, and turn-based combat. Each game features two players facing off in a virtual battlefield, using cards drawn from their decks to outwit and overpower their opponent.

Heroes and Decks

• Players choose a Hero, which serves as their character and represents a specific playstyle. Each Hero starts with 30 health points.
• Decks consist of 30 cards, chosen by the player before the match. These cards include minions, spells, and weapons that can be used to attack, defend, or disrupt the opponent.

Mana Crystals

Players use Mana Crystals to play their cards. Each turn, the number of Mana Crystals increases by one (up to 10), creating a natural progression of more powerful moves as the game advances.

Card Types

The variety of cards in Hearthstone allows for deep strategy and creativity:

• Minions: Creatures summoned onto the battlefield to attack opponents or defend your Hero.
• Spells: Cards that trigger powerful effects, such as dealing damage, healing, or drawing more cards.
• Weapons: Equipable items that let your Hero attack directly.
• Secrets: Hidden traps that trigger under specific conditions.

Victory Conditions

The main objective is to reduce the opponent’s health from 30 to 0. This can be done using a combination of minion attacks, spells, and weapons while defending your own Hero.

Game Modes

Hearthstone offers diverse game modes, catering to different playstyles and levels of commitment:

1. Standard: A competitive mode featuring a curated card pool that rotates annually.
2. Wild: A mode where all cards are playable, offering chaotic and creative strategies.
3. Arena: A draft-style format where players build decks from random card choices and compete until they win or lose a set number of games.
4. Battlegrounds: An auto-battler spin-off mode where players draft minions and compete in an entirely different style of gameplay.
5. Duels and Adventures: These modes offer unique, PvE and PvP challenges where players build decks as they progress.

What is Hearthstone Access?

Hearthstone Access is a modified patch developed by Guide Dev with the aim of enabling blind players to enjoy the popular card game Hearthstone. First introduced to the public in August 2021, Hearthstone Access has undergone numerous major updates and improvements. Thanks to Guide Dev’s dedication, the patch now allows players to comfortably experience and interact with approximately 90% of the game’s content.

In 2023, Guide Dev transferred the responsibility of maintaining Hearthstone Access to the community of blind Hearthstone players due to his increasing commitments. Since then, this incredible community has kept Hearthstone Access alive, ensuring it remains up-to-date with the latest versions of Hearthstone. The ongoing collaboration and passion of this group continue to make the game accessible and enjoyable for blind players worldwide.

Getting Started with Hearthstone

To play Hearthstone, you'll need to install and update the game using Blizzard's launcher, Battle.net. Afterward, you must apply the Hearthstone Access patch.

Currently, Hearthstone Access is only available for Windows. While most popular screen readers are compatible, the patch was primarily developed and tested using NVDA. If your screen reader isn't detected, Hearthstone Access will default to using Microsoft's Speech API.

Installing Hearthstone

1. Create a Battle.net Account: Visit Blizzard’s official website to create a free Battle.net account.
2. Download and Install Battle.net: Head to Blizzard’s download page to download and install the Battle.net launcher.
3. Install Hearthstone.
   • Open the Battle.net launcher on your computer.
   • Log in using your new account.
   • Search for Hearthstone and download it. Ensure you select the English version of the game for optimal compatibility.
4. Verify the Installation: Wait for Hearthstone to fully download and update. You may launch the game briefly to confirm the installation, but note that Hearthstone is not accessible by default. Be sure to close the game window completely after this step.

Installing Hearthstone Access

There are two ways to install Hearthstone Access: automated or manual. This process is also required for updating the patch whenever Hearthstone itself updates.

Update Notes:

• For minor Hearthstone updates, the current version of Hearthstone Access often remains compatible.
• Major updates may require changes to the patch, which depend on the availability of community developers. Updates can take anywhere from a few hours to several days, or longer in rare cases.

Automated Installation

Thanks to community member leibylucw, there is an easy-to-use installation tool available:

Download the Hearthstone Access Patcher.

1. Download the patcher program from the link above.
2. Open the program by pressing Enter on it.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions in the text console window.

Whenever you need to update or reinstall Hearthstone Access, simply run the program again.

Manual Installation

1. Download the Patch: Pre-patch download.
2. Unzip the File: Locate the downloaded pre_patch.zip file. Unzip it by pressing Enter on the file.
3. Access the Patch Folder: Open the unzipped folder. Navigate to the patch folder, where you’ll find three subfolders: accessibility, hearthstone_data, and strings.
4. Copy the Files: Select all three folders by pressing Ctrl + A, then copy them using Ctrl + C.
5. Locate the Hearthstone Installation Folder: By default, this folder is located at: C:\Program Files (x86)\Hearthstone.
6. Paste and Replace: Paste the copied folders into the Hearthstone installation folder by pressing Ctrl + V. If prompted, select Replace the files in the destination.
7. Complete the Installation: Once the files have been copied, Hearthstone Access is successfully installed.

Additional Resources

Before diving in, explore these helpful resources:

• Hearthstone Access Homepage.
• Hearthstone Access Keyboard Commands.

Conclusion

Through this guide, you’ve learned what Hearthstone is and how blind players can step into its exciting world with the help of Hearthstone Access.

While Hearthstone might feel a bit overwhelming at first, don’t worry—launching the game for the first time will provide you with a detailed tutorial on how to play and master the controls of Hearthstone Access.

Now it’s time to challenge your opponents and show them what a skilled strategist you are.

If you encounter any issues or need assistance, feel free to leave a comment on this article.