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Blizzard teases Hearthstone announcement at BlizzCon
Select Hearthstone fansites and general gaming outlets have received curious mail from Blizzard Entertainment over the course of the last week. BlizzPro, Polygon, TouchArcade, and Hearthstone streamer Noxious have each shared a postcard which presents a blueprint of an in-game gadget and the following text: Making plans for BlizzCon -- I hope you like my invention! These postcards, combined with recent teasers on the Hearthstone website and November's goblin-themed card back, it seems likely BlizzCon will present an expansion themed around the mechanical side of the Warcraft universe and the long-standing goblin/gnome engineering rivalry. Some Hearthstone fans have even been attempting to read between the lines on Blizzard's on-site teasers, speculating on the addition of new game modes, new creature types, and possible new hero abilities. Given BlizzCon begins in less than 24 hours, it might be best to wait and see.
Hearthstone expansion coming 'soon'
The release of just a handful of new cards with Hearthstone's Curse of Naxxramas had a notable impact on competitive play -- the priest deck is considered by some to be a powerhouse with a suite of deathrattles, for example. That's often the case with collectible card games such as these, so an inevitable expansion has the potential to make Hearthstone feel like a whole new game again. Eric Dodds, Hearthstone's lead designer, told our sister site Joystiq at PAX Prime that just such an expansion is coming "soon." It seems likely an official expansion announcement awaits us at BlizzCon. We have to wonder what approach they'll take with an influx of new cards. Power creep is always a concern -- Curse of Naxxramas's relatively few, deathrattle-themed cards is one thing, but the addition of a hundred new cards might be something else altogether. An oodle of new cards needs to hold some allure over the old ones to draw players in, but does Hearthstone have room for that many additions, given its simple rule set? An increase in base power-per-mana would be one approach, but unlikely to be endearing to players. That works fine in MMOs, but not card games. Brand new mechanics are also possible, something beyond Battlecry, Deathrattle, and Charge. Other CCGs have attempted to modify their tournament rules to limit the use of cards from previous sets or hold tournaments/ladders where only specific sets are allowed for use in play, requiring competitive players to dip into each and every set. That feels like a very un-Blizzard thing to do, but a CCG is new territory for them. Who knows?
Hearthstone: Curse of Naxxramas livestream
Check out WoW Insider's live stream for the new Hearthstone expansion pack: Curse of Naxxramas! Our own Robert Wing will give you the scoop on all the new cards and how they play. If you're interested in Hearthstone, here's your chance to get a glimpse of all the new features in action. Happy card slinging!
Curse of Naxxramas coming to Hearthstone in July
Though we've known Hearthstone's Curse of Naxxramas expansion was coming out some time this summer, we haven't yet had a date to pin our card-playing hopes on. But now CM Aratil has announced on the Hearthstone forums that the expansion is headed our way this July. We still don't have a pricetag for the expansion, but Aratil says they'll be posting further details on July 1st, which is just around the corner. Curse of Naxxramas will take gamers to -- surprise! -- Kel'Thuzad's citadel Naxxramas, where they'll fight new bosses and have the chance to earn 30 new cards. If you want to see just what's in store, the Hearthstone team has released a number of card previews, all of which are collected here.
Death's Bite weapon added to Hearthstone's Curse of Naxxramas
We're all looking forward to this summer's release of Hearthstone's first expansion, Curse of Naxxramas. And in the meanwhile, @PlayHearthstone is stringing us along with glimpses of what we can expect in the upcoming expansion. Today's glimpse is the warrior card Death's Bite, a 4/2 weapon with the deathrattle effect of dealing one damage to all minions. There's no release date -- or price tag -- for Curse of Naxxramas just yet, but while you wait for the expansion to arrive there's plenty of time to read up on what's coming our way.
Hearthstone expansion details and Season 3 reminder
Hearthpwn recently translated an interview with Hearthstone Executive Producer Hamilton Chu originally published on Chinese website nga.178.com. Hearthstone's future is being discussed with the addition of new premium content. Game content and features They're working on new heroes like Varian instead of Garrosh for warrior decks. New card backs are also being considered and these are separate from the ones that are to be awarded during ranked season play (with even more rewards to be planned for the ranked ladder season). New game boards are also going to be added. There is no plan to adjust the length of seasons yet although the team is watching it carefully. For the time being, Hearthstone will consist strictly of Warcraft themed elements. Anything not Warcraft related won't be added. The game will eventually feature achievements. Adventure modes will have new quests, new game stages, and add an additional 10 to 20 new cards. Expected release date will be some time after the game is official released on the PC and iPad. Even though Hearthstone isn't out yet, the developers are looking ahead and planning the first expansion which will likely contain 100 to 200 new cards. Chu confirmed that Death Knights and Monk classes are not being worked on. 2v2 mode and observer modes are not actively being worked on (although observer mode is on the to-do list).
