Hearthstone Mercenaries Guide:Getting Started
Hearthstone Mercenaries is a distinct game mode accessible directly from the main Hearthstone menu, alongside Constructed and Battlegrounds. New players begin with a bounty tutorial designed to introduce the core mechanics of the mode, guiding them through combat and team-building fundamentals. Upon completing the tutorial and unlocking the Campfire, players gain access to a series of introductory tasks that further familiarize them with various gameplay elements. As they progress, they are rewarded with eight free mercenaries, providing a strong foundation for team-building. While all eight mercenaries are valuable, players are encouraged to form a team of six from this initial set, allowing for a balanced and effective start in the mode.
Understanding Mercenaries
Mercenaries, or “mercs,” are the controllable units in Hearthstone Mercenaries, featuring RPG-inspired combat mechanics. Each mercenary has attack, health, and a minion type, along with a designated role: Protector (red), Fighter (green), or Caster (blue). These roles interact through a weakness system where Protectors deal double damage to Fighters, Fighters to Casters, and Casters to Protectors. Each mercenary possesses three unique abilities that can be used in combat, with attributes like speed and cooldown.
Speed determines the order of actions, with lower values resolving first. If speeds are equal, PvE encounters follow selection order, while PvP encounters resolve ties randomly. Cooldown dictates how many turns must pass before an ability can be used again. Mercenaries can also equip gear that provides pre-game bonuses, but only one piece of equipment can be assigned at a time.
Experience is gained after every battle, even if a mercenary remains on the bench, contributing to level progression. As mercenaries level up, their attack and health increase, with the maximum level capped at 30. New abilities unlock at levels 5 and 15, while equipment is obtained through tasks—specifically at task 2 and task 7—or by reaching level 30, with the latter being claimed from the achievement page.
Acquiring More Mercenaries
The primary method of obtaining mercenaries in Hearthstone Mercenaries is by opening Mercenaries Packs, which can be purchased using gold (100 gold per pack) or real money. Each pack contains five items that may include a new mercenary of Rare, Epic, or Legendary rarity, mercenary coins for any mercenary (owned or unowned), or mercenary portraits. It is possible to receive more than one mercenary in a single pack. Packs feature duplicate protection, ensuring that players receive mercenaries they do not yet own until they have acquired all mercenaries of a given rarity.
Once all mercenaries of that rarity are obtained, packs will instead provide portraits, and if all portraits are collected, additional coins are awarded. Another way to obtain mercenaries is through crafting, which allows players to use Mercenary Coins to create mercenaries they do not own. The crafting menu displays missing mercenaries along with their crafting costs, which are 100 coins for Rares, 300 coins for Epics, and 500 coins for Legendaries.
Mercenaries can also be earned as rewards from bounties, with the bounty board occasionally offering Mercenaries Packs as completion rewards. Additionally, playing in the Fighting Pit (PvP) provides daily rewards in the form of random mercenary coins for mercenaries the player does not yet own, granted upon securing wins.
Managing Resources: Gold and Mercenary Coins
Gold can be earned by playing Hearthstone Mercenaries as progress in this mode contributes to the Hearthstone Tavern Pass, which provides gold as a reward. Gold is primarily used to purchase Mercenaries Packs from the in-game shop. Mercenary Coins are a separate currency unique to each mercenary, used for crafting new mercenaries and upgrading their abilities and equipment. Coins can be obtained through various methods, including opening Mercenaries Packs, where drop rates vary based on rarity. Completing bounties rewards coins for mercenaries in the party, and treasure chests at the end of a bounty may grant additional random or specific mercenary coins.
Coins are also awarded for completing battles within a bounty, even if the entire run is not completed. The Campfire provides another source of coins through daily tasks, which often reward both specific and random mercenary coins. Playing in the Fighting Pit (PvP) offers daily rewards, granting random mercenary coins for securing wins. Mystery nodes (Mysterious Stranger) found in bounties can unlock new task chains that provide additional coins. Additionally, duplicate Mercenary portraits can be converted into coins, allowing players to accumulate more resources for upgrades and crafting.
The Village: Your Hub
The Village serves as the central hub in Hearthstone Mercenaries, containing various buildings that provide essential functions. The Workshop is the first available building and is used to construct and upgrade other structures. Upgrading the Campfire through the Workshop increases the number of daily tasks available, while upgrading the Travel Point is required to unlock Heroic Bounties. Upgrading the Fighting Pit grants access to PvP battles.
