Character Skills
Overview
In Hearthstone, each player assumes the role of a Hero belonging to one of eleven distinct classes. Each class has a unique Hero Power (a repeatable ability costing 2 mana), exclusive class cards, and a signature class mechanic that defines its playstyle. This guide covers every class's Hero Power, core mechanics, and representative spells, abilities, and special moves. It includes effects, mana costs (cooldowns), synergies, and strategic usage tips.
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Death Knight
Hero Power: Ghoul Charge
- Cost: 2 Mana
- Effect: Summon a 1/1 Ghoul with Charge. It dies at the end of turn.
- Cooldown: Once per turn (standard Hero Power rule)
- Usage: Use for early board presence, finishing a wounded enemy, or triggering Corpse synergies. The Ghoul can attack immediately.
- Death Knight cards generate Corpses when friendly minions die. Corpses are a resource spent on powerful effects.
- Corpse Spending: Cards like Corpse Bride or Boneguard Commander require a certain number of corpses to activate bonus effects.
- Synergies: Pairs with cards that generate extra corpses (e.g., Necrotic Mortician) or that spend them for large tempo swings.
- Heart Strike: 3 mana, deal 3 damage to an enemy minion and gain a corpse.
- Vampiric Blood: 3 mana, restore 5 health to your hero and gain 5 armor (your hero gains Armor even at full health).
- Corpse Explosion: 3 mana, deal 2 damage to all enemy minions, then spend 4 corpses to deal 2 more damage.
- Remorseless Winter: 7 mana, deal 2 damage to all enemies and summon a 3/3 Ghoul with Freeze.
- Grim Reaper (Hero Card): Replaces your hero power with Reaper's Scythe – 2 mana, deal 3 damage to an enemy minion and gain a corpse.
- Cost: 1 Mana (unique – only class with a 1-mana Hero Power)
- Effect: +1 Attack this turn.
- Cooldown: Once per turn
- Usage: Boosts your hero's attack for one turn, allowing you to trade into minions or deal face damage. Essential for activating Outcast and Attack synergies.
- Cards with Outcast gain a bonus effect (often cheaper cost or extra effects) when played from the far left or right of your hand.
- Synergies: Use Hero Power to push damage while positioning key Outcast cards correctly.
- Chaos Strike: 2 mana, deal 3 damage to an enemy minion. If your hero attacked this turn, draw a card.
- Eye Beam: 2 mana, deal 3 damage to an enemy minion. Lifesteal and costs (1) less if you have Outcast.
- Metamorphosis (Hero Card): Replace hero power with Sightless Magistrate – 1 mana, +2 Attack and Lifesteal this turn.
- Skull of Gul'dan: 5 mana, draw 3 cards. Outcast: costs (1) less.
- The Demon Soul (Quest Reward): After playing 6 Outcast cards, get a 0-cost spell that deals 6 damage and gives a 6/6 Demon.
- Cost: 2 Mana
- Effect: +1 Attack this turn and +1 Armor (permanent).
- Cooldown: Once per turn
- Usage: Provides both offense and defense. Use early to gain armor and control minions. Combos with Choose One cards that scale with attack.
- Cards with Choose One allow you to select one of two effects when played, giving versatility.
- Synergies: Cards like Nourish or Wrath can adapt to situation. Some cards (e.g., Keeper of the Grove) become stronger if you have activated Choose One multiple times.
- Armor Synergy: Druid also has many cards that grant Armor or gain benefits from Armor (e.g., Feral Rage).
- Innervate: 0 mana, gain 2 Mana Crystals this turn only. Classic ramp.
- Wild Growth: 2 mana, gain an empty Mana Crystal. Core ramp spell.
- Wrath: 2 mana, deal 3 damage to a minion OR deal 1 damage and draw a card.
- Nourish: 6 mana, gain 2 Mana Crystals OR draw 3 cards.
- Soul of the Forest: 4 mana, give your minions Deathrattle: Summon a 2/2 Treant.
- The Forest Elder (Quest Reward): After gaining 20 Armor, your Hero Power gains Lifesteal and costs (0).
- Cost: 2 Mana
- Effect: Deal 2 damage to the enemy hero.
- Cooldown: Once per turn
- Usage: Direct face damage. Ideal for aggressive decks that aim to reduce opponent's health quickly. Avoid using if you need to develop board.
