Hearthstone

thumb|A hearthstone in the TCG.
A hearthstone is an enchanted stone that can teleport the wielder to the location it is bound to, such as an inn. All characters receive a Hearthstone upon creation that returns them to their starting area. Asking an innkeeper to "make this inn your home" will set that as your new home location. Should the player destroy their hearthstone, they can recreate one by simply speaking to an innkeeper.
==Background==
A hearthstone is a palm-sized, oval-shaped crystal bound by arcane magic to a particular person and place. They can be used to instantly travel from any distance to the stone's origin point. Only the specific person that a stone is bound to can make use of it.Stormrage, chapter 21 They are usually chiseled from a rare mineral, though Lilian Voss owns a hearthstone made of a chunk of gravestone.Lilian's Hearthstone They are covered with glowing blue runes, one of them meaning "home" and the others referring to the location and person they're bound to.The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm, chapter 7, pg. 71-72 Teleporting using a hearthstone is referred to as "hearthing"Adventuring Journal and is done by holding the stone and concentrating until it flares and causes the holder to materialize at their destination.The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm, chapter 23, pg. 227
Changing an old hearthstone's spell patterns is a monumental task, but creating a new one even more so. They can stop working if they become worn or damaged.Cracked HearthstoneMost Loyal In order to change who a hearthstone is bound to, the owner and recipient both place their hands over each other while the recipient closes their hand tightly over the stone and concentrates, "taking it into themselves" and making it theirs, until a faint blue light lines both people's hands and the binding of the stone shifts to the new owner. Twice, Tyrande Whisperwind has been able to use Elune's power to forcibly change who a hearthstone is bound to, but a stone can try to resist such an attempt if its current owner is still alive.
Hearthstones are very rare artifacts. They are known to have been used in the Kaldorei Empire prior to the War of the Ancients. King Varian believed them to be only a legend, calling them "things heard only in stories concerning magi... or elves." Broll Bearmantle had only seen a hearthstone twice prior to the War Against the Nightmare. Both the Alliance and Horde have lent hearthstones to adventurers to allow speedy relocation to areas in need of help.Make Haste to Stormwind!Make Haste to Orgrimmar!
According to legend, the dwarven innkeeper Bryher Stonekeeper once made a deal with a gnome warlock to turn his daughter Keelin into a hearthstone so that she would always return home to her father's inn.The Innkeeper's Daughter The :Hearthsteed is a magical construct rumored to be chiseled from the same mineral as hearthstones. :Hearthy is an animated hearthstone crafted by a powerful wizard who refused to wear robes with pockets.Hearthy
===Known hearthstones===
The following is a list of specific hearthstones known to exist in the lore. For World of Warcraft items that function as hearthstones, see the "Similar items" section further down the page.
Hearthstone 	Owner(s) 	Bound to 	History
Ambassador's hearthstone	Night elf ambassador to Stormwind 	Darnassus 	An old hearthstone, originally brought by a refugee from Zin-Azshari during the War of the Ancients. Tyrande Whisperwind would've had it destroyed if it wasn't for the difficulty of creating new hearthstones. She instead used Elune's power to change the binding on it. It was later given to the night elf ambassador to Stormwind City and bound to Darnassus. After being transported to Stormwind during the War Against the Nightmare, Tyrande, Broll Bearmantle, and Thura sought the hearthstone so that one of them could return to Darnassus. The group was ambushed by the Nightmare and by the maddened ambassador, and only Broll made it back. He dropped the stone upon arrival to Darnassus, and it rolled out of sight and disappeared.
Anduin's hearthstone 	Anduin WrynnFormerly: Jaina Proudmoore	Stormwind KeepFormerly: Jaina's Tower, Dustwallow Marsh	A hearthstone which Jaina Proudmoore arranged to be created specifically for Anduin Wrynn. She gave it to him shortly before the Cataclysm so he could come visit her in Theramore whenever his father was in one of his "Lo'Gosh moods". The prince later used the hearthstone to escape Ironforge when it fell under the control of the Dark Iron clan. Years later, Anduin attuned the stone to Stormwind instead.Elegy, pg. 56, 59 After the Argus Campaign, he used it to quietly return to Stormwind after a visit to Darnassus.Before the Storm, chapter 14, pg. 108 During the War of the Thorns, he gave the hearthstone to Tyrande Whisperwind so she could save her husband Malfurion from Darkshore and return with him to Stormwind.The Guidance of Our Shan'do
Cracked Hearthstone 	Unknown 	Tranquillien, Ghostlands 	An old hearthstone, good for only one more use. Lent by Dark Ranger Lenara to Banshee loyalist adventurers so they could meet with Sylvanas Windrunner after the Battle at the Gates of Orgrimmar.