The Tavern acts as the collection manager, where players can view their owned mercenaries, track their coins, and assemble teams. The Travel Point provides access to PvE content, including bounties. The Fighting Pit is dedicated to PvP encounters, where players compete against others. The Merchant Cart serves as the in-game shop for Mercenaries-specific purchases. The Mailbox delivers announcements and messages from Blizzard. The Campfire is where players receive daily tasks, which function similarly to quests and reward various Mercenaries-related items.
Gameplay in Bounties (PvE)
To embark on a bounty in Hearthstone Mercenaries, players select a zone and choose a specific bounty from the Travel Point. Before starting, a team of up to six mercenaries must be formed, and once the bounty begins, the party cannot be changed for that run. Bounties consist of multiple encounters, including battles, treasure chests, Spirit Healers that revive fallen mercenaries, Boons that grant temporary buffs, and mystery nodes with various effects.
Combat follows a turn-based system where players select abilities for up to three active mercenaries at the start of each turn, with ability execution determined by speed. Effectively utilizing the role weakness system—where Protectors, Fighters, and Casters deal double damage to their counters—can provide a strategic advantage in battles. After each fight, mercenaries gain experience, and players progress deeper into the bounty, culminating in a boss battle. Defeating the boss rewards treasure, which may include mercenary coins. Heroic bounties offer a greater challenge compared to normal ones but provide potentially better rewards, including guaranteed legendary buckets in level 30 bounties. To access heroic bounties, the Travel Point must be upgraded in the Workshop.
Tasks and Equipment: Progression
Tasks in Hearthstone Mercenaries are individual quest chains assigned to each mercenary, with a total of 18 tasks per mercenary. New tasks become available daily at the Campfire, with the number of available slots increasing as the Campfire is upgraded. Additional task chains can be discovered by encountering the Mysterious Stranger at mystery nodes in bounties. The level of the bounty where the Mysterious Stranger appears is determined by the highest-level mercenary in the party.
Completing tasks rewards coins specific to that mercenary, random mercenary coins, and occasionally Mercenaries Packs, with tasks 16-18 always granting a Mercenaries Pack. Equipment for mercenaries is unlocked by completing specific tasks—task 2 and task 7—or by reaching level 30, with the level 30 equipment requiring a manual claim from the achievement page. For some newer mercenaries, one piece of equipment may be unlocked by completing a specific heroic bounty while having that mercenary in the party. Each mercenary can equip only one piece of equipment at a time. Both abilities and equipment upgrades require that mercenary’s specific coins, and reviewing the effects of upgrades before spending coins is advised to ensure effective progression.
Leveling Up Your Mercenaries Efficiently
The fastest way to level up a new mercenary to level 30 is to include them in a party while running bounties, even if they remain on the bench, as benched mercenaries still gain experience. Using a strong farming composition allows for efficient bounty clears, accelerating the leveling process. A highly effective team for farming consists of Ragnaros, Baron Geddon, and Antonidas, as their abilities enable quick enemy clears. PvP in the Fighting Pit also provides significant experience, often allowing mercenaries to level up faster than in PvE.
The matchmaking system pairs players against opponents with similar mercenary levels and equipment, ensuring balanced encounters. Additionally, the Training Grounds, a Village building that can be upgraded, allows mercenaries to gain experience passively over time. A single training session lasts up to 25 hours, and it takes approximately three days for a mercenary to go from level 1 to 30 using this method.
Efficient Coin Farming Strategies
Completing all 18 tasks for a mercenary is one of the most effective ways to accumulate their coins, making it beneficial to prioritize tasks for mercenaries you plan to use. Farming Mystery Stranger nodes in bounties helps generate new task chains, and once your main farming mercenaries have completed their tasks, the Mysterious Stranger will always offer tasks for other mercenaries in the party. For targeted coin farming, Felwood bounties on normal difficulty, specifically the level 28 Lord Banehollow bounty, provide efficient Mysterious Stranger encounters.
If a mercenary has completed all their tasks, an effective method for obtaining their coins is repeatedly running the Barrens heroic bounty “Ferocious Quillboar” with only that mercenary in the active party, as this guarantees 10 coins upon completion. Ragnaros can solo this bounty efficiently, though the strategy depends on the mercenary’s abilities being effective in the encounter. Another option for coin farming is targeting specific bounties that feature treasure chests containing coins for the desired mercenary.
Engaging in at least three PvP matches daily ensures additional random mercenary coins as part of the daily rewards. Completing as many bounties as possible increases coin earnings, and upgrading the Campfire provides more visitors, leading to more bounties and additional coin opportunities. If the coins in a treasure chest are not desirable, retiring the bounty resets the chest rewards to completely random coins, though farming specific chests is usually more efficient.