- Hunter has strong Beast synergy (e.g., Scavenger's Ingenuity buffs Beasts) and Secrets – cheap spells that trigger when conditions are met.
- Synergies: Cards like Kill Command gain bonus damage (5 instead of 3) if you control a Beast.
- Arcane Shot: 1 mana, deal 3 damage to a minion.
- Kill Command: 3 mana, deal 3 damage. Deal 5 if you control a Beast.
- Tracking: 1 mana, look at 3 cards, pick one, discard the rest. Great for consistency.
- Eaglehorn Bow: 3 mana 3/2 weapon. Gains +1 Durability when a Secret is revealed.
- Dinotamer Brann: 7 mana 2/4 – Battlecry: If your deck has no duplicates, summon a 8/8 King Krush with Charge.
- Zul'jin (Hero Card): Replays all spells you've cast this game (as Hunter spells).
- Cost: 2 Mana
- Effect: Deal 1 damage to any target (hero or minion).
- Cooldown: Once per turn
- Usage: Versatile pinging tool for removing 1-health minions, triggering Spell Damage synergies, or finishing a wounded minion.
- Mage has many Spell Damage minions that boost spell damage. Also has Freeze effects to stall board.
- Synergies: Mana Wyrm gains attack when you cast spells. Sorcerer's Apprentice reduces spell cost.
- Frost Bolt: 2 mana, deal 3 damage to a minion and Freeze it.
- Fireball: 4 mana, deal 6 damage to any target.
- Flamestrike: 7 mana, deal 4 damage to all enemy minions.
- Apexis Blast: 5 mana, deal 5 damage and if it kills a minion, add a 5-cost minion to your hand.
- Reno the Relicologist (if Highlander): Battlecry: If your deck has no duplicates, deal 10 damage to the enemy hero.
- Jaina Proudmoore (Hero Card): Hero Power becomes Icy Touch – 2 mana, deal 1 damage, Lifesteal, and summon a Water Elemental.
- Cost: 2 Mana
- Effect: Summon a 1/1 Silver Hand Recruit.
- Cooldown: Once per turn
- Usage: Fills board with tokens. Core for Dude Paladin decks that buff Silver Hand Recruits. Also triggers Murloc or Divine Shield synergies.
- Paladin has many Divine Shield minions and buff spells to make minions stick. Murloc and Mech synergies exist.
- Synergies: Cards like Quartermaster give +2/+2 and Taunt to Silver Hand Recruits.
- Consecration: 4 mana, deal 2 damage to all enemies.
- Blessing of Kings: 4 mana, give a minion +4/+4 and Divine Shield.
- Libram of Wisdom: 1 mana, give a minion +1/+1 and Deathrattle: add a Libram of Wisdom to your hand. (Libram package reduces cost over game)
- Stand Against Darkness: 4 mana, summon 3 Silver Hand Recruits.
- Uther of the Ebon Blade (Hero Card): Hero Power becomes The Four Horsemen – 2 mana, summon a 2/2 Horseman. When you summon all four, destroy the enemy hero.
- Cost: 2 Mana
- Effect: Restore 2 Health to any target (hero or minion).
- Cooldown: Once per turn
- Usage: Heal your hero or minions to keep them alive. Combos with Inner Fire style cards that benefit from high health. Can also heal enemy minions for negative synergies (e.g., Auchenai Soulpriest makes it deal damage).
- Priest can copy or steal cards from opponent's deck, and has many cards that trigger when healing occurs (e.g., Northshire Cleric draws cards when healed).
- Synergies: Radiance gains +2/+2 when you heal a minion.
- Holy Nova: 5 mana, deal 2 damage to all enemy minions and restore 2 health to all friendly minions.
- Shadow Word: Death: 3 mana, destroy a minion with 5 or more Attack.
- Power Word: Shield: 1 mana, give a minion +2 Health and draw a card.
- Anduin (Hero Card): Hero Power becomes Voidform – 2 mana, deal 2 damage (and Lifesteal if you've cast a Shadow spell).
- Benedictus (Quest Reward): After restoring 15 health, your Hero Power costs (0) and can be used twice per turn.
- Cost: 2 Mana
- Effect: Equip a 1/2 Dagger.
- Cooldown: Once per turn
- Usage: Provides a weapon for early removal, combo enabler, and triggers Weapon synergies. The dagger has 2 durability, so you can attack twice.
