Brode: We "Misread The Community Sentiment" On Priest Card In Karazhan

Developers don't admit their mistakes often. But sometimes community pressure is so great that it can't be ignored.

That would appear to be the case with Hearthstone and Purify, the Priest card coming in the One Night in Karazhan adventure, the first part of which launches on the 11th. The card itself is quite weak, but it comes at a time when Priest is one of the weakest classes overall, especially after losing so many good cards in the recent set rotation.

Fan outrage at the sorry state of Priest prompted Lead Designer Ben Brode to produce a Developer Insights video, where he explains that while Purify was never meant to be powerful, it did have its "fun" uses. As for why Priest gets such a weak card at a time when the class is struggling to remain relevant, Brode says:

"I think we really misread the community sentiment going into the reveal. So there was kind of a spotlight on the Priest cards as we were revealing them, and Purify's absolutely the wrong card for that environment."

Brode insists he still has "hopes" for Priest, and that he thinks there are cards in the adventure that can help, but it probably won't be until the next expansion that Priest can really return to being a top-tier pick in Constructed or Arena play.