Team Compositions and Strategies
In the early game, the initial eight free mercenaries provide a solid foundation, with Cariel (Protector), Samuro (Fighter), and Xyrella (Caster) forming a strong starting trio. Cariel’s Taunt provides protection, Samuro’s Double Strike synergizes with prior damage for powerful attacks, and Xyrella’s Blinding Luminance reduces enemy attack, weakening opponents. Other useful starting mercenaries include Grommash for aggressive damage, Milhouse Manastorm for AoE attacks, and Tyrande for ranged damage.
Cornelius and Rokara play key roles in combo compositions that become more relevant later. As players progress, a budget Nature team with Cookie the Cook, Bru’kan, and Guff offers strong synergy. A budget Dragon composition becomes effective later in the game after unlocking Yulon’s equipment from a heroic bounty, utilizing Yulon, Nefarian, and Sinestra for powerful attacks and sustain. For farming bounties efficiently, a Fire composition with Ragnaros, Baron Geddon, and Antonidas is highly effective. In the late game, a top-tier Nature composition featuring Malfurion (with Liferoot Staff), Bru’kan, and Guff provides both sustain and consistent damage.
A Holy team of Anduin, Cornelius, and Prophet Velen excels at healing and AoE damage. A top-tier Fire composition includes Balinda (with Lesser Water Elemental or Lesser Fire Elemental), Ragnaros, and Baron Geddon, making it one of the best options. A Frost composition consisting of Low-Colar, Vandaar, and Jaina Proudmoore provides strong freezing effects and synergy. Finally, a Y’Shaarj token-summoning composition with Y’Shaarj, Murky, and Gazakus leverages token generation for powerful scaling effects.
Useful Tips and Tricks
To optimize your farming runs in PvE, skip animations by clicking on the elements that appear as actions resolve, which will significantly speed up the process. In the team selection screen, the order of mercenaries determines the sequence in which they are summoned during the first three encounters when you hit the “Play” button. However, dragging mercenaries manually into position can often be faster for farming efficiency.
For tasks requiring bounty completions, heroic bounties count toward progress and often feature Spirit Healers earlier in the run, such as the second encounter in the heroic version of the first Barrens bounty. This helps save time and allows for recovery if a mercenary falls. You can review your task list at the Campfire without needing to visit the Bounty Board. On PC, using a deck tracker, like from HSReplay.net, can display your current tasks and provide information on enemy abilities and statuses during battles, helping with planning. Completing all 18 tasks for your primary farming mercenaries ensures that the Mysterious Stranger will always offer tasks for those mercenaries.
Be mindful of the elemental type of the final boss in a bounty, and adjust your team composition accordingly for a stronger match (e.g., using Protectors against Fighters). If a mercenary dies during a PvE run, they still gain experience but cannot participate further unless resurrected by a Spirit Healer. You will still earn coins for a fallen mercenary if you complete the bounty, but if your entire party dies, you will not receive any rewards. Upgrading your Campfire early can be beneficial for increasing the number of daily tasks, leading to faster progression and more rewards.
Don’t shy away from PvP for leveling and coin farming, as the matchmaking system matches you with players of similar team levels and equipment, and winning grants significant experience and daily coin rewards. If you’re playing free-to-play, prioritize completing story quests first to unlock more mercenaries early on. When doing PvE, make sure the mercenaries you want to upgrade are in your active party to guarantee coin drops for them at the end of each bounty run.
Free-to-Play Viability
Hearthstone Mercenaries is considered free-to-play friendly due to its PvP matchmaking system, which ensures that you won’t be matched against players with significantly stronger, paid-for mercenaries. This allows players to earn mercenaries and progress through the game without needing to spend money. Spending money primarily speeds up progression, enabling players to experience more mercenaries and content sooner, but it is not required to succeed in the game. For those who choose to spend a small amount, the Welcome Bundle in the shop offers good value, providing a boost to help jumpstart progress in the early stages.
Endgame and Collection
The goal for many players in Hearthstone Mercenaries is to level all mercenaries to level 30, upgrade their abilities and equipment, and collect all mercenaries and their portraits. A key step towards achieving this goal is completing all 18 tasks for each mercenary, as this is crucial for maxing them out and progressing toward a full collection. Completing these tasks not only helps level up the mercenaries but also rewards coins, which are necessary for upgrades, making it an essential part of building a complete team and collection.
Current Game Mode Status
Hearthstone Mercenaries received regular content updates until Patch 25.4.0.165029. Following this patch, the mode was placed into maintenance mode indefinitely, meaning no further regular content updates are planned. While the mode remains accessible to players, they should not expect new features, content, or significant updates, aside from occasional minor maintenance or bug fixes.