- Cards with Combo gain a bonus effect if you played another card earlier this turn. Often requires a cheap card (like Dagger Mastery or Backstab) to activate.
- Synergies: Edwin VanCleef gains +2/+2 for each card played before him.
- Backstab: 0 mana, deal 2 damage to an undamaged enemy minion. Great for activating Combo.
- Eviscerate: 2 mana, deal 2 damage. Combo: deal 4 damage instead.
- Preparation: 0 mana, the next spell you cast this turn costs (2) less.
- Sap: 2 mana, return an enemy minion to its owner's hand.
- Valeera the Hollow (Hero Card): Hero Power becomes Death's Shadow – 2 mana, gain 4 Armor and give your hero Stealth until next turn. Also you can duplicate cards each turn.
- Burgle: 3 mana, add a random class card to your hand (from opponent's class).
- Cost: 2 Mana
- Effect: Summon a random basic Totem (Healing Totem – restore 1 health to all friendly minions at end of turn; Searing Totem – 1/1; Stoneclaw Totem – 0/2 with Taunt; Wrath of Air Totem – 0/2 with Spell Damage +1).
- Cooldown: Once per turn
- Usage: Provides board presence and utility. The random nature can be inconsistent, but you can reroll with certain cards. Synergizes with Totem cards like Totem Golem (overload) and Tuskarr Totemic.
- Overload cards cost mana now but lock some of your next turn's mana crystals. Strong tempo plays.
- Murloc and Mech tribal synergies are also common.
- Lightning Bolt: 1 mana, deal 3 damage to a minion. Overload: (1)
- Feral Spirit: 3 mana, summon two 2/3 Spirit Wolves with Taunt. Overload: (2)
- Hex: 3 mana, transform an enemy minion into a 0/1 Frog.
- Bloodlust: 5 mana, give all friendly minions +3 Attack this turn.
- Thrall, Deathseer (Hero Card): Hero Power becomes Transmute Spirit – 2 mana, transform a friendly minion into a random one costing (1) more.
- Evolving (Quest Reward): After playing 6 Overload cards, your Hero Power becomes Invocation – 2 mana, deal 2 damage to all enemies.
- Cost: 2 Mana
- Effect: Draw a card and take 2 damage.
- Cooldown: Once per turn
- Usage: Card advantage engine at the cost of health. Core for most Warlock decks. Can be used aggressively to find key cards, but beware of self-damage.
- Warlock has Discard mechanics (randomly discard cards for powerful effects) and Self-Damage payoffs (e.g., Flame Imp, Kobold Librarian). Demons are a common tribe.
- Synergies: Cards like Flesh Giant get cheaper as you take damage.
- Mortal Coil: 1 mana, deal 1 damage to a minion. If it dies, draw a card.
- Hellfire: 4 mana, deal 3 damage to ALL characters (including your hero).
- Siphon Soul: 6 mana, destroy a minion and restore 3 health to your hero.
- Voidcaller: 4 mana 3/4 – Deathrattle: Summon a random Demon from your hand.
- Gul'dan (Hero Card): Hero Power becomes Siphon Life – 2 mana, deal 3 damage to the enemy hero and restore 3 health to yours.
- Crystallizer: 1 mana 1/3 – Battlecry: Take 5 damage. Summon a 3/3 Crystal. Good for enabling self-damage payoffs.
- Cost: 2 Mana
- Effect: Gain 2 Armor.
- Cooldown: Once per turn
- Usage: Passive defense. Essential for Control Warrior to survive aggression. Can be used even at full health to increase total health pool. Synergizes with Armor-related cards like Shield Slam (deal damage equal to armor) and Bash (gain 3 armor, deal 3 damage).
- Warrior has many cards that benefit from having high armor, and Rush minions that can attack immediately.
- Synergies: Armorsmith gains armor when a friendly minion takes damage. Sword Eater gains +2 Attack if you have armor.
- Shield Slam: 1 mana, deal damage equal to your hero's armor to a minion.
- Execute: 2 mana, destroy a damaged enemy minion.
- Brawl: 5 mana, destroy all minions except one (randomly chosen).
- Risky Skipper: 1 mana 1/3 – Battlecry: Deal 1 damage to all minions. Triggers Armorsmith and Frothing Berserker.
