Blizzard Entertainment at its online-only fan event, BlizzConline, unveiled the latest expansion and year-long event to its digital collectible card game, Hearthstone.
The expansion, titled Forged in the Barrens, kicks off the new Year of The Gryphon event and returns the game to its World of Warcraft roots, taking players to the sun-baked savanna of central Kalimdor, where they can recruit legendary mercenaries, collect new cards, and use a new keyword.
Here’s a preview of all the announcements:
New cards
What would a Hearthstone expansion be without new cards to collect.
Forged in the Barrens adds a total of 135 to smash your opponents with. These include legendaries like Shadow Hunter Vol’jin, Blademaster Samuro, Mankrik, and Bru’kan.
Frenzy keyword
Along with the new cards is the reveal of a new keyword effect, called Frenzy. This is a one-time effect that activates the first time a minion survives damage.
One of the new cards that has this keyword is the Peon, which, when activated, adds a random spell from the player’s class to his or her hand.
New core set
The Year of the Gryphon event promises to bring the biggest shakeup ever in standard Hearthstone play with an overhaul of the core sets.
A 235-card set, consisting of 75 neutral and 160 class cards, is replacing the Basic and Classic sets from previous expansions of the game.
This curated selection of new cards also features 29 new ones like Vanessa Vancleef and a revamped version of legendary dragon Ysera, called Ysera the Dreamer, among others.
These changes were brought to modernize the gameplay, reinforce class fantasies, and make the game accessible for newcomers looking to start building their collection.
All of the cards will be completely free for players to earn when the Year of the Gryphon event launches; no extra purchases needed.
Meanwhile, players who have already reached the level requirement to earn the cards will have their collections updated to reflect the changes once the event kicks off.
Classic Format
Fans of old-school, vanilla Hearthstone, however, should not be worried about these changes as the game is also adding a Classic Format, which offers a dedicated mode where players can experience the game as it was when it launched in 2014.
The mode will have its own rewards and rankings, and, of course, include all the original cards as they were prior to the Curse of Naxxramas expansion.
These cards will have their own section in Collection Manager, making it easier for players to know which ones are usable in which mode. Players can also bolster their decks by purchasing Classic Card Packs, which are usable in both Classic and Wild formats.
Classic Format rolls out with the Year of the Gryphon event.
Mercenaries
Last but definitely not the least is Hearthstone Mercenaries, a brand new game mode that combines role-playing gameplay with rogue-like missions with escalating levels of challenge.
In this mode, players build an army of mercenaries from a collection of dozens of familiar Warcraft characters and some new ones as well, including Sylvannas Windrunner and Ragnaros the Firelord.
Purchasing the Forged in the Barrens expansion adds 10 Legendary Mercenaries whose stories will be told in a year-long narrative.
How does the mode work?
Before each fight, players will select mercenaries from their team to participate in battle. Each turn, they’ll pick from a list of abilities unique to each mercenary simultaneously with their opponent and watch the results play out.
Unlike standard Hearthstone, Mercenaries is a fast-paced mode that rewards cunning and anticipation.
Players can take their mercenaries in randomly generated encounters and PvP runs, earning rewards and gaining experience in victory. These boons of battle can be used to evolve mercenaries into more powerful versions of themselves.
Hearthstone Mercenaries is scheduled to launch later in 2021. – Rappler.com
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