Faol's Hearthstone 	Alonsus Faol 	Faol's Rest, Tirisfal Glades 	Lent by a Hooded Priestess to priest adventurers so they could meet with Faol.Priestly Matters
Gary's Hearthstone 	Gary Cofferdam 	Drust Bar, Drustvar 	Used by Gary during combat, only for him to realize that it wasn't very helpful since he'd bound to it a spot only a few yards away.Cutthroat Business Practices
Gidwin's Hearthstone 	Gidwin Goldbraids 	Light's Hope Chapel, Eastern Plaguelands 	Lent by Gidwin to adventurers after they rescued him from Baroness Anastari.Journey's End (quest)
Gilded Hearthstone 	Fleet Admiral Tethys 	Salty Sailor Tavern, Cape of Stranglethorn 	Lent by Tethys to rogue adventurers during the search for the Dreadblades.A Friendly Accord
Glowing Hearthstone 	Lord Maxwell Tyrosus 	Uther's Tomb, Western Plaguelands 	Lent by Tyrosus to paladin adventurers during the search for the Ashbringer.Seeking Guidance
Heyman's Hearthstone 	Heyman 	Heyman's Hubris, Isle of Thunder 	Found discarded at Heyman's Hideaway in Vol'dun.
Lilian's Hearthstone 	Lilian Voss 	Brill, Tirisfal Glades 	Lent by Lilian to Horde adventurers during the efforts to restore the Ruins of Lordaeron.Return to Brill
Mossy Hearthstone 	Hamuul Runetotem 	Moonglade 	Lent by Hamuul to druid adventurers so they could join the ritual to open the Emerald Dreamway.A Summons From Moonglade
Thrall's Hearthstone 	Thrall 	Broken Tusk, Orgrimmar 	A hearthstone worn with age, lent by Thrall to orc adventurers during the quest to bring back the Kosh'harg.A People in Need of Healing
Vol'jin's Hearthstone 	Vol'jin 	The Den, Durotar 	Lent by Vol'jin to Horde adventurers so they could find Thrall and tell him about the attempt on Vol'jin's life.Find Thrall!
==In World of Warcraft==
A player's hearthstone is a key adventuring item in the game. Upon moving to a new area or reaching a new continent's capital city, players will often want to bind their hearthstone to the local inn to allow efficient travel back to the area. Among the most common times to use it are:
* after completing special events like the Darkmoon Faire or holiday activities;
* before or after visiting capital cities to make use of the auction house, bank, profession trainers, and chat and trade with other players;
* after finishing a "one-off" quest with no follow-up;
* to aid in a quest tasking the player to travel a long way or to many locations;
* returning from an in-person visit to an instance;
* to save a few minutes of walking back to the quest giver after completing a set of quest objectives.
===Item usage details===
Activating the teleportation effect:
* After using a hearthstone, it has a cooldown of 30 minutes. This cooldown continues even if the player is logged off.
** The guild perk Hasty Hearth reduces this cooldown to 15 minutes.
* A hearthstone has a 10 second Cast time.
* A hearthstone can be used during combat; however, the casting will be interrupted if the user takes any damage.
** Being hit will not interrupt the casting of a Hearthstone if the player is immune to the type of damage caused by the hits. As such, Bubble Hearthing is possible for paladins.
* A Hearthstone can be used while sitting or laying down.
Working with innkeepers to manage hearthstone "bind points":
* Players can talk to an innkeeper at any inn to change their bind point (the place the hearthstone will teleport them to once it's activated). Sometimes the "inn" is simply a small tent or rest area. Rarely, the "innkeeper" is simply an object that shows the hearthstone icon when hovered with the mouse, not a person.
:: interact with innkeeper innkeeper out of range
* The hearthstone is initially bound to the starting zone of the player. Specifically, the very spot that the character was initially created. There is no way to set a hearthstone back to this location once changed.
* If a hearthstone is destroyed, any innkeeper can provide a new one to the character, but it will be bound to that inn rather than the location of the one that was destroyed.
===Similar items===
Several items in the game have an effect similar to that of a hearthstone. The following ones share a cooldown with a regular hearthstone, essentially acting as a cosmetic change to the typical tool:
* Hearthy, a pet rewarded from Master of Minions.
* The Innkeeper's Daughter, a rare Dwarven Archaeology find.
* Ruby Slippers, a drop from the Wizard of Oz Encounter in Karazhan.
* Ethereal Portal, a TCG item.
* Dark Portal (toy), another TCG item.
