Published , by Ozzie Mejia
Published , by Ozzie Mejia
Earlier this week, Blizzard issued a new teaser hinting at what's next for Hearthstone. The tease was a vague one, but it was enough to get both Hearthstone fans and World of Warcraft veterans guessing what the card game's next expansion would explore. If you guessed "Stormwind," congratulations, you're a winner! On Thursday, Blizzard revaled Hearthstone's next expansion will be titled United in Stormwind and will be themed around the proud Alliance stronghold.
As has been the case with many of Hearthstone's previous expansions, United in Stormwind will feature 135 new cards, all of which will be themed around Stormwind, the Alliance, and the rites of passage for becoming a hero. The most interesting addition to this expansion is Questlines. These are not the Quest cards of Journey to Un'Goro or even the Sidequests of Descent of Dragons. Instead, Questlines will be three-part quests. Every player will begin with the first Questline card with the task of completing the card's conditions, leading to new steps. Once all three steps are completed, the player will receive a powerful mercenary as a Legendary minion.
Along with Questlines, players can load up on new Tradable cards. The Tradable keyword allows players to use their card for its normal effect or slide it back into their deck for 1 mana in exchange for a new card. This could be a big help if you're looking for a certain win condition card and haven't been able to dig it out just yet.
While Hearthstone has been largely inspired by the lore of World of Warcraft to this point, there's one idea that can't really be translated into card game form and that's mounts. Or can they? Yes, United in Stormwind will introduce new Mount spells, which will act as buffs for minions. Once the minion is destroyed, the Mount will then take the field with its base stats.
Lastly, look for new Profession Tools to act as new passive weapons. These are weapons that will have zero attack value, similar to Aluneth from Kobolds & Catacombs. Each of these passive weapons will offer a different effect that can help swing the game.
Of course, it wouldn't be much of a reveal if there weren't cards to show off. Here are the first cards unveiled for United in Stormwind:
While all of this sounds exciting for the core Hearthstone game modes, Blizzard also has plans for Battlegrounds. The minion-battling game mode is set to receive a massive minion pool shakeup, though it is currently which minions will be affected. Blizzard will also look to introduce new cosmetic bundles, which will feature new hero portraits and even a new alternate bartender voice. More information on what's coming to Battlegrounds will be revealed at a later date.
Hearthstone: United in Stormwind is set to release in August. Look for new cards to be revealed over the course of July. The Hearthstone Battlegrounds update is coming soon. We'll be watching for all of this here at Shacknews, so stay tuned for the latest updates.