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Introduction to the Hearthstone Log File


Blizzard has repeatedly said that any modification of the Hearthstone game client is a violation of the Terms of Service. If you are a developer of hearthstone-related software, this is a big problem for developing new and interesting tools that interact with the game. However, there is a fairly well-known data source that the vast majority of deck trackers, game loggers, replay generators, and arena recommendation engines make use of - the Hearthstone log file. Much of this information comes from a reddit post by Flipperbw .

Enabling logging is pretty straightforward, you probably already have it enabled if you have ever used a deck tracker or similar software. To enable logging, navigate to your Application Data Directory:

Windows: C:\Users\YOURUSER\AppData\Local\Blizzard\Hearthstone *OR* %LOCALAPPDATA%/Blizzard/Hearthstone

Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/Blizzard/Hearthstone

Once there, create a file called "log.config" and add the following:

[Zone]
LogLevel=1
FilePrinting=false
ConsolePrinting=true
ScreenPrinting=false

The conf file describes what the game should log to its output file. The output file is located:

Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\Hearthstone\Hearthstone_Data\output_log.txt (or Program Files for 32 bit windows)

Mac: /Applications/Hearthstone/Hearthstone.app/Contents/Data/output_log.txt

The log file can have a number of options configured, a (nearly) complete list of these options is listed below. Each one can be added to the log file definition in place of [Zone], and each accepts the four options defined above:

  • Asset - Unity asset loading information
  • BattleNet
  • Ben
  • Bob - Legend rank (if available)
  • Brian
  • Cameron
  • Derek
  • FaceDownCard
  • HealthyGaming
  • Jay
  • Kyle - Card back information
  • LoadingFile
  • Mike
  • Net
  • Packets
  • Packet
  • Power - Hero power, attacks, etc
  • Rachelle
  • Sound
Tidwell in Game Internals - Nov 22, 2015