* Tome of Town Portal, from the Diablo's 20th Anniversary world event. See also the Scroll of Town Portal below.
* Headless Horseman's Hearthstone, from the Hallow's End world event.
* Greatfather Winter's Hearthstone, from the Winter's Veil world event.
* Lunar Elder's Hearthstone, from the Lunar Festival world event.
* Peddlefeet's Lovely Hearthstone, from the Love is in the Air world event.
* Noble Gardener's Hearthstone, from the Noblegarden world event.
* Fire Eater's Hearthstone, from the Midsummer Fire Festival world event.
* Brewfest Reveler's Hearthstone, from the Brewfest world event.
* Scourgestone (death knight), provided to death knights in place of the usual hearthstone. This only returns them to Acherus: The Ebon Hold, the only friendly inn before completing the introductory quest chain, after which they can acquire a real hearthstone by talking to any innkeeper.
* Eternal Traveler's Hearthstone, from purchasing World of Warcraft: Shadowlands Epic Edition.
* Kyrian Hearthstone, bought for 750 Anima after reaching Renown (Shadowlands) 11 with the Kyrian Covenant.
* Necrolord Hearthstone, bought for 750 Anima after reaching Renown (Shadowlands) 11 with the Necrolord Covenant.
* Night Fae Hearthstone, bought for 750 Anima after reaching Renown (Shadowlands) 11 with the Night Fae Covenant.
* Venthyr Sinstone, bought for 750 Anima after reaching Renown (Shadowlands) 11 with the Venthyr Covenant.
* Broker Translocation Matrix, bought from Vilo for at with the Enlightened.
* Dominated Hearthstone is rewarded from The Jailer's Gauntlet: Layer 2.
* Timewalker's Hearthstone, from purchasing World of Warcraft: Dragonflight Epic Edition.
* Ohn'ir Windsage's Hearthstone is rewarded from Honor Our Ancestors.
Abilities that behave similarly to hearthstones without sharing a cooldown also exist, but are much rarer or more restricted:
* Scroll of Town Portal, the counterpart to the Tome of Town Portal, from the Diablo's 20th Anniversary world event. It has no cooldown and is consumed upon use.
* Scribes can make and use stacks of Scroll of Recall of various levels. They have a 20-minute cooldown, and one scroll is consumed on each use.
* Astral Recall, a Shaman spell, has a default cooldown of 10 minutes.
* Warlords of Draenor introduced the Garrison Hearthstone, a special hearthstone with a cooldown separate from the normal one. However, it can only return the player to his or her Garrison.
* Legion provided a similar Dalaran Hearthstone to players upon entering the new continent, which again has a separate cooldown and only returns to that one location.
* Vulpera characters can use their Make Camp racial ability to create a campsite in any outdoors location that acts as a rest area and can be teleported back to using Return to Camp (racial), which has a 1-hour cooldown.
* A number of items and spells can teleport players to specific locations, which may avoid the need for a player to bind their hearthstone in that area.
* Wrap of Unity / Wrap of Unity#Horde and two similar items with cooldowns of 2/4/8 hours, which teleport you to Stormwind/Orgrimmar, which can be purchased from your guild vendor after obtaining appropriate guild reputation.
It is possible to bind the hearthstone to a capital/hub city with many permanent portals, allowing access to many different continents through a single hearthstone location. During expansions in which the hub cities are not Orgrimmar and Stormwind, low-level characters can reach that city with the help of a friendly mage's portal spell, and they can use their hearthstones to return to the city later, then take a portal to a desired destination. This is sometimes done for alts for accessibility to cities far away from each other. However, since the hearthstone is committed to that one location, it becomes less useful and flexible for the smaller-scale movement an alt might be doing while questing.
===Recommended home locations===
While leveling, players usually set their hearthstones either to a major city close to their questing zone, or individual inn locations where the quests revolve around. The capital allows for quick shifts in focus such as pausing questing to partake in holiday events or meeting with other players, while local locations allow hearthstones to be used "tactically" for short trips within a questing zone. Such hearthstones can still ease travel on the return trip from a capital city, of course.
For max level characters, those with fast flying mounts, or others not focused on questing and short-distance movement, ease of travel throughout the world is the priority. During most expansions, there is typically one "hub" city with many permanent portals to various continents, so players will want to bind their hearthstone in that hub, unless they have some other tool to get there such as the Dalaran Hearthstone. See Portal (city) for a list of past and present portal connections out of hub cities.
