How to open packs before Murder at Castle Nathria expansion launches creating a Hearthstone Fireside Gathering.
The March of the Lich King expansion is coming, and Hearthstone players are eager to open their packs. While some directly hate pack opening and would rather have an “open all button”, it's undeniable that we all want to see how many legendaries we get. March of the Lich King launches on December 6, but starting on December 2, players will be able to run Hearthstone Fireside Gatherings to open packs and test the new cards.
12/2 Update: Fireside Gatherings didn't work initially, Nicholas "DeckTech" Weiss confirmed that a hotfix is rolling out and will solve the issue in the following hours.
How to set up a Hearthstone Fireside Gathering and open March of the Lich King packs?
Starting on Friday December 2 at 10 a.m. PDT and until Monday 5 at 10 a.m. PDT, anxious Hearthstone players will be able to open packs and discover which cards they got from their March of the Lich King pre-orders. On top of opening packs, players can test the new deck recipes for March of the Lich King for free, regardless if they own the cards.
To be part of these March of the Lich King pre-release celebrations, you will need to set up a private Fireside Gathering at Hearthstone’s official site. The information you input on the site will be private, and no one will see the Fireside Gathering you create. While it will ask you for the time and date, the event will run for the whole day you selected.
In March of the Lich King Pre-release Firesides Gatherings you can:
- Open March of the Lich King Hearthstone Pre-Ordered packs
- Get Nemsy Necrofizzle
- Be eligible for the Fireside Gatherings card back
- Enjoy Fireside Brawls
Meltdown bars are a chain of gaming and esports bars that have already hosted some Hearthstone expansion pre-release parties in the past. While food and drinks will be available at the venue, we can’t confirm nor deny the same about Anima.
Considerations when setting a Fireside Gathering
Even if your sole plan is to open packs, this information might come in handy. First of all, the only packs Hearthstone Fireside Gathering attendants can open are the ones from Pre-Orders. Purchasing packs with gold will only become available after December 6.
If you want to test deck recipes and Fireside Brawls, you will need someone to play against. The other player must be on the same wifi network as you. Fireside Gathering creators can join from a non-mobile device. However, all other participants will only be able to be a part if they have a wireless device.
Remember that Blizzard implemented a new kind of duplicate protection. Under the Improved Redundant Card Handling feature, if you open a legendary card that will be then given for free in the Rewards Track or other events, you will not lose that dust.
Whenever you receive a free card that you have already own a copy in your collection (regardless of it's cosmetic type), you will get a pop-up to allow you to re-roll your existing card for another of the same rarity and set. If you want to read more about the Improved Redundant Card Handling feature and other Hearthstone quality of life improvements, check out our article with all the details.
That is all for now, but stay tuned to Esports.gg for more Hearthstone news and updates. See you next time in the Tavern.