Hearthstone players got a pretty big reveal with BlizzCon 2019 today as the gaming giant also announced a new expansion to their favorite card game. It looks like all of the previous storylines and mechanics are being This time, we’re not getting a solo adventure or even a full set of new characters and cards as a standalone mini update, rather an entirely new game mode. But it’s not just any new idea, the new Hearthstone expansion completely changes the way the game is played.
Blizzard kept a fair bit of their plans close to the chest, only giving us a tease of the future content. They did explain that this version of Hearthstone is totally unique and self-contained, as it changes the underlying logic in a whole new way. Battlegrounds is what’s being billed as an “auto-battler”, which means your job as a player is to build an army and crush your opponents, and since cards aren’t being played in the typical fashion, tactical decision-making has been completely changed. Building an army of minions is pretty straightforward, just summon some dudes to fight for you, but Blizzard is throwing a few wrinkles into the mix.
For one thing, hero powers have been removed and replaced with more generic abilities which focus on applying buffs and debuffs to minions. Instead, these heroes will now become cards that can be summoned, and players can select from 24 in all. Each one has their own unique ability which also increases synergy with the rest of your army. Your army isn’t under your direct control, so proper planning is key.
Check it out in the trailer down below. Hearthstone is available now for PC and mobile devices. To test out the new mode, Blizzard will be running an invite-only beta running from November 5th through November 11th, with an open access beta kicking off on the 12th.
Other Warcraft news includes the reveal of the Shadowlands expansion that continues the Sylvanas Windrunner storyline. And in addition, Blizzard also confirmed Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 as major AAA sequels to their other big franchises. 2020 is going to be an insane year for Blizzard.
Hearthstone Battlegrounds doesn’t have a firm release date yet, although we can probably expect it pretty soon after the beta.