Level to level, if a player wishes to bind their hearthstone to a central location rather than local quest hubs, these locations often serve well:
For the Alliance
* Levels 5-10: 
** Goldshire (Elywynn Forest)
** Dolanaar (Teldrassil)
** Azure Watch (Azuremyst Isles)
** Kharanos (Dun Morogh)
* Levels 10-20: 
** Sentinel Hill (Westfall)
** Lor'danel (Darkshore)
** Blood Watch (Bloodmyst Isles)
** Thelsamar (Loch Modan)
* Levels 20-58: Ironforge, Stormwind, Darnassus
* Levels 58-68: Shattrath City (Outland)
* Levels 68-74: Valiance Keep or Valgarde (Borean Tundra and Howling Fjord, respectively)
* Levels 74-80: Dalaran (Northrend)
* Levels 80-85: Stormwind (for the Cataclysm zone portals)
* Levels 85-90: Shrine of Seven Stars (Vale of Eternal Blossoms)
* Levels 90-100: Stormshield (Ashran)
* Levels 100-110: Any questing area. Use Dalaran Hearthstone to get to Dalaran (Broken Isles) instead of your hearthstone.
* Levels 110-120: Boralus (Kul Tiras)
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* Levels 48-60: Oribos
* Level 60: Elysian Hold (Bastion), Seat of the Primus (Maldraxxus), Heart of the Forest (Ardenweald) or Sinfall (Revendreth) (depending on the Covenant)
For the Horde
* Levels 5-10: 
** Razor Hill (Durotar)
** Brill (Tirisfal Glades)
** Bloodhoof Village (Mulgore)
** Falconwing Square / Fairbreeze Village (Eversong Woods)
* Levels 10-20: 
** Crossroads (Northern Barrens)
** The Sepulcher / Forsaken High Command (Silverpine Forest)
** Tranquillien (Ghostlands)
** Bilgewater Harbor (Azshara)
* Levels 20-58: Orgrimmar, Undercity
* Levels 58-68: Shattrath City (Outland)
* Levels 68-74: Warsong Hold or Vengeance Landing (Borean Tundra and Howling Fjord, respectively)
* Levels 74-80: Dalaran (Northrend)
* Levels 80-85: Orgrimmar (for the Cataclysm zone portals)
* Levels 85-90: Shrine of Two Moons (Vale of Eternal Blossoms)
* Levels 90-100: Warspear (Ashran)
* Levels 100-110: Any questing area. Use Dalaran Hearthstone to get to Dalaran (Broken Isles) instead of your hearthstone.
* Levels 110-120: Dazar'alor (Zandalar)
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* Levels 48-60: Oribos
* Level 60: Elysian Hold (Bastion), Seat of the Primus (Maldraxxus), Heart of the Forest (Ardenweald) or Sinfall (Revendreth) (depending on the Covenant)
===Removed functionality===
During the World of Warcraft alpha, hearthstone functionally was made available by a spell called "Word of Recall".:File:WoW computergaming extract.jpg
Until patch 3.1.0, it was possible to "trick" the game into teleporting characters to their hearthstone point while it was on cooldown. A player would create a group with someone else, zone into an easily accessible instance (such as the Stockade), then pass the group lead to the other person and leave the group. The system would then teleport them to their hearthstone point as an invalid group member. This technique was known as "ghetto hearthing". Post-patch, the game transports such characters to the nearest graveyard instead of to the hearthstone location. At this time, the cooldown of a hearthstone was also lowered to 30 minutes, reducing the motivation for such tricks.World of Warcraft official forums (2009-02-26). Change Hearthstones to 30 Minutes (archived). Retrieved on 2011-11-19.
==In other Blizzard games==
The digital card game Hearthstone is named after the famous stone. The game itself takes place in an inn and is narrated by the innkeeper who welcomes back returning players upon logging in. The trademark Hearthstone swirl also serves as the game's logo.
Hearthstones can also be found in the team brawler Heroes of the Storm, where it serves a similar purpose to that in World of Warcraft, to teleport the player back to the Hall of Storms.
==Trivia==
* A Hearthstone plushie was available at the 2014 San Diego Comic Con.2014-06-30, San Diego Comic Con 2014 – Blizzard Entertainment Announces Exclusive Merchandise. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2014-07-25
* The release of Hearthstone has seen the creation of an extensive range of both official and third-party merchandise featuring Hearthstones or the Hearthstone design, including plushies, t-shirts, mugs and phone cases.
==Gallery==
BTNPebble.png|Icon from Warcraft III
BTNPebble-Reforged.png|Icon from Warcraft III: Reforged
Hearthstone-plushie.jpg|Hearthstone plushie
==Patch changes==
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==See also==
*Hearthstone TCG card
==References==
==External links==
 
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Category:Game terms
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