- Garrosh (Hero Card): Hero Power becomes Bladestorm – 2 mana, deal 1 damage to all enemies. Gain 2 Armor each time a minion dies.
- Invigorate (Quest Reward): After gaining 20 Armor, your Hero Power costs (0) and gives +2 Attack this turn as well.
- Efficiency: Always consider whether using your Hero Power is the best use of 2 mana. In early turns, developing a minion is often better. In later turns, it fills mana gaps.
- Synergy Builds: Certain decks are built around Hero Power usage (e.g., Reinforce for Paladin, Life Tap for Warlock). Include cards that benefit from repeated hero power use.
- Opponent Hero Power Awareness: Know your opponent's hero power. For example, a Mage with Fireblast can ping your 1-health minions; a Hunter with Steady Shot will pressure your face.
- Upgraded Hero Powers: Many Hero Cards (e.g., Zul'jin, Thrall, Uther) replace or upgrade your Hero Power for the rest of the game. Plan your deck to capitalize on the upgraded version.
- Gold Hero Powers: Alternate hero skins often have different animations but same effects.
Class Mechanic: Corpses
Key Spells & Abilities
Recommended Build: Control or Midrange decks that generate and spend Corpses for value. Use Ghoul Charge early to contest board or trigger corpse generation.
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Demon Hunter
Hero Power: Demon Claws
Class Mechanic: Outcast
Key Spells & Abilities
Recommended Build: Aggro or Midrange tempo decks that maximize Outcast triggers. Use Demon Claws every turn for face damage or to enable card draw from Chaos Strike.
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Druid
Hero Power: Shapeshift
Class Mechanic: Choose One
Key Spells & Abilities
Recommended Build: Ramp Druid (gain mana faster) or Token Druid (flood board with Treants). Use Shapeshift to trade efficiently and accumulate armor for later turns.
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Hunter
Hero Power: Steady Shot
Class Mechanic: Beasts & Secrets
Key Spells & Abilities
Recommended Build: Face Hunter (aggressive, use Hero Power every turn) or Midrange Beast Hunter. Use Steady Shot to finish off opponents or pressure early.
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Mage
Hero Power: Fireblast
Class Mechanic: Spell Damage & Freeze
Key Spells & Abilities
Recommended Build: Control or Tempo Mage. Use Fireblast to enable minion trades or finish off low-health targets. Combine with Spell Damage for burst.
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Paladin
Hero Power: Reinforce
Class Mechanic: Divine Shield & Buffs
Key Spells & Abilities
Recommended Build: Aggro Paladin (flood with Recruits) or Midrange Libram Paladin. Use Reinforce every turn to keep board presence.
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Priest
Hero Power: Lesser Heal
Class Mechanic: Copy & Steal, Healing Synergies
Key Spells & Abilities
Recommended Build: Control Priest (heal and removal) or Combo Priest (utilize high health minions and buffs). Use Lesser Heal to keep key minions alive or trigger card draws.
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Rogue
Hero Power: Dagger Mastery
Class Mechanic: Combo
Key Spells & Abilities
Recommended Build: Tempo Rogue (use weapon and cheap spells to control board) or Miracle Rogue (draw many cards with cheap spells). Use Dagger Mastery early to set up Combo turns.
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Shaman
Hero Power: Totemic Call
Class Mechanic: Overload & Murlocs/Mechs
Key Spells & Abilities
Recommended Build: Aggro Overload or Midrange Shaman. Use Totemic Call to fill gaps; prioritize keeping the board for Bloodlust.
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Warlock
Hero Power: Life Tap
Class Mechanic: Discard & Demons, Self-Damage Synergies
Key Spells & Abilities
Recommended Build: Zoo Warlock (flood board with cheap minions) or Control Warlock (draw heavy with Life Tap). Use Life Tap when you have mana left and need cards, but be mindful of health total.
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Warrior
Hero Power: Armor Up!
Class Mechanic: Armor Synergy and Rush
Key Spells & Abilities
Recommended Build: Control Warrior (stack armor and clear board) or Enrage Warrior (use self-damage and armor for synergies). Use Armor Up! frequently to stay healthy and power up Shield Slam.
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General Tips for Hero Power Usage
This guide covers every class's default skills and key abilities. For a full list of all class-specific spells, minions, and weapons, refer to the All Game Items section.